We always remember our March successes or failures but we don't talk a lot about regular season over-achievers. Going back to the late '70's when I started following UK basketball this regular season ranks in my Top 5 as exceeding what I thought would happen. I don't if I can put them in any particular order.
2024-25- No returning players. One recruit. Total rebuild from nothing. Pre-season #23 ranking based 100% off of blue blood status. Bring in players that would be considered "Good" to "Fair" but no one considered a second round, let alone first round lock. Proceed to to be tied for most all-time wins in a regular season of any college team EVER against Top-15 opponents with a couple of "how did we lose to them losses?" All the while trying to work around more injuries than I can ever remember. Regardless of what happens next, this will be a year I think we'll remember with happy nostalgia for years.
2002-03- Tubby wins it all with "Rick's team" in 1998 but this team was all his and finally ended with a bad Bogans ankle and a terrible f-king charge call on Antwain Barbour. Pre-season #17, finished #1. An exhibition loss to Athletes in Action, 3 losses in November-December and a couple of games into SEC play, winning but barely, we go into Vandy. Play a bad half, and then something happens at halftime. What comes out in the second half is like when Superman crushes Zod's hand in Superman 2 and for the next two months is a march of terror through the South not seen since the 1860's. Finish undefeated in SEC with just smothering defense.
1985-86- Sutton's first season. Expectations are hopeful but not huge. Beat eventual champion Louisville, 17-1 in the SEC. Screwed by NCAA putting us in a region where we had to play two SEC opponents for the FOURTH TIME each and after going 4-0 against Alabama, we can't beat LSU the 4th time and lose by two in Elite Eight.
1989-90- Pitino's first season. Darkness before the dawn. The aftermath of NCAA penalties was a program left to die. No postseason for the next two years, no live TV that year. Not a single big recruit and not a single player returning who wasn't a scrub from a team that had just had the first losing season in almost 75 years The Atlanta Journal Constitution preseason basketball predicted UK to win exactly two games. Cats Pause predicted about six wins and I think Cawood optimistically said he could us playing above our heads and maybe winning as many as eight games. Five guys from Kentucky decided to save the program. Derrick Miller, Reggie Hanson, John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus, Richie Farmer were helped by an Indianan.Sean Woods, a freshman Texan Jeff Brassow (who dreamed of playing at UK) and JUCO transfer named Junior Braddy. Pressing every defensive possession and shooting more threes than anyone thought possible they finished 14-14, 10-8 in the SEC and a win against a Top 10 LSU team that had Shaquille O'Neal and Chris Jackson (Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf).
1990-91 Pitino's second seasons are now becoming known for being special but this wasn't a thing just yet. No postseason as part of the NCAA penalties but back on live TV again after a year without and having to watch everything after the late news on tape delay. Reinforcements are arriving at forward with a highly rated Miami kid named Gimel Martinez and New York's HS Player of the Year, Jamal Mashburn. Kentucky is expected to be better but not by much and there are questions about whether UK can replace Derrick Miller's 3-point shooting and scoring. The Cats blowout Kansas to avenge last season's 55-point loss, take care of ranked rival Louisville, lose by 3 in a final minute screw job in Chapel Hill, and go on to win the SEC outright but the SEC shows what a POS conference it is by announcing that Kentucky cannot call itself "SEC Champions" because we are still not eligible for postseason yet. Kentucky ends the season with a parade through downtown Lexington wearing and selling shirts that say "Kentucky, 1st Place SEC". The reckoning for the rest of the SEC and college basketball is clearly on the horizon from this moment on.
That's my five. Sorry if it's long winded, I just think a lot about these things. Love to know everybody else's.
2024-25- No returning players. One recruit. Total rebuild from nothing. Pre-season #23 ranking based 100% off of blue blood status. Bring in players that would be considered "Good" to "Fair" but no one considered a second round, let alone first round lock. Proceed to to be tied for most all-time wins in a regular season of any college team EVER against Top-15 opponents with a couple of "how did we lose to them losses?" All the while trying to work around more injuries than I can ever remember. Regardless of what happens next, this will be a year I think we'll remember with happy nostalgia for years.
2002-03- Tubby wins it all with "Rick's team" in 1998 but this team was all his and finally ended with a bad Bogans ankle and a terrible f-king charge call on Antwain Barbour. Pre-season #17, finished #1. An exhibition loss to Athletes in Action, 3 losses in November-December and a couple of games into SEC play, winning but barely, we go into Vandy. Play a bad half, and then something happens at halftime. What comes out in the second half is like when Superman crushes Zod's hand in Superman 2 and for the next two months is a march of terror through the South not seen since the 1860's. Finish undefeated in SEC with just smothering defense.
1985-86- Sutton's first season. Expectations are hopeful but not huge. Beat eventual champion Louisville, 17-1 in the SEC. Screwed by NCAA putting us in a region where we had to play two SEC opponents for the FOURTH TIME each and after going 4-0 against Alabama, we can't beat LSU the 4th time and lose by two in Elite Eight.
1989-90- Pitino's first season. Darkness before the dawn. The aftermath of NCAA penalties was a program left to die. No postseason for the next two years, no live TV that year. Not a single big recruit and not a single player returning who wasn't a scrub from a team that had just had the first losing season in almost 75 years The Atlanta Journal Constitution preseason basketball predicted UK to win exactly two games. Cats Pause predicted about six wins and I think Cawood optimistically said he could us playing above our heads and maybe winning as many as eight games. Five guys from Kentucky decided to save the program. Derrick Miller, Reggie Hanson, John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus, Richie Farmer were helped by an Indianan.Sean Woods, a freshman Texan Jeff Brassow (who dreamed of playing at UK) and JUCO transfer named Junior Braddy. Pressing every defensive possession and shooting more threes than anyone thought possible they finished 14-14, 10-8 in the SEC and a win against a Top 10 LSU team that had Shaquille O'Neal and Chris Jackson (Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf).
1990-91 Pitino's second seasons are now becoming known for being special but this wasn't a thing just yet. No postseason as part of the NCAA penalties but back on live TV again after a year without and having to watch everything after the late news on tape delay. Reinforcements are arriving at forward with a highly rated Miami kid named Gimel Martinez and New York's HS Player of the Year, Jamal Mashburn. Kentucky is expected to be better but not by much and there are questions about whether UK can replace Derrick Miller's 3-point shooting and scoring. The Cats blowout Kansas to avenge last season's 55-point loss, take care of ranked rival Louisville, lose by 3 in a final minute screw job in Chapel Hill, and go on to win the SEC outright but the SEC shows what a POS conference it is by announcing that Kentucky cannot call itself "SEC Champions" because we are still not eligible for postseason yet. Kentucky ends the season with a parade through downtown Lexington wearing and selling shirts that say "Kentucky, 1st Place SEC". The reckoning for the rest of the SEC and college basketball is clearly on the horizon from this moment on.
That's my five. Sorry if it's long winded, I just think a lot about these things. Love to know everybody else's.
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