Power Outages: No Big East Member Has Gone Unbeaten in League Play
Last season, Miami (Fla.) posted its first winning league record since 2001-02 in the Big East Conference. The Hurricanes, a total of 24 games below .500 in their first eight years in the ACC, went unbeaten in league competition this campaign until bowing at Wake Forest.
But the odds were against Miami going without a setback in the ACC. Last year, Kentucky became only the ninth 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.
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 nine teams to go unbeaten in a power alliance in the last 37 years:
| Year | League | School (League Mark) | 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) |