Wednesday, February 29, 2012
February 29th: On this date...
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
February 28th: On this date...
... in 1970, your top-ranked University of Kentucky Wildcats outlasted a game Vanderbilt Commodore team, 90-86, in front of a sellout crowd at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington. The story of the game, though, was Kentucky All-American Dan Issel (31 points - 15 rebounds) crossed a barrier no other Wildcat had ever crossed. The Batavia, Illinois-native became the first player to score 2,000 points in the storied program’s history. Issel caught and blew past the top scorers on the career list halfway through his senior season and put enough distance between second place to let everyone know he planned on staying there a few years. Names such as Nash, Groza, Dampier, Beard, Hagan, and Riley were left in the scorer’s wake as he was making his own claim to be the best Wildcat ever. The victory moved the #1 Cats to 23-1 on the ‘70 season, leading to a top-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Rupp’s team would get upset in the Regional Finals by Jacksonville, letting a prime opportunity slip away in Issel final chance at a National Championship. Issel never made a Final Four in his three years at Kentucky, despite having some of the best teams in the nation.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Monday, February 27, 2012
February 27th: On this date...
... in 1956, your #8 University of Kentucky Wildcats throttled the Georgia Bulldogs, 143-66, for the largest margin of victory in the basketball program’s history. The game was played at Louisville’s Jefferson County Armory, because even in the 50's there were more UK fans than Card fans in Louisville. By halftime, the game had been decided, as Adolph Rupp’s squad had built a 75-32 lead. The Cats made an absurd 60 field goals on the day, more than double that of the visiting Bulldogs. Of the 14 players seeing court action, 13 of them had at least two field goals. Jerry Bird (22 points), Bob Burrow (21 points), and Billy Ray Cassady (16 points) led the way for Kentucky, who moved their record to 18-5 on the season. The season was ended a few weeks later, as #4 Iowa upended Kentucky in the Midwest Regional Finals.......in Iowa City, Iowa, one game short of the bannerific Final Four. Once again showing the bias the corrupt NCAA has against our beloved program.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Sunday, February 26, 2012
February 26th: On this date...
... in 2005, your fifth-ranked University of Kentucky Wildcats stormed back from a 36-29 halftime deficit at #16 Alabama via the smoking hot shooting of Patrick Sparks. The Western Kentucky transfer could do no wrong in the second stanza as he hit five three pointers (7-10 overall) to help Kentucky outscore Bama 49-35 after the break to win going away. Sparks ended the game with a season high 26 points, and the Cats as a team were a blistering 13-19 from behind the arc on the afternoon. One of the other highlights of the comeback was a Sparks’ assist on a fastbreak to the trailing Woo for a dunk I’m not even for sure Woo thought he had in him. It was a tomahawk slam from halfway down the lane that helped Big Blue Nation forget about the grenades he usually threw towards the backboard. Tubby’s squad shot 56% from the field, 68% from 3-point range, and 65% from the free throw line. Kelenna Azubuike had 15 points and super walk-on Ravi Moss was a perfect 3-3 for 10 huge points. But the day belonged to Sparks, as his NBA-range three’s will on point to get past the Elephants. The win clinched the SEC regular season title for the Cats, their 43rd overall, and its last until 2010.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Saturday, February 25, 2012
February 25th: On this date...
... in 2004, your ninth-ranked University of Kentucky Wildcats put a beating on visiting Tennessee, 92-60, in front a surprisingly average 23,201 at Rupp. The Buzz Peterson-led Volunteers didn’t even put up a fight, as the Cats had stretched the lead to 15 by intermission. No starter played over 29 minutes and fifteen of the sixteen players saw action. Freaky sophomore Kelenna Azubuike led the Cats with 17 points, with an efficient 7-10 shooting (3-4 from 3-point range). He was assisted by Erik Daniels (12 points - 4 rebounds - 6 assists), Chuck Hayes (14 points - 6 rebounds - 3 assists - 3 steals), Cliff Hawkins (15 points - 5 rebounds - 7 assists), and Antwan Barbour (16 points, 6-9 FG, 3-4 3PM). The win moved Tubby Smith to 10-3 in the SEC and 20-4 overall, the program’s 14th straight 20-win season. Big Blue would go on to win the SEC regular season and tournament titles, climb to #2 in the country, and earn the overall top seed in the NCAA Tournament. And then...Squeaky.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Friday, February 24, 2012
February 24th: On this date...
... in 1980, your #3 University of Kentucky Wildcats dramatically took out #5 LSU, 76-74 in overtime, as all-timer Kyle Macy hit a jumper as time expired. Macy, who was just 3-13 before the last shot, came through in the clutch with the final dagger. The point guard extraordinaire played the entire 45 minutes, finishing with 11 points - 5 rebounds - 8 assists. He also had the nerve to miss two free throws. The star of the game before the last shot was Fred Cowan, a 6'8" junior from Sturgis, Kentucky. The Union County-native tallied 27 points - 9 rebounds - 3 assists on 12-18 shooting. Freshman phenom and McDonald’s All-American Sam Bowie controlled the paint for most of the day, ending with 16 points. The victory would clinch the regular season title for UK and move the Cats to 26-4 on the season. The Tigers would get revenge a few weeks later in the SEC Championship, winning another squeaker, 80-78. Joe B. Hall’s team would still earn a #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. You don’t want to know the rest.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Thursday, February 23, 2012
February 23rd: On this date...
... in 2003, your #2 University of Kentucky Wildcats won their 16th straight game with a 70-62 win over the #19 Mississippi State Bulldogs in Rupp Arena. The win pushed the Cats SEC record to a perfect 12-0 (22-3 overall), trying to become just the second team (1996 Kentucky) in SEC history to go undefeated in conference play. Big Blue came out on fire building a 19 point first half lead (32-13), before going into halftime with a 10 point lead. From there, Keith Bogans & Company controlled the visitors, fluctuating the lead from 16 points to five points during the second half. Bogans’ 18 points and seven rebounds led the way with Marquis Estill (10 points - 8 rebounds) and Chuck Hayes (4 points - 8 rebounds - 6 assists) providing some help. Cliff Hawkins was also an efficient 5-6 from the floor for 14 points and three assists. The difference in the game was how UK dominated the glass against the nation’s #2 rebounding team (37-25). At halftime, the University honored over 100 letterman, led by the fantasy five of: Kyle Macy, Tony Delk, Jamal Mashburn, Dan Issel, and Jack Givens. I’d take that team.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
February 22nd: On this date...
... in 2006, a 6'2" senior walk-on from Bourbon County had the game of his life during an 80-40 drubbing of the Ole Miss Rebels. Preston LeMaster, son of former Wildcat Jim LeMaster, played a career high 19 minutes and scored a career high 12 points as Big Blue had built a 40-17 lead by halftime. And not all of those minutes were second half minutes either. LeMaster actually helped build the Kentucky lead to 21-10 after hitting two three-pointers midway through the first half. He went on to hit two more in the second stanza for a perfect 4-4 on the afternoon. His fifth try rattled out, but the smile couldn’t be wiped from his face. The team as a whole was 9-21 on the day, LeMaster accounting for almost half. Sophomore Joe Crawford hit three of his own from deep, finishing with 17 points. Point guard Rajon Rondo finished the game with 12 of the team's 18 assists, versus only seven turnovers. Fourteen players saw court action in the arguably the season’s most complete performance. LeMaster, though, was the man of the hour, as he lived out every Kentucky kid’s dream of ballin’ out in Rupp Arena. The twelve points were nearly half of LeMaster’s career total of 30.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
February 21st: On this date...
... in 1970, your #2 University of Kentucky Wildcats spoiled Pistol Pete Maravich’s last attempt at beating Kentucky with a 121-105 victory in Baton Rouge. The Pistol went down swinging, though, busting the Cats up for 64 points on 23-42 shooting. Kentucky countered the LSU All-American with their own All-American, Dan Issel. The two went back and forth for much of the game, Issel finishing with 51 points (19-33 FG) and 17 rebounds of his own. The win raised Kentucky’s mark against Pete and the Tigers to 6-0. The average score in those six games were: Kentucky 112 - LSU 96. The Pistol’s career totals versus Kentucky were ridiculous (52 PPG - 7+ RPG), but each time he was sent home a loser. Current Big Blue Network analyst Mike Pratt added 27 points (11-15 FG) to help the Good Guys dominate most of the game. Forward Tom Parker chipped in with 18 points and 11 rebounds also. The nationally televised game went down as one of the most watched games in the history of television.***
*** = no confirmation of this, just a hunch.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Monday, February 20, 2012
February 20th: On this date...
... in 1978, your #3 University of Kentucky Wildcats were close to unstoppable as they blitzed visiting Alabama, 97-84, behind flawless performances from all three starters in the frontcourt. A total of thirteen players saw court time, led by point guard Kyle Macy’s 39 minutes. The most impressive stat lines of the night, though, belonged to The Goose, Rick Robey and Mike Phillips. Their efficiency was off the charts.
Jack Givens: 25 minutes, 9-10 FG, 4-4 FT, 22 points - 4 rebounds - 2 assists.
Rick Robey: 25 minutes, 6-6 FG, 6-6 FT, 18 points - 6 rebounds - 5 assists.
Mike Phillips: 20 minutes, 5-7 FG, 1-2 FT, 11 points - 2 rebounds
The team as a whole shot 67% from the field (34-51 FG) and 85% from the free throw line (29-34 FT) as Kentucky built a 16-point lead by halftime. The reserves, along with Macy, did everything they needed to in half two to seal the victory. Joe B & Co went on to have a fine finish to the 1978 season.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Sunday, February 19, 2012
February 19th: On this date...
Jonny Rondo & his catcher's mit hands.
... in 2005, your #3 University of Kentucky Wildcats defeated Mississippi State, 94-78, in front of a sellout crowd, featuring Ashley Judd and the ESPN Gameday crew. Kentucky blew open a very close game (UK up 46-43 at halftime) during a 27-6 second half run and coasted to victory. Big Blue forced 23 Bulldog turnovers, headlined by a Rupp Arena record eight steals by freshman Rajon Rondo. The eight steals also tied the program record for a single game set by Wayne Turner in 1997. Rondo went on to break the single season record for steals with 87. In just two seasons in Lexington, Rondo cracked the Top 10 on the career list in steals, swiping it 156 times in just 68 games. His pace would have broken the program mark (Turner) in three years, and would have destroyed it in a full four seasons. Back to the game, fourteen players saw floor action for the Cats, seven of which were in double-figures. Kentucky was paced by: Chuck Hayes (12 points - 6 rebounds - 4 steals - 4 assists), Randolph Morris (17 points - 6 rebounds), Kelenna Azubuike (15 points - 7 rebounds), Patrick Sparks (14 points), Ravi Moss (10 points), and Ramel Bradley (10 points - 5 rebounds - 5 assists). A well-rounded game from everyone involved.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Saturday, February 18, 2012
February 18th: On this date...
Honus Wagner was the coach.
... in 1903, your University of Kentucky Wildcats, officially competing as State College (Kentucky), got their first ever win as a “basket ball” program, an 11-10 beatdown of the Lexington YMCA. The head coach was the Administrator of Men’s Physical Education at the University, WWH Mustaine. He was a Centre College graduate (class of 1899) and was originally from Horse Cave, Kentucky. The win was the only one in season number one of Kentucky basketball, finishing the year with a 1-2 mark. The other games were played against Georgetown College (15-6) and Kentucky University (42-2). Are we sure we aren’t Kentucky University? I remember the ‘03 team being BAD ASS. The writeup of the game (according to Jon Scott’s never-ending site) consisted of the Lexington Herald-Leader saying, “The game was a most exciting one and well contested and the result was a doubt until the game had finally ended.” The contributor from the Herald-Leader that day...Jerry Tipton.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Friday, February 17, 2012
February 17th: On this date...
TheTickler?
... in 1934, your University of Kentucky Wildcats set a national record for college basketball with their 23rd consecutive victory in a 47-27 win over the Commies from Vanderbilt. The game was such a big deal, the rabid Kentucky fan base nearly rioted just to get into Alumni Gymnasium. Patrons crammed into the Gym any way they could, including climbing through windows and hanging from rafters. The Cats put on a display unlike any other and the city-folk had to see what the ruckus was all about. The star of the night was the first player to ever wear the #00 jersey, John DeMoisey. He finished the night with 25 points on nine made baskets and seven free throws made on ten attempts. No one else in the game scored in double-figures. Teammate Dave Lawrence was the next highest point total with nine. The win streak would end in the next game, a 38-32 loss to the Florida Gators in the SEC Tournament. It was after the following loss to Florida, though, that we would officially find out what we had figured all along....that the Gators did, in fact, suck.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Thursday, February 16, 2012
February 16th: On this date...
... in 1991, your #16 University of Kentucky Wildcats came from behind to beat the Ole Miss Rebels, 89-77, in front of a sellout crowd in Rupp Arena. After a hot shooting first half for both teams, Mississippi took a 52-48 lead into halftime. The second half was another story, though, as the pressure finally got to the visiting team. Kentucky methodically picked the Rebels apart, forcing 29 turnovers on the night, giving them 21 (81-60) more shots than Ole Miss. Big Blue was led that day by Super Frosh Jamal Mashburn (18 points - 13 rebounds - 4 steals) and wily veteran Reggie Hanson (17 points - 11 rebounds - 8 assists - 7 steals - 2 blocks). The line for Hanson almost gave the program its second ever triple-double and first ever quadruple-double. Head coach Rick Pitino finally got the message from the rabid fan base and started eastern Kentucky hero, Richie Farmer. The Mustache didn’t disappoint either (21 points - 4 rebounds - 4 steals, 4-9 3PM). The coaching staff consisted of Pitino, Herb Sendek, Billy Donovan, Tubby Smith, and Bernadette Locke. The probation-laden team finished the season as the 13th ranked team in the nation.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
February 15th: On this date...
... in 1994, Louisiana State University head coach Dale Brown pooped his pants a little, as his team relinquished a 31-point lead to a group of memorable Cats. Enough of me.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
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