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Julius Randle outshining Andrew Wiggins

The one freshman truly delivering on the hype is Kentucky’s frontcourt dynamo Julius Randle.

Julius Randle - photo by Tammie Brown | East KY Media

– photo by Tammie Brown | East KY Media

Last Tuesday was the kind of night that was so special it made Dick Vitale's infectious brand of enthusiastic analysis seem modest.

Three of the best freshmen we've seen in quite some time were on display and the trio — buoyed by the moment, rather than intimidated by it — delivered in a way that couldn't have been expected.

But early this season, the one freshman truly delivering on the hype is 's frontcourt dynamo Julius Randle. He won't turn 19 until after Thanksgiving, but the frosh from Dallas, Texas is already showing the type of talent to potentially unseat as the top prospect of 2014.

In his first game as a college player, Randle poured in 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in just 26 minutes of play. He was a bucket away from tying the Kentucky record for most points in a Wildcat debut and two rebounds away from the best-ever start on the glass.

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On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 28, 1992, in what many called the “best NCAA Tournament game ever,” Kentucky takes defending NCAA champion Duke into overtime before losing 104-103 in the East Regional finals in Philadelphia. A last-second shot by Christian Laettner sends Duke to the Final Four, and breaks the hearts of Wildcat fans everywhere. It is Cawood Ledford’s last game as the “Voice of the Wildcats.”

 

On March 28, 1998, against Stanford, Kentucky rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, then grabbed a 5-point overtime lead, before fending off the Cardinals to advance to the title game for the third straight season. Jeff Sheppard canned three long-range three-pointers - two in the final three minutes and one in overtime - en route to a career-high 27 points.

 

On March 28, 2014, unranked Kentucky beat No. 5 Louisville 74-69, in the 2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.  Aaron Harrison buried a three-pointer from the left corner with 39 seconds left that put UK ahead to stay before 41,072 in Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

On March 28, 2015, No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 Notre Dame, 68-66, in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.  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.

 

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