List of UK Basketball Coaches since 1930

1930-1972:  Adolph Rupp:  876-190 (.823) (1942, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1966)

1972-1985:  Joe B. Hall:  297-100 (.748) (1975, 1978, 1984)

1985-1989:  Eddie Sutton:  88-39 (.693)

1989-1997:  Rick Pitino:  219-50 (.814) (1993, 1996, 1997)

1997-2007:  Tubby Smith:  268-83 (.760) (1998)

2007-2009:  Billy Gillispie:  40-27 (.597)

2009-2024:  John Calipari:  410-122 (.774) (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015)

2024-2026:  Mark Pope:  46-26 (.639)

Total since 1930:  2,244-637 (.779) (17 final fours) (8 national championships)

The AP Preseason Men's Basketball Has Been Released

Teams of interest to UK fans:

1.  Florida

2.  Duke

7.  Texas

8.  Tennessee

11.  Louisville

12.  Arkansas

13.  St. John's

17.  Kansas

20.  Alabama

23.  Kentucky

24.  Vanderbilt

25.  Brigham Young

I predict that when the NCAA Tournament begins, UK will be unranked and Vandy will be in the top 20.

Ken Pomeroy has dropped his new rankings

Here is the K-Pom preseason top 20:

1.  Duke

2.  Florida

3.  Houston

4.  Illinois

5.  Arizona

6.  Iowa St.

7.  Michigan St.

8.  Kansas

9.  Alabama

10.  Texas

11.  Connecticut

12.  Texas Tech

13.  Vanderbilt

14.  Gonzaga

15.  Virginia

16.  Nebraska

17.  Louisville

18.  Tennessee

19.  Texas A & M

20.  Arkansas

Here is the Classic SEC:

2.  Florida

9.  Alabama

13.  Vanderbilt

18.  Tennessee

25.  Auburn

26.  Kentucky

38.  Mississippi

46.  Georgia

62.  Louisiana St.

69.  Mississippi St.

Here is the Classic ACC:

1.  Duke

15.  Virginia

37.  N. Carolina

50.  Clemson

53.  Maryland

65.  N. Carolina St.

76.  Wake Forest

93.  S. Carolina

Murray State is ranked 97.  Western is ranked 122.

NBA Update

I can't remember the last time that the first three games of the NBA Finals were all up for grabs with a few minutes to go.  Here is what the Series looks like after Game Three (home teams listed first):

06/03:  San Antonio 95 - 105 New York

06/05:  San Antonio 104 - 105 New York

06/08:  New York 111 - 115 San Antonio

It's the first time since 1993 that the road teams have won the first three games of the Final.  That year, the Bulls ended up beating the Suns 4-2 with a 99-98 win in Game Six.

Here are the current odds to win the NBA Title:

New York:  -184

San Antonio:  +154

So it's very much up for grabs.  Personally, I think San Antonio has gotten better in each game so far, which means that New York will be in huge trouble if the Knicks cannot win Game Four at home.  For Game Four, Vegas has made New York a 1 1/2 point favorite, and have set the over/under at 216 1/2.  Those are almost exactly the same odds as Game Three, and it would mean something like a 109-107 win for New York.  I will certainly be tuned in to see what happens.

One other point should be made here.  The analytics revolution in both baseball and basketball led to some awkward moments, as teams played in styles that felt somewhat off-putting and artificial.  All those popups and strikeouts with a runner on third.  All those missed three-pointers when there were driving lanes available.  But last year, I thought the MLB playoffs showed that the managers and the players have caught up with the analytics -- the teams took advantage of the analytic insights, but in a way that fit the logic of the game.  The result was beautiful; well-played games that had all the traditional virtues, but avoided the obvious mistakes (leaving in tired pitchers, for example) that analytics has corrected.

You can see the same thing in this series.  Yes, they shoot a lot of threes.  But those shots are not forced -- they develop from offenses that feature beautiful passing and cutting.  And the defense has been both intense and clever.  The result is a very balanced game that uses the whole floor and is really fun to watch.  I always believed in analytics, because I believe in winning.  But I'm really pleased to see that analytics doesn't interfere with the beauty and traditions of the game.

NBA Update

As Eric reminds us, tonight is Game Three of the NBA Finals.  These have been the best NBA playoffs since at least 2019, and could end up being the best since 2016.  Here's what ended up happening in the Western Conference Finals (home teams listed first):

05/18:  Oklahoma City 115 - 122 San Antonio (2 OT)

05/20:  Oklahoma City 122 - 113 San Antonio

05/22:  San Antonio 108 - 123 Oklahoma City

05/24:  San Antonio 103 - 82 Oklahoma City

05/26:  Oklahoma City 127 - 114 San Antonio

05/28:  San Antonio 118 - 91 Oklahoma City

05/30:  Oklahoma City 103 - 111 San Antonio

Games Two through Six had a somewhat stately pattern, with the team leading at halftime winning every time, and Games Four through Six each being a fairly easy blowout.  But Game Seven, like Game One, was a death struggle -- and once again, the Thunder had no answer for Victor Wembanyama.  He finished with 22 points and 7 rebounds -- and even though SGA had 35 points of his own, the San Antonio defense prevented the rest of SGA's teammates from giving him the support he needed.

And so, San Antonio beat the defending Champs on the road, and headed home to play a red-hot Knicks team in the finals.  And then this happened:

06/03:  San Antonio 95 - 105 New York

06/05:  San Antonio 104 - 105 New York

The Knicks ran their winning streak to 13 with back-to-back thrillers in San Antonio.  Game Two was certainly the best NBA game I've seen in the final since the Cavs upset Golden State in 2016.  Wemby had 29 points and 9 rebounds, and led a late charge that put San Antonio in a good position to win.  But in the last minute, he had a huge turnover, committed the foul that allowed the Knicks to take a one-point lead, and then missed the shot at the buzzer that could have won the game.

So the Knicks are coming home to an absolute madhouse with a 2-0 lead.  If New York can win tonight, they should sweep the Spurs and win their first title since 1973.  And that may happen.  But the Spurs know how to win on the road, and in the fourth quarter of Game Two they started to figure out the Knicks.  I expect a spectacular game tonight that could go either way.

Vegas has New York as a 2 1/2 point favorite with an over/under of 216.5.  That would mean a score of something like 109-107.  I don't think they'll score that many points, but I do think it will be very close.

NBA Update

Let's look at what the Knicks have done.

On the evening of April 23, the Knicks trailed Atlanta 2-1 in the first round of the NBA playoffs, after back-to-back one-point losses.  Since then, the Knicks have won eleven playoff games in a row (home team listed first):

04/25:  Atlanta 98 - 114 New York

04/28:  New York 126 - 97 Atlanta

04/30:  Atlanta 89 - 140 New York (Knicks win 4-2)

05/04:  New York 137 - 98 Philadelphia

05/06:  New York 108 - 102 Philadelphia

05/08:  Philadelphia 94 - 108 New York

05/10:  Philadelphia 114 - 144 New York (Knicks win 4-0)

05/19:  New York 115 - 104 Cleveland (OT)

05/21:  New York 109 - 93 Cleveland

05/23:  Cleveland 108 - 121 New York

05/25:  Cleveland 93 - 130 New York (Knicks win 4-0)

I don't remember a run like this since the 1983 Sixers, and that was 43 years ago.

The NBA Finals start on June 3, so this list means that the Knicks will have a perfect 8-0 record in the month of May, which is amazing.

Meanwhile, the Thunder/Spurs series is very much up for grabs:

05/18:  Oklahoma City 115 - 122 San Antonio (Double OT)

05/20:  Oklahoma City 122 - 113 San Antonio

05/22:  San Antonio 108 - 123 Oklahoma City

05/24:  San Antonio 103 - 82 Oklahoma City

Game Five is in OKC tonight, and it should be a cracker.  In fact, the title is very much up for grabs.  Here are the current odds to win the NBA Championship:

Oklahoma City:  +110

New York:  +210

San Antonio +270

NBA Update

Time for the conference finals:

EAST:

(3) New York Knickerbockers (53-29) v. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30)

WEST:

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18) v. (2) San Antonio Spurs (62-20)

Here are the odds to win the NBA Championship:

Oklahoma City:  -165

San Antonio:  +310

New York:  +550

Cleveland:  +2200

Last ten winners of the Eastern Conference (NBA Champs in bold):

2016:  Cleveland

2017:  Cleveland
2018:  Cleveland

2019:  Toronto

2020:  Miami

2021:  Milwaukee

2022:  Boston

2023:  Miami

2024:  Boston

2025:  Indiana

Last ten winners of the Western Conference (NBA Champs in bold):

2016:  Golden St.

2017:  Golden St.

2018:  Golden St.

2019:  Golden St.

2020:  L.A. Lakers

2021:  Phoenix

2022:  Golden St.

2023:  Denver

2024:  Dallas

2025:  Oklahoma City

San Antonio hasn't reached the final since 2014, when they beat LeBron and Miami.

New York hasn't reached the final since 1999.  The Knicks haven't won the title since 1973, which is amazing to me.

NBA Update

Only one of the four quarter-final series is going to a Game Seven:

EAST:

(1) Detroit 3 - 3 (4) Cleveland

(3) New York 4 - 2 (7) Philadelphia

WEST:

(1) Oklahoma City 4 - 0 (4) L.A. Lakers

(2) San Antonio 4 - 2 (6) Minnesota

Tonight, Detroit and Cleveland will settle their series at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.  Here are the scores of the first six games (home teams listed first):

05/05/26:  Detroit 111 - 101 Cleveland

05/07/26:  Detroit 107 - 97 Cleveland

05/09/26:  Cleveland 116 - 109 Detroit

05/11/26:  Cleveland 112 - 103 Detroit

05/13/26:  Detroit 113 - 117 Cleveland (OT)

05/15/26:  Cleveland 94 - 115 Detroit

Having survived Game Six on the road, Detroit should be favored to close out the series at home, and indeed they are favored by 4 1/2 points.  They are also -186 on the Moneyline.  ESPN gives them a 70.1 percent chance of victory.

But you can't see this game on ESPN, or TBS, or NBC, or any of the other places that have carried the NBA for most of my life.  This game is on Amazon Prime Video, and I would love to know how many fans will actually figure this out.

In the regular season, Detroit went 60-22, winning the Central Division by eight games over the Cavaliers, who went 52-30.

NBA Update

There's no reason to tune in until OKC runs into some trouble, and so far they haven't lost a game:

ROUND OF SIXTEEN:

East

(1) Detroit 4 - 3 (8) Orlando

(4) Cleveland 4 - 3 (5) Toronto

(3) New York 4 - 2 (6) Atlanta

(2) Boston 3 - 4 (7) Philadelphia

West

(1) Oklahoma City 4 - 0 (8) Phoenix

(4) L.A. Lakers 4 - 2 (5) Houston

(3) Denver 2 - 4 (6) Minnesota

(2) San Antonio 4 - 1 (7) Portland

So that brought us to the quarterfinals, which currently look like this:

East

(1) Detroit 2 - 2 (4) Cleveland

(3) New York 4 - 0 (7) Philadelphia

West

(1) Oklahoma City 4 - 0 (4) L.A. Lakers

(2) San Antonio 2 - 2 (6) Minnesota

NBA Update

The first major contender of the NBA playoffs has been eliminated.  The Celtics, who were the number-two team in the East, had a 3-1 lead on Philly, but lost the last three games and are eliminated.  Jayson Tatum was injured and unable to play, and the Celtics missed a ton of three's in a 109-100 home loss.  Tyrese Maxey made play after play down the stretch to seal the game for Philly.

There are still two more Game Sevens tomorrow, and then that will complete the First Round of the playoffs, which looks like this (seedings in parentheses):

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Detroit 3 - 3 (8) Orlando

(4) Cleveland 3 - 3 (5) Toronto)

(3) New York 4 - 2 (6) Atlanta

(2) Boston 3 - 4 (7) Philadelphia

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Oklahoma City 4 - 0 (8) Phoenix

(4) L.A. Lakers 4 - 2 (5) Houston

(3) Denver 2 - 4 (6) Minnesota

(2) San Antonio 4 - 1 (7) Portland

Pope Update

Tyran Stokes, the number one player in the Class of 2026, just announced that he was going to attend Kansas University in the fall.

For reasons that I cannot fathom, there were people in the Lexington media who thought Stokes was heading to the University of Kentucky.  In other words, they thought he would pick a coach who's never been to the Sweet 16 over one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history.

They were disappointed.

Like the man says in Citizen Kane:  "You're going to need more than one lesson.  And you're going to get more than one lesson."

On this Day in 1976

The Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association played their last game.  They were beaten by the Denver Nuggets four games to three in the semifinals of the ABA playoffs.

The Colonels played nine seasons in the ABA, from 1967-68 to 1975-76.  They finished with a regular season record of 448 wins and 296 losses, for a winning percentage of .602.  They went to the ABA finals in 1970-71, 1972-73, and 1974-75 -- winning in all in 1974-75.

The Denver Nuggets, New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs, and Indiana Pacers were all invited to join the NBA when the ABA collapsed, and they are all still going strong.  But the Colonels disappeared, and Louisville hasn't come close to getting a major pro sports team since.

Pope Update

Matt Jones on Saturday, April 18:

Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow.

Still think UK needs to find another shooter and another Big.

In fact, Freeman just announced that he is going to St. John's.  Rancik has announced he's going to Florida State.  Neither of them is coming to Kentucky.

Matt Jones now:

Kentucky essentially passed on Rancik because they were sure they were getting Freeman.  They got neither.

Mismanagement by a staff that insisted they didn't need a GM.  Fairly impossible to defend.

The Two Mitches!

Remember:  this is what everyone in the Bluegrass wanted.  We warned them and warned them.  They wouldn't listen.  They didn't care.  Now let's see how much they like it.

Pope Update

Matt Jones after Rob Wright said he was returning to B.Y.U. instead of transferring to UK:

Kentucky will try to get Zoom Diallo wrapped up today.  If that doesn't happen, then I will start to be a bit concerned.

UK had two different recruiting plans based on whether they ended up with Wright or Diallo.  But they have to get one.

The Two Mitches!

Interesting Tweet from Jalen Rose

I always liked Jalen Rose, even when he beat UK.  This tweet, apparently responding to LeBron James's recent criticism of Memphis, is very interesting:

As a Detroiter, Memphis deserves zero slander.  They are our cousins.  (Like Oakland & Atl).  The cultural history of that town is incredible.

There's a lot to unpack here, and I want to give it some thought.

Wrapping Up

1.  Michigan finished as the Number 1 team on Ken Pom.  Their Net Rating of +39.70 is the highest in his dataset, which goes back to 1997.  They were Number 78 in luck.

2.  UConn finished as the Number 9 team on Ken Pom, and ranked 45 in luck.

3.  Florida was the top-ranked team in the SEC.  They finished Number 6 on Ken Pom, and number 295 in luck.  Last year they were 100 in luck.

4.  Vandy finished Number 11 on Ken Pom, and number 177 in luck.  It's their highest final rating in Ken Pom's dataset.  It's also the first time in the dataset that Vandy has finished the year ranked ahead of every other school in Kentucky and Tennessee.

5.  Kentucky finished number 29 on Ken Pom, and number 213 in luck.  Here are UK's teams since 2019, the last time the Cats reached a Regional Final:

2020:  25-6 (15-3 in the SEC) (29 on Ken Pom) (No NCAA Tournament)

2021:  9-16 (8-9) (49) (missed the NCAA Tournament)

2022:  26-8 (14-4) (6) (eliminated in the first round by St. Peter's)

2023:  22-12 (12-6) (27) (eliminated in the second round by Kansas St.)

2024:  23-10 (13-5) (23) (eliminated in the first round by Oakland)

2025:  24-12 (10-8) (16) (eliminated in the Regional Semi-Final by Tennessee)

2026:  22-14 (10-8) (29) (eliminated in the second round by Iowa St.)

The NYT has UK ranked number 19 in its Way Too Early Top 25.  I think that's about where they will be ranked when the season starts next year.  I don't think that's where they will finish.

6.  This was the 51st time I have watched the NCAA Tournament since I became a UK fan in early 1975.  If you give each team 1 point for every appearance in the Regional Semi-Finals over that period, 2 points for each appearance in the Regional Finals, 4 points for each appearance in the National Semi-Finals, 8 points for each appearance in the National Final, and 16 points for each National Championship, then the top ten teams of this era look like this:

1.  Duke:  295 (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015)

2.  N. Carolina:  287 (1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017)

3.  Kentucky:  237 (1978, 1996, 1998, 2012)

4.  Connecticut:  228 (1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, 2024)

5.  Kansas:  192 (1988, 2008, 2022)

6.  Michigan:  154 (1989, 2026)

7.  Louisville:  149 (1980, 1986, 2013)

8.  U.C.L.A.:  141 (1975, 1995)

9.  Michigan St:  139 (1979, 2000)

10.  Florida:  136 (2006, 2007, 2025)

And that wraps up the 2026 NCAA Basketball Season, which was a great one.

The National Championship

It is bright, sunny, and 56 degrees in downtown Washington today.  We have made it through another winter, and it's time to start going outside again.  Back to the lakes.  Back to the rivers.  Back to the hot dog grills, and bass fishing at 6 A.M., and Dollywood, and Paxton Park, and Noble Park, and garage sales, and strawberry picking, and Vacation Bible School, and the Land Between the Lakes.

But tonight, we have one final celebration of light amidst the darkness.  Tonight, there is a game on Ken Pomeroy's FanMatch for the last time until November:

7:49 P.M. Central (TBS):  (3) Michigan (36-3) v. (7) Connecticut (34-5)

The rankings above are based on the final AP poll before the tournament began.  On Ken Pom, UConn is Number 9, with a Luck Ranking of 33, while Michigan is Number 1, with a luck score of 89.  Michigan's Net Rating on Ken Pom is +39.72, which means that over 100 possessions, Michigan will outscore the average opponent by almost 40 points.  It's the highest Net Rating for any team in the Ken Pom database, going back to 1997.  So if Michigan wins tonight, they will have a strong case to be the best team in NCAA basketball since Kentucky's 1996 powerhouse.  

To put the Wolverines in context, consider the following.  In 1998, UK's champions had a Net Rating of +29.29.  In 2012, the National Champion Cats had a Net Rating of +32.59.  The 2015 Cats, who finished 38-1, had a Net Rating of +36.91.  Under Pomeroy's system, on a neutral court, this Michigan team would be a solid favorite against any of those teams.  That's how good they are.

But they aren't out of the woods yet.  They have to overcome a lot of history.  The last Classic Big Ten team to win the national title was Michigan State, who beat Florida in the 2000 final.  Since that time, seven different schools from the Classic Big Ten have reached the NCAA Final, but they have all lost.  Furthermore, they have mostly lost to teams from the East Coast, and most of these matchups have not been close:

2002:  Maryland 64, Indiana 52

2005:  N. Carolina 75, Illinois 70

2007:  Florida 84, Ohio St. 75

2009:  N. Carolina 89, Michigan St. 72

2013:  Louisville 82, Michigan 76

2015:  Duke 68, Wisconsin 63

2018:  Villanova 79, Michigan 62

2024:  Connecticut 75, Purdue 60

However, I would note that in each of those games, the Big Ten team was the underdog.  This time, Ken Pom is picking Michigan to win by 77-70.  No one respects UConn more than I do, but Duke showed that the Huskies can be beaten, and we'll see if Michigan can turn the trick tonight.  Either way, I think this game will mark a significant turning point in college basketball history.  If UConn wins, they are clearly the dominant program of the 21st century.  If Michigan wins, then the Big Ten is well-positioned to control men's basketball in the same way that it now controls football.  After all, the Big Ten used to lose football playoff games -- but they don't any more.

Byington Watch

As Dusty May has turned down UNC, everyone is reporting that Mark Byington of Vanderbilt is under consideration to be the next coach of the Tar Heels.  Of course, that would be a disaster for Vanderbilt, although their Athletic Director has shown serious talent in hiring new coaches.  I don't think it matters that much for UK, because the Cats will be losing to both Vandy and UNC for some time to come.

The last great coach at Vandy was Eddie Fogler, who won the SEC Regular Season title in 1993.  But he was immediately poached by South Carolina.  If the Commodores lose Byington after only two seasons, that will be extremely frustrating.

But these are two very different situations.  Fogler left for South Carolina in large part because Vandy didn't make much of an effort to keep him.  That decision effectively killed Vandy's basketball program for the next 15 years.  Byington just signed a new contract with Vandy, and the Administration has made clear that they intend to build a winning basketball program.  If he leaves, it won't be because Vandy didn't do its best, but because UNC represents a unique opportunity.  It will still hurt for Vandy fans, but at least they won't blame their own administration.

The National Semi-Finals

We will not have another Saturday with college football or college basketball until late August.  I will miss it enormously, but as I grow older I appreciate different seasons more and more.  Today's games represent one of the best Final Fours in many years:

5:09 PM Central (TBS):  (7) Connecticut (33-5) v. (13) Illinois (28-8)

7:49 PM Central (TBS):  (2) Arizona (36-2) v. (3) Michigan (35-3)

This year's tournament is the first time since 2014 that the names of the four teams are also the names of four different states.  In 2014 the Final Four was Connecticut, Kentucky, Florida, and Wisconsin.

Regional Finals

Here are today's regional finals (all times Central, AP rankings in parentheses):

MIDWEST REGION FINAL (Chicago, Ill.):

1:15 P.M. (CBS):  (3) Michigan (34-3) v. Tennessee (25-11)

Now that Kentucky has decided to deemphasize basketball, Tennessee has begun to dominate basketball in our part of the country much as it has long done with football.  The Vols are in the Elite Eight for the third year in a row.  UK hasn't been there since 2019, and may never get there again.  U of L hasn't been there since 2015.  Memphis hasn't been there since 2008.  Western hasn't been there since 1971.  Vandy hasn't been there since 1965.

UK fans still make fun of UT because the Vols have never been to the Final Four.  And, to be honest, I do not think they will be able to get past Michigan today.  But you can't go to the Final Four unless you get to the Elite Eight.  Rick Barnes has done an extraordinary job for the Big Orange.  This year, UK beat Tennessee twice.  Vandy took two of three from Tennessee, and eliminated the Vols from the SEC tournament.  But UK and Vandy both went out in the Second Round of the NCAA's, and UT has a shot at the Final Four.  That's really impressive.

Of course, it's also impressive that Dusty May, the Michigan coach, could win the National Title in only his second year at the school.  After all, the Wolverines went 8-24 in 2024, Juwan Howard's last year as coach.  Since then, May has gone 27-10 in 2025 and 34-3 so far this year.  Of course, May has a history here -- he took Florida Atlantic (!) to the Final Four in 2023, so he knows what he is doing.  Michigan was smart to hire a coach who had enjoyed so much success in the NCAA Tournament, and we can only wish that UK had done the same.  But of course, Michigan was trying to win, and UK apparently was not.

EAST REGION FINAL (Washington, DC):

4:05 P.M. (CBS):  (1) Duke (35-2) v. (7) Connecticut (32-5)

On March 24, 1990, Duke beat UConn 79-78 on a buzzer beater by Christian Laettner in overtime to win the East Region.  At that point, neither Duke nor UConn had ever won the NCAA Championship.  Since then, however, they have played a dominant role.  The Blue Devils have five titles:  1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, and 2015.  The Huskies have six:  1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, and 2024.  And people can say whatever they want about Arizona and Michigan, but I can assure you that those of us who live on the East Coast expect the winner of this game to go all the way -- if only because they so often do.

To me, the tournament began with five teams who could win it all:  Duke, UConn, Arizona, Michigan, and Florida.  The Gators went out last week, but the other four are still dancing.  This game is the first time in the tournament that any of the true favorites are going against each other.  I'm very excited to see what will happen.