Kentucky goes for victory No. 2,000

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The pressure to win at Kentucky started early. Really early.

Back in 1903, W.W.H. Mustaine, the director of physical education at the time, called some students together and passed around the hat until there was $3 in it — enough to buy a ball. He then told them to start playing.

The first season got off to a bumpy start. The Wildcats went just 1-2, their only win an 11-10 escape over the Lexington YMCA.

The next year, Mustaine was out.

From those modest beginnings, a powerhouse emerged.

Over a century later, what started with a handful of students and a single leather ball has grown into one of college basketball’s biggest brands, one that has woven itself into the fabric of the Bluegrass.

There have been 1,998 victories since that squeaker over the Lexington YMCA, including seven NCAA titles and 25 Southeastern Conference tournament championships.

Now the program which proudly proclaims it has “the greatest tradition in college basketball” can add another bullet point to its resume. A win over Drexel tonight would make the third-ranked Wildcats (11-0) the first team in NCAA history to reach 2,000 wins.

While it’s an achievement that may be lost on the current players — junior forward Patrick Patterson called it “no big deal” — coach John Calipari understands the greater meaning.

“It’s important to the Commonwealth,” he said.

Is it ever.

Like many Kentucky fans, Ashley Judd grew up listening to the familiar cadence of longtime play-by-play man Cawood Ledford calling out the exploits of former stars Kyle Macy and Sam Bowie.

Later, as a student between 1986 and 1990, she dutifully showed up at Rupp Arena even as the program sagged under then-coach Eddie Sutton.

Reaching 2,000 wins is more than just a number to Judd. It’s a chance to look back and appreciate the program’s rich tradition.

“It’s symbolic, it’s beautiful and we’d minimize it if someone else got there first,” the actress said with a laugh.

And maybe that more than anything else is the point.

Kentucky won’t be the only member of the 2,000-win club for long. North Carolina (1,992 wins) almost certainly will reach the plateau this year while No. 1 Kansas (1,980) could join both of them with a deep run in the NCAA tournament.