Kentucky wins almost every game in Rupp. That’s added up to one big number.
A win against Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday would be Kentucky’s 600th in Rupp Arena.
“In some ways, I’m surprised it’s taken this long,” said Jack “Goose” Givens, UK’s leading scorer in its first two seasons calling Rupp Arena home. “But 600 wins is a lot of seasons of home games.
“I’m very, very happy I was part of it and had an opportunity to play in such a great and historic building.”
Givens had a double-double in the very first UK home game played in Rupp Arena. His 12 points and 10 rebounds helped Kentucky defeat Wisconsin 72-64 on Nov. 27, 1976. Teammate Rick Robey also posted a double-double: 13 points and 13 rebounds.
“It kind of felt like a road game in a lot of ways,” Givens said Tuesday. “It was so different and so big and massive compared to Memorial Coliseum. It just took some time to get used to.”
Givens considered Memorial Coliseum “a shooter’s building.” With little to no seating behind each baseline, it was easier to concentrate on the basket, he said. Rupp Arena had multi-colored seating sections and an expanse of space behind each basket.
Givens said he did not recall specifics about the inaugural game against Wisconsin. The game had 67 fouls called and 75 free throws shot.
“It couldn’t have been very pretty, that’s for sure,” he said with a chuckle.
‘Goose bumps’
Two years ago, retired Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan recalled being part of UK basketball history. He was an assistant coach for the Badgers in that first Kentucky game in Rupp Arena.
As he sat on the bench before the game, Ryan noticed Adolph Rupp himself seated about 20 feet away on the front row. “I got goose bumps,” said Ryan, who described himself as a basketball fanatic.
Besides serving as the inaugural game in Rupp Arena, it was also the debut of new Wisconsin coach Bill Cofield.
Ryan said he tried to relax Cofield with humor.
“I said to the head coach, ‘We’re in trouble,’” Ryan said. When Cofield asked why the Badgers were in trouble, Ryan told him he saw the referees enter Rupp Arena. “They had Kentucky letter jackets on,” Ryan recalled saying, laughing at the memory of an attempt at humor dating back four decades.”
Then, as Ryan remembered it, the game’s first possession saw the ball go out of bounds in front of the Wisconsin bench.
“The ref pointed Kentucky’s way and said, ‘Our ball,’” Ryan said.
Comparing iconic arenas
Givens and company had a 28-2 win-loss record in UK’s first two seasons in Rupp Arena. A victory over Fairleigh Dickinson would improve the program’s record in Rupp to 600-70, a winning percentage of .896.
Going into this week’s games, that compares favorably with Kansas’ record in Allen Fieldhouse (791-113 and .875), UCLA in Pauley Pavilion (743-120 and .861), Louisville in KFC Yum Center (150-25 and .857), North Carolina in the Dean E. Smith Center (422-73 and .853) and Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium (896-162 and .847).
If UK defeats Fairleigh Dickinson, John Calipari’s record in Rupp Arena as UK coach will improve to 172-10. That home winning percentage of .945 would be the best among six UK coaches in Rupp Arena, which opened in the 1976-77 season.
Rick Pitino, who was UK’s coach from 1989-90 through 1996-97, had the second-best winning percentage in Rupp Arena: .938 (107-7).
Joe B. Hall, the UK coach in the first nine seasons in Rupp Arena, had a record of 122-14 in the building (.897).
Then comes Tubby Smith (119-19 for .862), Eddie Sutton (53-10 for .841) and Billy Gillispie (26-10 for .722).
For Givens, his most vivid memory in Rupp Arena was not the victory over Wisconsin in the first game. It was the Senior Day send-off he shared with fellow seniors James Lee, Mike Phillips and Robey to end the 1977-78 season.
Kentucky, which would win the national championship, defeated UNLV 92-70 on that March 4, 1978.
“The intensity level was off the charts in that game,” Givens said. “The atmosphere was just wonderful because the Big Blue Nation appreciated the guys who were seniors and wanted to let us know that they loved us.”
Next game
Fairleigh Dickinson at No. 8 Kentucky
4 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network)
Rupp Arena year by year
Kentucky’s men’s basketball record and winning percentage year by year in Rupp Arena since its opening:
Coach: Joe B. Hall
1976-77: 12-2 (.857)
1977-78: 16-0 (1.000)
1978-79: 11-4 (.733)
1979-80: 12-3 (.800)
1980-81: 15-0 (1.000)
1981-82: 15-1 (.938)
1982-83: 14-1 (.933)
1983-84: 16-0 (1.000)
1984-85: 11-3 (.786)
Coach: Eddie Sutton
1985-86: 18-0 (1.000)
1986-87: 13-2 (.867)
1987-88: 14-2 (.875)
1988-89: 8-6 (.571)
Coach: Rick Pitino
1989-90: 13-2 (.867)
1990-91: 13-0 (1.000)
1991-92: 15-2 (.882)
1992-93: 16-0 (1.000)
1993-94: 13-1 (.929)
1994-95: 12-1 (.923)
1995-96: 13-0 (1.000)
1996-97: 12-1 (.923)
Coach: Tubby Smith
1997-98: 9-3 (.750)
1998-99: 12-1 (.923)
1999-00: 14-0 (1.000)
2000-01: 11-1 (.917)
2001-02: 12-3 (.800)
2002-03: 12-1 (.923)
2003-04: 11-2 (.846)
2004-05: 14-1 (.933)
2005-06: 10-5 (.667)
2006-07: 14-2 (.875)
Coach: Billy Gillispie
2007-08: 14-4 (.778)
2008-09: 12-6 (.667)
Coach: John Calipari
2009-10: 18-0 (1.000)
2010-11: 15-0 (1.000)
2011-12: 18-0 (1.000)
2012-13: 16-2 (.889)
2013-14: 16-2 (.889)
2014-15: 19-0 (1.000)
2015-16: 17-0 (1.000)
2016-17: 15-2 (.882)
2017-18: 16-2 (.889)
2018-19: 17-1 (.944)
2019-20: 5-1 (.833)
Total: 599-70 (895)
