1953–54 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

The 1953–54 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented University of Kentucky. The head coach was Adolph Rupp. The team was a member of the Southeast Conference and played their home games at Memorial Coliseum. They were named national champions by the Helms Athletic Foundation.

1953–54 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
SEC Regular season co-champions Helms Foundation National Champions
Conference	Southeast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 2
AP	No. 1
Record	25–0 (14–0 SEC)
Head coach	Adolph Rupp
Assistant coach	Harry Lancaster
Home arena	Memorial Coliseum

1953–54 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 1 Kentucky	14	–	0		1.000			25	–	0		1.000
No. 14 LSU	14	–	0		1.000			20	–	5		.800
Alabama	10	–	4		.714			16	–	8		.667
Tulane	10	–	4		.714			15	–	8		.652
Auburn	8	–	6		.571			16	–	8		.667
Ole Miss	7	–	7		.500			12	–	12		.500
Tennessee	7	–	7		.500			11	–	12		.478
Vanderbilt	5	–	9		.357			12	–	10		.545
Mississippi State	5	–	9		.357			11	–	10		.524
Florida	3	–	11		.214			7	–	15		.318
Georgia	2	–	12		.143			7	–	18		.280
Georgia Tech	0	–	14		.000			2	–	22		.083
Rankings from AP Poll

Season summary

This team finished unbeaten 25–0, and though it won the Southeastern Conference title and could have played in the NCAA tournament, it chose not to because star players Frank Ramsey, Cliff Hagan and Lou Tsioropoulos were ruled ineligible because they had already graduated. That rule has since been abolished, but it prevented the Wildcats from competing for the national championship.

Roster

1953–54 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 66 Bill Bibb 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So — Owensboro, KY F 22 Jerry Bird 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So — Corbin, KY G 73 Dan Chandler 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So — Versailles, KY F 34 Hugh Coy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Madison Richmond, KY G 35 Jess Curry 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 167 lb (76 kg) So — Portsmouth, VA G/F 42 Billy Evans 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr — Berea, KY G 32 Clay Evans 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So — Flemingsburg, KY F 44 Phil Grawemeyer 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So duPont Manual Louisville, KY G 25 Pete Grigsby 5 ft 0 in (1.52 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So — Martin, KY C 6 Cliff Hagan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Owensboro Owensboro, KY C 77 Harold Hurst 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Powell County Waltersville, KY G 33 Linville Puckett 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Clark County Winchester, KY G 30 Frank Ramsey 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Madisonville Madisonville, KY G 20 Gayle Rose 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr — Paris, KY G 19 Willie Rouse  6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr University Lexington, KY F 16 Lou Tsioropoulos 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Lynn Classical Lynn, MA	Head coach Adolph Rupp Assistant coach(es) Harry Lancaster Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: 2015-09-07

Rankings

Main article: 1953–54 NCAA men's basketball rankings

Postseason

The Wildcats were the top-ranked team in the nation with a record of 25–0. Despite the undefeated season, the Wildcats did not participate in any post-season tournament. Three players (Lou Tsioropoulos, Frank Ramsey, and Cliff Hagan) had technically graduated the year before (when Kentucky was banned from playing a competitive schedule due to the point-shaving scandal a few years earlier), so those players were ruled ineligible for the NCAA tournament. Despite the wishes of the players, coach Adolph Rupp ultimately decided his team wouldn't play.

Team players drafted into the NBA

No one from the Wildcats was selected in the 1954 NBA Draft, as Ramsey, Hagan, and Tsioropoulos had been drafted the previous year, and those teams held their rights.