Kentucky will honor three of the best UK basketball teams ever in Rupp Arena next month

Three of Kentucky’s best basketball teams of all time will be honored during halftime of the Wildcats’ home game against Tennessee next month.

UK announced Wednesday night that the 1996 and 1998 national championship teams — as well as the NCAA runner-up squad from 1997 — will be recognized at Rupp Arena on Feb. 18.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Kentucky’s march to the national title to cap the 1997-98 season. The 1996 title squad was set to be honored two years ago, but restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic — including a mandate of limited crowd sizes in Rupp — postponed that celebration.

To make up for that, all three of UK’s teams from that era will have a joint ceremony at halftime of Kentucky’s game against Tennessee.

Twenty-five years later, those Wildcats remain the last group to advance to three consecutive NCAA title games. Those three teams combined for a 104-11 record over that stretch, with each squad winning at least 34 games in their respective seasons.

The 1995-96 team — still regarded as one of the best in college basketball history — went 34-2, losing only an early season game to UMass (then coached by John Calipari) and the Southeastern Conference Tournament title game to Mississippi State. Both of the teams that defeated UK that season joined the Cats in the Final Four, and Kentucky defeated UMass there before beating Syracuse in the NCAA title game.

The Wildcats lost to Arizona in overtime in the 1997 title game, and UK defeated Utah for the NCAA championship in 1998.

Rick Pitino coached the 1996 and 1997 teams before leaving Lexington for the Boston Celtics. Tubby Smith coached the 1998 team to a national title in his first season in charge at Kentucky.

There were a total of 23 players on Kentucky’s rosters across those three seasons, with Allen Edwards, Cameron Mills, Nazr Mohammed and Wayne Turner the only four to log minutes for all three teams. (Jeff Sheppard was on all three rosters but sat out the 1996-97 season as a redshirt, returning a year later to earn Final Four most outstanding player honors).

Other UK basketball stars from the era include Tony Delk, Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, Ron Mercer, Derek Anderson and Scott Padgett.

It’s unlikely to be a full house of honorees in Rupp Arena on Feb. 18. Many of the players from those Kentucky teams are active college coaches, while others are working for NBA teams.

Pitino is the head coach at Iona, which has games scheduled for Feb. 17 and Feb. 19.

Smith retired near the end of last season. He had been coaching at High Point, his alma mater.