Kentucky at Madison Square Garden: Which Wildcat will shine under the bright lights?

Kentucky Basketball has a long and storied history in Madison Square Garden dating back almost eight decades. Adolph Rupp led the Cats to their first national title in the old Madison Square Garden in 1948. Almost 30 years later in the new building, Joe B. Hall’s Wildcats won the 1976 NIT, beating UNC-Charlotte 71-67. Rick Pitino’s squads returned to the Garden for the ECAC Holiday Festival in 1992 and 1995. Tubby Smith took the Cats to New York for the Preseason NIT in 1999 and the Coaches vs. Cancer IKON Classic in 2000. The connection between the most famous arena in basketball and college basketball’s winningest program has only gotten stronger during the John Calipari era.

The Cats are 14-4 in the current MSG. Tonight’s game vs. Duke will be Calipari’s seventh trip to Madison Square Garden as Kentucky’s head coach. During his tenure, the Cats are 5-1 on the hallowed court, the only loss being to Seton Hall in overtime in the Citi Hoops Classic in 2018.

The Garden has a way of inspiring greatness. Throughout the Calipari Era, several Wildcats have seized the spotlight. As we count down the hours until tonight’s game vs. Duke (the first meeting between the two programs in Madison Square Garden, amazingly enough), let’s look back on some of the best individual performances.

Dec. 9, 2009: John Wall vs. UConn (SEC/Big East Invitational)

25 points (10-16 FG), 7 turnovers, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound

John Wall had already played eight games for Kentucky but asserted himself as a superstar at the Garden. Wall scored 25 points, including 12 of Kentucky’s final 15, in the Cats’ thrilling 64-61 win over UConn. Wall took over the game in the second half, outshining Huskies star Kemba Walker.

“He’s phenomenal, one of the best players out there,” Patrick Patterson said at the time. “If we need a crunch-time basket we give it to John and we know we are going to have the advantage. Pretty much when we need baskets we know who to get the ball to.”

“We rode John Wall at the end of the game,” Calipari said.

I was in the building that night and it’s still one of my favorite Kentucky Basketball memories. Wall was simply unstoppable. What a way to start the Calipari era.

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Nov. 15, 2011: Anthony Davis vs. Kansas (Champions Classic)

14 points (6-8 FG), 7 blocks, 6 rebounds, 2 steals

Two years later, John Calipari brought the Cats back to Madison Square Garden for the first-ever Champions Classic. Anthony Davis was not Kentucky’s leading scorer in this game, trailing Doron Lamb (17) and Terrence Jones (15) with 14 points, but did block seven shots, a Kentucky Basketball record in the Garden. The Cats got the 75-65 win, a preview of what was to come in the National Championship game in April.

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Nov. 15, 2016: Malik Monk vs. Michigan State (Champions Classic)

23 points (8-17 FG, 7-11 3PT), 6 rebounds, 1 assist

In the third game of the 2016-17 season, Malik Monk went off, hitting seven threes to push No. 2 Kentucky past No. 13 Michigan State 69-48. Monk was the only Kentucky player to hit a three all night and nobody on Michigan State’s squad made more than one. All three of Kentucky’s phenomenal freshmen — Monk, De’Aaron Fox, and Bam Adebayo — shined at different times that year, but Monk’s performance at MSG was pretty special. Little did we know he’d top it a month later in Las Vegas.

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Nov. 5, 2019: Tyrese Maxey vs. Michigan State (Champions Classic)

26 points (7-12 FT, 3-7 3PT, 9-10 FT), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

In his first game as a Wildcat, Tyrese Maxey saved the day. On the day after his 19th birthday, the freshman hit a clutch three from deep with 59 seconds left to extend Kentucky’s lead to 65-60. The shot was so impressive that John Wall, watching from the sidelines, leapt to his feet in celebration. The Cats went on to win 69-62.

“It was an amazing birthday celebration,” Maxey said. “I’m very happy, happy for me and my guys. It was a lot of fun out there.”

“He put on a show,” Tom Izzo said of Maxey. “He’s got great intangibles. He’s happy-go-lucky but plays hard.”

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Honorable Mention: Keldon Johnson’s three to force overtime vs. Seton Hall

Kentucky lost to Seton Hall in the Garden in 2018, but Keldon Johnson’s three to force overtime is so ridiculous it deserves mention.

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Nov. 9, 2021: ?

Who will step into the spotlight tonight? John Calipari told reporters yesterday he can’t wait to find out.

“That’s what you’ll learn from this. You think this guy, that guy, that guy, (but) you don’t know until the game is over and you look and you say, ‘He loved that moment.’ The biggest part of it is, guys like that aren’t afraid to look bad. They don’t care; they’re going to go play. They’re not afraid to miss a shot or take a tough shot or a game-winning shot.”

“I’ve had a bunch of those guys and I’ve been fortunate to coach them in a lot of these kinds of games. And you just don’t know until the game is over. Like I told these guys, this is our next game. It’s not a big game – unless we win, then it’s huge. And I said, ‘How about this one? You’re not going to know if you win or you lose – until you win or lose. So, go play. Let’s be at our best. They’ll be at their best, and let’s see who is a little bit behind.’ Because, at the end of the day, I think both teams will be fine, but we’re both going to learn about each other.”

Keion Brooks had a guess, motioning to his teammate TyTy Washington on yesterday’s Zoom with reporters.

“I think we have multiple guys that when the lights turn on, they’ll be ready to go. This man sitting right here next to me, I believe he’s going to have a great game tomorrow.”

We’ll find out for certain soon enough.