Division I · Southeastern Conference
University of Kentucky Men's Basketball
Lexington, KY · the Wildcats · University of Kentucky overview
15
Roster
at the D-I cap of 15
$21M
Team budget
99th percentile in Division I
$1,424,716
Per roster spot
median $196,319
6
Coaches
1 head · 5 assistant
994
APR
96% of players retained
92%
Admitted
bottom quarter for selectivity
University of Kentucky fields a men's basketball team in the Southeastern Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 15 players, about the median of 16, with 1 head coach and 5 assistants. Team expenses were $21,370,744, well above the median of $3M — $1,424,716 per roster spot, top 10% of Division I men's basketball programs. That is exactly the Division I roster cap of 15 in force from 2025-26. The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 994, about the median of 967, with 96% of players retained year to year. The school gave $9,552,135 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $26,907 per roster spot.
Among Division I men's basketball programs
Where this program sits against its 362 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#6Team budgetof 362 · Division I#6Spend per playerof 362 · Division I#222Roster sizeof 362 · Division I#30APRof 362 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I men's basketball program
Roster sizes (cap 15)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster15 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap15 at the cap
- Coaching staff1 head, 5 assistant
- Team expenses$21,370,744 for the year
- Operating expenses$3,972,773 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$1,424,716 division median $196,319
- Academic Progress Rate994 multi-year; 976 latest
- Players retained96% year to year
- Eligible100% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$9,552,135 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$26,907 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$2,982,179 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Pope head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put University of Kentucky on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youJune 15 after sophomore year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school basketball players540,704 2024-25
- Division I roster spots5,786 362 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 93 1.1% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the men's basketball recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →23,930undergraduates · 32,703 students in all
Women 60% Men 40%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →92%admitted · of 28,233 applicants
SAT middle 50%1080 – 1290
ACT middle 50%21 – 28
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 70%
Men's Basketball
Full picture →15on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 1515
exactly at the cap
Academic Progress Rate994
96% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $21,370,744 $1,424,716 per roster spot · top 10% of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 5 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $9,552,135
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $2,982,179
Cost
Full picture →$19,838net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $13,212 in-state · $33,406 out
Campus safety
Full picture →3.03violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 34 burglaries · 98 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 21 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →22%of bachelor's degrees in business · 24 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research University of Kentucky
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Men's Basketball program15 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions92% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$19,838 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 22%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 23,930Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety3.03 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Men's Basketball programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transylvania University Division III · Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference | 1 | 16 | $266k | — | 85% | |
| Asbury University Division III · Collegiate Conference of the South | 15 | 20 | $111k | — | 64% | |
| Kentucky State University Division II · Southern Intercol. Ath. Conf. | 22 | 15 | $412k | — | 93% | |
| Eastern Kentucky University Division I · United Athletic Conference | 23 | 17 | $2.3M | 948 | 78% | |
| Centre College Division III · Southern Athletic Association | 31 | 20 | $180k | — | 54% | |
| Berea College Division III · Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference | 34 | 19 | $145k | — | 33% | |
| Morehead State University Division I · Ohio Valley Conference | 59 | 16 | $2M | 974 | 82% | |
| Bellarmine University Division I · Atlantic Sun Conference | 66 | 16 | $2.5M | — | 94% | |
| Thomas More University Division II · Great Midwest Athletic Conference | 68 | 19 | $493k | — | 97% | |
| Northern Kentucky University Division I · Horizon League | 68 | 16 | $2.9M | 964 | 96% | |
| University of Louisville Division I · Atlantic Coast Conference | 69 | 17 | $15M | 994 | 81% | |
| Spalding University Division III · St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 70 | 23 | $153k | — | 99% |
Other men's basketball programs in the Southeastern Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas at Austin 1 over cap | 16 | $22M | $1,388,080 | 968 | vs | |
| University of Kentucky at cap | 15 | $21M | $1,424,716 | 994 | vs | |
| University of Arkansas, Fayetteville at cap | 15 | $21M | $1,416,935 | 958 | vs | |
| Auburn University 3 over cap | 18 | $21M | $1,140,838 | 995 | vs | |
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville at cap | 15 | $20M | $1,349,461 | 974 | vs | |
| University of Mississippi 1 over cap | 16 | $18M | $1,139,273 | 979 | vs | |
| University of Alabama 5 over cap | 20 | $15M | $761,501 | 990 | vs | |
| University of Missouri, Columbia 3 over cap | 18 | $14M | $797,444 | 958 | vs | |
| Texas A&M University, College Station 1 over cap | 16 | $14M | $894,558 | 953 | vs | |
| University of Oklahoma 2 over cap | 17 | $14M | $838,280 | 954 | vs | |
| University of Florida 3 over cap | 18 | $13M | $745,984 | 995 | vs | |
| Vanderbilt University 3 over cap | 18 | $13M | $740,128 | 989 | vs | |
| Mississippi State University 3 over cap | 18 | $12M | $678,922 | 975 | vs | |
| Louisiana State University 1 over cap | 16 | $11M | $694,025 | 942 | vs | |
| University of South Carolina, Columbia room for 1 | 14 | $11M | $791,010 | 966 | vs | |
| University of Georgia at cap | 15 | $10M | $693,335 | 975 | vs |
Every Southeastern Conference men's basketball program · Men's Basketball budgets ranked