March 29th: On this date....

..... 1997, your #5 University of Kentucky Wildcats took down the #3 Minnesota Gophers to advance to the NCAA title game vs. Arizona. These were the first back-to-back Final Four trips for the Cats since 1947-1948. Ron Mercer (19 pts), Cameron Mills (10 pts), and Scott Padgett (9 pts) led the way for Kentucky in the 78-69 victory Even though the Cats were outrebounded 48-34, the frenetic pace of the game forced Minnesota into 26 turnovers, leading to a ton of UK points. Anthony Epps (13 points - 5 rebounds - 7 assists - 5 steals) and Wayne Turner (8 points - 4 rebounds - 6 assists - 5 steals) provided experience and competence when Kentucky needed it most down the stretch, allowing Rick Pitino's squad to control the tempo. It was impressive enough the Cats made it back to the Final Four after losing Derek Anderson to a knee injury. Anderson came in to shoot two free throws after a Clem Haskins technical, giving him two points in a game in which he never officially logged a minute.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach