Dwight Perry returns to Rupp Arena for Wofford's NCAA Tournament run: 'The people here are amazing.'

Dwight Perry is very familiar with Rupp Arena, the same building he’ll look to win his first NCAA Tournament game as a head coach in come Thursday night.

Perry was a three-year walk-on for the Kentucky Wildcats from 2006-09, making the SEC Academic Honor Roll twice. A cousin of Bobby Perry, who played 120 games at UK from 2003-07, Dwight only appeared in 19 total games as a Wildcat, averaging fewer than two minutes per outing, but he was part of some unique moments in the program’s history.

Some might remember in 2007 when he started Kentucky’s first NCAA Tournament game vs. Villanova in the United Center in Chicago. The coaching staff incorrectly filled out the lineup card, slotting Dwight, a freshman at the time, into the starting five instead of Bobby, a full-time starter. Dwight played just a few seconds before fouling immediately so Bobby could check in (Kentucky still won that game, 67-58). It was the only start of his career. Also as a freshman, Perry didn’t even have a name on his jersey for a good chunk of the season. To say it was an unusual start to his tenure as a Wildcat would be a bit of an understatement.

But the Basketball Gods work in mysterious ways. Over 15 years later, Perry is now in year three as the head coach at Woodford College. He’s also coached the Terriers to a 15-seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. It’s the program’s first trip to the Big Dance since 2018-19 when they lost to Kentucky in the Round of 32, the year before Perry joined the Wofford staff as an assistant.

On Thursday night in Rupp, Perry and Wofford will take on one of the Wildcats’ biggest rivals, the 2-seeded Tennessee Volunteers.

It’s a bit of a full-circle moment for Perry all these years later. Oddly enough, his final game as a player at UK came against — you guessed it — Tennessee in Feb. 2009, a blowout win for the ‘Cats. During Wofford’s Wednesday practice in Rupp Arena, he couldn’t help but wear a smile the entire time as old memories undoubtedly flooded his mind.

Former ‘Cat Dwight Perry, now the HC at Wofford, has been all smiles during his team’s practice today in a familiar building.

15-seed Wofford takes on 2-seed Tennessee on Thursday in Rupp Arena at 6:50 PM on TNT. pic.twitter.com/aJWJNJrXxv

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) March 19, 2025

“First off, really excited to be here. Excited to be back,” Perry told reporters. “Excited to be able to play in a great venue that is Rupp Arena. I know our guys are excited to be representing the SoCon and Wofford College. Anytime you get a chance to be part of a great event like the NCAA Tournament, that’s truly a blessing.

“And to be able to do it in a venue that obviously has the tradition and history that is Rupp Arena and against the good teams, the great teams that are well coached that we’ll get a chance to compete against starting with Tennessee is something that I think our whole program truly relishes that opportunity.”

Perry, who was raised in North Carolina and has lived outside of Lexington since his playing career came to an end, admitted he hasn’t come back to the Bluegrass as often as he would like. Being a coach in some capacity since 2009, it’s not always easy to make it back during the heat of a season. And while a lot has changed (in a good way) in the time he’s been gone from UK, some things still remain the same.

“I have been back just a handful of times,” Perry said. “Anytime I come back, I feel like I see drastic changes in a good way, whether it’s the city, whether it’s obviously the arena, the building. It’s always great to see the changes that are taking place.

“But one thing that hasn’t changed, every time I’m back, it’s very welcoming. The people here are amazing. And no matter how many times you walk into this arena, you can feel the tradition and history that is Kentucky basketball.“

Perry will hope that tradition follows him onto the hardwood against Tennessee. The Vols will be close to a 20-point favorite come tipoff, but as Perry has experienced before, March Madness can elicit the unexpected. Wofford and Tennessee will play Thursday at 6:50 p.m. ET on TNT.