Kentucky has cheated since before the 1950's. At the time of that era's death penalty and scandal, gamblers were based less than a block away from the home games in Lexington. These bookies were some of Rupp's best friends. Since that time, they get periodic cleansings - but the $100 dollar handshake and the booster love is utterly implicit in the culture down there.
Tark told the hilarious story of hearing about Sam Bowie's stated interest in UNLV, in another era. He even went so far as to visit there, only to find he was staying at a motel whose single most constant occupant was his friend Leonard Hamilton - at that time an assistant under Joe B Hall. The room had been booked for two years, lol, and was Sam's party pad. Not only that, but Sam, whose Dad was a working class man, was driving a Cadillac, also courtesy of UK largesse. Tark said he left for back home, lol, without ever again competing against UK for recruits.
The current regime unwraps presents from World Wide Wes on a yearly basis. Cal was an average or worse recruiter until he and Wes discovered a mutual - and very bent - interest at Memphis via the recruitment of various Detroit players. Since then, nothing has changed.
It's "SEC culture" as well, (If you aint cheatin', you aint tryin') which is why no conference mates have blown the obvious whistle on recruitments like Eric Bledsoe whose transcripts showed his passing Algebra 3 before he even took Algebra 2, lol. Here's a fascinating article on rhe NIKE connection and Wes:
Forde: Oregon's curious Detroit pipeline fueling Elite run