Looking Back at Rupp Arena's Previous Top-Five Matchups

This Saturday Rupp Arena will be the setting for a matchup between college basketball’s two winningest programs, Kentucky and Kansas. It is only fitting that both teams are currently ranked in the top five of the Associated Press Poll. As a result, it will be just the seventh time since Rupp Arena opened in the 1976-1977 season that Kentucky will face a nonconference opponent at home when both teams are ranked in the top five of the AP Poll. Even more impressively, the Wildcats have a perfect 6-0 record in the previous matchups. Here’s a look back at each of those historical games.

• The buildup: Kentucky had a 6-1 record entering the game, losing its season opener to No. 3 Duke. Indiana was 4-0 on the season, with Bobby Knight winning seven of the previous 10 meetings against the Wildcats as head coach of the Hoosiers. This was the first time in school history that Kentucky played a home game against a team ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll.

• The game: Kentucky, trailing Indiana by as many as 13 points in the first half, fought back to within three points at halftime. Indiana suffered a setback when freshman guard Isiah Thomas fouled out of the game with 6:43 remaining in the contest. The Wildcats forced the Hoosiers to shoot just 25.9 percent from the field in the second half to fuel their comeback victory, 69-58. Senior point guard Kyle Macy led the Wildcats in scoring with 12 points.

• The aftermath: Kentucky had a 22-5 record in its remaining games of the 1979-1980 season, finishing up with a 29-6 record overall and a No. 4 ranking in the final AP Poll. The Wildcats were SEC regular-season champions and reached the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Indiana finished their season with a 21-8 record, ranked No. 7 in the final AP Poll, and reached the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

• The buildup: Kentucky had a 2-0 record entering the game, including a road win over Notre Dame. Villanova entered the game with a 1-0 record, defeating Colgate in its season opener. This was the first meeting between the two schools since the 1949-1950 season.

• The game: In a battle of Wildcats, it was Villanova that jumped out to an early 9-8 lead, but it was the last lead that they would have. Kentucky, switching its defense from a man-to-man to a 2-3 zone, stifled Villanova the rest of the first half, and raced out to a commanding 13-point lead at halftime, 48-35. Kentucky’s lead grew to 15 points in the second half before Villanova mounted a furious rally, cutting the lead to just four points with 1:28 remaining in the contest. Kentucky outscored Villanova 12-2 in the final 1:28 to win going away, 93-79. Kentucky was aided on offense by hot shooting, making 63.6 percent of its field-goal attempts. Senior guard Dirk Minniefield set a then-school record, dishing out 14 assists. Another senior, forward Derrick Hord, led the team in scoring with 26 points.

• The aftermath: Kentucky had a 20-8 record in its remaining games of the 1982-1983 season, finishing up with a 23-8 record overall and ranked No. 12 in the final AP Poll. The Wildcats were SEC regular-season champions and reached the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament. Villanova finished their season with a 24-8 record, ranked No. 13 in the final AP Poll, and reached the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament.

• The buildup: Kentucky had a 13-2 record entering the game, including three wins over ranked opponents (No. 6 Louisville, No. 9 LSU, and No. 18 Purdue). Houston, coming off of a national-championship game appearance in the previous season, entered the game with a 16-2 record. This was the first meeting between the two schools since the 1956-1957 season. As if the game needed any more hype, it was held on Super Bowl Sunday.

• The game: Houston delivered the first punch, racing out to a quick 11-1 lead over Kentucky. Despite committing 18 first-half turnovers due to the Cougars’ pressure defense, the Wildcats managed to head into halftime with a four-point advantage, 35-31. As a result of Houston’s physical play on defense, four starters fouled out of the game, including superstar center Akeem Olajuwon with 6:14 left in the game. The Cougars cut Kentucky’s lead to just three points with 1:55 remaining, but the Wildcats scored the game’s final four points and won, 74-67. Sophomore forward Kenny Walker led the Wildcats in scoring with 20 points, while Sam Bowie crashed the glass, pulling down 18 rebounds.

• The aftermath: Kentucky had a 15-3 record in their remaining games of the 1983-1984 season, finishing up with a 29-5 record overall and ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll. The Wildcats were SEC regular-season and tournament champions and reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. Houston finished their season with a 32-5 record, ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll, and reached the national-championship game yet again.

• The buildup: Kentucky, the defending national champion, had an 8-1 record entering the game, including wins over three ranked opponents (No. 7 Kansas, No. 10 UCLA, and No. 11 Indiana). Maryland entered the game with a perfect 10-0 record. Kentucky had won the last three meetings against Maryland, dating back to the 1958-1959 season.

• The game: Kentucky dominated for most of the game, racing out to a commanding 13-point lead at halftime, 54-41. The lead grew to 17 points, 67-50, early in the second half. But the Terrapins didn’t back down, cutting Kentucky’s lead to just four points, 93-89, with 52 seconds remaining in the game. The Wildcats were clutch in the final minute though, making nine of their final 10 free-throw attempts, to pull away with the victory, 103-91. Kentucky shot 54.2 percent from the field, including making nine 3-point field goals and 30 free throws, to contribute to offensive explosion. The senior trio of Heshimu Evans, Scott Padgett, and Wayne Turner stole the show for the Wildcats. Evans scored a career-high 31 points, Padgett recorded a double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds, and Turner chipped in 17 points and seven assists. 

• The aftermath: Kentucky had a 19-8 record in their remaining games of the 1998-1999 season, finishing up with a 28-9 record overall and ranked No. 8 in the final AP Poll. The Wildcats were SEC Tournament champions and reached the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament. Maryland finished their season with a 28-6 record, ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll, and reached the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

• The buildup: Kentucky, reaching the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in the previous season, had a perfect 7-0 record entering the game, including a win over No. 12 Kansas. North Carolina entered the game with a 6-1 record, defeating No. 9 Wisconsin in its previous game. The two teams met in the NCAA Tournament regional finals in the previous season, with the Wildcats coming away victorious.

• The game: North Carolina had control of the game for most of the first half, building a lead as big as nine points, before heading into halftime with a five-point lead, 43-38. Late in the second half Kentucky went on a 13-4 run for its largest lead of the game, five points, with 3:47 remaining in the contest. The Tar Heels answered back, cutting the Wildcats’ lead to just one point after a 3-point field goal with 49 seconds left. The play of the game happened when freshman sensation Anthony Davis blocked John Henson’s potential game-winning shot with five seconds left, securing the 73-72 victory for the Wildcats. Another freshman, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, recorded a double-double, leading Kentucky in both points (17) and rebounds (11). 

• The aftermath: Kentucky had a 30-2 record in its remaining games of the 2011-2012 season, finishing up with a 38-2 record overall and ranked No. 1 in the final AP Poll. The Wildcats were SEC regular-season champions, with a perfect 16-0 record, and went on to defeat Kansas in the NCAA Tournament national-championship game. North Carolina finished the season with a 32-6 record, ranked No. 4 in the final AP Poll, and reached the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament.

• The buildup: Kentucky, a Final Four participant in the previous season, had a 12-1 record entering the game, including wins over No. 5 North Carolina and No. 12 Kansas. Louisville entered the game with a 12-1 record, including a win over No. 20 Vanderbilt. For the first time in the storied history of the intrastate rivalry, both schools were ranked in the top five of the AP Poll entering the game.

• The game: Louisville scored the game’s first points, 14 seconds into the contest, and never had the lead the rest of the game. Kentucky’s lead grew to as many as 15 points, 31-16, with 5:09 remaining in the first half. The Cardinals mounted a comeback in the final minutes of the half, cutting the Wildcats’ lead to just three points heading into halftime, 36-33. Louisville was able to claw back, tying the game at 40 with 15:20 left in the game. Kentucky then pulled away, building the lead to as many as 13 points in the second half, as the Wildcats defeated their rivals, 69-62. The Wildcats overcame a poor shooting performance, making just 29.8-percent of their field goal attempts, by making 32 free-throw attempts. Kentucky’s defense was superb, limiting Louisville to make 32.3 percent of their field-goal attempts. Kentucky was led by their star freshman duo, Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist. Davis recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with six blocks. Kidd-Gilchrist had arguably his best game in a Kentucky uniform, recording career highs in both points (24) and rebounds (19). 

• The aftermath: Kentucky had a 25-1 record in its remaining games of the 2011-2012 season, finishing up with a 38-2 record overall and ranked No. 1 in the final AP Poll. The Wildcats were SEC regular-season champions, with a perfect 16-0 record, and went on to defeat Kansas in the NCAA Tournament national championship game. Prior to the national championship game, the Wildcats played the Cardinals yet again in the national semifinals, with Kentucky being victorious once more, 69-61. Louisville finished the season with a 30-10 record, ranked No. 17 in the final AP Poll.