December 1st: On this date...

... in 1950, your University of Kentucky Wildcats played their first basketball game in Memorial Coliseum, beating West Texas State. Bill Spivey led the Cats that day with 18 points, hitting seven field goals and making four free throws. The official attendance was 8,000 to see Adolph Rupp usher in what would become an overwhelmingly difficult place to play for Kentucky opponents. The Wildcats hold an all-time winning percentage of (.890) in Memorial, with a 307-38 record. The most recent win coming in the Spring of 2009 as there was a conflict between Kentucky’s NIT game vs. UNLV and the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen. It was a raucous atmosphere, as the tickets were given out in a first come-first served basis, virtually guaranteeing no one sleeping during the game, like most Rupp Arena crowds. Memorial Coliseum cost $3.9 million to build, roughly equivalent to how much John Calipari makes per win.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach