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The challenge in evaluating Nerlens Noel

Nerlens Noel - photo by Walter Cornett | WildcatWorld.com

– photo by Walter Cornett | WildcatWorld.com

big man Nerlens Noel is roughly halfway through the biggest transition in his life. Going from high school to college is a tough task for just the average individual, but Noel is far from that.

From the moment after the Wildcats won the national championship last season, talk began about how great Noel was going to be for them this season. It was a formality that the core from last year's team would enter the NBA Draft, but Noel was billed as someone who could make the Wildcats viable threats to defend their crown.

That was something that Noel had no control over. He never wanted to be built up to be the next Anthony Davis. Davis was one of the best freshmen college basketball has ever seen. He dominated in a unique way that few players before him ever have, regardless of class. However, Noel was a dominant shotblocker at the high school level with a similar frame and equally impressive athleticism.

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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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