Kentucky Wildcats Nearing 2,000 Basketball Wins

Excerpt of article by Will Graves, AP Sports Writer:

Kentucky has long trumpeted itself as the program with "the greatest tradition in college basketball." Now the Wildcats are closing in on another piece of history: the first program with 2,000 victories.

The fifth-ranked Wildcats are five wins shy in their 107th season heading into Saturday's game against No. 10 North Carolina, which ranks second in victories with 1,991.

"It's a big deal for the Commonwealth," said coach John Calipari of reaching the plateau first. However, Calipari is more focused with getting his young team ready for what is also important to Wildcats fans - championships.

"The reality of it is we're playing for March," Calipari said. "That's how I've always coached. We're playing for March."

Kentucky (7-0) has 1,995 victories, the first coming when the school known as State College beat the Lexington YMCA 11-10 on Feb. 18, 1903. The school's spot atop the totem pole is a source of pride throughout Kentucky and the program's march to become the first with 2,000 wins has seemed as much of a foregone conclusion as the band playing "My Old Kentucky Home" at the end of each game.

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