2018–19 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team 2018–19 season of University of Kentucky men's basketball team
The 2018–19 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The team played its home games in Lexington, Kentucky for the 43rd consecutive season at Rupp Arena , with a capacity of 20,500. The Wildcats, led by John Calipari in his 10th season as head coach, played in the Southeastern Conference .
Previous season
The Wildcats finished the 2017–18 season 26–11, 10–8 in SEC play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth. In the SEC tournament , the Wildcats defeated Georgia , Alabama , and Tennessee to win the tournament championship for the 31st time in school history. As a result, the Wildcats received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament . As the No. 5 seed in the South region, they defeated No. 12 Davidson [ 1] and No. 13 Buffalo to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.[ 2] There, they lost to No. 9-seeded Kansas State .[ 3]
Offseason
Departures
On April 2, 2018, Tai Wynyard announced that he would be transferring from Kentucky.[ 4] On April 6, Kevin Knox II announced that he would declare for the 2018 NBA draft and would hire an agent, forgoing his remaining eligibility.[ 5] On April 9, Sacha Killeya-Jones announced he would be transferring as well.[ 6] Also, on April 9, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander announced that he would declare for the draft and would be hiring an agent, foregoing his remaining NCAA eligibility.[ 7] On April 16, Hamidou Diallo also announced that he would declare for the draft and hire an agent.[ 8] Three other players announced their entry in the draft, but did not initially hire agents, giving them the option to return to Kentucky. P. J. Washington declared for the draft on April 3,[ 9] followed by Wenyen Gabriel on April 18[ 10] and Jarred Vanderbilt on April 20.[ 11] On May 30, 2018, the NCAA's final day to announce a return, Washington announced he would return for a sophomore season. Jarred Vanderbilt and Wenyen Gabriel announced on May 30, 2018, that they would remain in the 2018 NBA Draft and forgo their remaining college eligibility.[ 12] [ 13]
2018 recruiting class
Immanuel Quickley , from Havre de Grace, Maryland , was the first commitment to Kentucky's 2018 class. He committed to Kentucky on September 22, over offers from Kansas and Miami . He was a consensus five-star prospect and was ranked the consensus No. 12 overall player by the four main recruiting services. The Wildcats' second 2018 commitment was Keldon Johnson , a small forward from South Hill, Virginia , who committed on November 11. Kentucky beat out Maryland , NC State , and Texas for Johnson's signature. He was also a consensus five-star prospect and ranked by ESPN as its No. 7 overall prospect.[ 14] Tyler Herro was the third commitment for Kentucky's 2018 class. Formerly committed to Wisconsin , Herro committed to Kentucky the week after his official visit. Herro was a consensus four-star prospect and was ranked the No. 4 shooting guard in the 2018 class by ESPN. E.J. Montgomery was the fourth commitment for Kentucky's 2018 class. Formerly committed to Auburn , he re-opened his recruitment after the Auburn staff was implicated in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal . Montgomery committed to Kentucky on April 9, 2018. Montgomery was a five-star prospect and was ranked No. 12 in the 2018 class.[ 15] On April 10, 2018, Ashton Hagans committed to the University of Kentucky over offers from Georgia and North Carolina . Hagans was originally the second commitment in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 1 ranked point guard in the class of 2019 by 247 sports. On June 15, 2018, Hagans announced that he would be reclassifying into the 2018 class and play for the Cats in the upcoming season, thus making him the fifth recruit in the class of 2018.[ 16]
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Ashton Hagans PG
Covington, GA
Newton High School
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Apr 10, 2018
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 92
Tyler Herro SG
Milwaukee, WI
Whitnall High School
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Nov 14, 2017
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 89
Keldon Johnson SF
South Hill, VA
Oak Hill Academy
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Nov 11, 2017
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 94
E. J. Montgomery PF
Marietta, GA
Joseph Wheeler High School
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Apr 9, 2018
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 92
Immanuel Quickley PG
Havre de Grace, MD
John Carroll School
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Sep 22, 2017
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 90
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout : No. 2 Rivals : No. 2 247Sports : No. 2 ESPN : No. 2
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
Incoming transfers
On June 20, 2018, Reid Travis announced that he would transfer to Kentucky.[ 17] Travis was a two-time first team All-Pac-12 for Stanford and averaged 19.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG in his final year with the Cardinal. As a grad transfer, he is eligible to play immediately.[ 18]
Roster
2018–19 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G
2
Ashton Hagans
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
Fr
Newton
Covington, Georgia
F
3
Keldon Johnson
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Fr
Oak Hill Academy
South Hill, Virginia
C
4
Nick Richards
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
So
St. Patrick (NJ)
Kingston , Jamaica
G
5
Immanuel Quickley
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Fr
John Carroll
Havre de Grace, Maryland
G
10
Jonny David (W)
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
183 lb (83 kg)
Sr
Mt. Lebanon
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
G
12
Brad Calipari (W)
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
176 lb (80 kg)
Jr
MacDuffie
Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
G
13
Jemarl Baker
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
182 lb (83 kg)
RS Fr
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eastvale, California
G
14
Tyler Herro
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Fr
Whitnall
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
F
21
Zan Payne (W)
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Fr
Lexington Catholic
Lexington, Kentucky
F
22
Reid Travis
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
245 lb (111 kg)
GS
Stanford
Minneapolis, Minnesota
F
23
E. J. Montgomery
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Fr
Joseph Wheeler
Marietta, Georgia
F
25
P. J. Washington
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
236 lb (107 kg)
So
Findlay Prep
Dallas, Texas
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster
Roster is subject to change as/if players transfer or leave the program for other reasons.
Depth chart
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance) city, state
Big Blue Bahamas exhibition trip
August 8, 2018 *7:00 pm, SECN
vs. Bahamas National Team
W 85–61
–
19 – Richards
14 – Travis
5 – Green
Imperial Arena Nassau, BAH
August 9, 2018 *7:00 pm, SECN
vs. San Lorenzo de Almagro
W 91–68
–
22 – Herro
7 – Quickley
5 – Quickley
Imperial Arena Nassau, BAH
August 11, 2018 *7:00 pm, SECN
vs. Mega Bemax
W 100–64
–
20 – Washington
12 – Washington
5 – Tied
Imperial Arena Nassau, BAH
August 12, 2018 *4:00 pm, SECN
vs. Team Toronto
W 93–60
–
19 – Travis
15 – Travis
4 – Quickley
Imperial Arena Nassau, BAH
Exhibition
October 26, 2018 *7:00 pm, SECN
No. 2
Transylvania
W 94–66
–
14 – Montgomery
10 – Travis
4 – Quickley
Rupp Arena (19,927)Lexington, KY
November 2, 2018 *7:00 pm, SECN
No. 2
IUP
W 86–64
–
22 – Travis
14 – Travis
5 – Johnson
Rupp Arena (20,095)Lexington, KY
Regular Season
November 6, 2018 *9:30 pm, ESPN
No. 2
vs. No. 4 Duke Champions Classic
L 84–118
0–1
23 – Johnson
9 – Herro
5 – Herro
Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,907)Indianapolis, IN
November 9, 2018 *7:00 pm, SECN
No. 2
Southern Illinois
W 71–59
1–1
15 – Tied
19 – Richards
3 – Tied
Rupp Arena (20,277)Lexington, KY
November 14, 2018 *9:00 pm, SECN
No. 10
North Dakota Ohio Valley Hardwood Showcase
W 96–58
2–1
25 – Washington
10 – Johnson
5 – Green
Rupp Arena (18,555)Lexington, KY
November 18, 2018 *6:00 pm, SECN
No. 10
VMI Ohio Valley Hardwood Showcase
W 92–82
3–1
22 – Travis
18 – Washington
4 – Hagans
Rupp Arena (20,207)Lexington, KY
November 21, 2018 *1:00 pm, SECN
No. 10
Winthrop Ohio Valley Hardwood Showcase
W 87–74
4–1
19 – Washington
11 – Washington
7 – Herro
Rupp Arena (20,070)Lexington, KY
November 23, 2018 *7:00 pm, SECN
No. 10
Tennessee State Ohio Valley Hardwood Showcase
W 77–62
5–1
27 – Johnson
9 – Travis
4 – Green
Rupp Arena (20,224)Lexington, KY
November 28, 2018 *8:30 pm, SECN
No. 10
Monmouth
W 90–44
6–1
16 – Herro
8 – Tied
3 – Tied
Rupp Arena (18,680)Lexington, KY
December 1, 2018 *1:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 10
UNC Greensboro
W 78–61
7–1
22 – Travis
12 – Travis
3 – Hagans
Rupp Arena (21,853)Lexington, KY
December 8, 2018 *12:00 pm, FOX
No. 9
vs. Seton Hall Citi Hoops Classic
L 83–84 OT
7–2
26 – Washington
12 – Washington
4 – Tied
Madison Square Garden (10,244)New York, NY
December 15, 2018 *5:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 19
Utah
W 88–61
8–2
24 – Johnson
5 – Montgomery
7 – Hagans
Rupp Arena (21,922)Lexington, KY
December 22, 2018 *5:15 pm, CBS
No. 19
vs. No. 9 North Carolina CBS Sports Classic /Rivalry
W 80–72
9–2
23 – Johnson
9 – Washington
8 – Washington
United Center Chicago, IL
December 29, 2018 *2:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 16
at Louisville Battle for the Bluegrass
W 71–58
10–2
24 – Herro
8 – Washington
3 – Tied
KFC Yum! Center (20,882)Louisville, KY
January 5, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN
No. 13
at Alabama
L 75–77
10–3 (0–1)
15 – Washington
7 – Tied
6 – Hagans
Coleman Coliseum (12,424)Tuscaloosa, AL
January 8, 2019 7:00 pm, SECN
No. 18
Texas A&M
W 85–74
11–3 (1–1)
21 – Herro
6 – Johnson
4 – Hagans
Rupp Arena (22,048)Lexington, KY
January 12, 2019 8:30 pm, SECN
No. 18
Vanderbilt
W 56–47
12–3 (2–1)
15 – Tied
12 – Travis
4 – Hagans
Rupp Arena (22,504)Lexington, KY
January 15, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 12
at Georgia
W 69–49
13–3 (3–1)
23 – Hagans
7 – Tied
4 – Tied
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)Athens, GA
January 19, 2019 4:00 pm, ESPN
No. 12
at No. 14 Auburn
W 82–80
14–3 (4–1)
20 – Tied
7 – Tied
6 – Hagans
Auburn Arena (9,121)Auburn, AL
January 22, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 8
No. 22 Mississippi State
W 76–55
15–3 (5–1)
21 – Washington
12 – Travis
9 – Hagans
Rupp Arena (21,449)Lexington, KY
January 26, 2019 *6:00 pm, ESPN
No. 8
No. 9 Kansas Big 12/SEC Challenge /ESPN College GameDay
W 71–63
16–3
20 – Washington
13 – Washington
7 – Hagans
Rupp Arena (24,387)Lexington, KY
January 29, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 7
at Vanderbilt
W 87–52
17–3 (6–1)
26 – Washington
12 – Washington
8 – Hagans
Memorial Gymnasium (12,298)Nashville, TN
February 2, 2019 4:00 pm, ESPN
No. 7
at Florida Rivalry
W 65–54
18–3 (7–1)
19 – Herro
12 – Washington
4 – Hagans
O'Connell Center (10,763)Gainesville, FL
February 5, 2019 7:00 pm, SECN
No. 5
South Carolina
W 76–48
19–3 (8–1)
20 – Washington
13 – Montgomery
4 – Tied
Rupp Arena (20,496)Lexington, KY
February 9, 2019 1:00 pm, CBS
No. 5
at Mississippi State
W 71–67
20–3 (9–1)
23 – Washington
8 – Travis
9 – Hagans
Humphrey Coliseum (9,019)Starkville, MS
February 12, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 5
No. 19 LSU
L 71–73
20–4 (9–2)
20 – Washington
9 – Tied
4 – Herro
Rupp Arena (23,490)Lexington, KY
February 16, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN
No. 5
No. 1 Tennessee Rivalry /ESPN College GameDay
W 86–69
21–4 (10–2)
23 – Washington
13 – Herro
7 – Hagans
Rupp Arena (24,467)Lexington, KY
February 19, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 4
at Missouri
W 66–58
22–4 (11–2)
18 – Tied
8 – Washington
3 – Washington
Mizzou Arena (10,703)Columbia, MO
February 23, 2019 1:30 pm, CBS
No. 4
Auburn
W 80–53
23–4 (12–2)
24 – Washington
17 – Johnson
5 – Tied
Rupp Arena (23,427)Lexington, KY
February 26, 2019 9:00 pm, SECN
No. 4
Arkansas
W 70–66
24–4 (13–2)
29 – Herro
15 – Richards
6 – Washington
Rupp Arena (21,998)Lexington, KY
March 2, 2019 2:00 pm, CBS
No. 4
at No. 7 Tennessee Rivalry
L 52–71
24–5 (13–3)
13 – Washington
7 – Tied
3 – Tied
Thompson–Boling Arena (21,729)Knoxville, TN
March 5, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 6
at Ole Miss
W 80–76
25–5 (14–3)
22 – Johnson
7 – Johnson
4 – Washington
The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)Oxford, MS
March 9, 2019 2:00 pm, CBS
No. 6
Florida Rivalry
W 66–57
26–5 (15–3)
16 – Herro
9 – Washington
3 – Johnson
Rupp Arena (24,456)Lexington, KY
SEC Tournament
March 15, 2019 7:00 pm, SECN
(2) No. 4
vs. (10) Alabama Quarterfinals
W 73–55
27–5
20 – Herro
12 – Washington
6 – Hagans
Bridgestone Arena (37,250)Nashville, TN
March 16, 2019 3:30 pm, ESPN
(2) No. 4
vs. (3) No. 8 Tennessee Semifinals
L 78–82
27–6
16 – Washington
6 – Tied
12 – Hagans
Bridgestone Arena (20,933)Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2019 *7:10 pm, CBS
(2 MW) No. 7
vs. (15 MW) Abilene Christian First Round
W 79–44
28–6
25 – Johnson
11 – Montgomery
4 – Hagans
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (13,495)Jacksonville, FL
March 23, 2019 *2:40 pm, CBS
(2 MW) No. 7
vs. (7 MW) No. 19 Wofford Second Round
W 62–56
29–6
14 – Travis
11 – Travis
4 – Tied
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (14,250)Jacksonville, FL
March 29, 2019 *9:59 pm, TBS
(2 MW) No. 7
vs. (3 MW) No. 11 Houston Sweet Sixteen
W 62–58
30–6
19 – Herro
11 – Travis
4 – Johnson
Sprint Center (17,385)Kansas City, MO
March 31, 2019 *2:20 pm, CBS
(2 MW) No. 7
vs. (5 MW) No. 14 Auburn Elite Eight
L 71–77 OT
30–7
28 – Washington
13 – Washington
6 – Herro
Sprint Center (17,174)Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Eastern Time .
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Final AP 2 (19 ) 10 10 10 9 19 19 16 13 18 12 8 7 5 5 4 4 (3 ) 6 4 7 Not released Coaches 2 (12 ) 2^ (12 ) 10 9 8 18 18 15 14 18 14 9 6 5 5 4 4 (4 ) 6 4 7 7
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.
References
^ "Kentucky basketball moves past Davidson into NCAA Tournament second round" . courier-journal.com . Retrieved March 26, 2018 .
^ "Buffalo vs. Kentucky - Game Recap - March 17, 2018 - ESPN" . ESPN.com . Retrieved March 26, 2018 .
^ "Kansas St vs. Kentucky - Game Recap - March 22, 2018 - ESPN" . ESPN.com . Retrieved June 28, 2018 .
^ "BREAKING: Suspended Kentucky forward to transfer" . SEC Country . April 2, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018 .
^ "UK frosh Knox to 'follow my dreams,' go pro" . ESPN.com . Retrieved June 28, 2018 .
^ "Former 5-star prospect Sacha Killeya-Jones transferring from Kentucky" . Sporting News . April 10, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018 .
^ "UK basketball freshman Shai Gilgeous-Alexander declares for NBA draft, will hire an agent" . The Courier-Journal . Retrieved June 28, 2018 .
^ "NBA Draft 2018: Hamidou Diallo becomes fourth Kentucky player to declare for draft" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved June 28, 2018 .
^ "Kentucky's PJ Washington to enter draft but not hire an agent" . ESPN.com . Associated Press . April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018 .
^ Goodman, Jeff (April 18, 2018). "Kentucky's Wenyen Gabriel enters NBA draft, won't hire agent" . ESPN.com . Retrieved April 21, 2018 .
^ Hale, Jon (April 20, 2018). "UK basketball's Jarred Vanderbilt entering NBA draft, not signing with an agent as of now" . Courier-Journal . Louisville, KY . Retrieved April 21, 2018 .
^ Staff, Kernel Sports. "Jarred Vanderbilt to remain in NBA Draft" . The Kentucky Kernel . Retrieved June 28, 2018 .
^ "Wenyen Gabriel keeps his name in NBA draft, ending his Kentucky career" . The Courier-Journal . Retrieved June 28, 2018 .
^ Borzello, Jeff (November 11, 2017). "Keldon Johnson, No. 7 recruit in ESPN 100, joins Kentucky's 2018 class" . ESPN.com . Retrieved November 12, 2017 .
^ Borzello, Jeff (April 9, 2018). "E.J. Montgomery latest 5-star recruit to commit to Kentucky" . ESPN.com . Retrieved April 9, 2018 .
^ Pilgram, Jack (June 15, 2018). "Ashton Hagans graduates, will officially reclassify to class of 2018" . KentuckySportsRadio.com. Retrieved June 15, 2018 .
^ "What Reid Travis transferring to Kentucky means" . SI.com . Retrieved June 28, 2018 .
^ "Stanford's Travis transferring to Kentucky" . ESPN.com . Retrieved June 28, 2018 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics; NCAA championships in bolded italics
Information related to 2018–19 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team