Ranking the Top 50 Moments of the John Calipari Era (Nos. 30-21)

Try and think of the most impactful moments of the John Calipari Era. This tenure has been WILD. In my initial try, I came up with 93 moments for consideration. And again, these are simply moments; they aren’t big-picture things like the recruiting classes of 2009, 2011, and 2013. They aren’t things like the one-and-done strategy or the dribble-drive offense. I decided to actually pick moments in time that define the John Calipari era. Things you can put a date on. And the word I considered most when making this list was IMPACT. Moments that truly had an impact, whether historic or short-term, on the Kentucky Basketball program.

Make no mistake, I didn’t only choose the good times. In many ways, the struggles have defined the Calipari era as much as the successes. The controversies are part of his tenure at Kentucky. Enjoy this trip down memory lane and appreciate the relevancy that has Cal brought back to Kentucky for the last 14 years.

Here are moments Nos. 30 through No. 21 today. Come back for the rest of the week for 10 moments every day:

MONDAY: Moments #50-41
TUESDAY: Moments #40-31

#30: Cats lead UCLA 41-7 at half, win by 39 (December 20, 2014)

That team was so good that we basically gloss over the fact that halftime score is the most absurd score in UK history. If they had done it against Bethune-Cookman, then maybe it’s expected. But to absolutely embarrass a blue blood like this in front of a national TV audience was earth-shattering. At that point in the season, the official 40-0 talk was in full force and it was actually hard to imagine them losing. While the halftime score was the most eye-popping stat, I’ll remind everybody that UK still beat the Bruins by 5 in the second half largely playing their scrubs.

#29: Calipari comments he’s happy to “go home and see his dogs” after SEC Tournament loss

The loss itself to Tennessee wasn’t significant as UK had locked up a #2 seed for the NCAA Tournament (more on that later). But Cal’s flippant comments after the game only highlighted what many fans believed for several seasons before that. John Calipari seemed to have lost the fire that had driven him for the first half of his tenure. I am sure the comment was just a throwaway statement with no actual meaning behind it but at that point, which continues to this day, UK fans are looking for anything to jump on as the program has slid. Cal’s inability to take the SEC Tournament seriously had always irked fans but UK also still won that tournament most years. After another disappointing loss in Nashville, fans were ready to pounce and Cal gave them the reason to do so.

#28: Demarcus Cousins putback at the buzzer sends SEC Tournament to overtime, Cats go on to win (March 14, 2010)

As if that team hadn’t already burned itself into UK lore with its incredible play based around a series of freshmen. Additionally, with UK fans excited about an SEC Tournament for the first time in 5 years, there couldn’t have been a better finish to that game. Of course, the putback was simply to tie the game and send it to overtime, despite the celebration which seemed to suggest UK players thought they had won the game. Whatever the case, this team provided the fans some historical moments throughout that season and elevated UK back to the “gold standard” that John Calipari had promised.

#27: Cats stunned by Auburn in Elite 8 (March 31, 2019)

This ended a 5-year run of tournament losses that really deflated Cats fans. In 4 of those 5 years, UK was upset in the game. The UNC game was stinging simply because of the ending. But I think of all the losses, this one “pissed off” Cats fans the most. UK had beaten Auburn twice in the regular season, including by 27 at Rupp. Auburn had lost one of its best players in the Sweet 16. And let’s not forget, UK led by 11 in the first half, by 5 at halftime, and by 2 with under a minute to play. Auburn shot just 40% for the game and had foul trouble in the post. Despite all of that, UK could not find a way to win. These were the games UK won almost every time in 2010-2015 but became way too often a loss after that point.

#26: Aaron Harrison sends UK to Final Four with 3-pointer against Michigan (March 30, 2014)

Of all the difficulties trying to rank these moments, figuring out where to put all of Harrison’s shots was the toughest. This was a last-second three to send UK to the Final Four and it’s not in the Top 25? But I think the shot over Louisville and obviously Wisconsin just had more impact on the program. The only thing about the shot against Michigan was it’s probably the most difficult shot he made. The Wolverines defended it well but Harrison was just too clutch in March that year. I was lucky enough to attend this game and it’s probably my favorite in-person memory from a UK game. Also, this game was the Marcus Lee moment for UK.

#25: Anthony Davis last second blocks secures win over UNC (December 3, 2011)

Kentucky was clearly the best team in the country that year. But let us not forget that it was actually UNC that was preseason #1. The anticipation for that game has probably been unmatched for a regular season game. It actually was one of Anthony Davis’ worst performances as a Cat, with just 9 points and 7 rebounds but he made the biggest play of the game with his block of John Henson. This game solidified UK as the favorite and I think was the moment where Davis’ special potential was truly realized.

#24: Nerlens Noel tears ACL colliding with basket at Florida (February 12, 2013)

It’s always hard to predict what might have happened if Noel had remained healthy that season. But we do know that UK was riding a 4-game winning streak into that game. They had reentered the national rankings for the first time since early December. But Noel’s unfortunate collision with the basket not only ended his UK career but essentially ended that team’s hopes. They would go on to lose 6 of their final 10 games, some in embarrassing fashion. Noel was a special talent in a long line of amazing UK big men. But the only one to really see his potential squashed by injury. A monumental moment in the Calipari era.

#23 UK loses national title game to UCONN (April 7, 2014)

UK fans were riding an unparalleled high the previous 3 games. But the season came to a surprising thud in the title game to UCONN. The Cats just seemed to have run out of gas. Julius Randle dealt with cramps, and the Harrison magic came to an end. We did get one of the best dunks in UK history after James Young dunked over the entire state of Connecticut. Don’t forget another angle from that day was Rex Chapman reporting Calipari was on his way out after the game to the Lakers. All in all, most everybody sees that season as a success. But coming that close to another title and losing to a 7-seed UCONN still stings quite a bit.

#22: Christian Watford buries UK with buzzer-beater (December 10, 2011)

All of the 40-0 focus will forever be on the 2015 team. But we can’t forget just how close the 2012 team came to being undefeated too. This shot plus an SEC Tournament loss to Vandy was all that stood between them and 40-0. The impact of this shot is that it will always be one of those college basketball moments that are shown on highlight reels forever. Plus, it basically ended the Indiana series with Kentucky, a series that had existed for 40+ years. It’s also become a bit comical how Indiana fans live and die with this regular season win as their program has floundered. But we can’t deny that this moment hurt as much as any regular season loss under Calipari.

#21: Malik Monk scores 47 points in Vegas win over UNC (December 17, 2016)

I understand that Oscar has had some incredible performances during his 2 years. But I would consider Monk’s scoring barrage to be the best of the best in Calipari’s tenure. It was the 6th most points ever scored by a UK player in any game. It was the most points ever by a UK freshman. If you take out Jodie Meeks’ performances, it was the most points scored by a UK player in 32 years. Additionally, it all occurred in a tight game and he hit the big shot to win that game. UK needed every point that night and Monk still remains one of the best offensive players under Calipari and in UK history.