January 1st: On this date...

... in 1997 (12:01 am), Lexington, KY, was the hottest place to be in all the land after the defending National Champions destroyed rival Louisville in Freedom Hall, 74-54. The game started out a struggle, though, as the Cats trailed 28-27 at halftime. An efficient Derek Anderson led the second half surge to put the game on ice. The biggest highlight of the game came early on in the first half. After a Louisville miss, Anthony Epps threw a bounce pass (from beyond half court) to Anderson on the break for a cram on Louisville’s Nate Johnson. The Louisville-native finished the game with 19 points (8-13 FG) and 6 rebounds. Four other Wildcats were in double-figures: Ron Mercer - 16, Scott Padgett - 15, Nazr Mohammed - 10, and Jared Prickett - 10. The win was the eleventh straight for #3 Kentucky and moved the team to 11-1 on the season. This would be restaurateur Rick Pitino’s final win against Louisville as University of Kentucky head coach.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach