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Anthony Davis named Basketball Times Player of the Year

Anthony DavisFreshman earned National Player of the Year honors from the it was announced Wednesday afternoon.   Davis has enjoyed one of the most memorable freshman campaigns in national history. He averages a team-leading 14.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while helping lead the Wildcats to a 36-2 overall record, its second consecutive Final Four berth, an undefeated Southeastern Conference season and championship.   The Chicago native has logged 175 blocks which is the most in the history of the SEC. He's also been the driving force in that statistical category in helping the Wildcats break the NCAA all-time mark with a running total of 326 for the season. Davis is eight blocks shy of breaking the all-time NCAA mark for freshmen.   Davis owns freshman records for blocks and rebounds by a first-year player. He's posted 385 total rebounds, surpassing DeMarcus Cousins' freshman record set back in the 2009-10 season. Davis is also one double-double effort shy of breaking the freshman record of 20 set by Cousins during the same season.   Davis and the Wildcats will hit the floor in an NCAA semifinal matchup with Louisville at 6:09 p.m. ET on Saturday.

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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