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On this day in Kentucky basketball history…

This was overlooked over the weekend probably due to the -UL football game and the fact that it was a 3-day weekend for many, but on September 5, 2001, 9 years ago from this past Sunday, the “Voice of the Wildcats” fell silent:  Cawood Ledford dead at 75.  From The Season Never Ends 2010 Calendar:  “Cawood Ledford, the longtime “Voice of the Wildcats,” succumbed to cancer on September 5, 2001, after being diagnosed with the disease the previous September.  Cawood, who described the Wildcats so honestly and professionally that many would turn down the TV volume and turn up the radio, called UK football and basketball games for 39 years.  He also called 18 Final Fours, 22 Kentucky Derbys, the Masters, the World Series, pro basketball and a host of NCAA tournaments over his legendary career.”

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 28, 1992, in what many called the “best NCAA Tournament game ever,” Kentucky takes defending NCAA champion Duke into overtime before losing 104-103 in the East Regional finals in Philadelphia. A last-second shot by Christian Laettner sends Duke to the Final Four, and breaks the hearts of Wildcat fans everywhere. It is Cawood Ledford’s last game as the “Voice of the Wildcats.”

 

On March 28, 1998, against Stanford, Kentucky rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, then grabbed a 5-point overtime lead, before fending off the Cardinals to advance to the title game for the third straight season. Jeff Sheppard canned three long-range three-pointers - two in the final three minutes and one in overtime - en route to a career-high 27 points.

 

On March 28, 2014, unranked Kentucky beat No. 5 Louisville 74-69, in the 2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.  Aaron Harrison buried a three-pointer from the left corner with 39 seconds left that put UK ahead to stay before 41,072 in Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

On March 28, 2015, No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 Notre Dame, 68-66, in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.  With its 37-0 record on the line, Kentucky trailed Notre Dame 59-53 with 6:14 left. UK rallied in front of 19,464 fans in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and preserved its perfect season thanks to a crucial blocked shot by Willie Cauley-Stein and two game-deciding free throws from Andrew Harrison in the final seconds.

 

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