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Herald-Leader writer not named Jerry Tipton thinks Cats should look to Gillispie era for inspiration

Kentucky Team - photo by Tammie Brown | WildcatWorld.com

Team – photo by Tammie Brown | WildcatWorld.com

From Mark Story of the Lexington Herald-Leader:  “A Kentucky team perceived to be teetering near the NCAA Tournament bubble late in its season is shocked by the season-ending loss to injury of its star freshman big man.  in 2012-13 following 's torn ACL suffered in the Wildcats loss at Florida on Tuesday night?

Of course.

But it was also true of 's Wildcats in 2007-08, when the Cats lost standout freshman to a late injury yet still clawed their way into the NCAA Tournament without him.

That is why the dispiriting loss of Noel now sets up a rare dynamic for the current Wildcats — a chance to look back on the Gillispie era for positive inspiration.”

Read full article here.

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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