Kentucky Records Win No. 20, Good Company Among Calipari Teams
For some colllege basketball programs, winning 20 basketball games is a significant milestone. At Kentucky, it is the expectation. A norm under John Calipari, this year’s team surpassed the 20-win mark quicker than most.
Tuesday night Kentucky defeated South Carolina 86-76, improving to 20-4 following the Wildcats’ 17th double-digit victory of the 2021-22 basketball season. Aside from the pandemic-shortened season, every John Calipari-coached Kentucky basketball team has won at least 20 games. Only four teams reached the 20-win milestone faster than these Cats and two of them went to the Final Four.
Race to 20 Wins under Calipari
| Year | Record on 20th Win | Season Result |
| 2015 | 20-0 | Final Four |
| 2012 | 20-1 | National Championship |
| 2010 | 20-1 | Elite Eight |
| 2019 | 20-3 | Elite Eight |
| 2022 | 20-4 | TBD |
| 2017 | 20-5 | Elite Eight |
| 2020 | 20-5 | No NCAA Tournament |
| 2016 | 20-6 | Second Round |
| 2014 | 20-6 | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2011 | 20-8 | Final Four |
| 2013 | 20-8 | NIT |
| 2018 | 20-9 | Sweet 16 |
The most surprising revelation is that the Reid Travis-PJ Washington Wildcats were 20-3 before late-season injuries sidelined the two. Even though they were shaky down the stretch, they were still an overtime away from a Final Four appearance.
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Of course, this National Championship team was not coached by John Calipari, but Cameron Mills wanted to remind the Big Blue Nation who else had a 20-4 record in February.
In spite of a lengthy list of injuries, the latest to Jacob Toppin, Kentucky has done all of the right things to forecast a fun March. Grab your popcorn and enjoy the ride.
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