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Kentucky Basketball to Host Reunion for 1996-98 Teams

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via IMAGN/USA Today (Photo by Jim Mone)

On February 18th, 2023, the UK Athletic Department will honor three of the most memorable teams in Kentucky men’s basketball history. The 1996, ’97, and ’98 seasons are considered the pinnacle of Kentucky basketball by some fans.

This three-year stretch may arguably be the greatest in all of college basketball, since the addition of the 3-point line. Three seasons, and three consecutive NCAA National Championship game appearances to bring home two national titles.

The celebration will start Friday, Feb. 17th, for players, coaches, and managers of these teams and will extend into Saturday’s game. Members of the historic teams will be recognized during the game as Kentucky takes on Tennessee at 1:00 pm ET.

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“The Untouchables”

The 1996 team earned the title as “the Untouchables” following 25 straight wins, including a 16-0 record in SEC play. The team was led by coach Rick Pitino and Kentucky basketball legends Tony Delk and Antoine Walker.

Delk averaged 17.8 points per game while Walker brought 15.2 ppg himself. The duo led the ’96 team to the national championship game where they defeated Syracuse, 76-67 to bring home Kentucky basketball’s sixth national title. Tony Delk drained seven 3-pointers to tie the record for most 3-pointers in a national championship game.

1997

The 1997 team was led by legends Ron Mercer and Derek Anderson. Mercer and Anderson averaged 18.1 and 17.7 points per game, respectively, for the reigning national champs. Pitino coached his team to a 35-5 record and a second straight appearance in the title game. Despite a dominate season, the Cats fell to Arizona 84-75 in overtime of the final game.

“Comeback Cats”

In his first season as head coach, Tubby Smith led the ’98 Wildcats to a 35-4 overall record, an SEC championship, and a third straight appearance in the national championship game.

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Senior guard Jeff Sheppard served as the team’s leading scorer at 13.7 points per game. All other starters averaged at least nine points a game to serve their opponents a balanced scoring attack.

The team earned the name “Comeback Cats” by overcoming a 10 point halftime deficit to defeat Utah, 78-69 to secure Kentucky’s seventh national title. Their second championship in three years.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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