2008–09 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2008–09 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the college basketball season of 2008–09. The team's head coach was Billy Gillispie, who was in his second and final year as coach. The Wildcats played their home games at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The team's season started with a controversial early Midnight Madness event on October 10, 2008, which is not the traditional date for celebration that coincides with the first day of NCAA-sanctioned regular practice sessions that occurred on October 17, 2008.

2008–09 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
NIT, Quarterfinals
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern
Record	22–14 (8–8 SEC)
Head coach	Billy Gillispie (2nd season)
Assistant coaches	Jeremy Cox Glynn Cyprien Tracy Webster
Home arena	Rupp Arena
Seasons ← 2007–08 2009–10 →

2008–09 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
East
South Carolina	10	–	6		.625			21	–	10		.677
Tennessee	10	–	6		.625			21	–	13		.618
Florida	9	–	7		.563			25	–	11		.694
Vanderbilt	8	–	8		.500			19	–	12		.613
Kentucky	8	–	8		.500			22	–	14		.611
Georgia	3	–	13		.188			12	–	20		.375
West
No. 21 LSU	13	–	3		.813			27	–	8		.771
Auburn	10	–	6		.625			24	–	12		.667
Mississippi State†	9	–	7		.563			23	–	13		.639
Alabama	7	–	9		.438			18	–	14		.563
Ole Miss	7	–	9		.438			16	–	15		.516
Arkansas	2	–	14		.125			14	–	16		.467
† SEC Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

On March 15, 2009, the Wildcats accepted a bid to the 2009 National Invitation Tournament, ending a streak of 17 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship dating back to 1992.^[1]

Roster

2008–09 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 1 Darius Miller 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 223 lb (101 kg) Fr Mason County Maysville, Kentucky G 2 Matt Scherbenske 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Oak Hill Academy (VA)/Oral Roberts Lexington, Kentucky G 3 Kevin Galloway 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Sacramento/Southern Idaho Sacramento, California F 5 Ramon Harris 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Jr West Anchorage Anchorage, Alaska G 10 Landon Slone 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Fr Paintsville Paintsville, Kentucky G 11 Adam Delph 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 161 lb (73 kg) Fr Pleasure Ridge Park Louisville, Kentucky G 12 Mark Krebs 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 207 lb (94 kg) Jr Newport Central Catholic Newport, Kentucky G 13 Michael Porter 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Jr Modesto Christian Modesto, California G 14 Mark Halsell 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 182 lb (83 kg) So St. Charles/Southwestern Illinois St. Charles, Missouri F 15 A.J. Stewart 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 218 lb (99 kg) So Arlington Country Day Jacksonville, Florida F 21 Perry Stevenson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Lafayette Lafayette, Louisiana G 23 Jodie Meeks 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Jr Norcross Norcross, Georgia G 25 Donald Williams 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Progressive Christian Academy Baton Rouge, Louisiana G 30 Dwight Perry 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 187 lb (85 kg) Jr Southern Durham, North Carolina F 33 Matt Pilgrim  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 233 lb (106 kg) Jr Bridgton Academy/Hampton Cincinnati, Ohio G 34 DeAndre Liggins 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 202 lb (92 kg) Fr Findlay Prep (NV) Chicago, Illinois C 43 Jared Carter 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 277 lb (126 kg) Sr Scott County Georgetown, Kentucky F 54 Patrick Patterson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Huntington Huntington, West Virginia C 55 Josh Harrellson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 265 lb (120 kg) So St. Charles/Southwestern Illinois St. Charles, Missouri	Head coach Billy Gillispie (Texas State) Assistant coach(es) Tracy Webster (Wisconsin) Glynn Cyprien (Southern) Jeremy Cox (Mesa State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt

2008 signees

College recruiting information (2008)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
DeAndre Liggins G	Chicago, Illinois	Findlay Prep	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	Jun 27, 2007
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 89
Darius Miller G/F	Maysville, Kentucky	Mason County	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	223 lb (101 kg)	Sep 7, 2007
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 91
Kevin Galloway G/F	Sacramento, California	College of Southern Idaho	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Mar 10, 2008
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: n/a
Josh Harrellson C	St. Charles, Missouri	Southwestern Illinois Community College	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	Apr 29, 2008
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: n/a
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 15   Rivals: 21
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 2008 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 11, 2008. "2008 Kentucky Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 11, 2008. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 11, 2008. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 11, 2008. "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 11, 2008.

2008–09 schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 3, 2008* 7:00 pm, FSN South		Missouri-Saint Louis	W 111–53	0–0	Rupp Arena  Lexington, KY
November 7, 2008* 7:00 pm, FSN South		Ouachita Baptist	W 94–72	0–0	Rupp Arena  Lexington, KY
Non-Conference Regular Season
November 14, 2008* 7:00 pm, FSN South		VMI	L 103–111	0–1	Rupp Arena (22,579) Lexington, KY
November 18, 2008* 9:00 pm, ESPN		at No. 1 North Carolina	L 58–77	0–2	Dean Smith Center (21,538) Chapel Hill, NC
November 22, 2008* 12:00 pm, FSN South		Delaware State 2008 Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational	W 71–42	1–2	Rupp Arena (21,594) Lexington, KY
November 24, 2008* 7:00 pm, FSN South		Longwood 2008 Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational	W 91–57	2–2	Rupp Arena (20,105) Lexington, KY
November 28, 2008* 11:59 pm, ESPNU		vs. Kansas State 2008 Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational	W 74–72	3–2	Orleans Arena (5,000) Las Vegas, NV
November 29, 2008* 10:30 pm, ESPN2		vs. West Virginia 2008 Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational	W 54–43	4–2	Orleans Arena (5,500) Las Vegas, NV
December 3, 2008* 7:00 pm, FSN South		Lamar	W 103–61	5–2	Rupp Arena (21,350) Lexington, KY
December 6, 2008* 5:00 pm, ESPN		No. 22 Miami (FL)	L 67–73	5–3	Rupp Arena (24,109) Lexington, KY
December 7, 2008* 3:00 pm, FSN South		Mississippi Valley State	W 88–65	6–3	Rupp Arena (21,476) Lexington, KY
December 13, 2008* 4:00 pm, CBS		Indiana	W 72–54	7–3	Rupp Arena (23,767) Lexington, KY
December 20, 2008* 12:00 pm, FSN South		Appalachian State	W 93–69	8–3	Freedom Hall (10,173) Louisville, KY
December 22, 2008* 7:00 pm, FSN South		Tennessee State	W 102–58	9–3	Rupp Arena (21,958) Lexington, KY
December 27, 2008* 3:00 pm, FSN South		Florida Atlantic	W 76–69	10–3	Rupp Arena (24,018) Lexington, KY
December 29, 2008* 7:00 pm, FSN South		Central Michigan	W 84–52	11–3	Rupp Arena (22,944) Lexington, KY
January 4, 2009* 4:30 pm, CBS		at No. 18 Louisville Battle for the Bluegrass	L 71–74	11–4	Freedom Hall (20,078) Louisville, KY
SEC Regular Season
January 10, 2009 2:00 pm, Raycom		Vanderbilt	W 70–60	12–4 (1–0)	Rupp Arena (24,249) Lexington, KY
January 13, 2009 9:00 pm, ESPN		at Tennessee	W 90–72	13–4 (2–0)	Thompson-Boling Arena (20,474) Knoxville, TN
January 18, 2009 9:00 pm, Raycom		at Georgia	W 68–45	14–4 (3–0)	Stegeman Coliseum (9,090) Athens, GA
January 21, 2009 9:00 pm, Raycom		Auburn	W 73–64	15–4 (4–0)	Rupp Arena (22,760) Lexington, KY
January 24, 2009 3:00 pm, Raycom		at Alabama	W 61–51	16–4 (5–0)	Coleman Coliseum (15,316) Tuscaloosa, AL
January 27, 2009 7:00 pm, ESPN	No. 24	at Ole Miss	L 80–85	16–5 (5–1)	Tad Smith Coliseum (6,852) Oxford, MS
January 31, 2009 3:00 pm, Raycom	No. 24	South Carolina	L 77–78	16–6 (5–2)	Rupp Arena (24,322) Lexington, KY
February 3, 2009 7:00 pm, Raycom		Mississippi State	L 57–66	16–7 (5–3)	Rupp Arena (21,940) Lexington, KY
February 10, 2009 9:00 pm, ESPN		Florida	W 68–65	17–7 (6–3)	Rupp Arena (24,355) Lexington, KY
February 14, 2009 1:00 pm, CBS		at Arkansas	W 79–63	18–7 (7–3)	Bud Walton Arena (19,041) Fayetteville, AR
February 17, 2009 9:00 pm, ESPN		at Vanderbilt	L 64–77	18–8 (7–4)	Memorial Gymnasium (14,316) Nashville, TN
February 21, 2009 1:00 pm, CBS		Tennessee	W 77–58	19–8 (8–4)	Rupp Arena (24,394) Lexington, KY
February 25, 2009 7:00 pm, Raycom		at South Carolina	L 59–77	19–9 (8–5)	Colonial Life Arena (16,035) Columbia, SC
February 28, 2009 4:00 pm, CBS		No. 18 LSU	L 70–73	19–10 (8–6)	Rupp Arena (24,411) Lexington, KY
March 4, 2009 8:00 pm, Raycom		Georgia Senior Night	L 85–90	19–11 (8–7)	Rupp Arena (23,889) Lexington, KY
March 7, 2009 2:00 pm, CBS		at Florida	L 53–60	19–12 (8–8)	O'Connell Center (12,131) Gainesville, FL
SEC Tournament
March 12, 2009 1:00 pm, Raycom	(E4)	vs. (W5) Ole Miss First Round	W 71–58	20–12	St. Pete Times Forum (N/A) Tampa, FL
March 13, 2009 1:00 pm, Raycom	(E4)	vs. (W1) No. 20 LSU Quarterfinals	L 58–67	20–13	St. Pete Times Forum (N/A) Tampa, FL
National Invitation Tournament
March 17, 2009* 9:30 pm, ESPN	(4)	(5) UNLV First Round	W 70–60	21–13	Memorial Coliseum (8,327) Lexington, KY
March 23, 2009* 7:00 pm, ESPN	(4)	at (1) Creighton Second round	W 65–63	22–13	Qwest Center Omaha (16,984) Omaha, NE
March 25, 2009* 7:00 pm, ESPN2	(4)	at (2) Notre Dame Quarterfinals	L 67–77	22–14	Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,636) Notre Dame, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Season honors and awards

All-SEC

Team	Player	Position
First	Jodie Meeks	Guard
First	Patrick Patterson	Forward
All-SEC

SEC Player of the Week

Date	Player	Position
12/1 [2]	Jodie Meeks	Guard
12/22 [3]	Jodie Meeks	Guard
12/29 [4]	Patrick Patterson	Forward
1/19 [4]	Jodie Meeks	Guard
2/16 [5]	Jodie Meeks	Guard
SEC Player of the Week

SEC Freshman of the Week

Date	Player	Position
12/8 [6]	DeAndre Liggins	Guard
SEC Freshman of the Week

Pre-Season All-SEC

Team	Player	Position
First	Patrick Patterson	Forward
Second	Jodie Meeks	Guard
All-SEC

Class of 2009 signees

The signees who formed the 2009-10 recruiting classes are considered one of the best all-time recruiting classes ^[7]

College recruiting information (2009)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
John Wall PG	Raleigh, North Carolina	Word of God	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	May 18, 2009
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 98
DeMarcus Cousins PF	Mobile, Alabama	LeFlore	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Apr 8, 2009
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 98
Daniel Orton C	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	Bishop McGuinness	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	Oct 12, 2008
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 97
Eric Bledsoe G	Birmingham, Alabama	Parker	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	May 6, 2009
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 90
Jon Hood SG	Madisonville, Kentucky	Madisonville-North Hopkins	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	May 25, 2008
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 91
Darnell Dodson G/F	Greenbelt, Maryland	Miami-Dade CC	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Apr 22, 2009
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 95
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 1   Rivals: 1  ESPN: 1
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 2009 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 28, 2009. "2009 Kentucky Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved April 28, 2009. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 28, 2009. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 28, 2009. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 28, 2009.

References

1. Kentucky-UNLV Preview Article from ukathletics.com, retrieved 2009-03–19. Archived 2009-06-02.
2. "www.secsports.com". Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
3. "www.secsports.com - This Week In SEC Men's Basketball - 12/22". Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
4. "www.secsports.com". Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
5. "www.secsports.com". Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
6. "www.secsports.com". Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
7. DeCourcy, Mike (May 19, 2009). "With Wall Kentucky could have all-time recruiting class". SportingNews.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.