1989–90 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

1989-90 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
Conference Southeastern Conference
1989-90 record 14-14 (10-8 SEC)
Head coach Rick Pitino (1st season)
Assistant coach Herb Sendek
Assistant coach Billy Donovan
Home arena Rupp Arena
1989-90 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Georgia13–5 .722  20–9  .690
Alabama †12–6 .667  26–9  .743
LSU12–6 .667  23–9  .719
Tennessee10–8 .556  16–14  .533
Kentucky10–8 .556  14–14  .500
Ole Miss8–10 .444  13–17  .433
Auburn8–10 .444  13–18  .419
Mississippi State7–11 .389  16–14  .533
Vanderbilt7–11 .389  21–14  .600
Florida3–15 .167  7–21  .250
† 1990 SEC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

The 1989-90 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented University of Kentucky in the 1989-90 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Rick Pitino[2] and the team finished the season with an overall record of 14-14.[3] The team utilized a fast-paced offense predicated on taking a large number of three-point shots; after the team hit 18 of 41 three-point attempts in a game against Tennessee Tech, Lexington Herald-Leader columnist John McGill dubbed them "Pitino's Bombinos", a nickname which stuck.[4]

Coming off the controversy of the Eddie Sutton scandal,[5] the NCAA banned the Kentucky Wildcats from television for one season. Pitino knew this and still took the challenge of making this team successful despite the many deficient parts of the program. Coming off an iffy season in the NBA with the Knicks, Pitino missed the college experience and felt that Kentucky would be the most interesting choice[6]. The 14-14 record is a direct reflection of this but Pitino would definitely bounce back from this come in the next few years. Coming into the new season, not all the players were completely committed to playing considering the circumstances of their program was in shambles. Some players were reported to skip class or not put 100% effort into his practices. Ironically, the students that didn't compete were focusing more grades so they can graduate[7]. Despite Rick Pitino's intense effort of coaching, the season included many iffy moments for the Wildcats including a 150-95 loss to Kansas( Which is consider the biggest blowout by a Kansas team ever)[8]. Combining all these blunders the Wildcats finished with an abysmal 14-14 record for the season.


References

  1. ↑ sports-reference.com 1989-90 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
  2. ↑ "1989-1990 Kentucky Wildcats Roster and Stats". Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  3. ↑ "1989-1990 Kentucky Wildcats Schedule and Results". Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  4. ↑ Gregory, Eric (May 9, 1997). "Bravo, Pitino". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. C3.
  5. ↑ https://www.aseaofblue.com/2012/3/28/2889948/kentucky-wildcat-basketball-the-unforgettables-20-years-ago-today
  6. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1989/12/08/pitinos-honeymoon-begins-at-kentucky/9664671d-1a22-4e90-9392-d54aa9ecdcab/
  7. ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-09-03/sports/8901100284_1_kentucky-fans-rick-pitino-derrick-miller
  8. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1989-12-10/sports/sp-402_1_rick-pitino

[[Category:1990 in sports in Kentucky|Kentucky Wildcat

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