# 2017–18 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Lexington, Kentucky for the 42nd consecutive season at Rupp Arena, with a capacity of 20,500. The team, led by John Calipari in his ninth season as head coach, was a member of the Southeastern Conference.
On January 22, 2018, following losses to South Carolina on the road, and to Florida at home, the Wildcats fell out of the AP rankings for the first time since March 2014.
They finished the season 26–11, 10–8 in SEC play to finish in three-way tie for fourth place. They defeated Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee to become champions of the SEC tournament. They earned the SEC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where they defeated Davidson and Buffalo to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to Kansas State.

## Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2016–17 season 32–6, 16–2 in SEC play to win the regular season SEC championship. In the SEC tournament the Wildcats beat Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas to win the tournament championship. As a result, the Wildcats received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As a No. 2 seed in the South region, they defeated No. 15 Northern Kentucky and No. 10 Wichita State to advance to the Sweet 16. There, they defeated No. 3 UCLA to advance to the Elite Eight where they lost to eventual National Champion, No. 1 North Carolina.

## Offseason
### Summary

On April 3, 2017, De'Aaron Fox announced that he was leaving the program to enter the 2017 NBA draft, and would forgo his remaining eligibility. On April 4, 2017, Malik Monk, in a release to the fanbase, stated that he intended to enter the NBA draft and sign with an agent, thus ending his remaining eligibility with the program. On April 6, 2017, Isaiah Briscoe announced that he was leaving Kentucky to enter the 2017 NBA Draft, and would sign with an agent, forgoing his remaining eligibility. On April 12, 2017, Isaac Humphries announced that he was leaving Kentucky to pursue a professional career in basketball and will sign with an agent, and would forgo remaining eligibility. On April 24, 2017, Bam Adebayo stated that he intended to sign with an agent, thus ending his remaining eligibility with the program. On May 24, 2017, the final day on which players who wished to return to college basketball could withdraw from the NBA draft, Hamidou Diallo, who entered the draft without hiring an agent, announced that he would return to Kentucky to play in 2017–18.

### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason left |
| De'Aaron Fox | 0 | Guard | 6'3" | 187 | Freshman | Katy, Texas | Declared for 2017 NBA draft |
| Bam Adebayo | 3 | Forward | 6'10" | 260 | Freshman | Washington, North Carolina | Declared for 2017 NBA draft |
| Malik Monk | 5 | Guard | 6'3" | 200 | Freshman | Lepanto, Arkansas | Declared for 2017 NBA draft |
| Mychal Mulder | 11 | Guard | 6'4" | 185 | Senior | Windsor, Ontario | Graduated |
| Isaiah Briscoe | 13 | Guard | 6'3" | 210 | Sophomore | Newark, New Jersey | Declared for 2017 NBA draft |
| Isaac Humphries | 15 | Center | 7'0" | 255 | Sophomore | Sydney, Australia | Declared for 2017 NBA draft |
| Dominique Hawkins | 25 | Guard | 6'0" | 191 | Senior | Richmond, Kentucky | Graduated |
| Derek Willis | 35 | Forward | 6'9" | 228 | Senior | Mount Washington, Kentucky | Graduated |

### 2017–18 newcomers

Nick Richards, a native of Kingston, Jamaica who moved to Queens, New York in 2013, was the first commitment in the Kentucky class. He committed to Kentucky on November 10 at a press conference at his high school. He chose Kentucky over Arizona and Syracuse. He was a consensus five star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 14 overall player by the four main recruiting services.
P. J. Washington, a Dallas native attending school in Las Vegas, Nevada, was the second commitment in the Kentucky class. He committed to Kentucky on November 10 live on ESPNU. He chose Kentucky over North Carolina and UNLV. He was a consensus five star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 15 overall player by the four main recruiting services.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, originally from Hamilton, Ontario and attending school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was the third commitment in the Kentucky class. He committed to Kentucky on November 14 through a message on Twitter. He was a consensus top fifty player, ranked No. 42 by the four main recruiting services Rivals, ESPN, Scout, and 24/7 Sports.
Quade Green, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the fourth commitment in the Kentucky class. He signed his National Letter of Intent on November 16, the last day of the early signing period, but did not reveal his choice between Kentucky and Syracuse until an event at his high school on November 19 - with his mother Tamika Johnson by his side. He was a consensus top-25 player and ranked as a five-star player by the four main recruiting services Rivals, ESPN, Scout, and 24/7 Sports.
Hamidou Diallo, a Queens native who graduated from a Connecticut school in spring 2016, announced on January 7, 2017, that he would enroll at UK for the start of the school's spring semester the following week. While he was eligible to play immediately, he redshirted the spring semester and began play as a freshman in 2017–18.
Jemarl Baker, a native of Eastvale, California, was the seventh commitment in the Kentucky recruiting class. He announced his decision on April 11 via a story posted on Scout.com by Evan Daniels. Baker originally committed to Cuonzo Martin at California, before Martin left the school to coach Missouri. He averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals for Roosevelt High School in Corona, Calif., and he quickly emerged as one of the Wildcats' top backcourt targets after their season ended last month. Scout.com ranks Baker as the No. 86 overall prospect in the 2017 class.
UK's final commitment came on May 6, when Tampa product Kevin Knox II announced he would come to the school. Kentucky beat out Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, and Missouri for Knox's signature.
College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander G | Hamilton, Ontario | Hamilton Heights Christian (TN) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Nov 14, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Jemarl Baker SG | Eastvale, California | Roosevelt High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Apr 11, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Hamidou Diallo SG | Queens, New York | Putnam Science Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Jan 7, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Quade Green PG | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Neumann–Goretti | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Nov 16, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Kevin Knox II SF | Tampa, Florida | Tampa Catholic High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | May 6, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Nick Richards C | Kingston, Jamaica | St. Patrick | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | Nov 10, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| P. J. Washington PF | Dallas, Texas | Findlay Prep | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Nov 10, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Jarred Vanderbilt SF | Houston, Texas | Victory Prep | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Dec 23, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| 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: "Kentucky 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017. "2017 Kentucky Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017. "2017 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017. ||||||

### 2018–19 newcomers

Immanuel Quickley, from Havre de Grace, Maryland, was the first commitment in the 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.
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. Former 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.
College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| 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 ||||||
| 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 ||||||
| 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 ||||||
| 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 ||||||
| 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: "Kentucky 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017. "2018 Kentucky Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017. "2018 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017. ||||||

## 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 | Nick Richards | Sacha Killeya-Jones | Tai Wynyard |
| PF | P. J. Washington | Wenyen Gabriel | |
| SF | Kevin Knox II | Jarred Vanderbilt | Dillon Pulliam |
| SG | Hamidou Diallo | | Johnny David |
| PG | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Quade Green | Brad Calipari |

## Schedule and results

On June 6, 2017, Kentucky released the non-conference portion of its schedule. The schedule is highlighted by marquee match-ups at Rupp Arena and across the country. Kentucky traveled to Chicago to play Kansas in the annual Champions Classic, to New York to play Monmouth, to New Orleans to play against UCLA in the annual CBS Sports Classic, and finally to face in-state rival Louisville in Lexington. Kentucky also hosted Virginia Tech and traveled to play West Virginia in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Big Blue Madness took place on October 13. The event was the debut of the team for the 2017–18 season. The annual Blue-White game took place on October 20, 2017.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 27, 2017* 7:00 pm, SECN | | Thomas More | W 103–61 | – | 27 – Knox | 10 – Tied | 7 – Green | Rupp Arena (19,736) Lexington, KY |
| October 30, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Morehead State Kentucky Cares Classic | W 92–67 | – | 23 – Diallo | 6 – Gabriel | 5 – Green | Rupp Arena (14,138) Lexington, KY |
| November 3, 2017* 7:00 pm, SECN | No. 5 | Centre | W 106–63 | – | 20 – Gabriel | 11 – Knox | 5 – Green | Rupp Arena (20,378) Lexington, KY |
| Regular Season |||||||||
| November 10, 2017* 7:00 pm, SECN | No. 5 | Utah Valley | W 73–63 | 1–0 | 18 – Diallo | 12 – Gabriel | 5 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Rupp Arena (19,807) Lexington, KY |
| November 12, 2017* 3:30 pm, ESPN | No. 5 | Vermont | W 73–69 | 2–0 | 17 – Washington | 10 – Washington | 4 – Green | Rupp Arena (20,174) Lexington, KY |
| November 14, 2017* 9:30 pm, ESPN | No. 7 | vs. No. 4 Kansas Champions Classic | L 61–65 | 2–1 | 20 – Knox | 9 – Tied | 4 – Diallo | United Center (21,684) Chicago, IL |
| November 17, 2017* 7:00 pm, SECN | No. 7 | East Tennessee State Adolph Rupp Classic | W 78–61 | 3–1 | 21 – Green | 10 – Knox | 6 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Rupp Arena (20,168) Lexington, KY |
| November 20, 2017* 8:00 pm, SECN | No. 8 | Troy Adolph Rupp Classic | W 70–62 | 4–1 | 17 – Knox | 10 – Diallo | 4 – Washington | Rupp Arena (19,548) Lexington, KY |
| November 22, 2017* 8:00 pm, SECN | No. 8 | Fort Wayne Adolph Rupp Classic | W 86–67 | 5–1 | 25 – Richards | 15 – Richards | 5 – Green | Rupp Arena (20,645) Lexington, KY |
| November 26, 2017* 6:00 pm, SECN | No. 8 | UIC Adolph Rupp Classic | W 107–73 | 6–1 | 25 – Knox | 6 – Green | 4 – Tied | Rupp Arena (20,212) Lexington, KY |
| December 2, 2017* 3:30 pm, ESPN | No. 7 | Harvard | W 79–70 | 7–1 | 20 – Knox | 7 – Tied | 5 – Green | Rupp Arena (22,922) Lexington, KY |
| December 9, 2017* 12:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 8 | vs. Monmouth Citi Double Cash Classic | W 93–76 | 8–1 | 23 – Diallo | 8 – Richards | 9 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Madison Square Garden (10,438) New York, NY |
| December 16, 2017* 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 8 | Virginia Tech | W 93–86 | 9–1 | 21 – Knox | 9 – Gabriel | 5 – Tied | Rupp Arena (22,690) Lexington, KY |
| December 23, 2017* 4:00 pm, CBS | No. 7 | vs. UCLA CBS Sports Classic | L 75–83 | 9–2 | 18 – Diallo | 6 – Tied | 5 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Smoothie King Center (8,119) New Orleans, LA |
| December 29, 2017* 1:00 pm, CBS | No. 16 | Louisville The Battle for the Bluegrass | W 90–61 | 10–2 | 24 – Gilgeous-Alexander | 7 – Tied | 5 – Green | Rupp Arena (24,228) Lexington, KY |
| December 31, 2017 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 16 | Georgia | W 66–61 | 11–2 (1–0) | 21 – Gilgeous-Alexander | 11 – Gabriel | 4 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Rupp Arena (22,862) Lexington, KY |
| January 3, 2018 8:30 pm, SECN | No. 17 | at LSU | W 74–71 | 12–2 (2–0) | 18 – Tied | 11 – Knox | 4 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11,952) Baton Rouge, LA |
| January 6, 2018 9:00 pm, SECN | No. 17 | at No. 23 Tennessee Rivalry | L 65–76 | 12–3 (2–1) | 14 – Green | 8 – Richards | 6 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| January 9, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 21 | Texas A&M | W 74–73 | 13–3 (3–1) | 18 – Diallo | 7 – Gilgeous-Alexander | 5 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Rupp Arena (22,643) Lexington, KY |
| January 13, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPN | No. 21 | at Vanderbilt | W 74–67 | 14–3 (4–1) | 22 – Gilgeous-Alexander | 9 – Gabriel | 6 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Memorial Gymnasium (13,389) Nashville, TN |
| January 16, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 18 | at South Carolina | L 68–76 | 14–4 (4–2) | 21 – Knox | 8 – Knox | 3 – Vanderbilt | Colonial Life Arena (16,200) Columbia, SC |
| January 20, 2018 8:15 pm, ESPN | No. 18 | Florida Rivalry/College GameDay | L 64–66 | 14–5 (4–3) | 10 – Tied | 9 – Richards | 6 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Rupp Arena (24,394) Lexington, KY |
| January 23, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN | | Mississippi State | W 78–65 | 15–5 (5–3) | 22 – Washington | 7 – Tied | 6 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Rupp Arena (20,609) Lexington, KY |
| January 27, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 7 West Virginia Big 12/SEC Challenge/College GameDay | W 83–76 | 16–5 | 34 – Knox | 11 – Vanderbilt | 5 – Gilgeous-Alexander | WVU Coliseum (15,835) Morgantown, WV |
| January 30, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 21 | Vanderbilt | W 83–81 $^{OT}$ | 17–5 (6–3) | 30 – Gilgeous-Alexander | 8 – Knox | 3 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Rupp Arena (21,143) Lexington, KY |
| February 3, 2018 2:00 pm, CBS | No. 21 | at Missouri | L 60–69 | 17–6 (6–4) | 15 – Gilgeous-Alexander | 10 – Vanderbilt | 6 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO |
| February 6, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 24 | No. 15 Tennessee Rivalry | L 59–61 | 17–7 (6–5) | 15 – Tied | 8 – Richards | 6 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Rupp Arena (23,332) Lexington, KY |
| February 10, 2018 8:15 pm, ESPN | No. 24 | at Texas A&M | L 74–85 | 17–8 (6–6) | 19 – Gilgeous-Alexander | 8 – Washington | 8 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Reed Arena (13,263) College Station, TX |
| February 14, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 10 Auburn | L 66–76 | 17–9 (6–7) | 19 – Knox | 10 – Vanderbilt | 3 – Vanderbilt | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| February 17, 2018 2:00 pm, CBS | | Alabama | W 81–71 | 18–9 (7–7) | 16 – Washington | 9 – Vanderbilt | 4 – Tied | Rupp Arena (23,220) Lexington, KY |
| February 20, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN | | at Arkansas | W 87–72 | 19–9 (8–7) | 23 – Knox | 10 – Washington | 7 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Bud Walton Arena (18,083) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 24, 2018 8:15 pm, ESPN | | Missouri | W 87–66 | 20–9 (9–7) | 21 – Knox | 15 – Vanderbilt | 8 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Rupp Arena (23,038) Lexington, KY |
| February 28, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 23 | Ole Miss | W 96–78 | 21–9 (10–7) | 22 – Knox | 11 – Vanderbilt | 10 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Rupp Arena (22,108) Lexington, KY |
| March 3, 2018 12:00 pm, CBS | No. 23 | at Florida Rivalry | L 67–80 | 21–10 (10–8) | 17 – Gilgeous-Alexander | 7 – Washington | 4 – Gilgeous-Alexander | O'Connell Center (10,558) Gainesville, FL |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2018 3:30 pm, ESPN | (4) | vs. (12) Georgia Quarterfinals | W 62–49 | 22–10 | 18 – Washington | 9 – Knox | 9 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Scottrade Center (16,364) St. Louis, MO |
| March 10, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN | (4) | vs. (9) Alabama Semifinals | W 86–63 | 23–10 | 23 – Gabriel | 8 – Washington | 8 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Scottrade Center (18,729) St. Louis, MO |
| March 11, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN | (4) | vs. (2) No. 13 Tennessee Championship | W 77–72 | 24–10 | 29 – Gilgeous-Alexander | 7 – Knox | 3 – Tied | Scottrade Center (18,973) St. Louis, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 15, 2018* 7:10 pm, CBS | (5 S) No. 18 | vs. (12 S) Davidson First Round | W 78–73 | 25–10 | 25 – Knox | 8 – Gilgeous-Alexander | 7 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Taco Bell Arena (11,673) Boise, ID |
| March 17, 2018* 5:15 pm, CBS | (5 S) No. 18 | vs. (13 S) Buffalo Second Round | W 95–75 | 26–10 | 27 – Gilgeous-Alexander | 11 – Gabriel | 6 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Taco Bell Arena (11,686) Boise, ID |
| March 22, 2018* 9:37 pm, CBS | (5 S) No. 18 | vs. (9 S) Kansas State Sweet Sixteen | L 58–61 | 26–11 | 18 – Washington | 15 – Washington | 5 – Gilgeous-Alexander | Philips Arena (15,616) Atlanta, GA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 18 | RV | 21 | 24 | RV | RV | 24 | RV | 18 | Not released |
| Coaches | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 14 | 20 | 16 | RV | 22 | 24 | RV | RV | 25 | RV | 20 | 17 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings