The first NCAA Tournament was held in 1939. The Oregon Ducks won that initial tournament 77 years ago. Since then, the University of Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team has won 8 NCAA titles, second only to UCLA’s 11. The Cats have appeared in 17 Final Fours, which is tied with UCLA for 2nd all time. Only North Carolina (18) has appeared in more Final Fours. Despite those gaudy numbers, Kentucky’s season, more often than not, ends without a Final Four appearance or a NCAA title.
Kentucky’s NCAA success rate for FF appearances: 17 (out of 77 NCAA tournaments) is 22.