Kentucky Returns to Austin for First Time Since Heartbreak

Some losses stick with you. Even though many of Mark Pope’s Wildcats weren’t alive the last time Kentucky played a basketball game in Austin, the weight of a heartbreaking loss lingers over Big Blue Nation.

Similar to the football series against the Longhorns, these two teams have played very few times. Saturday night’s game in Austin will be just the third every meeting on the hardwood between Kentucky and Texas.

Rick Pitino’s fifth-ranked team mollywhopped the Horns to start the 1993 season, taking down Texas 86-61 in Maui. The Wildcats then beat Ohio State and Arizona to secure the only Maui Invitational Championship in school history.

Rick Barnes brought a sixth-ranked Texas team to Rupp Arena for the 2014 SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Willie Cauley-Stein was incredible. The All-American had 21 points, 12 rebounds, five steals, and three rebounds. Kentucky only made one three but dealt the Horns a 63-51 loss.

To go back to the last time Big Blue had a bad memory with Texas on the hardwood, it was with a giant Longhorn logo at midcourt in the NCAA Tournament.

Patrick Sparks, Rajon Rondo, and Overtime Kentucky Heartbreak

Patrick Sparks made one of the most memorable Kentucky basketball shots in NCAA Tournament history, and it’s all for not. Why is that relevant now? Austin was the scene of the crime.

The new Moody Center has replaced the Erwin Center, which played host to Kentucky vs. Michigan State in the 2005 Elite Eight. It produced an instant classic.

Shannon Brown was a 28% three-point shooter who went nuclear and knocked down five three-pointers. A few of those shouldn’t have fallen because the game should’ve ended in regulation if the officials had the stones to blow the whistle as time expired.

Kentucky trailed by three points when Patrick Sparks pulled up from the top of the key. It was air-mailed, but he left enough time for Kelenna Azubuike to corral the board and get his own three-point shot up. When that ball bounced off the rim, it went right back to Sparks. As he did in the win over Louisville, he pump-faked, was fouled, then hit a three-pointer that bounced off the rim for what felt like forever before it bounced in.

Watch the shot and you’ll understand why I still have a scar on my hand from the celebration. Sparks celebrated by dapping up well-known Wildcat-hater, Billy Packer. They spent about five minutes reviewing his miraculous three-pointer to make sure his foot was behind the line, all while we watched the foul on repeat.

If you can sense the bitterness, it’s because foul trouble ultimately cost Kentucky a chance at a Final Four. Azubuike fouled out in overtime, Chuck Hayes played with four fouls, all while Rajon Rondo spent a good chunk of the overtime periods on the bench.

The Cats actually had momentum from Sparks’ shot and took a quick four-point lead in the first overtime period. Then they gave up four offensive rebounds in one possession, paving the way for Brown’s fifth three. Kentucky ultimately ran out of steam in the 94-88 2OT loss.

Tubby Smith came oh so close to returning to the Final Four on multiple occasions. This was the closest call, and it would’ve been right down the road in St. Louis. Instead of leaving Austin with a victory thanks to an unforgettable shot, the loss was a pivotal turning point in the Tubby Smith era during the longest Final Four drought in school history.