# 1986–87 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

The 1986–87 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented University of Kentucky in the 1986–87 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Eddie Sutton and the team finished the season with an overall record of 18–11.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| November 29* | No. 11 | Austin Peay | W 71–69 | 1–0 | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| December 2* | No. 11 | Texas Tech | W 66–60 | 2–0 | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| December 6* | No. 13 | at No. 3 Indiana Indiana–Kentucky rivalry | L 66–71 | 2–1 | – | – | – | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| December 13* | No. 19 | Lamar | W 71–56 | 3–1 | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| December 19* | No. 19 | Iona UK Invitation Tournament | W 75–59 | 4–1 | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| December 20* | No. 18 | Boston University UK Invitation Tournament | W 81–69 | 5–1 | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| December 27* | No. 18 | at Louisville | W 85–51 | 6–1 | – | – | – | Freedom Hall Louisville, KY |
| December 30 | No. 11 | vs. Georgia | L 65–69 | 6–2 (0–1) | – | – | – | Freedom Hall Louisville, KY |
| January 3 | No. 11 | at No. 5 Auburn | W 63–60 | 7–2 (1–1) | – | – | – | Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| January 7 JPT | No. 9 | Alabama | L 55–69 | 7–3 (1–2) | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| January 10 | No. 9 | at Tennessee | L 68–75 | 7–4 (1–3) | – | – | – | Stokely Athletics Center Knoxville, TN |
| January 12 | No. 9 | at Mississippi State | W 57–49 | 8–4 (2–3) | – | – | – | Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, MS |
| January 14 | | Florida | W 67–62 | 9–4 (3–3) | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| January 18 ABC | | LSU | L 41–76 | 9–5 (3–4) | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| January 21 JPT | | at Vanderbilt | W 71–65 | 10–5 (4–4) | – | – | – | Memorial Coliseum Nashville, TN |
| January 25* | | No. 18 Navy | W 80–69 | 11–5 | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| January 28 | | at Ole Miss | L 65–76 | 11–6 (4–5) | – | – | – | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| January 31 JPT | | Mississippi State | W 50–36 | 12–6 (5–5) | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| February 4 JPT | | No. 20 Auburn | W 75–71 | 13–6 (6–5) | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| February 7 | | at No. 9 Alabama | W 70–69 | 14–6 (7–5) | – | – | – | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 11 | | Tennessee | W 91–84 $^{OT}$ | 15–6 (8–5) | 26 – Chapman | 7 – Jenkins | 6 – Davender | Rupp Arena (23,002) Lexington, KY |
| February 14 JPT | | at No. 19 Florida | L 56–74 | 15–7 (8–6) | – | – | – | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL |
| February 19 | | Vanderbilt | W 65–54 | 16–7 (9–6) | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| February 21 | | at LSU | L 52–65 | 16–8 (9–7) | – | – | – | Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, LA |
| February 25 JPT | | at Georgia | L 71–79 | 16–9 (9–8) | – | – | – | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, GA |
| February 28 | | Ole Miss | W 64–63 | 17–9 (10–8) | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| March 1* | | No. 12 Oklahoma | W 75–74 | 18–9 | – | – | – | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| March 6 JPT | (4) | vs. (5) Auburn SEC tournament | L 72–79 | 18–10 | 17 – Tie | 6 – Madison | 4 – Chapman | The Omni (13,279) Atlanta, GA |
| March 13* | (8 SE) | vs. (9 SE) Ohio State NCAA tournament | L 77–91 | 18–11 | 23 – Davender | 5 – Lock | 5 – Davender | The Omni (15,128) Atlanta, GA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=Southeast. |||||||||

## Season summary

* Feb. 11 vs. Tennessee: Kentucky rallied from 10 down with 1:13 left in the game. Rex Chapman hit a running 12-footer over Tennessee's Doug Roth with three seconds left to force overtime, where the Wildcats eventually won.

## Awards

Rex Chapman
* 1st Team All-SEC (Coaches)
* 2nd Team All-SEC (AP, UPI)
* Freshman All-SEC
Ed Davender
* 2nd Team All-SEC (UPI)
* 3rd Team All-SEC (AP)