Revisiting the Storied History Between Kentucky and Miami

When you think of the best of the best of college basketball, programs that consistently compete at the highest level in heated rivalry games, one of the firsts that comes to mind is traveling to Rupp Arena this fall.

Miami vs. Kentucky in the ACC/SEC Challenge

You might be asking yourself, “How did Roush type those words together with a serious face?” The answer is I didn’t, but like most people, I use humor (both good and bad) as a coping mechanism.

When ESPN lost rights to broadcast Big Ten basketball games, it killed the always entertaining ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and the Worldwide Leader replaced the midwesterners with the Southeastern Conference. Kentucky fans dreamed of resuming the once annual rivalry game with North Carolina, or a potential trip to Cameron Indoor to exorcise the Ghost of Coach K. Instead, we’re stuck with Miami.

This is not to dismiss the recent success of the Hurricanes and Jim Larranaga. The Canes have been to consecutive Elite Eights, won the ACC in 2023 and punched their first ever ticket to the Final Four in April. Still, it’s Miami. There is no gravitas surrounding The U on the hardwood.

Kentucky fans are left wanting more, but it might be for the best. The Wildcats have been abysmal in marquee non-conference games since their last trip to the Elite Eight in 2019. Kentucky is just 6-15 against AP Top 25 teams and a combined 2-6 in the Champions Classic and CBS Sports Classic.

Miami is a beatable opponent that could give this young team some much-needed confidence in the friendly confines of Rupp Arena. If history is any indication, this is the right time to take care of business.

The Last Time Kentucky Played Miami

Frank Haith was on the sidelines for the Hurricanes when the No. 21 team in the country traveled to Rupp Arena to face Billy Gillispie‘s Wildcats in December of 2008. At the start of Billy Clyde’s second season, the BBN was hungry for a big win at home. Kentucky entered the game 3-18 against its last 21 ranked opponents.

As you might expect, things did not go according to plan. The Wildcats dug themselves into a deep hole, trailing by 20 at halftime. In the second half the Cats got Patrick Patterson more involved against the Miami zone. He finished with 19 points and 16 rebounds to get UK within reach, but it wasn’t enough. Kentucky fell 73-67, just one of many disappointing results to Billy Gillispie’s final season in Lexington.

Notable Names Starred in Past Games

The loss in 2008 is the only time Kentucky has ever lost to Miami in four games against the Canes. Future All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham logged 17 minutes and scored four points at Rupp Arena.

Vernon Hatton starred in the 1956 Kentucky victory. He tallied 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Johnny Cox chipped in 16 points and eight boards. The Cats finished ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll, then won the National Championship the following season. Hatton and Cox’s jerseys hang in the rafters of Rupp Arena.

The two programs did not meet again until they signed a home-and-home a year after Tubby Smith cut down the nets in San Antonio. I was today-years-old when I learned former UK assistant Leonard Hamilton was once the Miami head coach. This meeting in 1998 was his first time back in Lexington since his days as Joe B. Hall’s assistant.

The game was only visible to viewers from home for the second half. The Army-Navy game ran long, delaying the CBS broadcast. Tied at intermission, the eighth-ranked Wildcats pulled away when Scott Padgett ended a streak of 18-straight three-point misses. The Louisville native scored 16 points, Michael Bradley had 19, and Wayne Turner tallied 13 points in a 74-65 victory.

The following year true freshman Keith Bogans led the Cats in scoring with 16 points in South Florida, but it was Tayshaun Prince who saved the day. After making only one of his first 10 shots, the lengthy lefty from Compton stole the lead away from the Canes in the final seconds with a runner down the lane to propel Kentucky to a 60-57 victory.