One of the NCAA Tournament’s great programs, the Kentucky Wildcats are on a slippery slope, losing in the first round twice in four years.
How many times has Kentucky lost in the first round of March Madness?
As one of the most storied programs in college basketball, the University of Kentucky Wildcats have an illustrious history in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, commonly known as March Madness. However, despite their numerous successes, the Wildcats have faced early exits on occasion.
On Friday, March 20, in the first round of the NCAA tournament they are struggling against Santa Clara and it’s going to be a fight to the final second for both teams as the game has gone to overtime. The Wildcats survived the scare and have made it through to the second round.
10-seed Santa Clara leads 7-seed Kentucky at the half 👀 pic.twitter.com/xrbiEGPAox
— ESPN (@espn) March 20, 2026
While they are renowned for their dominance and deep tournament runs, they have actually lost in the first round six times in their program history.
- 1982: Lost 50-44 to Middle Tennessee State in the first round.
- 1987: Lost 91-77 to Ohio State in the first round.
- 2008: Lost 74-66 to Marquette in the first round.
- 2016: Lost to 73-67 Indiana in the first round.
- 2022: Lost 85-79 to Saint Peter’s in the first round.
- 2024: Lost 80-76 to Oakland in the first round
Despite these first-round setbacks, the Wildcats have consistently rebounded and remained a perennial contender in college basketball. With eight national championships, the Wildcats program boasts a remarkable legacy of success.
Early exits are part of the March Madness narrative, but Kentucky’s overall dominance and resilience have solidified its status as one of the most respected and feared programs in NCAA history.
There are two ways to look at the recent run of first round exits by Kentucky. One way is that the program is in decline. But the other way, my preferred way, of looking at it is that the level of competition in smaller schools around the country is improving. Kentucky will not be able to simply expect deep runs in March anymore, but will have to work hard for them. And that can only be good for basketball fans everywhere.
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