Kentucky is one win away from another undefeated season at Rupp Arena

In 13 seasons as the head coach at Kentucky, John Calipari has a gaudy home record. The Hall of Fame coach is 205-17 in games held in the friendly confines at Rupp Arena. However, the 2021-22 team has helped return the program to its dominant ways in downtown Lexington.

In the 71-66 victory over LSU on Wednesday night, Kentucky improved to 17-0 in games at Rupp Arena with just one game remaining with Ole Miss next week. The Wildcats have returned to form at home.

Bad taste of 2021 is gone

Back in 2020, Kentucky took the court for Senior Day at Rupp Arena owning a 24-5 (14-2) mark with a clinched SEC title in their back pocket. Following a huge home win over Auburn, UK had climbed up to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 and were priming themselves for a March run.

However, unranked Tennessee made the trek up I-75 North and stunned the Wildcats with an 81-73 victory thanks to 27 points from John Fulkerson. A week later, college basketball’s postseason would be canceled and the season would come to an abrupt end.

With limited fans in the stands in 2020-21, Kentucky struggled to win just five games at home and finished the year with a .500 record in conference games at Rupp Arena. After the disastrous 9-16 year, the Wildcats headed into the 2021-22 season with a 5-7 record at home in their last 12 games.

The current Kentucky team has evaporated those thoughts.

Kentucky has a chance to go unblemished at home for the first time since 2016 if the Wildcats can knock off Ole Miss next week. It will be the sixth time a Calipari team — 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016 — has finished the year undefeated at home.

Home success equals winning in March

In the John Calipari era, six teams have run the table at home in SEC play with the 2017 squad joining the teams above. All of those teams outside of 2016 have seen some great success in postseason play.

Combined, those teams were 17-1 in the SEC Tournament with five titles and one runner-up finish. In the big dance, those Kentucky teams were a combined 21-5 in the NCAA Tournament with five Elite Eight appearances, three Final Four trips, and one national championship.

The 2022 Kentucky team certainly belongs in the conversation of those other teams as the Wildcats will have a great shot at cutting down the nets in April. Cal’s team is checking the dominate box at home and history tells us that leads to big-time success during March Madness.