February 13th: On this date....

..... in 1951, Kentucky legend/skyscraper Bill Spivey set a program record with 34 rebounds in a win against unranked Xavier. The top-ranked Cats were also paced by Spivey’s 40 points. Quite a night for the seven-footer from Warner Robins, Georgia, who was the first seven-footer in Kentucky history. Bill Spivey would later set the single season record for rebounds during the 1950-51 season with 567, a record that will never get close to being broken again. Spivey led the 1950-51 Cats (34-2) to the NCAA Championship (22 points - 21 rebounds) and was a consensus first team All-American. His two years in Lexington were arguably the most productive of any two year run in history by a player. He sat out the first half of the 1951-52 season with a knee injury and the second half due to an NCAA investigation. The investigation was for his role in a point-shaving scandal that rocked college basketball. The charge of perjury would not stick, as he was later acquitted of all charges. Spivey would never be allowed to realize his dream of playing in the NBA, as he was permanently banned from the league for his so-called role in the scandal. When he came to Lexington, head coach Adolph Rupp got Spivey a job changing fluorescent lights in a local drug store. He did not need a ladder.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Calipari 2.24 - Cats Stumble Down The Stretch Vs. Commies

February 12th: On this date....

..... in 2008, your University of Kentucky Wildcats, led by General Billy Clyde Gillispie, got handed the fifth worst loss in their storied program’s history. The 93-52 beatdown by Vandy acted as a bit of revenge for earlier in the year. The Commies came into Rupp Arena undefeated at 16-0, but left with a double-overtime loss, blemishing the perfect mark. The second game was a completely different story. The tipsy General received a technical in the first half for not giving the ball back to the referees. If I remember, Gillispie simply crouched by the UK bench with a grin, twiddling his thumbs. The grin had one of those, “I have no idea what I’m doing” looks on it. Kentucky trailed by 30 at halftime, scoring only 11 points in the first 20 minutes. And we had to go a run towards the end to even get that many. A few key stats included Kentucky having fives assists and 17 turnovers, while Vandy had 20 assists to only 6 turnovers. The Cats went on a 12:22 drought in the first half until Joe Crawford made a leaner in the lane. Seldom used A.J. Stewart led UK in scoring at half with three points. The good news on the night was Ramel Bradley hitting a three-pointer to keep the streak alive.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

February 11th: On this date....

..... in 1963, one of the all-time greats in Kentucky basketball history was born in Lexington, Kentucky. His name? LeRoy Byrd. The one they called “Baby Magic” lived in Lexington and attended Bryan Station High School before choosing to play basketball at UNLV, under coach Jerry Tarkanian. After one year with The Shark and playing behind Tark’s son, Byrd decided it was time to come back home. He was also the Wildcats’ second player to ever wear the #00 jersey (John DeMoisey). Statistically, Byrd did not have the career as most Kentucky basketball legends, but I dare you to find someone over 30 who wouldn’t immediately recognize him. He was a basketball rockstar during his time in Blue. Part of this was due to his diminutive size, standing at 5'5 and weighing in at 145 lbs. “Baby Magic” played a total of 149 minutes in his 38 career games of floor action. This netted Leroy a total of 41 career points (2 pts. as a sophomore, 2 pts. as a junior, 37 pts. as a senior). Other career totals include: 14-24 FG (58%), 13-20 FT (65%), 15 rebounds, 29 assists, 15 steals, 1 block (not in my house), 19 fouls, 17 turnovers. Today is Baby Magic’s day, join me in wishing him a very happy birthday.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

February 10th: On this date....

...... in 2009, your University of Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Florida Gators, 68-65, in dramatic fashion as Jodie Meeks drained an off-balance three as time was winding down. As dramatic as Meeks’ shot was, the remaining 4.7 seconds had fans even more on the edge of their seat as Nick Calathes was fouled on a three-point attempt as time expired. The Kentucky bench erupted as the clock expired thinking the game was over, but the referees sent everyone back to the bench for potential game-tying free throws. Calathes had dominated the Cats all game long, finishing with 33 points - 7 rebounds - 3 assists. He was also 11-12 from the free throw line before the last tries. Calathes then managed to miss all three attempts as the Rupp Arena crowd rose to its feet shake the building. The win moved Kentucky to 17-7 on the season, 6-3 in the SEC. Billy Clyde followed this up with an atrocious ending to the season, with the only other highlight being Perry Stevenson’s cram of a lifetime in the NIT. This was one of the few highlights of the 2008-09 season and is one of the only acceptable memories from an otherwise “voided year in the history books”.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Calipari 2.23 - Liggins, Jorts Welcome @JimmyWa11 Back To Rupp, Cats Roll.

February 9th: On this date....

... in 1994, your #4 University of Kentucky Wildcats were tripped up by new conference rival #3 Arkansas to snap a 33-game home win streak, the longest in Rupp Arena’s storied history. Coach Pitino and his Cats took a six point lead into halftime, but as any onlooker would know, six points is nothing in this high-octane matchup. Nolan Richardson brought his “40 Minutes of Hell” and won back-to-back games in Rupp Arena, winning three of four overall. The 33-game winning streak actually stretched from Arkansas loss (1-25-92) to Arkansas loss (2-9-94). The ‘Backs, who eventually beat Duke in the Championship game, were led that day by Scotty Thurman (26 points - 6 assists - 6 rebounds) and Corliss Williamson (21 points - 14 rebounds - 4 assists). The game was a statistical freak show as Kentucky shot 40 three-pointers, 76 shots overall, and assisted on 23 of 29 baskets. Some individual highlights were: Jared Prickett (11 points - 20 rebounds - 6 assists), Rodrick Rhodes (22 points - 3 rebounds - 3 assists), Travis Ford (8 points - 8 assists - 4 rebounds). Sophomore shooting guard Tony Delk (16 points - 6 rebounds - 4 assists) had trouble all day with his shot, hitting only 6-23 FG and 2-13 from behind the arc.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

February 8th: On this date...

..... in 2005, your #5 University of Kentucky Wildcats rallied from a seven point halftime deficit to beat the visiting Florida Gators 69-66 in front of over 24,000 Wildcat faithful. Johnny Rondo was the leader of the comeback both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. The Gators built a nine point second half lead before Rondo started locking down Anthony Roberson of Florida. After coming back and taking a 53-52 lead, midway through the second half, Roberson and Rondo got into a chest thumping contest that ignited the Rupp crowd. Apparently Roberson had some choice words and looks toward the Kentucky bench that didn’t sit to well with Tubby or the players. After the two were separated, Rondo went on a spurt of his own, scoring six of the next eight, to help UK take control of the game, 64-54. The 50% free throw shooter made 8-10 on the night and finished with 14 points - 4 assists - 7 rebounds - 3 steals. Along with Rondo, the Cats were led by Kelenna Azubuike (18 points - 3 rebounds), Chuck Hayes (11 points - 9 rebounds), and super walk-on Ravi Moss (7 points - 3 rebounds - 2 assists - 1 steal) who hit a crucial three-pointer late in the game.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

February 7th: On this date....

..... in 1990, your University of Kentucky Wildcats put a beating on the Vanderbilt Commodores, 100-73, behind a record-breaking performance by senior guard Derrick Miller. The Savannah, Georgia-native set multiple marks for Rupp Arena, many of which still stand today. Miller set Rupp Arena records for points, field goals, and field goal attempts, finishing the game 15-28 from the field for 40 points. When Miller graduated, he held program records for made three-pointers and three-pointers attempted. Of course, he was the beneficiary of being the first pure shooter and four-year player after the three-point shot was introduced. Nowadays, Miller can be found on a Clark County highway picking up trash for the community, as he currently resides in a Clark County Detention Center. What’s he doing there? Well......he tried screwing over Big Blue Nation by selling them phony season tickets and stealing over $40,000 Big Blue dollars, or as the authorities like to call it, theft by deception. How many counts? Miller was charged with 27 counts of theft by deception over 11 counties. Miller’s coach during the record-breaking night was Rick Pitino, who later would have sex on the floor of a Louisville restaurant.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

February 6th: On this date....

..... in 2001, your unranked University of Kentucky Wildcats squeaked out a 71-70 win over rival Florida to regain control of the SEC East. The Cats survived a furious comeback by the #8/#11 Gators, as a 14-point halftime lead turned into a one-point deficit as time was winding down. Never fear, though, as Mr. Everything Tayshaun Prince saved the day when he drained a 10-foot hook from the elbow with under 0:04 seconds remaining to give UK the final margin. The win moved Kentucky to 14-7 on the year, 7-2 in the SEC. Big Blue Nation was slowly coming around on a team that had started the year 1-3, but showed some heart winning 10 of 12 going into the Gator battle. The final basket by Prince helped him pace the Cats with 19 points to go along with six rebounds. Jason Parker (10 points - 9 rebounds) and Gerald Fitch (12 points - 6 rebounds - 4 assists) were the only other players in double-figures. Tubby’s team would regroup from the miserable start to the season to come back and win the SEC Tournament and go into the NCAA Tournament as the ninth-ranked team in the nation. They would fall in the Sweet 16 to Henry Bibby’s USC Trojans.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Calipari 2.22 - Cats Continue Skid In Gainesville, Fall To 16-6

February 5th: On this date....

..... in 2005, your #4 University of Kentucky Wildcats marched out to a 17-point halftime lead on their way to beating Vanderbilt, 84-70. And after dominating the first half, Kentucky still needed a 14-2 second half run to get the final margin. The win pushed UK to 17-2 on the season, along with an undefeated 8-0 record in conference. Big Blue was led by senior great Chuck Hayes (15 points - 13 rebounds - 3 assists - 2 steals - 1 block) and his new Hannibal Lecter mask. He broke his nose a few games earlier at Tennessee when I’m sure something dirty happened to our Modesto-native. Hayes said it was the first time he had felt completely comfortable in his new face garb. Kelenna Azubuike (15 points - 5 rebounds), Johnny Rondo (14 points - 8 assists), and Booger Sparks (15 points - 4 steals) helped Chuck put a hurting on the Commies in half one. Hopefully Coach Cal will have The Boys ready to break our current slide, as we have a tough road ahead, and Nashville has always given us fits. If not, I guess we can look forward to being a top seed in the CBI Tournament on HDNet.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

The Force

February 4th: On this date....

..... in 2003, your #6 University of Kentucky Wildcats manhandled the newly annointed #1 team in the nation, the Florida Gators, 70-55, in front of a record-breaking Rupp Arena crowd. From the tip, Florida looked like a deer in headlights as anything and everything they did went woefully wrong. The Cats had one of the most complete 20:00 spurts of basketball in recent memory as they humiliated an “elite” team. At the end of the day, all Kentucky did was expose them for the frauds they were, building 45-22 lead by halftime. A suffocating defense, an endless barrage of three-pointers, and multiple fast breaks built the lead to 60-31 by the midway point of the second half. The Cats were called off, allowing the Gators to make the score respectable, but the damage was done. Kentucky was led by Keith Bogans (15 points - all in the first half), Gerald Fitch (14 points - 7 rebounds), Erik Daniels (12 points - 5 rebounds), Cliff Hawkins (4 points - 8 assists), and Chuck Hayes (9 points - 8 rebounds). The performance was so incredible, Tubby’s Cats only attempted three free throws all night. And remember..........DEFENSE TO OFFENSE, DEFENSE TO OFFENSE, DEFENSE TO OFFENSE. Enjoy.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

While UK's Student Section Sleeps Through Each Game

Bubba

February 3rd: On this date....

..... in 2004, your #9 University of Kentucky Wildcats scored the game’s final 11 points to snatch away a win from the Florida Gators in Gainesville. Florida led 65-57 with under three minutes remaining and looked to be on its way to giving UK its first losing streak in two years. But the losing streak would have to be put on hold, as some veterans made some key plays to get us over the hump. Kelenna Azubuike drained a three-pointer after Erik Daniels got an offensive rebound, cutting the lead to five. After two Daniels free throws, a few poor plays from Florida’s Christian Drejer, and two more free throws via Chuck Hayes, the lead was down to one. Cliff Hawkins then picked off a cross-court pass and took it in for a layup to give Big Blue the lead for good. Daniels led the way with 22 points, Gerald Fitch added 10, Azubuike and Hawkins each had nine points, and Antwain Barbour added eight off the bench for the balanced offensive attack. And while the Cats were 19-39 from the field, much of the damage was done on the charity stripe (26-40). The Wildcat defense held Florida to only one field goal in the final 6:41 of the second half.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

February 2nd: On this date....

..... in 2008, your University of Kentucky Wildcats led by phenom first year head coach Billy Clyde Gillispie used toughness and grit to squeeze out a win against perennial powerhouse Georgia, 61-55. The amazing thing about the win was that it was accomplished without three of its best players: Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford, and Jodie Meeks. In essense we had no backcourt down the stretch, with the exceptions of Michael Porter and Derrick Jasper, who had a shredded up knee. Joe actually played 31 minutes (9-15 FG, 5-6 3PM - 26 points - 5 rebounds) , but his feet were giving him problems once again and had to sit down the stretch. Ramel got blasted on a fast break by Georgia’s goon, Dave Bliss, and left the game with a concussion. Poor Smooth was seeing all tweet-tweet. Jodie’s sports hernia left him out of action for the entire game. So what did we do to counter of all of the injuries? We told our all-world big man, freshman Patrick Patterson, to take over and end this nonsense. Pat finished his first trip to Athens with 16 points (8-13 FG) and six rebounds. Cat-killer Sundiata Gaines led the way for the Bulldogs.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Calipari 2.21 - Upper Classmen Scared On The Road Again, Fall In Oxford

Lack of Toughness? Check

Lack of Leadership? Check

Loss to the doormat of the League? Check

What a miserable game from beginning to end. Lots of experts like this team. Get back to me when one of the freshmen start smacking around the veterans to wake them up.

Video courtesy of @BubbaProg & MockSession

This Guy Must Be From Aspen Because He Totally Redeems Himself

Jimmy Traina

February 1st: On this date....

..... in 2000, a freshman phenom came out on fire to lead your #14 University of Kentucky Wildcats to a 81-68 beatdown of hated rival Tennessee. Keith Bogans scored 16 of Kentucky’s first 23 points, including four 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes to energize the usually sleepy Rupp Arena crowd. He ended with a career high 25 points (8-17 FG, 4-9 3PM - 5 rebounds - 2 assists - 2 steals). Tayshaun Prince (6-9 FG, 3-4 3PM - 17 points - 6 rebounds) and the most popular player ever to wear #11, Saul Smith (12 points - 6 rebounds - 5 assists), added some firepower as well. The win was UK’s 12th in its past 13 games (16-5) and put them all alone atop the SEC East at 6-1. After starting the season 4-4 and dropping from the rankings across the board, Big Blue used the Tubby stare and some key play from the freshman (Bogans), a lanky sophomore (Tayshaun Prince), and an eighth-year senior (Jamaal Magloire). The 1999-2000 season was Tubby Smith’s first “10 loss” team. The #6 Vols were led by former Kentucky recruit Vincent Yarborough (17 points), but dropped to 18-3, 6-2 in the SEC.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach