Mark Story: Ranking John Calipari’s 10 most thrilling wins at Kentucky
Kentucky’s unexpected run through the 2014 NCAA Tournament did not produce the ending Wildcats backers desired.
Yet even allowing for the disappointment of UK’s 60-54 loss to Connecticut in the national title game, the 2014 NCAA Tournament might have been the most exciting ride on which a Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team ever took the Big Blue Nation.
Fueled by an upset victory over undefeated Wichita State in an all-time classic, plus three last-minute Aaron Harrison game winners, the 2014 NCAA tourney alone supplied four of the 10 victories voted the most thrilling of the first 10 years of the John Calipari coaching era (2009-2019). Here’s a look at Calipari’s top 10.
___
1. Kentucky 67, Kansas 59 (April 2, 2012) – Doron Lamb’s 22 points, Anthony Davis’ all-around brilliance (16 rebounds, six blocked shots, five assists, three steals) and a crucial late-game blocked shot from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist gave John Calipari his sole national title to date before 70,913 fans in New Orleans.
2. Kentucky 78, Wichita State 76 (March 23, 2014) – Wichita State was 35-0 and a legitimate threat to win the NCAA championship. After an underachieving regular season, Kentucky was 25-10. Yet “growing up” when it mattered most, UK freshmen Andrew Harrison (20 points), Aaron Harrison (19), Julius Randle (13 and 10 rebounds) and James Young (13, the go-ahead trey inside the 1:30 mark) shocked the Shockers before 19,676 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
3. Kentucky 74, Wisconsin 73 (April 5, 2014) – Kentucky freshman guard Aaron Harrison buried a contested 3-pointer from the deep left wing with 5.7 seconds left – his third straight NCAA Tournament game winner – to send UK to the NCAA finals before 79,444 in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
4. Kentucky 68, Notre Dame 66 (March 28, 2015) – With its 37-0 record on the line, Kentucky trailed Notre Dame 59-53 with 6:14 left. UK rallied in front of 19,464 fans in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and preserved its perfect season thanks to a crucial blocked shot by Willie Cauley-Stein and two game-deciding free throws from Andrew Harrison in the final seconds.
5. Kentucky 62, Ohio State 60 (March 25, 2011) – Brandon Knight’s pull-up jumper over Aaron Craft with 5.4 seconds left allowed UK to oust the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed in front of 18,343 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
6. Kentucky 73, North Carolina 72 (Dec. 3, 2011) – Kentucky freshman big man Anthony Davis blocked North Carolina forward John Henson’s 10-foot jumper with around five seconds left in the game to secure a UK victory before 24,398 in Rupp Arena.
7. Kentucky 69, Louisville 61 (March 31, 2012) – In the first Final Four meeting ever between UK and U of L, Anthony Davis had 18 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Wildcats ended a Cinderella Final Four run for their intrastate rival in front of 73,361 at the Superdome in New Orleans.
8. Kentucky 75, Michigan 72 (March 30, 2014) – Aaron Harrison sent Kentucky to the Final Four by draining a contested trey from the deep left wing to break a 72-72 tie with 2.3 seconds left before 35,551 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
9. Kentucky 74, Louisville 69 (March 28, 2014) – In the second UK vs. U of L NCAA Tournament game in three seasons, Aaron Harrison buried a 3-pointer from the left corner with 39 seconds left that put UK ahead to stay before 41,072 in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
10. Kentucky 103, North Carolina 100 (Dec. 17, 2016) – In a scintillating display of high-tempo basketball, Malik Monk scored a UK freshman record 47 points and hit the go-ahead 3-point shot with 16.7 seconds left to beat UNC before 19,298 in the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas.
Other wins receiving votes: Kentucky 75, Mississippi State 74 (OT), 2010 SEC Tournament finals; Kentucky 76, North Carolina 69, 2011 NCAA Tournament East Region finals; Kentucky 93, West Virginia 76, 2017-18 regular season; Kentucky 72, Kansas 40, 2014-15 regular season; Kentucky 83, UCLA 44, 2014-15 regular season; Kentucky 85, UCLA 75, 2017 NCAA Tournament round of 16; Kentucky 78, West Virginia 39, 2015 NCAA Tournament round of 16; Kentucky 86, Tennessee 69, 2018-19 regular season; Kentucky 59, Princeton 57, 2011 NCAA Tournament round of 64.
Visit the Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.) at www.kentucky.com
Kentucky head coach John Calipari and university president Eli Capilouto with the championship trophy after a 67-59 win against Kansas in the NCAA Tournament finals at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on April 2, 2012. (Mark Cornelison/Lexington Herald-Leader/TNS)
