The 1977–78 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team were coached by Joe B. Hall. The team finished the season with a 30–2 record and SEC Championship and won the 1978 NCAA Championship over the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...

, 94–88. Hall remarked before the title game that "This season was without celebration for us." 1978_UK_Robey_Lee_Givens

Season summary

Those who witnessed it call

Jack Givens Jack "Goose" Givens (born September 21, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning consensus second-team All-American honors. He led the team to the 1978 NCAA Men' ...

' 41 point game against Duke in the 1978 NCAA championship game one of the finest performances in the game's history. Givens made 18-of-27 shots in leading Kentucky to its fifth national championship and first in 20 years. This team also had a pair of bruising frontcourt players in Mike Phillips and

Rick Robey Frederick Robert "Rick" Robey (born January 30, 1956) is an American former college and professional basketball player. At 6'11", he played the center position for the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, and the Phoenix Suns of the National Baske ...

and a great point guard in Kyle Macy. The Wildcats went on exhibition tour of Japan in June following the season's end.

Schedule

2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball media guide
. Retrieved 2015-May-24.

Statistics

(6-4, Sr, F) 18.1 ppg *

(6-10, Sr, F) 14.4 ppg * Kyle Macy (6-3, So, G) 12.5 ppg * James Lee (6-5, Sr, F) 11.3 ppg * Mike Phillips (6-10, Sr, C) 10.2 ppg *Truman Claytor (6-1, Jr, G) 6.9 ppg

Awards and honors

, NCAA Men's MOP Award

Team players drafted into the NBA

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1977-78 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball seasons NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship seasons NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...