Inside The Numbers: Kentucky vs. Wake Forest
By Corey Price
Tonight at 8:15 p.m. on CBS, the Kentucky Wildcats, the 1 Seed in the East Region and #2 in the AP Poll, will take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, the 9 Seed in the East Region, in the 2nd round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Here are some numbers and facts of interest headed into tonight’s game:
Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament History
51 NCAA Tournament Appearances (50 Officially)
101 NCAA Tournament Wins (99 Officially)
45 NCAA Tournament Losses (44 Officially)
146 NCAA Tournament Games (143 Officially)
.692 NCAA Tournament Winning Percentage
7 National Championships
10 National Title Game Appearances
13 Final Fours
18 Elite Eights
Wake Forest’s NCAA Tournament History
22 NCAA Tournament Appearances
28 NCAA Tournament Wins
21 NCAA Tournament Losses
49 NCAA Tournament Games
.571 NCAA Tournament Winning Percentage
1 Final Four (1963)
5 Elite Eights (1939, 1961, 1977, 1984, 1996)
Wildcats On The Brink Of 100 NCAA Tournament Wins (Officially)
With a win against the Demon Deacons, Kentucky would have their 100th NCAA Tournament win, officially. They’ve had 101 wins, but 2 wins from the 1988 NCAA Tournament were vacated due to NCAA violations. The win would make them the 2nd school with 100 NCAA Tournament wins. North Carolina currently leads with 102 NCAA Tournament victories.
Kentucky Climbing The Wins Ladder
With a victory against the Demon Deacons tonight the Wildcats would record their 34th victory of the season. That would be the 6th time in school history that a team had at least 34 victories in a season. Here are the other 5 teams to accomplish that feat:
1947-1948: 36 wins
1997-1998: 35 wins
1996-1997: 35 wins
1995-1996: 34 wins
1946-1947: 34 wins
Assists Record In Jeopardy
Wildcat freshman sensation John Wall currently has 221 assists on the season. He is now only 12 assists away from breaking the UK single season assists record. The record is currently held by Roger Harden, who dished out 232 assists in the 1985-1986 season.
Freshman Field Goals Record Broken (Twice)
The UK freshman made field goals record was broken against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, twice. The previous record of 180 made field goals was held by Chris Mills in the 1988-1989 season. During the 1st round game against the Buccaneers, the record was broken by both DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall. Wall currently holds the record with 186 made field goals with Cousins right behind him 184 made field goals.
Another Freshman Record Broken By Wall
Forgotten in all the madness that was the SEC Tournament Championship game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, John Wall broke the UK freshman field goals attempted record. The record was previously held by Rex Chapman, who attempted 390 field goals in his freshman season of 1986-1987. Wall currently has attempted 402 field goals going into the Wake Forest game.
Cousins, Patterson, And Wall: A Select Scoring Trio
As of the East Tennessee State game, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, and John Wall have all scored at least 500 points this season. That is only the 2nd time in UK history that 3 players scored at least 500 points each in the same season. The only other time that happened was in 1987-1988. Here is a comparison between the two trios:
1987-1988: Rex Chapman – 609 points, Ed Davender – 517 points, Winston Bennett – 504 points
2009-2010: John Wall – 575 points, DeMarcus Cousins – 525 points, Patrick Patterson – 523 points
Kentucky’s Various Records vs. Wake Forest
Kentucky’s overall record vs. Wake Forest: 4-0 (1.000)
Kentucky’s record vs. Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament: 2-0 (1.000)
Here are the 2 previous meetings between Kentucky and Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament:
1993 Southeast (Now South) Regional Semifinals
March 25th
Charlotte Coliseum (Attendance: 22,876)
1 Seed Kentucky – 103
5 Seed Wake Forest – 69
Travis Ford led the Wildcats in scoring with 26 points
Randolph Childress led the Demon Deacons in scoring with 18 points
Kentucky was hot right out of the gate, and it showed in their 34 point lead at halftime, 60-26. The Wildcats ended up shooting 61.9% from the field, including 66.7% from 3, knocking down 16 of their 24 attempts.
1996 Midwest Regional Finals
March 23rd, 1996
Hubert H Humphery Metrodome (Attendance: 30,397)
1 Seed Kentucky – 83
2 Seed Wake Forest – 63
Tony Delk led the Wildcats in scoring with 25 points
Tim Duncan and Steven Goolsby both scored 14 points to lead the Demon Deacons
Kentucky’s stifling, pressure defense was the difference in this game, forcing the Demon Deacons to shoot 36.2% from the field, 39.1% from 3 point range, and turned the ball over 20 times. Wake Forest All-American Tim Duncan was held to only 2 of 7 shooting from the field.
Other Various Records
Kentucky’s record playing in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament (since 1985): 14-5 (.737)
Kentucky’s record playing against the ACC in the NCAA Tournament (since 1985): 6-3 (.667)
Kentucky’s overall record playing on March 20th: 10-3 (.769)
Kentucky’s record playing on March 20th in the NCAA Tournament (since 1985): 5-2 (.714)
Kentucky’s record in 1 Seed vs. 9 Seed matchups in the NCAA Tournament (since 1985): 3-1 (.750)
Kentucky’s record vs. 9 Seeds in the NCAA Tournament (since 1985): 5-2 (.714)
Kentucky’s record against teams seeded lower than them in the NCAA Tournament (since 1985): 48-10 (.828)
RPI Rankings (As Of March 18th)
Kentucky: 2nd
Kentucky’s Strength Of Schedule: 47th
Wake Forest: 32nd
Wake Forest’s Strength Of Schedule: 29th
Pomeroy Ratings (As Of March 18th)
Kentucky: 5th
Kentucky’s Strength Of Schedule: 62nd
Kentucky’s Non-Conference Strength Of Schedule: 139th
Wake Forest: 47th
Wake Forest’s Strength Of Schedule: 8th
Wake Forest’s Non-Conference Strength Of Schedule: 119th
Sagarin Ratings (As Of March 18th)
Kentucky: 3rd
Kentucky’s Strength Of Schedule: 63rd
Wake Forest: 33rd
Wake Forest’s Strength Of Schedule: 8th
Kentucky In The Top 30 In Team Statistics (As Of March 18th)
Blocks Per Game: 4th (7.3)
Rebounds Per Game: 5th (41.4)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game: 9th (27.2)
Scoring Offense: 11th (79.8)
Points Per Possession: 15th (1.12)
Field Goal Percentage: 17th (48%)
Opponents’ Fouls Per Game: 27th (21)
Field Goal Percentage Defense: 4th (38%)
Opponents’ Points Per Possession: 16th (.92)
Opponents’ Defensive Rebounds Per Game: 23rd (20.7)
Wake Forest In The Top 30 In Team Statistics (As Of March 18th)
Rebounds Per Game: 2nd (42.4)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game
: 5th (27.6)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game: 9th (14.8)
Blocks Per Game: 21st (5.3)
Opponents’ Fouls Per Game: 30th (20.9)
Opponents’ Offensive Rebounds Per Game: 21st (13.8)
Kentucky Players In The Top 50 In Individual Statistics (As Of March 18th)
Field Goal Percentage: Patrick Patterson, 8th (58.4%) DeMarcus Cousins, 29th (54.1%)
Points Per 40 Minutes: DeMarcus Cousins, 16th (25.8)
Rebounds Per Game: DeMarcus Cousins, 20th (10.1)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game: DeMarcus Cousins, 10th (4.1)
Assists Per Game: John Wall, 3rd (6.5)
Turnovers Per Game: John Wall, 11th (4)
Wake Forest Players In The Top 50 In Individual Statistics (As Of March 18th)
Minutes Per Game: Ishmael Smith, 18th (36.9)
Rebounds Per Game: Al-Farouq Aminu, 10th (10.8)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game: Al-Farouq Aminu, 8th (4.2)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game: Al-Farouq Aminu, 29th (6.6)
Assists Per Game: Ishmael Smith, 6th (6)
Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans