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New Rupp Arena locker room will feature 2012 Final Four floor

As the Wildcats try to march to another Final Four, they will have a tangible reminder beneath their feet of their latest run.  John Calipari, with the help of Northwestern Mutual, announced Wednesday that parts of the 2012 Final Four floor – on which won its eighth national championship – will be used in UK's renovated locker room at . The new locker room is expected to be ready for the start of the 2012-13 season.  More than 3,000 square feet of the floor will be installed in the new locker room, including the entry area, the circular locker room and other areas. Calipari called the floor a central piece of the locker room area.  “We owe a big thanks to Northwestern Mutual for making this contribution happen,” Calipari said in a news release. “Adding the championship floor to Rupp Arena will further contribute to the magic surrounding this building and this program. It will not only enhance what will be the gold standard for locker rooms across the country, it will serve as a fitting tribute to a special team.”

 

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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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