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 23,500. The team, led by John Calipari in his ninth season as head coach, was a member of the Southeastern Conference.

2017–18 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
SEC Tournament champions
NCAA Tournament, Sweet Sixteen
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 17
AP	No. 18
2017–18 record	26–11 (10–8 SEC)
Head coach	John Calipari (9th season)
Assistant coaches	Kenny Payne (8th season) Tony Barbee (4th season) Joel Justus (2nd season)
Home arena	Rupp Arena

2017–18 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 19 Auburn	13	–	5		.722			26	–	8		.765
No. 13 Tennessee	13	–	5		.722			26	–	9		.743
No. 23 Florida	11	–	7		.611			21	–	13		.618
No. 18 Kentucky †	10	–	8		.556			26	–	11		.703
Missouri	10	–	8		.556			20	–	13		.606
Arkansas	10	–	8		.556			23	–	12		.657
Mississippi State	9	–	9		.500			25	–	12		.676
Texas A&M	9	–	9		.500			22	–	13		.629
Alabama	8	–	10		.444			20	–	16		.556
LSU	8	–	10		.444			18	–	15		.545
Georgia	7	–	11		.389			18	–	15		.545
South Carolina	7	–	11		.389			17	–	16		.515
Vanderbilt	6	–	12		.333			12	–	20		.375
Ole Miss	5	–	13		.278			12	–	20		.375
† 2018 SEC Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

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.[1][2]

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 #2 seed in the South region, they defeated #15 Northern Kentucky[3] and #10 Wichita State to advance to the Sweet 16.[4] There, they defeated #3 UCLA to advance to the Elite Eight[5] where they lost to eventual National Champion, #1 North Carolina.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] On April 24, 2017, Bam Adebayo stated that he intended to sign with an agent, thus ending his remaining eligibility with the program.[11] 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.[12]

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.[13] 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.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16]

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.[17] 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.[18]

UK's final commitment came on May 6, when Tampa product Kevin Knox announced he would come to the school. Kentucky beat out Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, and Missouri for Knox's signature.[19]

Kentucky recruits at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game

Quade Green

Kevin Knox

Nick Richards

Jarred Vanderbilt

P. J. Washington

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

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
	Recruiting 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
	Recruiting 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
	Recruiting 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
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Kevin Knox SF	Tampa, Florida	Tampa Catholic High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	May 6, 2017
	Recruiting 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
	Recruiting 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
	Recruiting 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
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #2   Rivals: #2  247Sports: #2  ESPN: #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 2017-04-11. "2017 Kentucky Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11. "2017 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11.

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 #7 overall prospect.[20]

Tyler Herro was the third commitment for Kentucky's 2018 class. A former Wisconsin commit, Herro committed to Kentucky the week after his official visit. Herro was a consensus four-star prospect and was ranked the #4 shooting guard in the 2018 class by ESPN.

E.J. Montgomery was the fourth commitment for Kentucky's 2018 class. A former Auburn commit, 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 #12 in the 2018 class.[21]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

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
	Recruiting 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
	Recruiting 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
	Recruiting 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
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 92
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #2   Rivals: #2  247Sports: #2  ESPN: #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 2017-04-11. "2018 Kentucky Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11. "2018 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11.

Roster

2017–18 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Quade Green 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Neumann–Goretti Philadelphia, Pennsylvania F 1 Sacha Killeya-Jones 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 221 lb (100 kg) So Virginia Episcopal Chapel Hill, North Carolina F 2 Jarred Vanderbilt 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 214 lb (97 kg) Fr Victory Prep Houston, Texas G 3 Hamidou Diallo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 198 lb (90 kg) RS Fr Putnam Science Academy Queens, New York C 4 Nick Richards 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr St. Patrick (NJ) Kingston, Jamaica SF 5 Kevin Knox 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Tampa Catholic Tampa, Florida G 10 Jonny David (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 183 lb (83 kg) Jr Mt. Lebanon Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania G 12 Brad Calipari (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 176 lb (80 kg) So MacDuffie Franklin Lakes, New Jersey G 13 Jemarl Baker  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 182 lb (83 kg) Fr Eleanor Roosevelt Eastvale, California F 14 Tai Wynyard (S) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So Rangitoto Auckland, New Zealand G 22 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Hamilton Heights Christian (TN) Hamilton, Ontario F 25 P. J. Washington 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 236 lb (107 kg) Fr Findlay Prep Dallas, Texas G 30 Dillon Pulliam (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Transylvania Cynthiana, Kentucky F 32 Wenyen Gabriel 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Wilbraham & Monson Manchester, New Hampshire	Head coach John Calipari (Clarion) Assistant coach(es) Kenny Payne (Louisville) Tony Barbee (Massachusetts) Joel Justus (UNC Wilmington) John Robic (Denison) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt 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	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.[22] 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 game	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

See also: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	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

References

1. "College basketball rankings: Kentucky falls out of AP Top 25 poll for 1st time since 2014". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
2. "Top 25 doesn't include the Cats. Remember what happened last time UK dropped out?". kentucky. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
3. "Freshmen lead Kentucky over Northern Kentucky: NCAA Tournament first round". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
4. "Wichita State vs. Kentucky - Game Recap - March 19, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
5. "UCLA vs. Kentucky - Game Recap - March 24, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
6. "North Carolina holds off Kentucky, moves on to Final Four: NCAA Tournament live updates recap, highlights, score, stats". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
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