1965–66 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

The 1965–66 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in NCAA competition in the [1965–66 National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1965–66] season. Coached by Adolph Rupp, the team had no player taller than —unusually small even for that era—and became known as "Rupp's Runts". The Wildcats were members of the Southeastern Conference, and played their home games at Memorial Coliseum, their home until Rupp Arena opened in 1976.
Led on the floor by future Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley and Louie Dampier, the Cats reached the top ranking in all major polls entering the NCAA tournament; their only regular-season loss was at Tennessee. They ultimately lost in the final 72–65 to Texas Western, a team that was inducted in its entirety to the Hall of Fame. The game is mostly remembered for its sociological subtext—the Miners were the first major college team to start five black players in an NCAA Final, while the Wildcats were all-white.

Schedule

!colspan=9 style=|Regular Season
!colspan=12 style="background:#;"| NCAA Tournament

1966 SEC co-Player of the Year: Pat Riley
1966 Consensus All-American: Louie Dampier
1966 All-SEC: Pat Riley, Louie Dampier ; Thad Jaracz