Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball: Wildcats vs. Tar Heels game preview

By Brandon Griffin

Dec 13, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels coach Roy Williams and Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari at Rupp Arena. The Kentucky Wildcats defeated North Carolina Tar Heels 84-70. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels coach Roy Williams and Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari at Rupp Arena. The Kentucky Wildcats defeated North Carolina Tar Heels 84-70. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kentucky Wildcats

Dec 11, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Edrice Adebayo (3) dunks during the second half against the Hofstra Pride at Barclays Center. Kentucky Wildcats won 96-73. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Edrice Adebayo (3) dunks during the second half against the Hofstra Pride at Barclays Center. Kentucky Wildcats won 96-73. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

Head Coach: John Calipari. Career Record 623-185. This is Calipari’s eighth season with the Wildcats and his third collegiate head coaching stop (he also coached three seasons in New Jersey).

Calipari has been controversial since he became a head coach. Twice has he had wins vacated from his record at both UMass and Memphis. At Kentucky he has been ridiculed for taking advantage of the NBA’s one and done rule, bringing in a top-two class every season he has been there. However, despite all this talent he has only one Championship to his name.

Conference: The Wildcats play in the SEC. Last season they went 27-9 finishing second in the conference. They won the SEC tournament over one seed Texas A&M and entered the NCAA tournament as a four seed, despite the Aggies entering as a three seed. Kentucky’s season ended with a second round loss to Indiana.

Best Former Player: Pat Riley. As a player Pat Riley was an NBA Champion with the Los Angles Lakers. In eight professional seasons, Riley finished with 3,906 points, 855 rebounds, and 913 assists.

After his playing career he became a coach. As a head coach, Riley has won 1,904 games and five NBA championships. He was three times named coach of the year and coached the All-Star game nine times (best record at the time of the All-Star game gets to coach).

He later became an executive with the Miami Heat where he collected another three championships. All in all Riley has nine championships and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

This Season: Currently this season Kentucky is 9-1. They are third in the nation in scoring, fifth in assists, and 11th in rebounds. They beat Michigan State earlier this year by 21, but lost to UCLA at home by five.

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