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2018–19 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 LSU 16 – 2   .889 28 – 7   .800
No. 10 Tennessee 15 – 3   .833 31 – 6   .838
No. 7 Kentucky 15 – 3   .833 30 – 7   .811
No. 5 Auburn† 11 – 7   .611 30 – 10   .750
South Carolina 11 – 7   .611 16 – 16   .500
Mississippi State 10 – 8   .556 23 – 11   .676
Ole Miss 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
Florida 9 – 9   .500 20 – 16   .556
Alabama 8 – 10   .444 18 – 16   .529
Arkansas 8 – 10   .444 18 – 16   .529
Texas A&M 6 – 12   .333 14 – 18   .438
Missouri 5 – 13   .278 15 – 17   .469
Georgia 2 – 16   .111 11 – 21   .344
Vanderbilt 0 – 18   .000 9 – 23   .281
† 2019 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

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 23,500. 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]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason left
Tai Wynyard 14 Forward 6'10" 255 Sophomore Auckland, New Zealand Transferred to Santa Clara
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 22 Guard 6'6" 171 Freshman Hamilton, Ontario Declared for the 2018 NBA draft
Kevin Knox II 5 Forward 6'9" 215 Freshman Tampa, Florida Declared for the 2018 NBA draft
Sacha Killeya-Jones 1 Forward 6'10" 221 Sophomore Chapel Hill, North Carolina Transferred to NC State
Dillon Pulliam 30 Guard 6'3" 195 Junior Cynthiana, Kentucky Graduated and transferred to Carnegie Mellon
Hamidou Diallo 3 Guard 6'5" 200 Freshman Queens, New York Declared for the 2018 NBA draft
Jarred Vanderbilt 2 Forward 6'9" 214 Freshman Houston, Texas Declared for the 2018 NBA draft
Wenyen Gabriel 32 Forward 6'9" 205 Sophomore Manchester, New Hampshire Declared for the 2018 NBA draft
Quade Green 0 Guard 6'0" 170 Sophomore Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Transferred to Washington mid-season

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]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   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]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Reid Travis 22 F 6'8" 245 Graduate Student Minneapolis, MN Stanford

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) Current redshirt 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) Current redshirt 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

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Reid Travis Nick Richards
PF P. J. Washington E. J. Montgomery
SF Keldon Johnson Jemarl Baker Zan Payne
SG Tyler Herro Jonny David
PG Ashton Hagans Immanuel Quickley Brad Calipari

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

See also: 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP2 (19)1010109191916131812875544 (3)647Not released
Coaches2 (12)2^ (12)1098181815141814965544 (4)6477

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

References

  1. ^ "Kentucky basketball moves past Davidson into NCAA Tournament second round". courier-journal.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  2. ^ "Buffalo vs. Kentucky - Game Recap - March 17, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  3. ^ "Kansas St vs. Kentucky - Game Recap - March 22, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  4. ^ "BREAKING: Suspended Kentucky forward to transfer". SEC Country. April 2, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  5. ^ "UK frosh Knox to 'follow my dreams,' go pro". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  6. ^ "Former 5-star prospect Sacha Killeya-Jones transferring from Kentucky". Sporting News. April 10, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  7. ^ "UK basketball freshman Shai Gilgeous-Alexander declares for NBA draft, will hire an agent". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  8. ^ "NBA Draft 2018: Hamidou Diallo becomes fourth Kentucky player to declare for draft". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  9. ^ "Kentucky's PJ Washington to enter draft but not hire an agent". ESPN.com. Associated Press. April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  10. ^ Goodman, Jeff (April 18, 2018). "Kentucky's Wenyen Gabriel enters NBA draft, won't hire agent". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Staff, Kernel Sports. "Jarred Vanderbilt to remain in NBA Draft". The Kentucky Kernel. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  13. ^ "Wenyen Gabriel keeps his name in NBA draft, ending his Kentucky career". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  14. ^ Borzello, Jeff (November 11, 2017). "Keldon Johnson, No. 7 recruit in ESPN 100, joins Kentucky's 2018 class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  15. ^ Borzello, Jeff (April 9, 2018). "E.J. Montgomery latest 5-star recruit to commit to Kentucky". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  16. ^ Pilgram, Jack (June 15, 2018). "Ashton Hagans graduates, will officially reclassify to class of 2018". KentuckySportsRadio.com. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  17. ^ "What Reid Travis transferring to Kentucky means". SI.com. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  18. ^ "Stanford's Travis transferring to Kentucky". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018%E2%80%9319_Kentucky_Wildcats_men%27s_basketball_team