Goodbye, Friends: Jim Nantz's Best Kentucky Moments At The NCAA Tournament

Hello, friends.

Jim Nantz, one of the most iconic voices in sports broadcasting, will call his final NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game tonight for CBS when San Diego State and UConn play for the trophy. Nantz has been with the network for over 30 years and has been the lead announcer for the NCAA Tournament since 1991, with over 350 career games on his resume.

Nantz’s unmistakable voice, storytelling, and analysis have made him a beloved figure in the sports world. However, Nantz said he decided to step away after 32 years to spend more time with his family and to put more focus into his coverage of The Masters.

As Nantz’s final college basketball championship game approaches, let’s look back at some of Nantz’s best calls of Kentucky Basketball’s success in the NCAA Tournament. We will not celebrate the moments Kentucky was on the wrong end of the outcome.

Goodbye, friends.

All three of Aaron Harrison’s 3-pointers in 2014

“This is the point where he always hits it! Oh! Aaron Harrison, beyond belief!”

Kentucky’s upset of Ohio State and North Carolina in 2011

“Kentucky hangs on! The monster upset! Wildcats take out the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament!”

“The Wildcats go back to the old Kentucky home, the Final Four.”

Kentucky’s payback on Duke in the 1998 Elite Eight

“1992, will it be revisited?…. Kentucky’s going to the Final Four!”

Two games later, Kentucky won its eighth national championship

“The Comeback Cats could not be denied!”

Kentucky’s 1996 national championship

“How sweet it is!”

Kentucky vs. Louisville in New Orleans

“Kentucky wins the state championship and will play Monday night for the national championship!”

Kentucky’s 2012 national championship

“The Kentucky coronation is complete!”