Where do Kentucky's last 3 March Madness games rank among UK's best in the last 16 years?

 

The current stretch of 3 March Madness NCAA tournament games from this group of Kentucky Wildcats has provided 3 of the most exciting and high quality games in this year’s NCAA tournament. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that these 3 games involving Kentucky have been 3 of the best men’s college basketball games all year long. Where do they rank though among Kentucky’s best NCAA tournament games of the last 16 years? Let’s take a look at some of the best games since 1998, and then you can decide how to rank them…

(*Best game is a somewhat relative and subjective matter… but we will mostly talk in terms of general excitement/quality/closeness of the game)

 

1998 Elite 8 vs. Duke “The Comeback Cats”

86-84 Kentucky

Kentucky looked like it was fit to get run out of the building by Duke in the first half, trailing by as many as 18 points at one point in the first half. Kentucky chipped away in the second half, but even with 8 minutes remaining, Duke’s lead stayed in double-digits. Behind a heroic 3-pointer by Cameron Mills, and a back-breaker/game-winner 3-pointer by Scott Padgett, Kentucky stole the game late in one of the most dramatic comeback wins of all time. Kentucky was dubbed the “Comeback Cats” after that incredibly gutsy victory. The win also helped ease some of the pain (though never fully) of the 1992 Laettner shot.

 
1998 Final 4 vs. Stanford 

86-85 Kentucky in OT

Kentucky found itself in a hole once again, down 10 points midway through the second half.  The “Comeback Cats” weren’t to be denied though, and clawed back into the game to make for an exciting finish of back and forth basketball down the stretch. Jeff Shepard shined on the way to 27 points, as Kentucky finally took hold of the game in overtime.

 

1998 Championship vs. Utah

78-69 Kentucky

Kentucky yet again faced a 10-point deficit to Utah at halftime. And once again the “Comeback Cats” had to make a showing late in the game. Cameron Mills’ timely 3-point shooting once again played a role as Kentucky reclaimed the lead and never looked back on the way to Tubby Smith’s first and only national championship for Kentucky. The “Comeback Cats” run was complete, and what a run it was.

 

2005 Elite 8 vs. Michigan State

94-88 Michigan State in 2OT

This is the only game on the list that didn’t result in a Kentucky win, but it’s impossible to leave this instant classic off the list. Although it’s a heart-breaker for Wildcat fans, it will remain one of the most exciting NCAA tournament games of all time. “It will go down in history as a great college basketball game,” Tubby Smith said. “It hurts right now, but some of our guys will appreciate that later on.” Kentucky found itself down 8 with 5 minutes to play, and fought its way back into the game. The most dramatic moment of the game, and one of the most iconic shots in NCAA basketball history belonged to Patrick Sparks. Kentucky needed a 3 to send the game to the first overtime, and Sparks let one fly as time drained from the clock. The ball bounced around the rim multiple times before finally going down. The refs spent more than 5 minutes double-checking to make sure Sparks’ foot was behind the line. And it was. Kentucky rallied early in overtime but couldn’t maintain. Kentucky had the ball in a tie game the entire last minute, but only managed one ill-fated shot. In the second overtime, Michigan State outlasted Kentucky in one of the most gut-wrenching losses in Kentucky basketball history.

 

2011 Round of 64 vs. Princeton

59-57 Kentucky

Kentucky’s surprise run to the Final Four almost never happened, and it was all because of a crafty Princeton team that almost shocked Kentucky early. After missing 7 shots, Brandon Knight was relegated to the bench in the last minute until Calipari put him back in to hit one of the most exciting game-winners in recent memory. Scoreless for 39 minutes and 58 seconds, Brandon Knight hit a game-winning lay-up with 2 seconds remaining to send Kentucky to a “thank goodness we didn’t lose that” win over Princeton.

 

2011 Sweet 16 vs. Ohio State

62-60 Kentucky

Brandon Knight was once again the late game hero. Kentucky pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament in knocking out top-seeded Ohio State in the Sweet 16. Knight was once again a stone-cold killer in the final seconds, as he raced down the floor and hit a running mid-range jumper with 5 seconds to go to give Kentucky the dramatic win. It was the shot heard round the country as the tournament favorite Buckeyes were sent packing and Kentucky solidified itself as a legitimate threat to win the title.

 

2012 Final 4 vs. Louisville

69-61 Kentucky

This game wasn’t necessarily an all-time classic because it came down to a shot at the last second, or featured a monumental comeback… but it was so huge because of the stakes. Kentucky and Louisville, bitter rivals, squaring off against one another on one of the biggest stages in the Final 4. The tension leading up to the game was palpable and the excitement of a Final 4 game against a huge rival made the victory that much sweeter.

 

2014 Round of 32 vs. Wichita State

78-76 Kentucky

This game didn’t feature a last second 3-pointer or jump shot to win the game, but it was one of the best and most evenly contested college basketball games in recent memory. Both teams played high quality basketball and the game was a series of punches and counter-punches until the bitter end. Kentucky made crucial free throws down the stretch to seal the victory in one of the most high quality college basketball games of the year.

 

2014 Sweet 16 vs. Louisville

74-69 Kentucky

Kentucky trailed almost the entire game and things didn’t look too promising late when Luke Hancock buried 2 three pointers back-to-back on the way to a 7 point lead with a little over 4 minutes left to play. Kentucky closed the game on a 15-3 run led by a surprise and dominating spark from Alex Poythress that left the Card faithful in shock. The win was that much bigger because it was over the in-state rival and defending national champion Louisville Cardinals.

 

2014 Elite 8 vs. Michigan

75-72 Kentucky

Kentucky trailed early and appeared out of sync before Marcus Lee, a seldom-used freshman, came out of nowhere to give the Cats a lift in the absence of Willie Cauley-Stein. The game featured an incredible back and forth and contrast of styles– with Michigan relying upon 3-pointers and Kentucky relying upon its size down low. Aaron Harrison received his 4th foul late in the game with just under 5 minutes left to play, but still remained in the game to hit big shot after big shot. Aaron Harrison’s game winning, highly contested 3-pointer with just over 2 seconds left on the clock was a shot for the ages and the dagger Kentucky needed to march on to the Final Four.

 

 

How would you rank the games listed above? Would you add any to the list?

 

Here’s how I would rank them:

1) 1998 Duke

2) 2014 Michigan

3) 2011 Ohio State

4) 2014 Wichita State

5) 2014 Louisville

6) 2005 Michigan State

7) 2012 Louisville

8) 1998 Stanford

9) 1998 Utah

10) 2011 Princeton