It’s been more than a decade since a men’s college basketball team from Kentucky last hoisted a national championship trophy, with the Rick Pitino-led Louisville Cardinals last doing so in 2013. That triumph was the second straight NCAA title won by a Bluegrass State squad, with John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats squad doing the same in 2012.
Little did Kentucky sports betting fans know that it’d be a lost decade, title-wise, for the Wildcats and Cardinals on the courts of the Big East, ACC, and SEC — with little to show for their efforts besides highly ranked recruiting classes and premature March exits.
To get a sense of where the state’s current MBB title drought ranks nationally, BetKentucky.com crunched the numbers on which states have gone the longest without a championship of their own.
Longest CBB Title Droughts for Kentucky Teams
Below, you'll find how long it's been since the Wildcats and Cardinals have brought a championship win to the Bluegrass State. Unfortunately, the respective droughts aren't the best indicator for those currently betting for either team on Kentucky sportsbook apps.
Where Does Kentucky Rank Nationally
The Bluegrass State currently has the 10th longest title drought among the 16 states that have won at least one NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament championship — sandwiched between No. 9 Florida (17 years) and No. 11 North Carolina (7 years). Nationally, the state that’s gone the longest between championships since the NCAA tournament was expanded to 64 teams in 1985 is Indiana, which won it all in 1987, only to never win another title.
Other long-suffering MBB states, title-wise, include Nevada, which won its lone championship in 1990 (UNLV), Arkansas (1994), California (UCLA in 1995) and Arizona (1997).
Conversely, the states with the shortest title droughts are Connecticut, which won it all this spring, Kansas (2022), Texas (Baylor in 2021) and Virginia (UVA in 2019) — showing how far the Bluegrass State has fallen versus their MBB peers.
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