The Kentucky basketball schedule is officially complete. This year, Rupp Arena will host the BBN United Tipoff Classic, an illustrious event that features the likes of Valparaiso, Eastern Illinois, and Nicholls.
The BBN United Tipoff Classic is a new name for the BBN Invitational, which has also gone by the name of the BBN Challenge, the Wildcat Challenge, the Tribute Classic, and the Kentucky Classic.
Why so many names? And why are they doing all of this anyway?
This year’s namesake is for the new BBN United revenue-sharing platform, and will serve to promote the organization that moved Kentucky’s NIL collective in-house. This three-game series falls under the umbrella of the NCAA’s “multi-team event” rule. These MTEs allow schools to play three different teams, but it only counts for one against the regular season maximum. In short, every team gets in an MTE to play 31 regular season games instead of 29.
Before MTEs against low-level non-conference foes, Kentucky held its own annual tournament in Lexington. The University of Kentucky Invitational Tournament (UKIT) wasn’t built for the Cats to log some easy wins. The UKIT was a four-team tournament that featured the best teams in college basketball.
Scandals Started the Christmas Tournament in the 50s
When Adolph Rupp’s Wildcats rose to the top of the college basketball world, the Kentucky head coach often scheduled games in New York City against some of the country’s best. After a few years of traveling to the Big Apple, and a high-profile point-shaving scandal, Rupp decided to flip the script. Why go to New York to play in a Christmas Tournament when you can create one just as good in Lexington?
Rupp had one more ulterior motive behind this first UKIT. The point-shaving scandal of the 40s forced the Cats to the sidelines for the entire 1952-53 campaign. Even though Kentucky’s stars — Cliff Hagan, Frank Ramsey, and Lou Tsioropoulos — maintained that year of eligibility, they earned enough credits to graduate from UK. At the time, grad students were unable to compete in the NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky was unable to compete for the NCAA Championship in the 1953-54 season. The UKIT would serve as a litmus test to see if they could beat the top contenders. They did just that.
The first UKIT was in December of 1953 at Memorial Coliseum. It featured Duke, UCLA, and La Salle. John Wooden had a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances during his first five years in Westwood. La Salle had a loaded roster after finishing the previous season ranked No. 6.
Kentucky stomped Duke in the opening round. They played La Salle in the UKIT Championship, where Hagan scored 28 points in a 73-60 victory. La Salle would go on to win the 1954 NCAA Tournament, while the Wildcats finished the season undefeated, with a 27.1 average margin of victory.
Kentucky’s History in the UKIT
The first UKIT was such a hit, Rupp ran it back. Kentucky hosted the Christmas tournament every year from 1953-1989. The Wildcats had a 64-10 record in the event, often routing teams like Ohio State and North Carolina in the championship. The rare losses happened at the hands of some of the game’s best.
Jerry West helped West Virginia win a pair of games over the Wildcats in the late 50s. The 1958 National Champs lost to the Mountaineers, then received some vengeance the following season, despite a 36-point night from the talented point guard. In West’s final appearance at Memorial Coliseum, he scored 33 points in a victory over Kentucky in the UKIT title. In 1960, Kentucky lost a slobber-knocker in overtime of the UKIT final to St. Louis. They didn’t lose many games after that.
The UKIT consistently drew big names to Lexington through the 70s. That’s when college basketball began to change. Neutral site events became all the rage, making it more difficult to attract top teams. Boston and Bowling Green became main attractions in the 80s. The final UKIT was in 1989, when Rick Pitino was rebuilding a probation-plagued program. The Wildcats lost to SW Louisiana, who eventually changed its name to Louisiana-Lafayette, 116-113 in overtime.
The UKIT was once one of the most prestigious Christmas tournaments in college basketball. Over time, those shifted to Thanksgiving weekend and moved to neutral sites. Now, Kentucky fans get to enjoy a couple of tune-up games in the BBN United Tipoff Classic.