Rare Air: 3 Different UK Coaches Posted Unbeaten SEC Mark in 20-Year Span
May 11th, 2017 - 20:48
Projected preseason top-ranked Kentucky is the best bet to become the 11th member of a power conference to go undefeated in league play since Bob Knight-coached Indiana in 1975-76 was the nation's last team to go unscathed overall. With none of the squads featuring a team-leading scorer averaging as much as 16 ppg, the SEC is lone power league to supply an unbeaten squad in conference competition in the last 15 seasons.
The Big Ten Conference hasn't had a team go unbeaten in league competition since IU and the Big East never has had an undefeated club. Kentucky, under three different coaches, supplied three of the following 10 teams to go unbeaten in a power alliance in the last 41 years:
| Year | League | Unbeaten School | Coach (Overall Mark) | Leading Scorer | Leading Rebounder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Pacific-8 | UCLA (14-0) | Gary Cunningham (25-3) | David Greenwood (17.5) | David Greenwood (11.4) |
| 1984 | ACC | North Carolina (14-0) | Dean Smith (28-3) | Michael Jordan (19.6) | Sam Perkins (9.6) |
| 1987 | ACC | North Carolina (14-0) | Dean Smith (32-4) | Kenny Smith (16.9) | J.R. Reid (7.4) |
| 1994 | Big Eight | Missouri (14-0) | Norm Stewart (28-4) | Melvin Booker (18.1) | Jevon Crudup (8) |
| 1996 | SEC | Kentucky (16-0/East) | Rick Pitino (34-2) | Tony Delk (17.8) | Antoine Walker (8.4) |
| 1999 | ACC | Duke (16-0) | Mike Krzyzewski (37-2) | Elton Brand (17.7) | Elton Brand (9.8) |
| 2002 | Big 12 | Kansas (16-0) | Roy Williams (33-4) | Drew Gooden (19.8) | Drew Gooden (11.4) |
| 2003 | SEC | Kentucky (16-0/East) | Tubby Smith (32-4) | Keith Bogans (15.7) | Chuck Hayes (6.8) |
| 2012 | SEC | Kentucky (16-0) | John Calipari (38-2) | Anthony Davis (14.2) | Anthony Davis (10.4) |
| 2014 | SEC | Florida (18-0) | Billy Donovan (36-3) | Casey Prather (13.8) | Dorian Finney-Smith (6.7) |
| 2015 | SEC | Kentucky (18-0) | John Calipari (38-1) | Aaron Harrison (11.0) | Karl-Anthony Towns (6.7) |