The 2016–17 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

in the

2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 11, 2016. The first early-season tournaments were the 2K Sports Classic, Charleston Classic, and Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The season ended with the 2017 NCAA Division I men' ...

. The team played its home games in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

for the 41st consecutive season at

Rupp Arena Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Central Bank Center (formerly Lexington Center), a convention and shopping facility ...

, with a capacity of 20,500. The team, led by

John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (; born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach at the Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball, University of Arkansas. He has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2 ...

in his eighth season as head coach, was a member of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

Departures

2016–17 Newcomers

Edrice Adebayo, nicknamed "Bam" and originally from

Pinetown, North Carolina Pinetown is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Beaufort County, North Carolina, Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it ...

, was a consensus top 15 player in his class. He committed to Kentucky on November 17, live on ESPN's ''

Mike & Mike ''Mike & Mike'' (formerly ''Mike & Mike in the Morning'') was an American sports-talk radio show that was hosted by Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic on ESPN networks from 2000 to 2017. The show aired on ESPN Radio, and was simulcast on televisio ...

'' simulcast radio show. He chose Kentucky over

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...

and Auburn. He is ranked in the top 10 by

Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

(No. 6) and

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

(No. 6). 247Sports (No. 14) and

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

(No. 15) tab him as a top-15 prospect in the 2016 class. He has prior USA Basketball experience and was named a

MaxPreps MaxPreps is an American website that specializes in coverage of American high school sports. The site is currently owned by PlayOn. Founded on August 1, 2002, the company has covered up to 29 sports, including boys, girls, and co-ed sports. ...

All-American in 2013.

De'Aaron Fox De'Aaron Martez Fox (born December 20, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats before being selected fift ...

, originally from

Katy, Texas Katy is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in the Greater Katy area, itself forming the western part of the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Homes and businesses may have Katy postal addresses without being in the City of Katy. The city ...

, was the second highest rated point guard that Calipari had signed at Kentucky. He committed to Kentucky on November 12, live on

ESPNU ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remain ...

. He chose Kentucky over

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, and

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

. He was the nation's consensus top point guard, was ranked the consensus No. 3 overall player by the four main recruiting services

, and 247 Sports.

Wenyen Gabriel Wenyen Gabriel (born March 26, 1997) is a South Sudanese-American professional basketball player who last played for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, a ...

, originally from

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

, was the third commitment in the Kentucky class. He committed to Kentucky on October 1, live on the radio. He chose Kentucky over

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

, and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. He was a consensus five star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 17 overall player by the four main recruiting services

, and 247 Sports.

Sacha Killeya-Jones Sacha Liam Killeya-Jones (born August 10, 1998) is an American-British professional basketball player for Kawasaki Brave Thunders of the B.League. He played college basketball for Kentucky. High school career Killeya-Jones grew up playing foo ...

, originally from

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

, was the second commitment in the Kentucky class. He committed to Kentucky on October 1, live on the radio. He chose Kentucky over

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. He was a consensus four star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 36 overall player by the four main recruiting services

, and 247 Sports.

Malik Monk Malik Ahmad Monk (born February 4, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning consensus ...

, originally from

Lepanto, Arkansas Lepanto is a city in Poinsett County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,893 at the 2010 Census. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named for the Greek seaport of Lepanto, the site ...

but attending high school in

Bentonville, Arkansas Bentonville is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The city is centrally located in the county with Rogers, Arkansas, Rogers adjacent to the east. The city proper had a population of 54,164 at the 2020 Unite ...

, was the second highest rated shooting guard that Calipari signed at Kentucky. He committed to Kentucky on November 18. He chose Kentucky over

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

where his brother,

Marcus Monk Marcus Monk (born April 26, 1986) is an American former professional football wide receiver and a former professional basketball player. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football a ...

, played college basketball and football. He was a consensus five star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 5 overall player by the four main recruiting services

, and 247 Sports.

Pre-season

Roster

On April 1 the University of Kentucky held a press conference for Murray as he declared himself eligible for the

2016 NBA draft The 2016 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN, and was live streamed for the first time in NBA draft history by The Vertical. National Basketball Association (NBA) ...

, and would forgo his remaining eligibility by signing with an agent. On April 5 Labissiere declared himself eligible for the draft, and would forgo his remaining eligibility by signing with an agent. On April 6 the University of Kentucky held a press conference for Ulis as he declared himself eligible for the draft, and would forgo his remaining eligibility by signing with an agent. On May 18 Matthews announced that he would transfer from Kentucky and finish his remaining three years of eligibility at a school that was to be chosen; the following month, Matthews announced that he would go to

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. On May 25 Briscoe and Lee withdrew their names from the draft, but Lee decided to transfer for his final year of eligibility to a then-undetermined school, which ultimately proved to be

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. On August 9, reserve guard E. J. Floréal announced that he would leave the UK basketball program to compete full-time for the school in track. Floréal, who had one year of remaining eligibility in basketball but would have two years in track, was a local and regional track champion in high school, and his father was UK's head track coach at the time.

Accolades and rankings

The

preseason media poll was released at the SEC Media Days in October, it predicted that Kentucky would win the championship. Adebayo and Fox were named to the All-SEC First Team while Briscoe and Monk were named to the All-SEC Second Team. ''USA Today'' announced its initial coaches poll on October 15 with Kentucky ranked as No. 4 in the country. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

announced on October 31 that Kentucky was ranked No. 2 to start the season in its initial poll of the season.

Events

On July 18 Kentucky released the non-conference portion of its schedule. The schedule is highlighted by marquee match-ups at Rupp Arena and across the country. Kentucky will travel to New York to play Michigan State in the annual Champions Classic, to the Bahamas to play Arizona State, back to New York to play Hofstra, to Las Vegas to play against North Carolina in the annual CBS Sports Classic, and finally to Louisville to face in-state rival Louisville.. Kentucky will also host UCLA for the first time as well as Kansas in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Tickets for Big Blue Madness, Kentucky's version of Midnight Madness went on sale and sold out on September 30. Big Blue Madness took place on October 14. The event debuted the team for the 2016–17 season. It included player introductions, a speech by Calipari, and a scrimmage.

2017–18 newcomers

Nick Richards Nicholas Richards (born November 29, 1997) is a Jamaican professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, Kentucky Wildcats ...

, a native of

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

living in

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, was the first commitment in the Kentucky class. He committed to Kentucky on November 10 at a press conference at his high school. He chose Kentucky over

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

and

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

. 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 Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

native attending school in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, was the second commitment in the Kentucky class. He committed to Kentucky on November 10 live on

. He chose Kentucky over

and

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. ...

. 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 Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander ( ; born July 12, 1998), also known by his initials SGA, is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college ...

, originally from

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

and attending school in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

, was the third commitment in the Kentucky class. He committed to Kentucky on November 14 through a message on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

. He was a consensus top fifty player, ranked No. 42 by the four main recruiting services

, and 24/7 Sports. Quade Green, from

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 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

until an event at his high school on November 19 - with his mother Tamika Johnson by his side. He was a consensus top-25 player and ranked as a five-star player by the four main recruiting services

, and 24/7 Sports.

Hamidou Diallo Hamidou Diallo (born July 31, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Shanxi Loongs of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, Kentucky Wildcats. He w ...

, 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 is set to begin play as a freshman in 2017–18. Jemarl Baker, a native of

Eastvale, California Eastvale is a city in northwestern Riverside County, California, in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. The area transitioned from a dairy farm enclave to a developed community starting in the 1990s and was incorporated on October 1 ...

, 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. Baker originally committed to

Cuonzo Martin Cuonzo LaMar Martin (born September 23, 1971) is an American basketball coach and former player who is in his second tenure as the head men's basketball coach at Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerl ...

, before Martin left the school to coach

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. 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. UK's final commitment came on May 6, when

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

product Kevin Knox II announced he would come to the school. Kentucky beat out Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, and Missouri for Knox's signature.

Roster

*Roster is subject to change as/if players transfer or leave the program for other reasons.

Depth chart

Schedule and results

, - !colspan=12 style=, Exhibition , - !colspan=12 style=, Regular Season , - !colspan=12 style=, SEC Tournament , - !colspan=12 style=, NCAA tournament

Honors

Weekly Awards

On November 14 Fox was named SEC Freshman of the Week following a 21-point career-high against Canisius and a 12-assist career-high against Stephen F. Austin.

National Awards

On March 28, 2017, Malik Monk was voted consensus Second Team All-American by each of the NCAA's four recognized organizations (AP, National Association of Basketball Coaches, United States Basketball Writers Association, Sporting News) it uses to determine consensus status. On April 7, 2017, Malik Monk won the Jerry West Award, which is awarded to the nation's top shooting guard of the year. Monk beat out Duke's Luke Kennard, UCLA's Bryce Alford, and Creighton's Marcus Foster for the award.

Rankings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2016-17 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball seasons