The 2014–15 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2014–15 college basketball season. The team played its home games in Lexington, Kentucky, United States for the 39th consecutive season at Rupp Arena, with a capacity of 23,500. The team was led by sixth-year head coach John Calipari. The team was a National semifinalist in the NCAA tournament, competed in the school's 17th Final Four. It was Calipari's fourth Final Four appearance at Kentucky. The team finished the regular season with a perfect 31–0 record, the best start in school history. For six years, they had been the last unbeaten team to enter the NCAA tournament until Gonzaga in 2021. Their 38 wins is tied with the 2012 Kentucky team for the most in men's Division I history. Their 38–1 record (.974 winning percentage) is the best by a team that did not finish undefeated.

After finishing as the National Runner-up in the 2014 NCAA tournament, the expectations for this team were high. The team, however, would be without some of its top players from the 2013–14 team including starting power forward Julius Randle and starting small forward James Young, who were first-round draft choices in the 2014 NBA draft. Returning were starting point guard Andrew Harrison, starting shooting guard Aaron Harrison, and starting center Dakari Johnson. Former McDonald's All-Americans Marcus Lee and Alex Poythress also returned to school. Willie Cauley-Stein opted to return to school after his leg injury in the 2014 NCAA tournament. John Calipari once again produced another top recruiting class that was highlighted by Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Wildcats were led by 2015 Consensus All-Americans Cauley-Stein and Towns.

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes 4 Guard 215 Madisonville, Kentucky Graduated 3 Guard 182 Wilmore, Kentucky Graduated 30 Forward 250 Dallas, Texas Entered 2014 NBA draft 1 Forward 215 Rochester Hills, Michigan Entered 2014 NBA Draft

2014–15 newcomers

In November, Kentucky signed another top recruiting class. John Calipari announced four players for his 2014 class during the early signing period on November 14. Trey Lyles (Indianapolis), Karl-Anthony Towns (Metuchen, N.J.), Devin Booker (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and Tyler Ulis (Chicago Heights, Ill.) all signed national letters of intent to play basketball at the University of Kentucky, starting in the 2014–15 season.

Karl-Anthony Towns was the first commitment for the class when he verbally committed on December 4, 2012. He was named Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2014. He played for the Dominican Republic National Team in 2012 and 2013 which were coached by John Calipari and Kentucky assistant, Orlando Antigua. He was ranked as No. 6 overall by ESPN and No. 11 by Rivals and Scout.

Tyler Ulis was the second commitment in the class when he verbally committed on September 13, 2013. He committed to Kentucky briefly after he was offered a scholarship. Kentucky had just missed on their primary target, Emmanuel Mudiay, when he committed to SMU on August 24, 2013. Ulis, however, quickly rose in the recruiting rankings, finishing No. 20 overall by Scout, No. 21 overall by Rivals, and No. 25 overall by ESPN. He chose Kentucky over Iowa, Michigan State, and Southern Cal.

Devin Booker was the third commitment in the class when he verbally committed on October 31, 2013. He was ranked as the No. 18 overall by ESPN and No. 29 overall by Scout and Rivals. As a junior, he was named by Gatorade as the top basketball player in Mississippi. He is the son of the former Missouri and All-American great Melvin Booker. He chose Kentucky over his Dad's alma mater and Michigan.

Trey Lyles was the final commitment in the class when he verbally committed on November 5, 2013. After his senior season, he was named Indiana Mr. Basketball, where he led his high school to a state championship. He committed to Kentucky over rivals Indiana and Louisville. He was rated as the No. 6 overall player by ESPN, the No. 11 overall by Scout, and the No. 13 overall by Rivals.

Pre-season

Roster The first player to make known his decision was Cauley-Stein, who decided to return to school on April 14. On April 17 Young declared himself eligible for the 2014 NBA draft. Shortly after Young's announcement, Lee announced that he would return for his sophomore season on April 18. On April 22 Randle also declared himself eligible for the draft. Following Randle's announcement, on April 23 Johnson and Poythress announced they were returning to school. The Harrison twins soon after announced that they were returning for their sophomore seasons on April 25.

Off-season rankings Immediately following the 2014 NCAA tournament, the earliest predictions started being made by the media despite draft status uncertainty. While speculation about Randle and Young's returns remained speculation, projections abounded: 1 CBS Sports, 3 by ESPN, 5 by NBC Sports, 5 by USA Today, 5 by Yahoo! Sports, and 6 by Bleacher Report. Following the April 27 NBA draft entry deadline, revised predictions had Kentucky : 1 by Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, ESPN, NBC Sports, and 2 by USA Today. Along with the projected ranking, the Las Vegas 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament betting lines opened with Kentucky as a 5/1 favorite on April 29.

Accolades Karl-Anthony Towns, among several Wildcats, was seen by prognosticators as an All-American when the preseason teams were named. USA Today selected him as a First Team All-American. The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook selected Towns as a Second Team All-American. Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, and NBC Sports selected Towns as a Third Team All-American. Aaron Harrison was selected by Blue Ribbon and Sports Illustrated as a Second Team All-American. Andrew Harrison was selected by Athlon Sports as a Second Team All-American. Willie Cauley-Stein was selected as a Third Team All-American by Blue Ribbon.

The Southeastern Conference preseason media poll was released at the SEC Media Days in October, it predicted that Kentucky would win the championship and selected Aaron Harrison as its Player of the Year. Aaron Harrison was also named to the All-SEC First Team while Cauley-Stein, Andrew Harrison, Poythress and Towns were named to the All-SEC Second Team.

USA Today announced its initial coaches poll on October 18 with Kentucky ranked as No. 1 in the country. The Associated Press announced on October 31 that Kentucky was ranked No. 1 to start the season in its initial poll of the season.

Events Prior to the regular season Kentucky played in a six-game series in the Bahamas from August 10 through August 17 called the Big Blue Bahamas Tour. The three opponents in the series consisted of international clubs and teams from the Dominican Republic, France, and Puerto Rico. Games were played at Kendal G. L. Isaacs National Gymnasium in Nassau, Bahamas. The university spent a total of $792,845.68 on the trip which included flights, lodging, meals, and games.

Tickets for Big Blue Madness, Kentucky's version of Midnight Madness went on sale and sold out on September 20.

Big Blue Madness took place on October 18. The event debuted the team for the 2014–15 season. It included player introductions, a speech by Calipari, and a scrimmage.

The Blue-White scrimmage was the first live game for the team. It occurred at Rupp Arena on October 27. Andrew Harrison scored 19 points, added 18 and the Blue squad dominated the White 94–66.

Roster

Roster is subject to change as/if players transfer or leave the program for other reasons.

Schedule

November The season officially began on November 14 with an 85 to 45 victory over Grand Canyon in the first game of the Cawood Ledford Classic at Rupp Arena. Willie Cauley-Stein added 12 points, Dakari Johnson had 13 rebounds and 10 points and Trey Lyles had 14 points. Two days later on November 16 Kentucky defeated Buffalo 71–52 in the second game of the Cawood Ledford Classic at Rupp Arena. Buffalo led by 5 at halftime, but Kentucky used a 9–0 run to start the second half to regain the lead. Two nights later Kentucky traveled to Indianapolis to face No. 5 Kansas in the annual Champions Classic. Kentucky defeated Kansas 72–40 which was Kansas' lowest number of points scored since 1962. Kentucky's defense was stifling as they limited Kansas to 19.6 percent from the field and blocked 11 of Kansas' shots. Three nights later Kentucky defeated Boston University 89 to 65 at Rupp Arena. Aaron Harrison scored 19 points, Devin Booker added 15, and top-ranked Kentucky shot 59 percent from the field. Two nights later Kentucky defeated Montana State 86–28 in the third game of the Cawood Ledford Classic at Rupp Arena. Kentucky opened the second half on a 26–0 run, and Montana State's 28 points is the fewest for a UK opponent since the shot clock era began in 1985–86. Two nights later Kentucky defeated UT-Arlington 92–44 in the final game of the Cawood Ledford Classic. Kentucky won consecutive games by at least 48 points (58 points vs. Montana State and 48 points vs. UT Arlington) for the first time since 1954. After a five-day break Kentucky defeated Providence 58 to 38 at Rupp Arena. Kentucky finished November ranked No. 1 in the AP and USA Today polls and with a 7–0 record.

December On December 5 Kentucky defeated No. 6 Texas 63–51 in a Big 12/SEC Challenge game at Rupp Arena. The game was tied at halftime until Kentucky outscored the Longhorns 18 to 2 in the first 8:40 of the second half to make it 44–28. Cauley-Stein totaled a career-high 21 points and a season-high 12 rebounds, his first double-double of the season. Two nights later Kentucky defeated Eastern Kentucky 82–49 at Rupp Arena. The only excitement from the game came late when Aaron Harrison made Kentucky's first 3-point basket with a few minutes remaining. Harrison's make extended Kentucky's 908 game streak of making at least one three-pointer. Eastern Kentucky coach Jeff Neubauer proclaimed after the game that his team was "...guarded by the best defensive team in the modern era of college basketball...". Three nights later Kentucky defeated Columbia 56 to 46 at Rupp Arena. Columbia opened the game with an 11 to 0 lead and did not surrender the lead until the second half. After the first four minutes Kentucky ended the game on a 56–35 run. Three days later Kentucky renewed its rivalry with North Carolina at Rupp Arena, defeating the Tar Heels 84–70. Two days prior to the game Poythress suffered a knee injury that would force him to miss the remainder of the season. Players showed support for their injured teammate by wearing blue "Roar for 22" T-shirts during warmups. Lyles got his first career start in his absence and scored 9 points. After a week off Kentucky traveled to Chicago to play UCLA in the inaugural CBS Sports Classic. Kentucky defeated the Bruins in dominating fashion, 83–44. The Wildcats were leading 24 to 0 before UCLA scored their first point with 12 minutes left in the first half. Kentucky led 41–7 at halftime. It was the lowest point total in a half for UCLA and the fewest by a Kentucky opponent since December 1943. After the UCLA game the team took a week off for the Holidays. Upon their return they traveled to the KFC Yum! Center for their first road test of the season against in-state rival No. 4 Louisville. Ulis had a career game, scoring career-best 14 points off the bench to defeat the Cards 58–50. This was Kentucky's seventh victory in eight games against Louisville with Calipari as head coach.

January