This Week in Kentucky Basketball History: Prince's 3-Point Barrage Edition
On Tuesdays throughout the 2015-2016 season we will take a trip down memory lane and look back at past great plays, players and games associated with University of Kentucky men’s basketball for that given week. So be sure to check back with us each and every Tuesday to relive the moments that make the winningest Division I men’s basketball program so special.
Dec. 6
• 1976: No. 5 Kentucky raced out to a convincing 17-point lead at halftime on the road against No. 4 Indiana and cruised in the second half for a 66-51 victory over the defending national champions. The Wildcats won easily despite having a minus-12 rebounding margin. Kentucky was led in scoring by a couple of 20-point performers, Larry Johnson and Jay Shidler.
• 1980: No. 2 Kentucky had a slim four-point lead at halftime against No. 5 Indiana in Bloomington, Ind., and held on in the second half for a narrow 68-66 victory over the eventual national champions. The Wildcats defeated the Hoosiers even with Indiana shooting an impressive 53.1 percent from the field. Kentucky was led on offense with a couple of 14-point scorers, Sam Bowie and Fred Cowan.
• 2005: No. 15 Kentucky struggled with Georgia State, only up six points at the half, but the Wildcats outscored the Panthers 43-22 in the second half for the 73-46 win. It was center Shagari Alleyne who stole the show for Kentucky. The little-used big man ended up scoring a career high 16 points, 11.6 percent of his career scoring total as a Wildcat, in the game.
Dec. 7
• 1957: The Kentucky Wildcats and the Temple Owls battled it out in a classic where 40 minutes just wasn’t enough to decide a winner. With the final seconds ticking down at the end of regulation, and the Wildcats trailing 65-63, Kentucky’s Vernon Hatton put up a desperation shot from 47 feet away and the prayer was answered as his buzzer-beater sent the game into overtime. But, five extra minutes still couldn’t decide a winner. In fact, not even 10 could do the trick. Kentucky tied a school record, playing three overtimes, as the Wildcats finally outscored Temple 10-8 in the final extra period for a thrilling 85-83 victory. Johnny Cox led the Wildcats in scoring with 22 points, but it was Vernon Hatton’s buzzer-beater in regulation and his final six points of the third overtime that provided the difference.
• 1985: No. 9 Kentucky and No. 19 Indiana were deadlocked at 32 at halftime in Rupp Arena in a battle of ranked border rivals. The Wildcats outscored the Hoosiers 31-26 in the second half to secure the 63-58 victory for Kentucky. Ed Davender led the Wildcats in scoring with 22 points, and Roger Harden displayed some unselfish play, leading the team with 11 assists.
• 1991: No. 14 Kentucky, with a modest six-point lead at halftime over No. 9 Indiana, held on in the final 20 minutes of the game to secure the 76-74 upset win over the Hoosiers at the Hoosier Dome. The Wildcats won despite Indiana hitting 30 shots from the charity stripe. Kentucky had three players score in double figures, led by Jamal Mashburn’s 21 points.
• 1996: No. 6 Kentucky had one of its most dominating performances in a top-10 matchup in the school’s storied history. The Wildcats overwhelmed No. 8 Indiana in the first 20 minutes, outscoring the Hoosiers 55-31, and the lead grew even more in the second half in Kentucky’s thorough 99-65 beatdown over its border rival. Sophomore sensation Ron Mercer chipped in 26 points, but it was Derek Anderson tying his career high with 30 points that stole the show. It also didn’t hurt that the Wildcats’ pressure defense forced Indiana into 28 turnovers.
• 2002: No. 18 Kentucky couldn’t quite keep up with No. 12 North Carolina in the first half, trailing the Tar Heels 43-40 at halftime. But the Wildcats turned it around in the final 20 minutes, outscoring North Carolina 58-38 in the second half, to ease into a 98-81 win in a battle of top-25 teams. Kentucky’s performance was aided by hot shooting, 60.3 percent from the field. The Wildcats were led on offense by a trio of 20-point scorers: Gerald Fitch (25), Keith Bogans (20), and Marquis Estill (20).
Dec. 8
• 1969: No. 2 Kentucky used an efficient day at the charity stripe, successfully making 24-of-27 free-throws, to help in a 94-87 victory over No. 7 North Carolina in a top-10 battle in Charlotte. Senior star Dan Issel tied his then-career high with 41 points and pulled down 15 rebounds to lead the Wildcats. Current UK Radio Network analyst Mike Pratt had a double-double as well, with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
• 1981: No. 2 Kentucky dominated No. 10 Indiana in the first half, outscoring the Hoosiers 47-25, and never looked back in their 85-69 win in a Top-10 matchup at Rupp Arena. The Wildcats had five players score in double figures, led by Dirk Minniefield’s 22 points. Kentucky was also aided by Melvin Turpin’s double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
• 1992: No. 3 Kentucky, trailing intrastate foe Eastern Kentucky 37-35 at halftime, came back in the second half to defeat the Colonels 82-73. It was junior Jamal Mashburn who had the best individual performance of his collegiate career on this day, setting career highs in both points (38) and rebounds (19).
• 1998: No. 5 Kentucky was inept on offense in the first half, resulting in only 21 points against No. 11 Indiana at Freedom Hall. Even so, the Wildcats were still leading by five points at halftime. The Hoosiers came back to force overtime, where the Wildcats almost matched their first half scoring total, scoring 19 points in the extra period to defeat Indiana 70-61. Kentucky had three players score in double figures, led by Heshimu Evans’ 22 points.
• 2001: No. 11 Kentucky had no problem with unranked North Carolina, defeating the Tar Heels 79-59 in Rupp Arena. But it was what senior Tayshaun Prince did in the game’s first few minutes that elevated him to legend status. Prince scored Kentucky’s first 15 points of the game, but it was how he did so that made it that much more remarkable. Prince made five consecutive three-point field goals in consecutive possessions for the Wildcats, but he saved the best for last. On his fifth consecutive made 3-point field goal, Prince pulled up from just inside the halfcourt logo to bring the Rupp Arena crowd into a standing ovation. With that performance, he tied his then-career high with 31 points.
• 2010: No. 17 Kentucky and No. 23 Notre Dame battled to a halftime tie, 40-40, but it was the Wildcats who came out on top at the end of regulation, 72-58. Freshman sensation Terrence Jones had a monster performance for Kentucky, recording a double-double with 27 points and 17 rebounds.
Dec. 9
• 1974: No. 15 Kentucky took a four-point lead into halftime against No. 9 North Carolina and extended their lead in the second half, upsetting the Tar Heels 90-78. The Wildcats had four players score in double figures, led by Jimmy Dan Conner’s career-high 35 points.
• 1978: No. 10 Kentucky seemed destined for a loss against the No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks at Rupp Arena, trailing 66-60 with just 31 seconds left in overtime. But the Wildcats pulled off one of their most improbable comebacks in school history. A Dwight Anderson steal of a Kansas inbound pass led to a Kyle Macy jumper that tied the game at 66 with just three seconds left. Then, the Jayhawks inexplicably called a timeout that they didn’t have, resulting in Kyle Macy hitting the game-winning technical foul free-throw, upsetting Kansas 67-66 in an overtime thriller. Macy led the Wildcats in scoring with 15 points.
• 1995: No. 5 Kentucky, trailing No. 16 Georgia Tech by three points at halftime, outscored the Yellow Jackets 45-19 in the second half to pull away with an 83-60 victory at Rupp Arena. The Wildcats used their pressure defense to stifle the Yellow Jackets, resulting in 22 turnovers and just 35.2-percent shooting from the field from the opposition. Kentucky had five players score in double figures, led by Antoine Walker’s 16 points.
• 2009: No. 4 Kentucky, trailing No. 14 Connecticut by six points at the half, came back in the second half to outscore the Huskies 41-32 to secure the 64-61 victory for the Wildcats at Madison Square Garden in the SEC/Big East Invitational. Freshman center DeMarcus Cousins recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, but it was another freshman that led the Wildcats to victory. Frosh point guard John Wall set a career high, scoring 25 points, and chipped in on defense with six steals, to pace Kentucky.
Dec. 10
• 1977: No. 1 Kentucky held No. 19 Kansas to just 38.9-percent shooting from the field in the Wildcats’ 73-66 win over the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Three players scored in double figures for Kentucky, led by Kyle Macy’s 15 points.
• 2014: No. 1 Kentucky was sluggish to start the game, trailing unranked Columbia by as many as 11 points in the first half, and trailed the Lions by two points at the half in Rupp Arena. But the Wildcats woke up in the second half, outscoring Columbia 33-21 in the final 20 minutes, to secure the 56-46 victory. Kentucky’s defense held the Lions to just 37.5-percent shooting from the field. The Wildcats also took great care of the ball, committing just four turnovers the entire game. Aaron Harrison led the team in scoring with 14 points, while Willie Cauley-Stein recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Dec. 11
• 1958: No. 2 Kentucky, clinging to just a two point lead over No. 18 SMU at halftime, outscored the Mustangs 39-29 in the second half to secure the 72-60 for the Wildcats at Memorial Coliseum. Kentucky won the game by double-digits despite shooting just 37 percent from the field. Bill Lickert led the Wildcats in scoring with 23 points, while Johnny Cox had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Dec. 12
• 1970: No. 5 Kentucky watched a six-point lead at halftime against No. 11 Indiana slip away as the Hoosiers forced overtime, with the game tied at 80 at the end of regulation. But it was forward Tom Parker who provided the difference for the Wildcats in the extra period, scoring nine of Kentucky’s 15 points, to secure a 95-93 overtime victory over the Hoosiers in a battle of ranked border rivals. Parker’s 24 points paced the Wildcats in scoring, with four other players scoring in double figures.
• 1987: No. 1 Kentucky had a convincing 45-32 lead at halftime over intrastate rival Louisville at halftime at Rupp Arena, but the Cardinals battled all the way back to take a 75-74 lead over the Wildcats late in the game. Kentucky had the ball with 11 seconds left in the game, and Ed Davender took the inbound pass and drove toward the basket for a jumper and missed with four seconds left. But it was Cedric Jenkins who came to the rescue, tipping in the miss for his only made basket of the game, to give the Wildcats the thrilling 76-75 win over their hated rivals. Rex Chapman led Kentucky in scoring with 21 points.
• 1992: No. 3 Kentucky had a comfortable eight point lead against No. 9 Louisville at the half, but blew the game wide open in the second half, outscoring the Cardinals 40-28 for a 88-68 victory over their intrastate rival. The Cardinals didn’t help themselves from the charity stripe, making just 16 of their 36 free-throw attempts. The Wildcats were led on offense by three players scoring in double figures, including Jamal Mashburn’s 27 points.
• 1998: No. 5 Kentucky used a hot shooting performance, 54.2 percent from the field, to upset No. 2 Maryland 103-91 in a high-scoring affair at Rupp Arena. It was the experienced veterans for the Wildcats that propelled them to victory, with the senior trio of Heshimu Evans, Scott Padgett, and Wayne Turner combining to score 73 of the team’s points. Leading that trio was Heshimu Evans, who poured in a career-high 31 points.
