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97-526: The arena was named after John E. Glaser who donated the funds to renovate Tom Gola Arena into a new arena. The former arena was named after former Explorers captain and head coach Tom Gola , a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame . La Salle played at Tom Gola Arena from 1998-2024. In September 2023, La Salle revealed a plan to renovate Tom Gola Arena to create a 360-degree, bowl style arena. The renovation plans highlighted

194-529: A Final Four berth in a 106–100 shootout against Jacksonville. Rupp was forced into retirement in March 1972, after reaching age 70. At the time, this was the mandatory retirement age for all University of Kentucky employees. He was a 5-time National Coach-of-the-Year award winner, a 7-time Conference Coach-of-the-Year award winner, and was elected a member of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and College Basketball Hall of Fame . Further, since 1972,

291-577: A No. 5 ranking. After winning the SEC Tournament once again, Kentucky stormed to the NCAA Final Four to meet up with Michigan's "Fab Five" a team of young and highly talented recruits that brought Michigan to the championship game the year before. As talented as Kentucky was they would fail to reach the championship game with a 78–81 overtime loss to the Wolverines. But this would be the just a glimpse of

388-523: A beavy of home-grown upperclassmen such as Sean Woods, John Pelphrey, Richie Farmer, Deron Feldhaus, and Reggie Hanson along with the talented freshman Jamal Mashburn. Despite their record of 22–6, Kentucky was still banned from the post season and would have to wait another year to see the Unforgettables succeed in the tournament. Beginning with the 1992 season, Kentucky was free of post season bans. Though they lost one more game than last season, this team

485-452: A celebration to kick off the basketball season. Hoops Fest featured a live performance by American rapper DD Osama . John Glaser Arena hosted its first game on November 4th, 2024 with the men's basketball team defeating American 65-52. The arena features 1,700 permanent seats, VIP seats, and retractable seating close to the floor. Four entrance tunnels are located in each corner of the court. A brand-new lighting, sound, and scoreboard system

582-731: A college freshman and led La Salle to the 1952 NIT championship . He was the MVP of the NIT tournament. Gola paced the Explorers to the NCAA basketball championship in 1954 and was named tournament MVP. It was the first nationally televised NCAA championship game. That same season he was selected as National Player of the Year, was a consensus All-American, and was selected to the All-Tournament Team. In 1954, he also set

679-653: A coma after a serious fall, in 2003. Gola died on January 26, 2014, thirteen days after his 81st birthday, in Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania . A former U.S. Army specialist, he was buried at the Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania . Wilt Chamberlain said, "'When I was growing up [in Philadelphia], you whispered the name Tom Gola, because he was like

776-475: A complicated system of passing called the "zig-zag" or "figure eight" offense. Although the team had a losing season in Buchheit's first year, they won the first-ever Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament the next year, defeating the heavily favored Georgia Bulldogs . Both of these teams were composed entirely of native Kentuckians, anchored by All-American Basil Hayden . The tournament victory

873-503: A decade. The game was hard-fought and physical on both sides all game including Laettner's infamous stomp on Aminu Timberlake, which resulted in a technical. The teams took the lead back and forth until the final minute of the game which resulted in a first buzzer beater shot by Kentucky's Sean Woods to take the lead 103–102, and then Laettner's shot to win the game for the Blue Devils in the final seconds 104–103. This team came to be known as

970-567: A full-time head coach was hired, Edwin Sweetland . This made him the first paid coach in Kentucky's basketball history. That year, the team went 5–4, and only three years later, boasted their first undefeated season with nine victories and no losses. The 1914 team under Alpha Brummage , led by brothers Karl and Tom Zerfoss , went 12–2 and defeated all its Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association opponents. In 1919, George Buchheit became

1067-490: A libel lawsuit filed by Casey for a substantial amount of money. Casey was not in Lexington when the envelope was supposedly mailed and the father of Mills said they received no money. The NCAA rescinded its show cause order immediately after the settlement of the lawsuit, and Casey's career has flourished as an NBA coach. Another player, Eric Manuel, was alleged to have received improper assistance on his college entrance exams and

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1164-626: A national championship, making Kentucky the only school with five coaches to win NCAA championships and placing it second only to UCLA for most titles. Kentucky has finished as the NCAA runner-up four times, making it tied with UCLA and North Carolina for all-time title game appearances at 12. The program has played in 17 NCAA Final Fours, tying Duke for third-all time behind North Carolina and UCLA. Kentucky leads all schools in several NCAA tournament stats: Elite Eight appearances at 38, Sweet Sixteen appearances at 45, total NCAA tournament appearances at 60, and tournament games played at 184. The program

1261-464: A new collegiate records for rebounds (652), rebounds per game (23.0) and free throws in a season (202). As a senior, Gola helped La Salle finish as the runner-up in the 1955 NCAA tournament to the University of San Francisco . It was the only one of his ten NCAA tournament games he would lose. He again made the All-Tournament Team, which also included future hall of fame legend Bill Russell (star of

1358-437: A newly constructed brick surface featuring the names of doners, as well as a historical marker. The driveway in front of TruMark Financial Center was renamed Tom Gola Way to continue the namesake of Tom Gola. Tom Gola Thomas Joseph Gola (January 13, 1933 – January 26, 2014) was an American basketball player and politician. He is widely considered one of the greatest NCAA basketball players of all time. Gola

1455-628: A reserve for the University of Kansas 1922 and 1923 Helms National Championship teams, under coach Forest C. "Phog" Allen . At the time of his hiring, Rupp was a high school coach in Freeport, Illinois . Rupp coached the University of Kentucky men's basketball team from 1930 to 1972. There, he gained the nicknames, "Baron of the Bluegrass", and "The Man in the Brown Suit". Rupp, who was an early innovator of

1552-611: A returning star player like Bill Spivey, Kentucky hoped to carry their success into the new decade. The Wildcats lost their first game by 11 to Saint John's at home, but they would pull it together for the Sugar Bowl Tournament, which they won, beating NCAA runner-up Bradley. After losing to Tennessee, Kentucky struggled to chain two wins together, losing every other game. They defeated their next 14 opponents, including getting revenge in SEC tournament championship over Tennessee. Heading into

1649-470: A run Kentucky would have later in the decade. Kentucky started the next season ranked #1 but would underachieve, falling short of the Elite Eight for the only time under Pitino. The highlight of the season was the "Mardi Gras Miracle", a game where Kentucky trailed LSU 68–37 with 15:34 left, but outscored them 62–27 over the remainder of regulation to win 99–95. Starting in 1996, Kentucky would put together

1746-434: A runner-up finish to UCLA in the 1975 NCAA tournament but not before avenging their 20-point defeat to an undefeated Indiana team. Despite losing in the championship game , it would give freshman Jack Givens a taste for success that would help propel Kentucky to the title three years later. It had been 20 years without a championship in Lexington, and along with pressure of following a hall of fame coach, Hall would nickname

1843-476: A saint....'" The legendary John Wooden said Gola was the "'greatest all-round basketball player....'" Notoriously difficult college coach Bob Knight once asked someone to introduce him to Gola, saying, "'Can you do me a favor, can you introduce me to Tom Gola? He's the only guy that played back then that could play for me now. He was my hero.'" In 2002, he was honored in Madison Square Garden as one of

1940-545: A slow-break offense that relied on a complicated system of short passes to get a good shot. Two elements of Mauer's system were new to basketball in the south – the offensive screen and the bounce pass . The latter was so new to most of UK's opponents that it was referred to as the "submarine attack." Over his three-year tenure, Mauer led the Wildcats to an overall record of 40–14. One major prize eluded him, however. Despite having teams that were almost universally acknowledged as

2037-485: A string of Final Fours with help from 9 future NBA players. The "Untouchables" as they were nicknamed, would only lose twice, to Final Four bound UMass Minutemen (coached by former Kentucky coach John Calipari ) and Mississippi State . It was with their overwhelming talent and chemistry that would win Kentucky their sixth national title in the 1996 NCAA tournament , Kentucky's first NCAA championship in 18 years. The following year, Pitino's Kentucky team made it back to

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2134-519: A third term as District Attorney of Philadelphia . Gola made his final attempt at elected office in 1983, when he sought the office of Mayor of Philadelphia . He came in last in the three-man Republican primary, behind Congressman Charlie Dougherty and the winner, John Egan, who went on to lose the fall general election to Wilson Goode . Gola was married to Caroline Norris in June 1955, and they had one son, Thomas Christopher. At age 70, Gola fell into

2231-406: A total of 51 times. Kentucky holds the record for the most overall NBA Draft selections (128) and three Wildcats have been selected as the first overall pick (Wall, Davis, and Karl-Anthony Towns ). Thirty-nine players have been honored with jersey retirements, as well as Rupp, Hall, Pitino, Smith, equipment manager Bill Keightly , and broadcaster Cawood Ledford . Seven players have been enshrined in

2328-481: A two-year ban from postseason play, the vacating of their two NCAA tournament wins in the 1988 season, and a ban from live television in 1989–90. In 1989, Rick Pitino left the NBA 's New York Knicks and became the coach at a Kentucky program reeling from the aforementioned scandal. Kentucky would be banned from the 1990 and 1991 post season, with the 1990 season suffering a 14–14 record. Kentucky would improve in 1991 with

2425-432: A week during the preseason. The practice began with half an hour of shooting drills and usually ended with a full-court scrimmage. Between the two, Mauer worked on skill drills and scenarios. Mauer's teams were nicknamed the "Mauermen." Teamwork was the hallmark of Mauer's system. Every player worked on every aspect of the game; there were no specialists. Like Buchheit, Mauer employed a strong man-to-man defense. He utilized

2522-442: A year and the NCAA requested all other basketball-playing members not to schedule Kentucky, with eventually none doing so. As a result of these actions, Kentucky was forced to cancel the entire 1952–53 basketball season. Years later, Walter Byers , the first executive director of the NCAA, unofficially referred to this punishment as the first de facto NCAA death penalty , despite the current rule first coming into effect in 1985, thus

2619-578: Is behind only North Carolina with 131 NCAA tournament wins, North Carolina has 132. Kentucky has also won the National Invitation Tournament twice, making it the only school to win multiple NCAA and NIT championships, and it leads all schools in total postseason appearances at 68. Additionally, the Helms Athletic Foundation declared Kentucky the 1933 and 1954 national champions, the latter being Kentucky's only undefeated team in

2716-509: Is the men's college basketball team of the University of Kentucky . It has eight NCAA championships , the best all-time winning percentage , and the most all-time victories . The Wildcats compete in the Southeastern Conference and are coached by Mark Pope . Adolph Rupp first brought Kentucky to national prominence, winning four NCAA titles. Since then, Joe B. Hall , Rick Pitino , Tubby Smith , and John Calipari each won

2813-547: The Adolph Rupp Trophy , considered one of the nation's premier basketball awards, has been given by Commonwealth Athletic Club to the nation's top men's college basketball player. In addition, the University of Kentucky retired a jersey in his honor in the rafters of Rupp Arena , a 23,500-seat arena named after him, dedicated in 1976. Joe B. Hall was the head basketball coach at Kentucky from 1972 to 1985. Although he had been an assistant at Kentucky since 1965, Coach Hall

2910-506: The NCAA all-time rebounding leader with 2,201 career rebounds. His was the first college player to score over 2,000 points and have over 2,000 rebounds. His La Salle teams were 102-19. At 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m), Gola was a forward who could shoot/score, rebound and defend, but he also had the ballhandling (dribbling, passing) skills of a guard, and with his shooting range and all-pro defensive skills, could play just as well in

3007-629: The Pennsylvania State House as a Republican , representing the Northeast Philadelphia -based 170th District . A change to the State Constitution made earlier that year had reorganized House seats into legislative districts, replacing the old system of allotting seats on an at-large, county-wide basis. This made Gola the first person to represent the newly created district. Ultimately, Gola would not finish-out his first term in

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3104-512: The Southern Conference . Seeing the cupboard largely bare for the upcoming year, Eklund resigned shortly before the start of the 1927 season. The team scrambled to find a new coach, and former player Basil Hayden left his coaching job at Kentucky Wesleyan College to answer the call. An inexperienced coach and a roster largely depleted of talent left the Wildcats with a 3–13 record that year. The disappointment convinced Hayden that he wasn't

3201-467: The "Unforgettables" for helping put Kentucky back on the path to success in the 1990s and because the team was made up of home grown Kentucky kids. Kentucky returned a junior Mashburn, along with Travis Ford and Tony Delk. They were expected to reach the Final Four for the first time since Joe B. Hall's 1984 team. The expectations were right, as Kentucky would head into the post-season with only 2 losses and

3298-604: The "class of the South", Mauer never led a team to the Southern Conference title. Despite his innate ability for coaching, Mauer lacked the ability to heighten his team's emotions for a big game, a fault that was cited as the reason for his lack of tournament success. Mauer left the Wildcats to coach the Miami University Redskins following the 1930 season. In 1930, the university hired Adolph Rupp , who had played as

3395-432: The "coaching type", and he resigned after the season. Fortunately for the Wildcats, 1927 would be their last losing season for six decades. The Wildcats' new coach for the 1927–28 season was John Mauer . Although he had a talented group of players moving up from the junior varsity team , Mauer quickly discovered that his players did not know the fundamentals of the game. He began a regimen of three-hour practices five days

3492-471: The 1951 teams, the Fiddling Five would yoyo in the rankings with their lowest a No. 13 coming after 56–57 loss to unranked Loyola Chicago. Kentucky improved through the tournament though, and won their fourth title over No. 18 Seattle in the confines of Louisville's Freedom Hall. Rupp's last Final Four team and one of his last chances at a 5th NCAA title occurred in the 1965–66 season, with Kentucky going all

3589-433: The 1978 season the "Season Without Celebration." The pressure to win was immense on both players and coach to bring home the title, especially with a senior laden team that had gone to the finals as freshmen. Kentucky would hardly lose its composure all season or break under pressure, winning 30 of 32 games and defeating eight ranked teams along the way. By the time Kentucky reached the tournament finals they seemed bound to win

3686-512: The 1997 title game in overtime to the Arizona Wildcats.) The team Smith inherited sported seven players from the Arizona loss, and five from the 1996 championship team. However, since most of the players who had left after the 1996 and 1997 seasons were high NBA draft picks, his team had the lowest pre-season ranking since Kentucky came off probation in 1991. In his first season at UK, he coached

3783-510: The 6th college basketball team in the nation by the Associated Press and UPI before losing to Villanova in the Tournament. Kentucky entered the 1988–89 season with a gutted roster. Ed Davender , Robert Lock and Winston Bennett had all graduated from school, while All-SEC sophomore Rex Chapman left school early to enter the 1988 NBA draft . Additionally, sophomore standout Eric Manuel

3880-464: The Explorers to a 23–1 record during the 1968–69 season, but La Salle had been barred from the NCAA tournament before the season because an alumnus had offered some players "no-show" jobs. Many consider the 1968-1969 La Salle team, which was ranked second in the nation, the greatest team in Philadelphia city college basketball history, though barred from tournament play. In 1968, Gola was elected to

3977-748: The Explorers to a Philadelphia Catholic League Championship in 1950. He also won the Markward Award as the Catholic League's top player (future basketball hall of fame coach John Chaney won the Philadelphia Public League award the same year). He entered La Salle University in 1951, a year after another Philadelphia basketball Hall-of-Famer, and future teammate on the Philadelphia Warriors from 1955 to 1962, Paul Arizin , graduated from Villanova. Arizin, ironically, had been cut from

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4074-481: The Final Four that March. In the finals Kentucky faced the Oklahoma A&;M Cowboys, a team that had previously seen success in the tournament with back-to-back championships in 1945 and 1946. The Fab Five would succeed again winning 46–36 and Kentucky's only back-to-back NCAA championship. Kentucky was the second program in NCAA history to win back-to-back championships (there have been six other schools since). With

4171-471: The House, opting instead to seek the office of Philadelphia City Controller in 1969. He scored an 80,000-vote victory over Democrat Charles Peruto in the general election, and took office the following January. Gola was defeated, however, in his bid for a second term in 1973 by Democrat William Klenk. His defeat was part of a broader setback for Republicans in the city that year, as Arlen Specter lost his bid for

4268-464: The Kentucky basketball program has featured many notable and successful players, both on the collegiate level and the professional level. Five players have been named national player of the year, with Anthony Davis in 2012 and Oscar Tshiebwe in 2022 being consensus selections. Three players have been named national freshman of the year: John Wall in 2010, Davis in 2012, and Reed Sheppard in 2024. Thirty-nine players have been selected as All-Americans

4365-505: The La Salle high school team. Gola was one of the most talented collegiate athletes in Philadelphia sports history. He came to national attention while playing for his hometown La Salle University Explorers men's basketball team. Gola was recruited for college by the likes of Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp , North Carolina State coach Everett Case , and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, but he chose La Salle. Gola starred as

4462-499: The NCAA finals, . Adolph Rupp was the head coach at Kentucky during the year of the point-shaving scandal of 1951. In 1945 former Kentucky football player Nick Englisis met Kentucky player Ralph Beard while the two played football at Kentucky. Englisis entered the gambling business when he left the football team in 1946, then approached three Kentucky basketball players Ralph Beard, Alex Groza , and Dale Barnstable with his associates in late 1948 about potentially point shaving (fixing

4559-503: The NCAA having no such enforcement power previous to that. Echoing Mr. Byers' view, the NCAA's official stance is very much the same, and they now state in hindsight, "In effect, it was the Association's first death penalty, though its enforcement was binding only through constitutional language that required members to compete against only those schools that were compliant with NCAA rules. Despite fears that it would resist, Kentucky accepts

4656-546: The NCAA tournament’s five greatest players, along with Bill Bradley , Oscar Robertson , Chris Mullin , and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar . The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame states of Gola that he is among a select few to have won NIT, NCAA, and NBA championships. Tom Gola Arena , home to the La Salle University Explorers men's and women's basketball teams, was named after him. The arena opened in 1998 and hosted its final game in 2024. Tom Gola Arena

4753-431: The NIT. There they were matched up with a Utah team nicknamed the "Blitz Kids". Both teams went into the half tied at 24, but with the help of Brannum Kentucky pulled away to win 46–38. Kentucky lost the next game to home town Saint John's. On the way to its first NCAA title, Kentucky went on to a record of 36–3. Of these three losses, all were either away or at neutral sites, keeping Kentucky undefeated at home throughout

4850-476: The Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, as well as Rupp, Pitino, Calipari, Eddie Sutton , and Ledford. During Kentucky's earliest seasons the program went through multiple coaches, with the majority staying only one or two seasons. Records indicate that the first head coach of the Wildcats was W. W. H. Mustaine, who in 1903 called together some students, took up a collection totaling $ 3 for a ball, and told

4947-630: The National Invitation Tournament game against the Loyola Ramblers in the 1948–49 season . At the conclusion of this scandal, a subsequent NCAA investigation found that Kentucky had committed several rule violations, including giving illegal spending money to players on several occasions, and also allowing some ineligible athletes to compete. As a result, the Southeastern Conference voted to ban Kentucky from competing for

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5044-657: The Ramblers to win the game with an impressive performance at the end of the second half. Kentucky faced Villanova in their first game of the NCAA tournament following the loss to Loyola and the three players attempted to win over the point spread. When Groza, Beard, and Barnstable failed to win over the point spread, it caused Englisis to lose all of his money and ended the point shaving deals between Englisis and these three players. On October 20, 1951, Alex Groza, Ralph Beard, and Dale Barnstable were arrested for taking bribes from gamblers to shave points during several games including

5141-557: The Warriors in assists in the 1957-1958 and 1958-1959 seasons, and was second team All-NBA in 1957-1958. In 1959, Johnston temporarily retired due to a knee injury and the Warriors added seven-foot superstar Wilt Chamberlain . Again sacrificing himself for his team, Gola helped the Warriors consistently reach the NBA playoffs , but they could not beat the star-studded Boston Celtics in the NBA Eastern Division during his seasons in

5238-456: The Warriors to an NBA championship in 1956 . He gained praise for concentrating on defense, passing and rebounding and allowing the other two to be the chief scorers during these years. It was his job to defend against the other team's best guard, and to be a playmaker on offense for his teammates. Gola served in the Army from 1956 to 1958, and he did not play in the 1956-1957 NBA season. He led

5335-467: The Wildcats in 1966. Over the next four years Issel scored an average of 25.7 per game, adding up to 2,137 points in his college career. This made Issel the player with the most points to ever play at Kentucky, a feat that has not been matched to this day. This included his 53 points scored against Mississippi State in 1970, the most by a Kentucky player in a single game until Jodie Meeks made 54 against rival Tennessee on January 13, 2009. Issel did not capture

5432-470: The Wildcats to their seventh NCAA championship, including a come-from-behind victory against Duke in the Elite Eight, and another comeback win against Stanford, then Utah in the Finals. His 1998 National Championship is unique in modern times, as being along with 1985 Villanova the 2nd team in over 20 years to win without a First Team All American or future NBA Lottery Pick (see 1998 NCAA tournament ). The 1998 team

5529-466: The Wildcats' 20th head coach on May 12, 1997, charged with the unenviable task of replacing popular coach Rick Pitino. The Wildcats were at the top of the basketball world at the time, having won a national title in 1996 and, according to many, missing a second straight title in 1997 by the torn ACL of shooting guard Derek Anderson . (Anderson tore his ACL in January against SEC foe Auburn ; Kentucky lost

5626-722: The backcourt. His nickname was "Mr. All-Around". He was inducted into the La Salle Hall of Athletes in 1961 and the Big 5 Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1977, Tom Gola was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame. He was in the inaugural class of Atlantic Ten Legends. After a phenomenal college career, Gola turned pro with the Philadelphia Warriors as a territorial draft pick. He teamed with All-Pros Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston to lead

5723-503: The championship Dons team). Gola was named the AP and UPI College Basketball Player of the Year, and was selected to the All-American team. In his two years of NCAA tournament play, Gola scored 229 points. In his four years at La Salle, over 118 games, he averaged 20.9 points and 18.7 rebounds per game, with a .407 shooting percentage and .745 free throw percentage. As of 2024, he remains

5820-531: The early 1960s even with Chamberlain. During the 1959–60 season, Gola became the first Warrior to have three straight games with a triple-double (the only other being Draymond Green , 2016). On January 10, 1960, Gola recorded 18 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists in a 116–103 win over the New York Knicks. Gola played with the New York Knicks from 1962 to 1966. He led them in assists in 1963-1964. Gola

5917-505: The elite eight in 1972, 1973, 1977, 1983. Coach Hall is one of only three men to both play on an NCAA championship team (1949– Kentucky) and coach an NCAA championship team (1978– Kentucky), and the only one to do so for the same school. The only others to achieve this feat are: After a year of playing in the freshman league and a disappointing sophomore season, Hall's Super Kittens returned with hopes of finally bringing Kentucky its fifth title. They nearly did just that, guiding Kentucky to

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6014-461: The entire season. Kentucky started off the beginning of the season with a 7–0 record heading into their away game at Temple. However, Temple was able to give the Cats their first loss by one point, 60–59. But the Wildcats rolled off an 11-win streak before playing at Notre Dame, where they lost 55–64. They did not lose a game for the rest of the regular season. Kentucky continued through the NCAA tournament to

6111-459: The fast break and set offense, gained a reputation as an intense competitor, a strict motivator, and strategist. Rupp's Wildcat teams won 4 NCAA championships ( 1948 , 1949 , 1951 , 1958 ), one NIT title in 1946 , appeared in 20 NCAA tournaments, had 6 NCAA Final Four appearances, captured 27 Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season titles, and won 13 SEC tournaments . Rupp's Kentucky teams also finished ranked No. 1 on 6 occasions in

6208-670: The final Associated Press college basketball poll and 4 times in the United Press International (Coaches) poll. In addition, Rupp's 1966 Kentucky squad (nicknamed "Rupp's Runts", as no starting player on the squad was taller than 6'5") finished runner-up in the NCAA tournament, and his 1947 Wildcats finished runner-up in the NIT . Rupp's 1933 and 1954 Kentucky squads were also awarded the Helms National Championship, and his 1934 and 1947 teams were retroactively recognized as

6305-753: The finals, where they faced the Baylor Bears. Kentucky won its first NCAA title in a decisive 58–42 victory. The season did not end after the NCAA tournament, as Kentucky who would play in the Olympic Trials, where they went 2–1, only losing to the Phillips Oilers once. This was performance enough to represent the United States in the 1948 Olympic Games. Despite only being a college team, the starting 5 of Kentucky defeated all of its competition in London, making Kentucky

6402-454: The last minute, the NCAA ruled these players ineligible from post-season play, Rupp decided to skip the 1954 NCAA Tournament in protest. The "Fiddlin' Five" team earned their name though playing around and mistakes, which Rupp described as fiddling. The Fiddlin' Five still has the most losses out of any Kentucky's championships, with six, three of those were in four games. Unlike the Fab Five or

6499-480: The last six Elite Eights. For this the 1997 team was dubbed the "Unbelievables" for taking a team that was not expected much of to return the Wildcats back to the championship game for a second time. Pitino left Kentucky in 1997 to coach the NBA's Boston Celtics , he then went on to coach Kentucky's in-state rival, the University of Louisville . Orlando "Tubby" Smith was introduced by UK Athletic Director C.M. Newton as

6596-523: The modern era (post-1930). The 1948 NCAA champion team , coached by Rupp, represented the United States in the Olympics and won a gold medal. Kentucky was the first program to 1000 wins in 1968 and the first to 2000 wins in 2009. The program leads all schools with sixty-three 20-win seasons, sixteen 30-win seasons, and six 35-win seasons. Additionally, Kentucky is second among all teams in conference regular season championships with 53. Throughout its history,

6693-592: The national champion by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll . Rupp gave the '44 team the nickname "the Beardless Wonders" and "Wildkittens" because according to Rupp, "It was like running a Kindergarten". Of the young players, Kentucky's best player was freshman Chad Anderson who, at the age of 17, was named consensus All-American, making him the youngest player to ever earn the title. The Beardless Wonders won 19 of their 21 games, enough to be invited into

6790-450: The national championship in his college years, but would go on to make a name for himself in the ABA. After 1966 Rupp saw continued success, but the Final Four eluded him. The Wildcats ended with a 13–13 season and missed the tournament altogether in 1967, then reach the Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen in the next two years. Ranked #1 in the nation with a 26–1 record overall, Kentucky nearly missed

6887-464: The national title game, losing to Arizona in overtime in the finals of the 1997 NCAA tournament . Pitino's fast-paced teams at Kentucky were favorites of the school's fans. It was primarily at Kentucky where he implemented his signature style of full-court pressure defense. By the end of the Pitino era, Kentucky went from banned from the post season to going to three of the last five Final Fours and five of

6984-568: The need for an updated facility to meet the standards of a college basketball facility as well as a way to improve team performance. Tom Gola Arena did not have seats behind the baskets and research, conducted by John E. Glaser showed that opposing teams shot better against La Salle due to an absence of fans. Demolition of Tom Gola Arena started in March, 2024. Renovation into John Glaser Arena started in April, 2024, and lasted until October, 2024. John Glaser Arena opened on October 24, 2024 with Hoops Fest,

7081-523: The new head coach of the Wildcats. An alumnus of the University of Illinois, he brought with him a new system of basketball. The "Buchheit system" or "Illinois system", focused on defense and featured one player standing under each basket, while three roamed the court. Bucheit varied the system he learned in Illinois in one important way. While the Illinois system employed a zone defense , Buchheit's system used an aggressive man-to-man scheme. On offense, he used

7178-515: The only team to win both an NCAA title and an Olympic gold medal. Adolph Rupp soon gave this team the nickname "The Fabulous Five", in honor of their accomplishments. For the 1949 season Kentucky had high expectations with most of the Fabulous Five returning. Big Blue Nation's expectations were met as the 1949 team won one more game than the previous year including both a SEC regular season and SEC tournament championship, while also getting back to

7275-420: The penalty and, in turn, gives the NCAA credibility to enforce its rules." The team posted a perfect 25–0 record in the next year (Rupp's only undefeated season), for which it was awarded the 1954 Helms National Championship. In addition, Kentucky also finished ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll. On the team were three players who had graduated at the conclusion of the previous academic year. When, at

7372-515: The post-season, No. 3 Kentucky played CCNY in the NIT, missing the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats were no match and were thrashed by the CCNY Beavers, 50–83. Over the season Kentucky defeated four top 10 teams, and were ranked in the top 5 the entire season. Vanderbilt, however, knocked off the top ranked Wildcats in the SEC tournament finals denying them an eighth straight SEC tournament title. Kentucky then defeated fourth ranked Kansas State 68–58 in

7469-468: The previous year. Ridgeway fought a year-long battle with diphtheria , and although he recovered, never played for the Wildcats again. The remaining three members of the "Wonder Team" went 9–5 for the season, and bowed out of the SIAA tournament in the second round. Buchheit remained as coach through the 1924 season before moving on to coach Trinity College (later Duke University ). A different coach would guide

7566-482: The score of games) during the upcoming season in exchange for money. The three players agreed to point shave and successfully shaved points in several games during the 1948–1949 season until an effort to point shave caused the Wildcats to lose to the Loyola Ramblers in the National Invitation Tournament. Groza, Beard, and Barnstable attempted to win the game under the point spread but kept the score too close, allowing

7663-463: The students to start playing. The first recorded intercollegiate game at the college was a 15–6 defeat to nearby Georgetown College . The team went 1–2 for their first "season", also losing to Kentucky University (later Transylvania University ) but defeating the Lexington YMCA . Through 1908, the team did not manage a winning season, and had an all-time record of 15–29. In the fall of that year

7760-522: The talent vacuum on the court and the Wildcats finished with a losing record of 13–19, the team's first losing full-season record since 1927. To add insult to injury, the NCAA announced at the end of the season that its investigation into the basketball program had found the school guilty of violating numerous NCAA policies. The scandal broke when Emery Worldwide employees claimed to have discovered $ 1,000 in cash in an envelope Kentucky assistant coach Dwane Casey sent to Mills' father. Later Emery settled

7857-448: The team for each of the next four years. C.O. Applegran immediately followed Buchheit, and his 1925 team posted a respectable 13–8 record. Applegran in college had played for the University of Illinois, where he became an All-American. The next year, Ray Eklund led the team to a 15–3 record, and produced UK's second All-American, Burgess Carey. The record was enough for Kentucky to win their first regular season conference championship in

7954-487: The third of seven children born to Ike and Helen Gola. Gola's father was a Philadelphia policeman of Polish descent who had changed the family's surname from "Galinsky". Gola was praised as a great all-around player as a high school student at La Salle College High School , part of the Philadelphia Catholic League , where he was second team All-Catholic League in 1949, and first team in 1950 and 1951. He led

8051-458: The title, though Duke would give Kentucky their all. With the help of senior Jack "Goose" Givens' 41 points, Kentucky defeated the Blue Devils 94–88, and finally won their fifth title and first in 20 years. In 1985, Eddie Sutton succeeded Joe B. Hall. He coached the Wildcats for four years, leading them to the Elite Eight of the 1986 NCAA tournament . Two seasons later, Sutton and the 25–5 Wildcats captured their 37th SEC title and were ranked as

8148-401: The tournament ranked second. Kentucky was a 6.5 point favorite in the game The game was depicted in the film Glory Road . This game, and the result of it, were especially significant as the game came at a time when the civil rights movement was coming into full swing around the country. In 1969, after actively recruiting black players for over six years (his first formal scholarship offer

8245-470: The way to the NCAA title game . The 1966 NCAA championship game against Texas Western (now University of Texas-El Paso or UTEP ) marked the first occurrence that an all-white starting five (Kentucky) played an all-black starting five (Texas Western) in the NCAA championship game. Texas Western won the game 72–65, on the night of March 19, 1966. Kentucky entered the tournament with only one loss and ranked No. 1, Texas Western also had only one loss and entered

8342-403: Was also unlike Kentucky's past two championship teams, often falling behind in games before roaring back to win rather than dominating their competition. Smith's teams, known primarily for a ball line defense-oriented slower style of play coined "Tubbyball", received mixed reviews among Kentucky fans who have historically enjoyed a faster, higher-scoring style of play under previous coaches. Smith

8439-574: Was banned from NCAA competition. Whether Manuel was directly involved has been questioned. Kentucky was already on probation stemming from allegations of an extensive scheme of payments to recruits, and the NCAA seriously considered hitting the Wildcats with the "death penalty", which would have shut down the entire basketball program (as opposed to simply being banned from postseason play) for up to two years. However, school president David Roselle forced Sutton and athletic director Cliff Hagan to resign. The Wildcats were slapped with three years' probation,

8536-411: Was considered Kentucky's first major success, and the 1921 team became known as the "Wonder Team." In 1922, the team was unable to build on the success of the "Wonder Team." Although every player was eligible in 1922, two key players, Hayden and Sam Ridgeway, were injured before the start of the season. Hayden returned from his knee injury during the season, but was never able to play at the level he had

8633-414: Was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 26, 1976. He was a five-time NBA All-Star. In 1968, Gola returned to his alma mater as head coach, leading the Explorers to a 37–13 record during his two-year stay. He was called in to pull the program out of trouble after a scandal under prior leadership. He was named Coach of the Year by Philadelphia and New York journalists. He led

8730-422: Was given a difficult task: to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Adolph Rupp. In the 1978 NCAA tournament , he coached the Wildcats to their fifth NCAA championship. He was named National Coach of the Year in 1978 and SEC Coach of the Year on four occasions. His record at UK was 297–100, and 373–156 over his career. Coach Hall won the title once in 1978, as well as making the final four in 1975 and 1984, and

8827-492: Was implemented as well as a new men's locker room. Renovations were made to the concession area, bathrooms, and media room. The Olney Outlaws student section is located in sections 113 and 114. A concession area is located under section 112. To continue to namesake and legacy of Explorer's legend Tom Gola, a plaza, outside of Trumark Financial Center, in his honor was dedicated on September 26, 2024. The plaza features an existing statue of Tom Gola as well as new lights and benches,

8924-548: Was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976. He led his high school team to the Philadelphia Catholic League championship, his college team to the National Invitation Tournament championship and the NCAA championship, and was on the Philadelphia Warriors 1956 championship team, all in the space of six years. Thomas Joseph Gola was born on January 13, 1933, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ,

9021-400: Was most memorable for going to the Elite Eight (for the first time since Sutton's 1986 team) with many returning upperclassmen from Kentucky. The team is also known for playing in what could be considered one of the greatest games in NCAA tournament history against Duke. In this game defending champion Duke were looking to return to the Final Four once again, Kentucky for the first time in almost

9118-1035: Was no longer connected to the home of the Explorers. The driveway in front of TruMark Financial Center was renamed Tom Gola Way in 2024 to honor his legacy. College basketball achievements Pro basketball achievements Other ‡ Ineligible for any postseason tournaments        National champion          Postseason invitational champion          Conference regular season champion          Conference regular season and conference tournament champion        Division regular season champion        Division regular season and conference tournament champion        Conference tournament champion * Ruled ineligible after tournament Kentucky Wildcats men%27s basketball The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball program

9215-470: Was reconstructed into the John Glaser Arena , the current home of the Explorers. Tom Gola Plaza, located outside of TruMark Financial Center, features a statue honoring Tom Gola surrounded by a brick walkway with names of doners to the men's basketball team, lights, benches, a small garden, and a historical marker. The Plaza was opened on September 26, 2024, to continue the legacy of Gola after his name

9312-498: Was suspected of cheating on his college entrance exam and voluntarily agreed to sit out until the investigation was finished. Potential franchise recruit Shawn Kemp transferred out of Kentucky after signing with the school early that year. Unfortunately, Manuel was forced to sit out the entire season as the investigation dragged on, essentially leaving the Wildcats in the hands of inexperienced sophomore LeRon Ellis and true freshman Chris Mills . The two underclassmen struggled to fill

9409-572: Was to Wes Unseld in 1964), despite most of the other SEC teams threatening to boycott if a black player took the court), Rupp finally signed his first black player, Tom Payne , an athletic 7'-1" center out of Louisville. This ended the aspect of all-white Kentucky teams forever, and marked a new era with many notable black Kentucky basketball legends, including Jack Givens, Sam Bowie, Kenny Walker, Jamal Mashburn, Tayshaun Prince, Rajon Rondo, John Wall, Anthony Davis, and Karl Anthony Towns. The late Rupp years looked promising with Dan Issel's commitment to

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