Rating the highest 5 video games of the Louisville-Kentucky basketball rivalry
Wish to understand how a lot the basketball rivalry between Louisville and Kentucky means to residents within the Bluegrass State?
In 2012, A 78-year-old man punched a 68-year-old man within the face whereas he was hooked as much as dialysis machine when an argument broke out at a clinic in Georgetown over whether or not the Cardinals or Wildcats would win their upcoming Remaining 4 matchup.
With lower than 80 miles separating U of L and UK, the faculties’ annual battle on the basketball court docket is one in every of, if not the, marquee occasion on the Kentucky sports activities calendar. The Kentucky Derby is the one worthy challenger, however one might argue the primary leg of horseracing’s Triple Crown lacks the hatred that makes Playing cards vs. Cats so particular. Followers on each side, particularly in Louisville, expertise that resentment every day, and no matter occurs on the hardwood fuels the fireplace for the subsequent twelve months.
From Chane Behanan’s last-minute dunk on Dec. 29, 2012, snapping U of L’s four-game dropping streak within the sequence to UK upending the Cardinals’ bid for back-to-back nationwide championships because of Aaron Harrison’s heroics in the 2014 Sweet Sixteen, there have been no scarcity of heart-stopping moments within the Battle of the Bluegrass. These video games are simply honorable mentions, nevertheless, when stacked towards the very best of the very best.
With Kentucky holding a 37-17 lead in the series, here is a take a look at the highest 5 video games between the fierce rivals all through the many years. Avert your eyes when crucial.
Playing cards vs. Cats:See the scores of every Louisville-Kentucky basketball game in history
No. 5: Patrick Sparks sinks game-winning free throws as controversy engulfs Freedom Corridor; Dec. 18, 2004
The ultimate rating: No. 9 Kentucky 60, No. 13 Louisville 58
Out of the entire rivalry video games Rick Pitino coached on the helm of the Wildcats and Cardinals, he stated watching from Louisville’s bench as Patrick Sparks secured victory on the free-throw line in 2004 “bothered me probably the most.”
“The one sport that bothered me probably the most was when (Patrick) Sparks traveled,” Pitino stated 12 years later throughout a radio look, according to The Lexington Herald-Leader. “That bothered me probably the most, and so they didn’t name it.”
Pitino and the Cardinals led 32-16 at halftime, however Sparks and the Wildcats rallied to tie the sport down the stretch. Louisville gained a 58-57 benefit when Larry O’Bannon knocked down a pair of free throws with 15.2 seconds remaining, and that is when issues went off the rails.
On Kentucky’s subsequent possession, Kelenna Azuibuike seemed to be going up for a last-second prayer however as a substitute dished the ball to Sparks within the nook. Pitino stated the Muhlenberg County native traveled after he gained possession, nevertheless it wasn’t known as. As an alternative, Sparks pump faked and launched a 3-pointer, drawing a foul towards Ellis Myles with 0.6 seconds on the clock within the course of. After a prolonged dialog amongst the officiating crew confirmed Sparks bought his shot off earlier than the buzzer, he went 3 for 3 on the line and turned what might have been a one-point loss right into a two-point win.
When you ever see Lucas Aulbach, one in every of The Courier Journal’s breaking information editors, out and about, ask him to let you know the story of witnessing “a minor fistfight” over the ending of this sport.
From the Wildcats’ perspective:Kentucky basketball’s top moments in rivalry with Louisville
No. 4: Edgar Sosa hits 25-foot dagger for Louisville victory in ultimate seconds; Jan. 4, 2009
The ultimate rating: No. 18 Louisville 74, Kentucky 71
5 years after Sparks pulled out a last-second victory for the Wildcats, U of L’s Edgar Sosa performed hero on the buzzer.
Sosa capped off an 18-point efficiency by hitting a 3-pointer from 25 ft out with 2.3 seconds left in regulation to provide the Cardinals back-to-back wins within the sequence. Louisville had squandered a 71-64 lead over the span of simply 15 seconds earlier than the New York Metropolis native shooed away teammates’ tried screens and drained what would change into the signature shot of his U of L profession over a leaping Michael Porter.
“I knew Sosa wasn’t going to move it,” former Kentucky head coach Billy Gillispie stated after the sport. “When you concentrate on your entire possession and also you get your selection of a 24-foot shot with no passes, you’re taking your possibilities.”
The last-second victory was a lot wanted for Louisville, which was tumbling down the nationwide top-25 polls after coming into the season No. 3 within the nation, and particularly for Sosa. Within the days main as much as the sport, Pitino reportedly recommended to the guard that he is perhaps higher off enjoying elsewhere.
“Many individuals might imagine that ‘Sosa do not bought it no extra’ or that freshman 12 months was only a fluke,” stated Sosa, who missed a game-tying 3 on the buzzer two years earlier towards Gillispie’s former staff, Texas A&M, because the Cardinals had been eradicated from the NCAA Event. “I do know what I can do.”
Ex-Cardinals:Edgar Sosa, Anas Mahmoud representing Louisville in NBA’s Basketball Africa League
No. 3: Kentucky’s Cedric Jenkins beats the buzzer to thwart Louisville rally; Dec. 12, 1987
The ultimate rating: No. 1 Kentucky 76, Louisville 75
The highest-ranked Wildcats had been 11 seconds away from dropping a sport they as soon as led by as many as 16 factors after a jumper from Pervis Ellison gave unranked U of L a 75-74 benefit at Rupp Area.
Cedric Jenkins had different plans.
Jenkins’ solely factors of the sport got here on a tip-in basket as time expired to provide Kentucky a one-point victory. Ed Davender missed the Wildcats’ first try at a game-winner with 4 seconds on the clock, and the ball bounced across the rim after Jenkins and Louisville’s Herb Cook dinner every bought a hand on it earlier than it fell again to the UK senior for the decisive bucket.
“The one factor I might consider once I noticed Ed’s shot was, ‘I hope it goes in,'” Jenkins stated after the sport. “When it did not, I knew I simply needed to crash the boards and attempt to get the ball in someway.”
U of L head coach Denny Crum had this to say concerning the sport’s ultimate moments: “If we get that rebound, everybody on the earth is aware of that Louisville upset the No. 1 staff within the nation. If the ball simply bounces to the opposite aspect, we get the rebound and win. Or had the sport been two seconds shorter, we’d have gained it.”
‘He may be an inspiration’:What Kenny Payne’s hire means to Louisville’s Black community
No. 2: Kentucky storms past Louisville in 2012 Final Four en route to eighth national championship; March 21, 2012
The final score: No. 1 Kentucky 69, No. 4 Louisville 61
The Battle of the Bluegrass hit its apex when the Cardinals and Wildcats met in The Big Easy for a second time during the 2011-2012 season with a spot in the national championship on the line.
The No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky held a 35-28 advantage at halftime and at one point led by as many as 13 during the second half. Then, Louisville’s Russ Smith and Peyton Siva fueled a 15-3 run that tied the game at 49 apiece with 9:12 to play in regulation.
UK answered with back-to-back buckets from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and went on an 11-2 run of its own. With that cushion, coach John Calipari and the Wildcats didn’t look back en route to an eight-point win and their first national championship berth since 1998.
Unlike previous installments of the rivalry, bad blood didn’t boil over in the Superdome. In fact, Pitino reportedly told Calipari during their postgame handshake that he would be rooting for Kentucky to bring home the title.
“To tell you the truth, I haven’t always liked some of the Kentucky teams. I’m not going to lie to you,” Pitino said. “But I really like this team a lot because of their attitude and the way they play.”
Sure enough, Calipari and the Wildcats secured the program’s eighth national championship with a 67-59 victory against Kansas two nights later. Taking down the Cardinals in the process turned out to be just icing on the cake.
Kentucky basketball recruiting:Will UK’s 2023 class be one of Calipari’s best in Lexington? These 5 set the standard
No. 1: The ‘Dream Sport’ resurrects Louisville-Kentucky rivalry; March 26, 1983
The ultimate rating: No. 1 Louisville 80, No. 3 Kentucky 68 (OT)
The Cardinals and Wildcats hadn’t performed in 24 years after they took the court docket for an Elite Eight matchup at Stokely Athletic Middle in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is unclear what the rivalry would appear to be as we speak in the event that they did not.
How had been people again within the Bluegrass State dealing with the high-stakes showdown? Louisville’s WHAS 840-AM started pregame protection for the 12:45 p.m. tipoff at 5 a.m., based on The Athletic. Former Gov. John Y. Brown famously donned a half-red, half-blue blazer to put on into the world.
The motion on the court docket lived as much as the “Dream Sport” billing, with Kentucky’s Jim Grasp sinking a 12-foot jumper on the buzzer to drive time beyond regulation with the groups tied at 62 apiece.
“That was magical,” Grasp advised The Athletic in 2019. “I want it was a 3-pointer at the present time, however that’s the way it went.”
From the Cardinals’ perspective:Louisville basketball’s top moments in rivalry with Kentucky
Reflecting on the “Dream Sport” in 2014, nevertheless, former UK coach Joe B. Hall advised The Courier Journal it was, “extra of a nightmare to us.” That is as a result of Louisville scored the primary 14 factors of time beyond regulation, gained the interval 18-6 and punched a ticket to its third Remaining 4 since profitable a nationwide championship in 1980.
“I feel it got here right down to: ‘Who needs this extra?'” former Louisville guard Robbie Valentine advised The Athletic. “No disrespect to UK followers, however, once more, you possibly can solely hear that so many occasions: ‘Louisville’s the little brother of Kentucky.’ We wished to do that for our followers. That’s what all of it about. It was one thing we needed to do. It’s simply the underside line. It needed to occur, it did occur.”
After the moment basic in Knoxville, U of L and UK renewed their regular-season sequence for the primary time since 1922 on Nov. 26, 1983. The remainder is historical past.
“I had at all times pushed for it,” former Louisville coach Denny Crum stated in 2014, “as a result of I assumed it will be good for basketball and good for our state. And it was. It has been.”
Attain recruiting and trending sports activities reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and observe him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.
Source link