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Billionaire Joe Craft at nexus of Kentucky basketball, coal and politics

Joe Craft Center - photo from uky.edu

Center – photo from uky.edu

By 7:45 a.m. Sept. 18, a crowd had gathered under the white tent between the Joe Craft Center and the new Wildcat Coal Lodge at the University of . Despite steady rain, the tent was filled with an assortment of movers, shakers and boosters, excited to see the unveiling of a statue of former Coach .

Joseph W. Craft III got out of his white Chevy Tahoe with a Friends of Coal license plate and made his way to the tent, greeting people with hellos and handshakes. He moved through the tent with little fanfare — a quiet conversation with Athletics Director , a handshake with Board of Trustees Chairman Britt Brockman — displaying the low-key assuredness of a billionaire coal operator who makes things happen.

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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