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Comparing NCAA bubble teams, Kentucky Wildcats resume still stacks up

Has everyone overreacted just a bit in the immediate aftermath of the Kentucky Wildcats loss to the Commodores?

Kentucky Mascots - photo by Walter Cornett | WildcatWorld.com

Wildcats Dancing? – photo by Walter Cornett | WildcatWorld.com

At this do-or-die time of the year, it seems like every game takes on a greater importance the closer and closer we get to Selection Sunday.  That's why Kentucky's 64-48 loss to on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament seems to have hurt the Wildcats so much. At such at a critical time of the year, it wasn't the greatest timing to lose their second game to a team outside the RPI top 100.

“It was in our hands to take it out of everybody's hands and we didn't take care of business,” John Calipari said Friday.

As true as that statement is – was essentially a lock for the Tournament with a win over Vanderbilt – perhaps everyone overreacted just a bit in the immediate aftermath of the loss to the Commodores.

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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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