This classic Kentucky Wildcats team poster features the 1990-91 basketball team. The 1990-91 team featured several players who would go down in history as some of the most significant of all-time in the program.
The 1990-91 season marked the arrival of freshman sensation Jamal Mashburn. Mashburn would go on to become an All-American and would be the catalyst for the revival of the UK program back to national prominence.
This team also featured the future members of the "Unforgettables", John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus, Sean Woods and Richie Farmer. Those players would be forever cemented in UK history in the 1991-92 season with the memorable game against Duke for a trip to the Final Four. Those four players joined the Wildcats program at its darkest hour and went on to become Kentucky legends.
The 1990-91 Wildcats, coached by Rick Pitino, finished the season with a 22-6 record and earned the best record in the SEC. Due to the sanctions the school was under, they were not recognized as the SEC champs however. Notable members of the 1990-91 UK coaching staff included future UK head coach Tubby Smith and other future NCAA head coaches in Herb Sendek and BIlly Donovan. The 1990-91 Wildcats had key wins over Cincinnati, Kansas and Louisville.
The 1990-91 Kentucky team was the one that was to end up setting the table for the team's return to the NCAA tournament and the Final Four. In the years to follow, the program would go on to appearances in the FInal Four and ultimately the National Championship in 1996 and 1998. This 1990-91 team poured the foundation for what was to become the college basketball program that would dominate the decade of the 1990's.
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