Notebook: Tradition of UK-UCLA Unmatched

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – UK-UCLA: Six letters that, when it comes to college basketball, just seem to flow.

John Calipari had that in mind when planning the CBS Sports Classic.

“Well, they were one of the first teams I called when we were trying to put together the CBS Classic,” Coach Cal said.

It made too much sense, even though the two legendary programs had played only 10 times prior.

“Also, the history of both programs, you know, they deserved to play against each other,” Calipari said. “It’s not about proximity, you’re talking about two programs that have the most national championships, the most wins; I would imagine NCAA appearances. I can go on and on and on.”

Out of that neutral-site event came a two-year home-and-home series that first sent the Wildcats westward to Westwood and then UCLA east to the Bluegrass.

“The Kentucky fan base to have a UCLA coming into Rupp, and for our fan base at UCLA in Westwood to have a team like Kentucky coming into Pauley Pavilion,” UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. “So it just seemed like a great matchup of two bluebloods that have had tradition like no other, long before I was at UCLA or even Cal was at Kentucky.”

In the originally scheduled CBS Sports Classic game, the UK team that started the season 38-0 obliterated UCLA, 83-44, after racing out to a 24-0 lead. UCLA got its vengeance in the two home-and-home games with an 87-77 victory in 2016 and a 97-92 win this year.

Now, for the third time, the two bluebloods will face off in the NCAA Tournament. The first two times – the Sweet 16 in 1998 and the national championship game in 1975 – the winner won the national championship.

For all parties involved, this game isn’t about the past. It’s about the stakes right now.

“Both of the programs fought hard to get here and now we’re going up against each other,” Bam Adebayo said. “We just gotta play hard and see what happens.”

One weekend of the NCAA Tournament is now complete and 16 teams remain, but if you flip on a TV you’re likely to see the focus shift toward Memphis, Tennessee.

Of the four regionals – Memphis, New York, Kansas City and Sacramento, California – it is here at FedExForum that most of the attention has been focused. With teams like Kentucky, UCLA, North Carolina and Butler remaining in the South Regional, it’s easy to understand why.

“The glamour names are there, yes. I think that’s probably a little bit different,” North Carolina head coach Roy Williams said. “I’ve been in to regionals before, I think, where we’d have 1, 2, 3, and 4 (seeds). I’ve been in the Final Fours where we had three 1s, so I’ve seen that.

“But as you say there, with the names that are here with North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA, the number of championships, the number of wins, does make it a little unusual, but I happen to think right now Butler is better than any of them, and that’s the team we’re getting ready to play. But it’s pretty impressive.”

North Carolina, the No. 1 seed in the South Region, is tied for third with five national championship victories and is the sport’s reigning national runner-up. Butler has one of the game’s great home arenas in Hinkle Fieldhouse and competed in the national championship game in both 2010 and 2011.

In UCLA and Kentucky, fans will be watching college basketball’s two national championship leaders with a combined 19 titles. The programs boast two of the sport’s all-time great coaches in John Wooden and Adolph Rupp, and is the most highly anticipated matchup in the Sweet 16, even by opposing coaches.

“Butler, as I said, they’ve played us twice in the last five years and beaten us both times, so they’ve got my attention to say the least,” Williams said. “Now, if you’re talking about just watching a game as a fan, darned right I’d like to watch that game (UCLA-Kentucky).”

This weekend, Malik Monk can almost see his home state from his hotel room.

His native Lepanto, Arkansas, is just across the Mississippi River and about a 45-minute drive from Memphis, Tennessee, where UK is playing the South Regional.

In other words, he’s in familiar territory.

“I had AAU tournaments here,” Monk said. “I used to come here and go to the mall. The Nike factory is here. I used to come here all the time.”

Not surprisingly, Monk will have a large cheering section in FedExForum.

“It’s great,” Monk said on Thursday. “I have a lot of family here. I think I have of family out there right now to watch open practice, so I’m just trying to play the best I can.”

All Monk’s fans will be cheering for a breakout after the freshman guard’s shooting struggles over the past three weeks. Monk has made just 5-of-26 3s over his last six games to cause his percentage on the season to dip to 0.393.

With a marquee matchup in the Sweet 16 upcoming, his teammates know that could end at any moment.

“He did it in big games, so this might not be any different,” De’Aaron Fox said.

When the NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed on March 12 with Kentucky as the No. 2 seed in the South Region played in Memphis, Tennessee, attention quickly shifted to Coach Cal and the city he used to call home.

Kentucky, of course, had to win two games for that reunion to come to fruition, but after UK dispatched 15th-seeded Northern Kentucky and No. 10 Wichita State in the opening two rounds, here it is.

Immediately upon arriving Wednesday evening, Coach Cal, his wife, Ellen, and the Wildcats got together with more than 100 guests for a dinner that featured many laughs and shared stories. On Thursday morning, Coach Cal visited Gibson’s Donuts, a place he frequented when he was the head coach of the Memphis Tigers from 2001-09.

“I understand some people were upset that I left. I get that,” Calipari said Thursday. “I mean, and I accept that. It doesn’t bother me. I know last night we had a couple hundred people in that room, and close to tears, all of us, because we enjoyed the ride together. You know, it’s kind of special to be back. Been back many times, many, many times, but this is the first time coaching in this building since I left.”

Calipari led Memphis back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 2006-07 before breaking through and reaching the national championship game, where the Tigers were seconds away from winning the title. 

When the Wildcats take on the Bruins Friday, Coach Cal will be putting a 15-game FedExForum winning streak on the line.

“I think we did all right here,” Calipari said. “Had some good times.”