UK Wildcats Blog

SEC Tournament Memories: UK vs. Auburn 1984

One of the most memorable SEC Tournament wins for the Kentucky Wildcats occurred on March 10, 1984. The 1983-84 Wildcats found themselves in the SEC Championship game against the Auburn Tigers and their star player, future Hall of Famer, Charles Barkley. Free throws at the end of the previous contest by Dicky Beal pushed the Cats into the finals with a 48-46 win over Alabama.

The game at Memorial Coliseum in Nashville had an intense tournament-like atmosphere and most of the 15,000 plus fans in attendance were Kentucky fans. The game was a nail biter throughout. The teams swapped the lead 17 times, 14 in the second half. The biggest lead either team enjoyed was four. The Wildcats had the ball with the game tied and 14 seconds left to play. On the inbounds play, the Wildcats got the ball into the hands of sophomore Kenny Walker. Once Walker had the ball,  he bounced in a jump shot from 15 feet to give the Wildcats a 51-49 wins and SEC Tournament Championship.

After Walker's shot went in, the Wildcats celebrated while the Auburn players stood in disbelief. In what is probably one of the most memorable moments in SEC Tournament history, Auburn's Charles Barkley was seen sitting under the basket in tears and complete shock at the outcome of the game. You could see the look of disappointment written all over his face and the image of him sitting on the court is one Kentucky fans who watched the game that day will never forget.

The 1983-84 Wildcats would go on to make a run to the Final Four, before losing a heartbreaker to Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas. In a memorable season for the Kentucky Basketball program, this win in the SEC Tournament was just one of the unforgettable moments from that great season.

UK Flashback: Kentucky vs. Georgia 1983

As the current UK basketball team readies itself for a game against the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at a Kentucky-Georgia game from long ago. This classic program cover is from the Kentucky vs. Georgia matchup at Rupp Arena on February 26, 1983. The cover features UK point guard Roger Harden. Kentucky took it to the Bulldogs on this night, winning the game by a score of 81-72

The 1983 Wildcats roster was packed with star power and included players like Jim Master, Melvin Turpin and freshman Kenny Walker. Other members of the 1982-83 Wildcats included Dirk Minnifield, Dicky Beal, Bret Bearup, Derrick Hord, Tom Heitz, Troy McKinley, Charles Hurt and Coach Joe B. Hall. The Georgia team at the time was led by junior Vern Fleming and were coached by Hugh Durham.

UK in the NBA: Kenny Walker

The Kentucky basketball program has had numerous stars continue their careers in the National Basketball Association. Today we take a look at Kenny "Sky" Walker and his years as a player in the NBA.

After a spectacular career as a Kentucky Wildcat, Kenny entered the 1986 NBA draft after his senior season. The New York Knicks selected Walker with the 5th overall pick. Kenny spent five seasons playing for the Knicks.

The most memorable moment of Walker's career with the Knicks came on February 6, 1989. Kenny Walker entered the NBA's Slam Dunk Competition and came into the contest as a relatively unknown dunking star, outside of Kentucky. Competing just a few days after the death of his father, Walker stunned the sports world with his stylish dunks and took home the NBA Slam Dunk Championship.

After a few seasons playing overseas, Walker would finish his NBA career with two seasons playing for the Washington Bullets.

Uniform History: the Kentucky Dunk

The year was 1985 and the Kentucky basketball program had just entered into the Eddie Sutton era. The 1985-86 season saw the Kentucky Wildcats achieve a 32-4 record, entering the NCAA tournament as a #1 seed. The team was led by senior Kenny "Sky" Walker and co-captains Roger Harden and Leroy Byrd. The 1985-86 Wildcats were the SEC regular season and tournament champions. The team's season ended with a 59-57 loss in the Elite Eight against LSU.

One of the unique things about the 1985-86 UK basketball season came from the shoes that the team wore. On the heels of the popularity of the Air Jordan, Nike issued the "Dunk" shoe for several college teams, one of which was Kentucky. The Kentucky Dunk shoe featured the team's blue and white colors, with the blue dominating the design, much like the original Air Jordan. The shoes were a drastic departure from the simple Converse styles that the team had worn in previous seasons. The Kentucky Dunk shoes gave the Wildcats a very contemporary look for the times and went well with the success that the team experienced that season.The Kentucky Dunk shoe definitely goes down as one of the most unique items in the uniform history of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Click on the images for a larger view

Greatest Dunks: Perry Stevenson 2009

The 2009 postseason saw the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team make a return to the cozy confines of Memorial Coliseum. One of the lasting memories to come out of the game at Memorial was Perry Stevenson's high flying dunk on a UNLV player.The Wildcats played the game in the opening round of the NIT against the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. Though it was the NIT and not the NCAA Tournament, the excitement of playing in UK's historical home prior to Rupp Arena had fans in a frenzy and had the players pumped up and ready to play. The fans at the game in Memorial had an energy and excitement like the team had not seen in quite a while.

With the Wildcats leading the game 45-30 in the second half, Darius Miller threw a pass out of the press to Stevenson at the top of the lane. The path to the basket was wide open and Stevenson took advantage of that with one of the greatest dunks in UK basketball history. Stevenson drove straight down the lane and threw down a flying one handed dunk right on top of the UNLV defender who arrived just a bit late to stop this career highlight dunk. The crowd at Memorial Coliseum almost brought down the house. This incredible dunk definitely has a place as one of the all-time greats in UK history.

UK by the Numbers: 54

The number 54 has been worn by eight players in the history of Kentucky basketball. The number 54 is currently the property of one of the most popular Wildcats of all-time, Patrick Patterson. Patterson went against popular wisdom and signed on to be a Kentucky Wildcat, snubbing other big time schools including long time rival Duke. It was a great day in Kentucky basketball history when Patterson chose the Big Blue over the other options he had. Since that moment, Patterson has been a fan favorite and his legend continues to grow each game as his UK career moves along.

Patterson joined the Wildcats after earning the honor of Mr. Basketball in the state of West Virginia and was a Parade and McDonald's All-American. Patterson was the perfect big-time player to help begin a new era in Kentucky basketball. Patterson had an immediate impact on the Kentucky team and quickly showed his future NBA skills. Unfortunately, the team's success under Billy Gillispie didn't live up to what UK fans and Patterson himself had hoped. While he had the ability to go into the NBA Draft, Patterson instead chose to stick around for his junior season under the leadership of John Calipari in hopes of bringing a National Championship back to Kentucky on his watch. That commitment to UK and his outstanding play and team leadership have placed Patterson firmly in a place of admiration among the Wildcat Nation. Patterson has definitely placed his claim on the number 54 at Kentucky.

Prior to Patterson donning the number 54, it was the property of center Melvin Turpin. Turpin is most famous for being a member of the famed "Twin Towers" with teammate Sam Bowie in the mid 1980's. The "Big Dipper" helped lead the Wildcats to the Final Four in 1984. The 6'-11", 240 pound center earned All-American and All-SEC honors in his junior and senior seasons. Prior to Patrick Patterson, the number 54 was a definite reminder of the exploits of Turpin as a Kentucky Wildcat.

Other Wildcats who have worn the number 54 include Howard Dardeen, Don Mills, Larry Lentz, Art Laib, Tom Payne and Dan Hill.

John Wall lands Sports Illustrated cover - UK SI cover history

University of Kentucky freshman star John Wall finds himself the cover man of this week's Sports Illustrated. The cover shot deems Wall "the Great Wall of Kentucky". The cover boldly proclaims Wall as the best college basketball player in the country.

Kentucky fans have had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness a true future star don the Kentucky uniform for the 2009-10 basketball season. Wall has already achieved a place among the greatest freshman to ever play for Kentucky, joining players like Rex Chapman and Jamal Mashburn as all-time great UK freshman. It is extremely likely we are watching Wall's only NCAA season, though there might still be some small chance he returns. As soon as Wall declares for the NBA draft, he will be the overall number one selection and will be a Kentucky fan favorite in the NBA for many years.

Wall's appearance on the cover of SI is not the first for a Kentucky player. Many great Kentucky teams, players and coaches have graced the cover since the 1960's. One of the earliest SI covers to showcase a Kentucky player was this one from 1962. This Sports Illustrated cover features former UK great Cotton Nash. In 1966, Kentucky was featured on the cover twice, once with legendary coach Adolph Rupp on the cover and again with Pat Riley on the cover from the 1966 NCAA Championship game.

In the 1970's, the Wildcats were featured three times, once in 1970 when Dan Issel joined three other players on the cover, again in 1975 when Mike Flynn was on the cover, and again in 1978. The 1978 cover features Kentucky legend Jack "Goose" Givens and his unforgettable performance in the 1978 National Championship game. Givens dropped 41 points in the game against Duke, giving Kentucky their fifth National Championship and first for coach Joe B. Hall.

In the 1980's, freshman phenom Rex Chapman shared the cover with football player Brian Bosworth in 1987. The other SI cover from the 1980's was the infamous Kentucky Shame cover that chronicled one of the darkest times in the history of the program. Probably one of the best SI covers ever for a Kentucky player came out in 1983. The cover featured an unforgettable image of Sam Bowie rejecting the shot of a Louisville player and had the headline Sam Bam! The issue chronicled UK's historic win over the rival Cardinals in 1983.

In the 1990's, the Wildcats dominated the college basketball landscape and graced the cover of Sports Illustrated multiple times. The most noteworthy appearance to Wildcat fans are the covers that commemorate the National Championship wins of 1996 and 1998. Other players featured on SI covers in the 1990's include Antoine Walker, Nazr Muhammed, Wayne Turner, and coaches Tubby Smith and Rick Pitino.

In 2009, current Kentucky superstar Patrick Patterson graced the cover of the College Basketball preview issue. The preview issue dubbed Kentucky as the pre-season number 5 team in the country, signaling their return to college basketball dominance with the arrival of John Calipari and a great freshman class. It is quite likely that we have not seen the last UK themed SI cover this season. Could there be another Championship issue featuring the Wildcats at the end of this season?

Here is a look at the other UK Sports Illustrated covers from the past: (click on all the images for larger views)

Kentucky vs. Louisville, it doesn't get any better

What a season Kentucky has had so far. As the team is set to take on Louisville today, they find themselves 14-0 with impressive wins over rivals North Carolina and Indiana and a great win over Connecticut in New York. The Wildcats and the Louisville Cardinals stand ready to do battle this afternoon in what is one of the greatest rivalries in college basketball.

Each season, there is one game on the schedule that everyone has marked as a must win, the game against the in-state rival Cardinals. The Wildcats hold a 26-14 record all-time against Louisville. The battle between new UK head coach John Calipari and former UK head coach Rick Pitino adds a whole new dimension to the rivalry and makes the game even bigger.

In honor of today's matchup, we thought it might be fun to take a look back at some great moments from UK/Louisville games past. Enjoy!

Happy 2010 from UK Wildcats Blog!

Merry Christmas to the Wildcat Nation

Merry Christmas to all of the UK fans out there! It has been fun working to preserve the great history of the UK basketball program through UK Wildcats Blog. We hope to continue to bring you great stories about the history of Kentucky basketball and about the history that is being written right before our eyes by the 2009-10 Wildcats.

Remember, Santa only wears red one day a year!

Merry Christmas

and Go Big Blue!