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Veteran Mays not shying away from leadership responsibilities

Julius Mays - photo by Walter Cornett | WildcatWorld.com

– photo by Walter Cornett | WildcatWorld.com

Following 's exhibition win over Northwood last week, Willie Cauley-Stein made the comment that the Wildcats were still trying to find a vocal leader. Players would speak up in spurts, but he believed the team was still in the process of uncovering a constant presence in that area.

Julius Mays might just be that guy.

“He's not afraid to be vocal,” head coach said. “He'll talk to the guys defensively on the court, where they should be, what they should have done.”

Mays was a key cog in the Wildcats' 74-28 victory over in their final exhibition. He scored 14 points and hit four 3-pointers, three of which came in a two-minute, 26-second stretch that saw extend its lead from a relatively tenuous 12 points to an unquestionably comfortable 25 points.

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On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 27, 1951, UK wins its third NCAA title, defeating Kansas State, 68-58, in the finals in Minneapolis.

 

On March 27, 1978, Jack “Goose” Givens scores 41 points as UK wins its fifth NCAA Championship, 94-88, over Duke in St. Louis.  Givens scored the last 16 points of the first half for Kentucky, bringing his first-half total up to 23 points. Givens poured in another 18 points in the second half.  Givens' helped lead the Wildcats to their first title in over 20 years.  More than 10,000 fans greet the team at Blue Grass Airport and 15,000 more celebrate at Memorial Coliseum

 

On March 27, 1993, Kentucky beat Florida State to advance to the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans. The victory completed a string of four games in which the Wildcats blitzed their Southeast Region opponents by an average of 31.0 points - the largest margin of victory by a team through four games en route to the Final Four.

 

On March 27, 2009, Billy Gillispie is fired as the Kentucky head basketball coach.

 

On March 27, 2011, freshman Brandon Knight scored 22 points and fourth-seeded Kentucky advanced to the Final Four for the first time since the 1998 title with a 76-69 win over second-seeded North Carolina in the East Regional final of the NCAA Tournament.  The last minute of the game became the DeAndre Liggins show, as he blocked a shot on defense, hit a game-winning three-pointer on offense, then blocked another shot on defense to seal the victory. He finished with 12 points..

 

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