Kentucky to Honor 10 Elite Teams in 2018-19; UK Blue-White Basketball Tickets On Sale September 24
LEXINGTON, Ky. – UK Athletics will officially honor 10 teams across three programs during the 2018-19 athletics season, as selected by UK’s reunion committee that was established last year to honor elite teams of the past.
Over the course of the 2018-19 athletics season, Adolph Rupp’s men’s basketball national championship teams (1948, ’49, ’51 and ’58), the 1993 men’s basketball team, the 1958, ’59 and ’88 men’s cross country teams, and the 1988 and ‘89 women’s cross country teams will be honored. The Adolph Rupp national championship teams reunion was postponed from last year. (Rupp is pictured with star Billy Ray Lickert in a file photo.)
UK Athletics established a reunion committee last year as a way to honor great Kentucky teams of the past. The committee was formed to define official parameters of recognition, identify and select deserving teams, and coordinate dates and arrangements with the specific programs. Input from current head coaches and administrators was taken into account when setting the criteria.
Standards for selecting teams each year will include but is not limited to final records, conference championships and postseason finishes. The committee places emphasis on honoring teams that coincide with yearly markers (for example, a 25th anniversary of a team’s championship), although other factors will be taken into consideration. Special attention was again placed on teams that would typically fall outside the committee’s reunion windows moving forward.
Dates for each group reunion are to be determined. Due to roster crossover and shared accomplishments, several teams will be honored together. Those groups include:
Adolph Rupp’s national championship teams (1948, ’49, ’51, ‘58) – Kentucky’s first four men’s basketball national champions also combined for four regular-season Southeastern Conference championships and two SEC Tournament crowns
1993 men’s basketball team – Reached the Final Four for the first time since 1984 and won the 1993 SEC Tournament
1988 and ’89 women’s cross country teams – The 1988 team won UK’s first and only national championship and its second SEC championship; the 1989 repeated as SEC champions and finished as the national runner-up
1958 and ’59 men’s cross country teams – The cross country’s program first two SEC championships
1988 men’s cross country team – UK’s most recent SEC cross country championship and its first since the 1970 season; the team also finished eighth nationally
Blue-White Game Tickets Set to Go on Sale Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. ET
Tickets for the Kentucky men’s basketball Blue-White Game go on sale Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. ET. The annual exhibition is scheduled for Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. in Rupp Arena. The game will be televised by the SEC Network.
On Monday at 5 p.m., tickets will be available online through Ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000. The cost of the tickets will be $15 (lower-level sideline), $10 (lower-level corner and end court) and $5 (200 level). All public seating is reserved.
Beginning Sept. 25 at 9 a.m., UK students may claim up to two free eRUPPtion Zone tickets for the Blue-White Game, while supplies last. Student tickets may be claimed in person at the Joe Craft Center ticket office with a valid UK student ID. Students interested in reserved seating may purchase through the public process explained above.
Students attending the game will also have an opportunity to win in-state tuition. For the sixth year in a row, head coach John Calipari will pay the 2019 spring semester in-state tuition for two lucky Kentucky students who attend the Blue-White Game.
Similar to the past three years, UK students will check into the Blue-White Game via the BBN Rewards app. Students who check in at the Blue-White Game with a fully completed profile, including their student ID number, will be eligible to win. Students are also encouraged to enable notifications on the app to receive news about exclusive experiences, coupons and other important updates.
The app, which is available for download on Apple and Android devices, allows UK students to earn a variety of rewards for attending various UK Athletics events. Students will accumulate points by checking in when they arrive at UK Athletics events using the “Events” button on the app. As students accumulate points, awards will automatically unlock. The winners will be randomly selected and announced at the completion of the game. They must be present to win. Prior points earned through BBN Rewards will not factor into this drawing. In the event of an out-of-state or graduate/professional student winner, the spring semester in-state undergraduate tuition amount will be applied.
Calipari started the scholarship tradition at UK during the 2013-14 season, but previously did it during his days at UMass.
A complete listing of on-sale dates and single-game ticket prices will be released soon. For more information, visit UKathletics.com/tickets. The Cats will tip off the 2018-19 season Oct. 12 with Big Blue Madness in Rupp Arena.
UK Athletics Photo
