Men's Basketball

As a perennial top-10 program, the Kentucky Wildcats are televised from coast-to-coast on a regular basis. Nearly every game since 1991 has been televised — nationally, regionally or statewide. During the 2002-03 season, every one of the Wildcats’ games were televised either live or delayed, including the exhibition games. UK appeared on national television in 21 of its 36 games including 10 times on ESPN or espn2 and 11 times on CBS. Eleven games were broadcast regionally on Fox Sports, JP Sports or Fox Sports South. Over the past 51 years, 595 Kentucky games have been broadcast either regionally or nationally, with the Wildcats owning a 434-161 (72.9%) record. Kentucky’s first appearance on national television occurred on March 22, 1951, a 59-43 victory over St. John’s in the NCAA Tournament.



The Wildcats’ basketball program has garnered attention internationally for its success. Throughout the years, Kentucky has been represented on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the world’s largest subscription sports magazine, 19 times, including on the cover of the very first issue (Ralph Beard in 1948). Seventeen of the covers appear below.

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December 10, 1962

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March 7, 1966

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March 28, 1966

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December 2, 1968

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March 16, 1970

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March 31, 1975

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April 3, 1978

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December 5, 1983

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February 26, 1996

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April 8, 1996

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April 1996

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March 16, 1998

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March 30, 1998

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April 6, 1998

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April 1998

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March 15, 1999

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March 10, 2003

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