Kentucky's History vs In-State Foes in the NCAA Tournament

John Calipari is not letting his team look past Saint Peter’s, but we certainly can. Barring an upset, a second round meeting with Murray State looms. The Wildcats and the Racers have never met on the hardwood, but it would not be the first time UK has faced a team from the Commonwealth in the postseason. Kentucky is 9-3 against in-state foes in the NCAA Tournament. Many of those wins serve as the undercard for an exciting postseason run. Let’s dive into a Kentucky basketball history lesson, starting with the bad news.

Two Historic Losses

Western Kentucky’s Jim McDaniels holds a special place in basketball lore across the Commonwealth. A 6-foot-11 talent from nearby Scottsville, McDaniels had 35 points and 11 rebounds to eliminate Adolph Rupp’s Wildcats with a 107-83 win in the 1971 Mideast Regional Semifinals. McDaniels became the school’s leading scorer en route to a third place finish at the 1971 Final Four. It was later vacated after the future No. 1 overall pick in the ABA draft prematurely signed with an agent.

In the city of Louisville, there is no bigger postseason game in NCAA Tournament history than “The Dream Game.” If not for the matchup between Kentucky and Louisville in the 1983 Mideast Regional Final in Knoxville, the annual Battle for the Bluegrass might not exist.

Similar to the tactic Frank Broyles employed at Arkansas, the University of Kentucky actively dodged playing Denny Crum’s Louisville basketball team. The Cards had everything to gain from playing the game and UK had everything to lose. Their hands were forced in the 1983 NCAA Tournament. Lancaster Gordon and Milt Wagner starred for the Cards, who were ranked No. 2 in the country prior to the start of the postseason. Kentucky went toe-to-toe with UofL until Jim Master hit a shot to force overtime with one second remaining. After that, it was all UofL. They scored the first 14 points of overtime to advance to the Final Four to play Houston’s Phi Slamma Jamma.

The Cat was officially out of the game. The following year Kentucky and Louisville met in the regular season for the first time since 1922 and they have every year since (well, until COVID happened). UK won the regular season rematch and knocked the Cards out of the Sweet 16 in 1984.

All-Time Great Wins

The Kentucky-Louisville rivalry peaked between 2011-2017, highlighted by two postseason meetings in 2012 and 2014. Kentucky entered the first meeting with everything to lose as the heavy favorite. The Cards made a few late pushes, tying the game with nine minutes left and getting within two a few minutes later, but ultimately did not have enough firepower to keep up with Cal’s Cats. Anthony Davis had 18 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots in the 69-61 win that paved the way for National Championship No. 8.

Two years later, the tables were turned. Louisville was the heavy favorite as the defending National Champs* with All-American Russ Smith running the show. Playing in front of a packed house in Indianapolis, this time the eight-seeded Wildcats finished the runs that mattered. Trailing by seven with 4:30 minutes remaining, Kentucky finished the game on a 15-3 run. Aaron Harrison hit the go-ahead three-pointer from the corner with :39 on the clock, the first of three straight game-winners for the Wildcats. Kentucky defeated Louisville 74-69, the first Sweet 16 loss in Rick Pitino’s career.

In-State Wins Before Lengthy Runs

Beating an in-state foe in the early rounds typically spells fortune for Kentucky later on in the tournament. The Wildcats’ 2012 conquest for a National Title began with an 81-66 win over Western Kentucky at the Yum! Center. The Real T. Jones scored 22, while Anthony Davis and Doron Lamb each chipped in 16 points.

On three other occasions, wins over in-state opponents were the precursor to a devastating end in the Elite Eight. Kenny Walker scored 32 points in a seven-point win over WKU in the second round of the 1986 tournament that ended with a two-point loss to LSU in the Elite Eight. Kentucky’s only postseason meeting with EKU was a 72-64 win in 2005. Despite Patrick Sparks’ heroics, Michigan State eliminated Kentucky in double OT of the Elite Eight. The most recent matchup against an in-state opponent, Northern Kentucky, served as an appetizer for a postseason run that was ended by a Luke Maye buzzer-beater in 2017.

With Kentucky as the 2-seed, sadly history is aligning toward a devastating defeat in the Elite Eight.

Kentucky’s Postseason Record vs. Each In-State Foe

Two other games of note: Bill Lickert had 28 points and 16 rebounds to propel Kentucky past Morehead State 71-64 in the 1961 Sweet 16 at Freedom Hall. Louisville does own a postseason win over Kentucky. Johnny Cox’s Wildcats were upset by Louisville 76-61 in the 1959 Sweet 16.

• Louisville: 4-2
• Western Kentucky: 2-1
• Eastern Kentucky: 1-0
• Northern Kentucky: 1-0
• Morehead State: 1-0

To make a long story short: Even though it would be fun, history tells us to cheer for San Francisco to take down Murray State. It’s not out of fear of the OVC Champs, but for what could come next in Philadelphia. Sorry, Racers.