January 3rd: On this date...

... in 2006, your #19 University of Kentucky Wildcats were saved by Louisville-native Rajon Rondo (13 points – 6 assists – 4 rebounds) and his last second jumper to outlast mighty Central Florida, 59-57. While the fade-away jumper gave the Rupp Arena crowd plenty to cheer about, it also highlighted a growing trend within Kentucky basketball………..the fact we were beating “Central Florida’s” by two in Rupp Arena. Tubby’s Cats blew an 11-point second half lead to lead to the dramatics. After falling behind early in the first half, the Cats got a spark from sophomore guard Ramel Bradley (16 points) off the bench. He finished the game 3-4 from beyond the arc and turned the momentum back Big Blue’s way before halftime. But a 16-4 second half run gave Central Florida a 52-51 lead with under five minutes to play. One of the more embarrassing stats was the fact UK only turned it over 10 times, compared to UCF’s 19. Kentucky was also out-rebounded by nine on the day. Rondo’s final jumper was the difference, though, as he let Big Blue Nation know he could be trusted with the game on the line.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach