2012–13 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

2012–13 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
NIT, first round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record21–12 (12–6 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaRupp Arena
Seasons
2012–13 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 14 Florida 14 – 4   .778 29 – 8   .784
Ole Miss † 12 – 6   .667 27 – 9   .750
Alabama 12 – 6   .667 23 – 13   .639
Kentucky 12 – 6   .667 21 – 12   .636
Missouri 11 – 7   .611 23 – 11   .676
Tennessee 11 – 7   .611 20 – 13   .606
Arkansas 10 – 8   .556 19 – 13   .594
LSU 9 – 9   .500 19 – 12   .613
Georgia 9 – 9   .500 15 – 17   .469
Vanderbilt 8 – 10   .444 16 – 17   .485
Texas A&M 7 – 11   .389 18 – 15   .545
South Carolina 4 – 14   .222 14 – 18   .438
Mississippi State 4 – 14   .222 10 – 22   .313
Auburn 3 – 15   .167 9 – 23   .281
† 2013 SEC tournament winner
As of March 31, 2013
Rankings from AP poll

The 2012–13 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2012–13 college basketball season. The team's head coach was John Calipari, who was in his fourth season. They played their home games at Rupp Arena and were members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 21–12, 12–6 in SEC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Vanderbilt. They were invited to the 2013 NIT where they lost in the first round to Robert Morris.

Pre-season

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Darius Miller 1 G 6'8" 235 Senior Maysville, Kentucky Graduated/Entered 2012 NBA draft
Terrence Jones 3 F 6'9" 252 Sophomore Portland, Oregon Entered 2012 NBA draft
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 14 F 6'7" 232 Freshman Somerdale, New Jersey Entered 2012 NBA draft
Doron Lamb 20 G 6'4" 210 Sophomore Queens, New York Entered 2012 NBA draft
Anthony Davis 23 C 6'10" 220 Freshman Chicago, Illinois Entered 2012 NBA draft
Marquis Teague 25 G 6'2" 189 Freshman Indianapolis, Indiana Entered 2012 NBA draft
Eloy Vargas 30 C 6'11" 244 Senior Moca, Dominican Republic Graduated

Class of 2012 signees

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Willie Cauley-Stein
C 		Spearville, Kansas Olathe Northwest 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Oct 31, 2011 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 95
Archie Goodwin
G 		Sherwood, Arkansas Sylvan Hills 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 181 lb (82 kg) Sep 20, 2011 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 97
Nerlens Noel
C 		Everett, Massachusetts Tilton School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Apr 11, 2012 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 98
Alex Poythress
F 		Clarksville, Tennessee Northeast 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Nov 10, 2011 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 97
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #1   Rivals: #1  ESPN: #2
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2012 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  • "2012 Kentucky Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  • "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.

Class of 2013 commitments

College recruiting information (2013)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Aaron Harrison
SG 		Richmond, Texas Travis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Oct 4, 2012 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 95
Andrew Harrison
PG 		Richmond, Texas Travis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 4, 2012 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Dakari Johnson
C 		New York, New York Montverde 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 425 lb (193 kg) Jan 5, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 92
Marcus Lee
PF 		Antioch, California Deer Valley 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Oct 17, 2012 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 89
Julius Randle
PF 		Dallas, Texas Prestonwood 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Mar 20, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Derek Willis
PF 		Mount Washington, Kentucky Bullitt East 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jan 20, 2012 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
James Young
SG 		Rochester, Michigan Rochester 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 11, 2012 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 95
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Class of 2014 commitments

College recruiting information (2014)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Karl-Anthony Towns
C 		Pisctaway, New Jersey St. Joseph 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Dec 4, 2012 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Devin Booker
SG 		Grand Rapids, Michigan Moss Point 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Oct 31, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 93
Trey Lyles
PF 		Indianapolis, Indiana & Regina, Saskatchewan Arsenal Tech 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Nov 5, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Tyler Ulis
PG 		Chicago, Illinois Marian 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 150 lb (68 kg) Sep 13, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2012–13 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
C 3 Nerlens Noel Injured 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Fr Tilton School Everett, MA
SF 4 Jon Hood 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 212 lb (96 kg) RS Jr Madisonville North Hopkins Madisonville, KY
SG 5 Jarrod Polson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Jr West Jessamine Wilmore, KY
SG 10 Archie Goodwin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Fr Sylvan Hills Sherwood, AR
SG 11 Twany Beckham 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 202 lb (92 kg) RS Sr Ballard/Mississippi State Louisville, KY
PG 12 Ryan Harrow 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS So Walton/NC State Marietta, GA
PG 13 Sam Malone 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Scituate Scituate, MA
C 15 Willie Cauley-Stein 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 244 lb (111 kg) Fr Olathe Northwest Olathe, KS
PG 21 Tod Lanter 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 189 lb (86 kg) So Dunbar Lexington, KY
SF 22 Alex Poythress 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 239 lb (108 kg) Fr Northeast Clarksville, TN
PG 32 Brian Long 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 155 lb (70 kg) So River Dell Dumont, NJ
PF 33 Kyle Wiltjer 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 239 lb (108 kg) So Jesuit Portland, OR
PG 34 Julius Mays 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) GS Marion/Wright State Marion IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Bench 3
C Nerlens Noel Willie Cauley-Stein
PF Alex Poythress Kyle Wiltjer
SF Archie Goodwin Twany Beckham
SG Julius Mays Jon Hood Tod Lanter Brian Long
PG Ryan Harrow Jarrod Polson Sam Malone

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov. 1, 2012*
7:00 pm, FSN/UK IMG 		No. 3 Northwood (FL) W 93–61  0–0
  22 – Goodwin   11 – Noel   5 – Tied  Rupp Arena (20,073)
Lexington, KY
Nov. 5, 2012*
8:00 pm, FSN/UK IMG 		No. 3 Transylvania W 74–28  0–0
  15 – Noel   6 – Goodwin   4 – Harrow  Rupp Arena (20,769)
Lexington, KY
Non-conference regular season
Nov. 9, 2012*
8:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 3 vs. Maryland
Barclays Center Classic 		W 72–69  1–0
  19 – Wiltjer   9 – Noel   3 – Polson  Barclays Center (17,732)
Brooklyn, NY
Nov. 13, 2012*
9:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 3 vs. No. 9 Duke
Champions Classic 		L 68–75  1–1
  20 – Poythress   8 – Tied   4 – Tied  Georgia Dome (22,847)
Atlanta, GA
Nov. 16, 2012*
7:00 pm, FSN/UK IMG 		No. 3 Lafayette
Barclays Center Classic 		W 101–49  2–1
  23 – Wiltjer   7 – Noel   10 – Mays  Rupp Arena (21,360)
Lexington, KY
Nov. 21, 2012*
7:00 pm, FSN/UK IMG 		No. 8 Morehead State
Barclays Center Classic 		W 81–70  3–1
  28 – Goodwin   11 – Noel   4 – Tied  Rupp Arena (21,897)
Lexington, KY
Nov. 23, 2012*
7:00 pm, FSN/UK IMG 		No. 8 Long Island
Barclays Center Classic 		W 104–75  4–1
  22 – Tied   9 – Tied   9 – Goodwin  Rupp Arena (22,222)
Lexington, KY
Nov. 29, 2012*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 8 at Notre Dame
SEC–Big East Challenge 		L 50–64  4–2
  16 – Mays   7 – Tied   5 – Goodwin  Joyce Center (9,149)
South Bend, IN
Dec. 1, 2012*
12:30 pm, CBS 		No. 8 Baylor L 55–64  4–3
  17 – Goodwin   16 – Noel   5 – Goodwin  Rupp Arena (24,192)
Lexington, KY
Dec. 4, 2012*
7:00 pm, FSN/ESPN3 		Samford W 88–56  5–3
  18 – Goodwin   12 – Cauley-Stein   5 – Mays  Rupp Arena (21,221)
Lexington, KY
Dec. 8, 2012*
12:00 pm, ESPN2 		Portland W 74–46  6–3
  15 – Tied   9 – Noel   6 – Harrow  Rupp Arena (22,285)
Lexington, KY
Dec. 15, 2012*
12:30 pm, FSN/ESPN3 		Lipscomb W 88–50  7–3
  23 – Wiltjer   12 – Wiltjer   4 – Tied  Rupp Arena (21,323)
Lexington, KY
Dec. 22, 2012*
4:00 pm, ESPN2 		Marshall W 82–54  8–3
  23 – Harrow   10 – Noel   5 – Mays  Rupp Arena (24,271)
Lexington, KY
Dec. 29, 2012*
4:00 pm, CBS 		at No. 4 Louisville
Battle for the Bluegrass 		L 77–80  8–4
  22 – Goodwin   8 – Tied   3 – Harrow  KFC Yum! Center (22,810)
Louisville, KY
Jan. 2, 2013*
6:00 pm, ESPNU 		Eastern Michigan W 90–38  9–4
  17 – Wiltjer   13 – Noel   8 – Harrow  Rupp Arena (22,135)
Lexington, KY
SEC regular season
Jan. 10, 2013
9:00 pm, ESPN 		at Vanderbilt W 60–58  10–4
(1–0) 		 16 – Harrow   8 – Cauley-Stein   4 – Tied  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
Jan. 12, 2013
4:00 pm, SEC Network/ESPN3 		Texas A&M L 71–83  10–5
(1–1) 		 17 – Goodwin   11 – Noel   6 – Noel  Rupp Arena (24,193)
Lexington, KY
Jan. 15, 2013
7:00 pm, ESPN 		Tennessee W 75–65  11–5
(2–1) 		 17 – Wiltjer   9 – Noel   4 – Harrow  Rupp Arena (24,033)
Lexington, KY
Jan. 19, 2013
9:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Auburn W 75–53  12–5
(3–1) 		 17 – Wiltjer   9 – Noel   8 – Harrow  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
Jan. 22, 2013
9:00 pm, ESPN 		at Alabama L 55–59  12–6
(3–2) 		 14 – Wiltjer   13 – Noel   2 – Tied  Coleman Coliseum (15,383)
Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan. 26, 2013
4:00 pm, SECN/ESPN3 		LSU W 75–70  13–6
(4–2) 		 20 – Poythress   12 – Poythress   2 – Tied  Rupp Arena (24,248)
Lexington, KY
Jan. 29, 2013
9:00 pm, ESPN 		at No. 16 Ole Miss W 87–74  14–6
(5–2) 		 26 – Wiltjer   7 – Tied   4 – Tied  Tad Smith Coliseum (9,232)
Oxford, MS
Feb. 2, 2013
6:00 pm, ESPN 		at Texas A&M W 72–68 OT 15–6
(6–2) 		 19 – Tied   14 – Noel   3 – Tied  Reed Arena (10,558)
College Station, TX
Feb. 5, 2013
9:00 pm, ESPNU 		South Carolina W 77–55  16–6
(7–2) 		 15 – Mays   10 – Noel   4 – Tied  Rupp Arena (22,559)
Lexington, KY
Feb. 9, 2013
4:00 pm, SECN/ESPN3 		Auburn W 72–62  17–6
(8–2) 		 14 – Wiltjer   12 – Noel   2 – Tied  Rupp Arena (24,253)
Lexington, KY
Feb. 12, 2013
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 25 at No. 7 Florida L 52–69  17–7
(8–3) 		 10 – Tied   6 – Tied   3 – Tied  O'Connell Center (12,480)
Gainesville, FL
Feb. 16, 2013
1:00 pm, CBS 		No. 25 at Tennessee L 58–88  17–8
(8–4) 		 18 – Wiltjer   6 – Wiltjer   4 – Goodwin  Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
Feb. 20, 2013
8:00 pm, SECN/ESPN3 		Vanderbilt W 74–70  18–8
(9–4) 		 20 – Cauley-Stein   7 – Cauley-Stein   6 – Mays  Rupp Arena (22,887)
Lexington, KY
Feb. 23, 2013
9:00 pm, ESPN 		Missouri
College GameDay 		W 90–83 OT 19–8
(10–4) 		 24 – Mays   12 – Cauley-Stein   6 – Harrow  Rupp Arena (24,380)
Lexington, KY
Feb. 27, 2013
8:00 pm, SECN 		Mississippi State W 85–55  20–8
(11–4) 		 19 – Harrow   8 – Cauley-Stein   4 – Tied  Rupp Arena (24,023)
Lexington, KY
Mar. 2, 2013
4:00 pm, CBS 		at Arkansas L 60–73  20–9
(11–5) 		 14 – Goodwin   10 – Cauley-Stein   2 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (18,139)
Fayetteville, AR
Mar. 7, 2013
7:00 pm, ESPN 		at Georgia L 62–72  20–10
(11–6) 		 20 – Goodwin   11 – Cauley-Stein   3 – Poythress  Stegeman Coliseum (10,062)
Athens, GA
Mar. 9, 2013
12:00 pm, CBS 		No. 11 Florida W 61–57  21–10
(12–6) 		 16 – Goodwin   12 – Poythress   2 – Tied  Rupp Arena (24,294)
Lexington, KY
SEC Tournament
Mar. 15, 2013
7:30 p.m., SECN/ESPN3 		(2) vs. (10) Vanderbilt
Quarterfinals 		L 48–64  21–11
  12 – Goodwin   9 – Cauley-Stein   3 – Mays  Bridgestone Arena (18,192)
Nashville, TN
National Invitation Tournament
Mar. 19, 2013*
7:30 p.m., ESPN 		(1) at (8) Robert Morris
First Round 		L 57–59  21–12
  18 – Goodwin   7 – Goodwin   3 – Polson  Charles L. Sewall Center (3,444)
Moon Township, PA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

See also: 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP3388RVRVRVRVRVRVRV———RV25——
Coaches337819222323RVRVRV———RVRVRVRV