• Kentucky has won a record 31 SEC Tournament titles.
• Kentucky’s last SEC Tournament championship was in 2018.
• Six different coaches have led the Wildcats to an SEC Tournament title.
• Kentucky has won 135 games in the SEC Tournament, the most of any team in the league.

LEXINGTON — To the shock of absolutely no one who follows college basketball even casually, Kentucky leads the way in nearly every category imaginable in the SEC Tournament.

Most titles. Most championship game appearances. Most overall wins in the event.

But in recent years, it’s been a dry spell. For UK fans accustomed to their beloved program turning the conference tournament into something akin to the “Kentucky Invitational” over the years, it feels like a lifetime has elapsed since they last saw the Wildcats lift the SEC Tournament trophy.

Mark Pope aims to lift Kentucky back to that status — which he pronounced the day he was officially introduced as his alma mater’s new coach.

“We’re here to win banners in Nashville,” Pope said last April to raucous roars in front of the capacity crowd at Rupp Arena, referring to the country music capital that has become the SEC Tournament’s home base a half-dozen times the past decade, “because you guys turn out in Nashville like nobody else.”

As the Wildcats gear up for another run at the SEC Tournament crown at Bridgestone Arena, here are tidbits to know about the program’s storied history in the event:

Officially, UK claims 31 SEC Tournament championships. But the Wildcats actually have won the event 32 times. Kentucky’s title in the 1988 tournament later was vacated by presidents of the other league schools because the Wildcats had used an ineligible player, Eric Manuel.

Even with the vacated title, UK laps the competition in terms of most conference tournament championships.

Here’s the rest of the multi-time champions:

• Alabama: 8
• Tennessee: 5
• Florida: 4
• Auburn: 3
• Mississippi State: 3
• Georgia: 2
• Ole Miss: 2
• Vanderbilt: 2

Arkansas and LSU each have won the tournament once. Missouri, South Carolina and Texas A&M have never won the title, while newcomers Oklahoma and Texas are competing in the tournament for the first time.

Putting Kentucky’s dominance in perspective another way: The Wildcats have won the championship game 32 times; the rest of the SEC combined has 32 victories in the title contest.

The Wildcats have made it to the SEC Tournament’s title game 42 times, winning it on 32 occasions. (With the vacated 1988 championship, that figure drops to 31.) Three other schools have reached the final at least 10 times: Alabama (15), Tennessee (13) and Florida (11).

UK’s last SEC Tournament title was in 2018, when it beat Tennessee in the championship game in St. Louis. That capped a run of four straight league tournament crowns for then-coach John Calipari and the Wildcats.

It doubles as UK’s most recent appearance in the conference tournament championship contest.

Since then, the Wildcats are 2-5 in the SEC Tournament, going one and done in the event three times, including each of the last two seasons (2023: lost to Vanderbilt; 2024: lost to Texas A&M).

Kentucky is 135-30 all time in the conference tournament. Its 135 victories are a record. As is its 81.8% win rate. (Tennessee is second in wins, with 74; Alabama is second in winning percentage at .570.)

Six different coaches have led the Wildcats to conference tournament glory.

Not surprisingly, it’s led by Adolph Rupp, who won the event 13 times between the inaugural edition in 1933 and the final tournament in 1952. (He likely would have won far more SEC Tournaments had the league not put the event on hiatus until it returned in 1979).

Calipari won the event six times with UK. Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith each brought home the trophy five times. Eddie Sutton accomplished the feat on two occasions, while Joe B. Hall cut down the nets in 1984.

Here’s the list of most SEC Tournament titles by coach, with UK coaches in bold:

• 1. Adolph Rupp: 13 (1933, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952)
• 2. John Calipari: 6 (2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
• T3. Rick Pitino: 5 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997)
• T3. Wimp Sanderson, Alabama: 5 (1982, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991)
• T3. Tubby Smith: 5 (1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004)
• 6. Billy Donovan, Florida: 4 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2014)
• T7. Nate Oats, Alabama: 2 (2021, 2023)
• T7. Bruce Pearl, Auburn: 2 (2019, 2024)
• T7. Eddie Sutton: 2 (1986, 1988*)
• T7. Rick Stansbury, Mississippi State: 2 (2002, 2009)

*title later vacated

Since the league first began handing out an MVP award at the SEC Tournament, a Kentucky player has picked up the trophy 19 times. UK guard Travis Ford won the award in 1993 and 1994.

He remains the only player in history to win the conference tournament MVP more than once.

The following list reflects the Wildcats who own single-game marks at the SEC Tournament in various statistical categories:

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.