Okay.... during that game with 4 or 5 seconds to go... what was your feeling before Avery missed that shot. Were you sensing deja vu? Or did you say "Not this time. We've learned our lesson."
Last edited:
Duke game in 1998
- Thread starter Kentucky fan 1989
- Start date
I was vacationing in a cabin at Gatlinburg that didn't have TV so drove into town to watch at a bar. The 2nd half comeback was so great after seemingly being down and out I was just happy to have a chance at that point.
Do you mean before Avery took the shot? Cuz if he hit that shot UK woulda lost.
Just watched it about 2 hrs ago... I dont remember what I was thinking back then but Im sure it had something to do with God!
Just watched it about 2 hrs ago... I dont remember what I was thinking back then but Im sure it had something to do with God!
Unless it's a 6 footer or less I always feel easy when someone has to hit a jumper to beat us. The Laettner shot was different, as soon as it left his hand you could tell it was going in, broke my heart.
The 98 game was fantastic, thanks for bringing it up I'm going to watch it again tonight.
The 98 game was fantastic, thanks for bringing it up I'm going to watch it again tonight.
It's not so much that they were Kentucky born(though that didn't hurt). It was the fact that these were the guys who stuck around through probation, didn't have all that much God-given talent but played with 150% heart and they were oh-so-close to a Final Four. It's worth obsessing over.
Same here.
That night, my family returned from a shopping trip. My little girl stuck her head in the door and asked me, "Dad, did Kentucky win tonight?" I said, "They sure did!" She turned and yelled back to the rest of the family still in the car, "Okay, it is safe to go in the house tonight. Kentucky won!"
I was watching with my daughter who was almost exactly one year old. When Duke went up 17, I ripped a UK hat off my head and hurled it across the room. She toddled over and picked it up and brought it back to me with a big smile. A feeling of complete calm washed over me. Still gives me chills to think about it. Of course the game immediately turned Kentucky's way. Unforgettable afternoon for me.
This and the fact that Duke was defending champs and #1 and went on to win it again.
We beat Duke we very well win it all.
Coach K cost Duke that game. Turner was destroying Wojo and K was so loyal that he wouldn't take him out of the game. Priceless. One of my favorite wins of all time.
It is so much because of that , believe what you want but we've seen enough evidence on the call in shows and this message board that a segment of fans lose touch with reality when it comes to ky borns . Put Richie in , Jon Hoods abilities that we never witnessed , Darius Miller won 2012 all by himself . Derek Willis has been posted about more than any player over his time here , all about him not getting a chance just because Cal likes one and dones . Not because they're better than Willis but just flat out favoritism keeps his amazing skills off the floor .
This theme has been going on for decades and you're telling me that's not the biggest reason some fans hate Duke , just no . This is an absolute truth , if we had won the title in 92 then all you would hear about is how you need a bunch of ky boys if you want to win it all . Every title argument would be based on that insane criteria , you couldn't have a reasonable conversation had we won that year . I could only imagine the stuff we would hear and see , probably best the way it ended .
Same feeling as right before Buford's shot in 2011.
God bless, I STILL think Buford's shot is going in no matter how many times I see the replay. Avery's shot? Knew it was off. Buford's looked perfect and on target.
Plus Wojo nearly had his back snapped in half because of Magloire's blatant purposeful violence.
That and it would have been a miracle upset...one of the biggest ever in sports history.
Yeah we had Mash... And a bunch of Ky boys from the mts. V One of the greatest College basketball teams of all time.
4 straight final fours....back to back titles....
Laettner ( maybe the best college player ever)...Hurley...the premier floor general...Hill ..a freak athlete....Brian Davis Antonio Lang...
And the Cats were 2/10th of a second from beating them.
I dont give a damn what you say...thats special.
Last edited:
Magloire was a cheap shot artist but Wojo wasn't playing any better before Magloire's suplex, Turner took him to school that day.
And it was the greatest basketball game I've ever seen and I won't believe anyone who says it wasn't the greatest ever.
Remember like yesterday. I was sick as a dog and getting more familiar with my commode all day long. It got so bad I was dabbing with cotton balls. I needed to go, but refused to leave the tv.
I always think their damn shots are going in. When it didn't it was such a relief that I didn't care if I made it to the throne or not. I had lots of cotton balls.
I always think their damn shots are going in. When it didn't it was such a relief that I didn't care if I made it to the throne or not. I had lots of cotton balls.
I was thinking "not again, not again, please not again." But as another poster said, when the throw was short a weight lifted for a split second before the game ended. Then, jubilation!
92 was one of the first real seasons I got in to UK at age 12. I watched all my life, but that was the year I really got it if you know what I mean. I was at a friends house and when Woods scored we went wild. My friends dad told everyone to calm down and I'll never forget him saying "2.4 seconds is plenty of time". Still haunts me. When he hits it people yelled screamed, what ever. I just got up and walked home (lived down the street). They finally called my dad and he said I just walked in a went to bed. No hello or nothing.
I was a freshman in college in 98 and watched the first half with my dad. I got so mad at one point I picked up a couch cushion and threw it across the living room.
During halftime I went upstairs to play a video game and blow off some steam. The girl I was dating called and said "There's a whole second half to go." I responded something like STFU. Well, she called back afterwards and we had a nice laugh over that.
I remember standing on the couch, the coffee table, a chair, and never sitting down during the run. I hit my head on the ceiling when Mills hit the shot. I still remember me and dad losing it. So much fun.
The girl and I aren't together anymore, but I ran in to her a while back and she brought that up again. She also said her family is UK fans because of me. She was originally from Ohio and not a big hoops fan.
I was a freshman in college in 98 and watched the first half with my dad. I got so mad at one point I picked up a couch cushion and threw it across the living room.
During halftime I went upstairs to play a video game and blow off some steam. The girl I was dating called and said "There's a whole second half to go." I responded something like STFU. Well, she called back afterwards and we had a nice laugh over that.
I remember standing on the couch, the coffee table, a chair, and never sitting down during the run. I hit my head on the ceiling when Mills hit the shot. I still remember me and dad losing it. So much fun.
The girl and I aren't together anymore, but I ran in to her a while back and she brought that up again. She also said her family is UK fans because of me. She was originally from Ohio and not a big hoops fan.
I ran out on to Euclid like we'd won the championship.....
Of course, I got to run out on Euclid a couple more times in the coming week
Of course, I got to run out on Euclid a couple more times in the coming week
Last edited:
I was 13 years old and heart broken after the 92' game. My dad bought tickets for us to go the 98' game here in Tampa and for much of the game it was also a bad feeling.
After the game I remember my dad saying we will be talking about this game 20 years from now....he was right. I'll always cherish those memories with my dad. I hope to experience a game half as cool with my two boys when they are older.
There is another funny wrinkle to that game that I would come to know many years later. A very close friend of mine now is a Duke grad. Back then he was just a Duke fan, but he and his dad had bought tickets to the final four expecting to watch Duke play. Instead, he got to watch us beat Stanford and then UK/Utah in the finals. It brings me great joy now to know that, even though we weren't friends at the time!
After the game I remember my dad saying we will be talking about this game 20 years from now....he was right. I'll always cherish those memories with my dad. I hope to experience a game half as cool with my two boys when they are older.
There is another funny wrinkle to that game that I would come to know many years later. A very close friend of mine now is a Duke grad. Back then he was just a Duke fan, but he and his dad had bought tickets to the final four expecting to watch Duke play. Instead, he got to watch us beat Stanford and then UK/Utah in the finals. It brings me great joy now to know that, even though we weren't friends at the time!
Best game I ever got to watch with Dad. Wish I had a vidio of him watching it because he had the ability to jump straight up out of his chair, apparently only using his ass. He reminded me of popcorn during that game.
Last edited:
haha I just went to rewatch it on youtube, and I skipped immediately to Wojo dying. God, that guy is just the epitome of annoying Duke player...
That game happened to be on my 18th birthday (3/22/98) and you bet it was exciting! There was a special insert poster in the next day's paper (I'll try to Google/find the pic if you'd like) showing Scott Padgett hitting a key shot and guess who you see in the background on his knees watching it...hee hee). As for the ending of the 1992 game I often tell my Bostonian (born and raised) wife that Latner hitting that shot was our "Bill Buckner moment".
Not to mention I've often said that both our 1966 'Runts and her 1967 Impossible Dream (BoSox were in a four team pennant race with a week to go, clinched on the final day after nine straight losing seasons prior) are arguably the most beloved team in our respective franchises' history (even though both had to settle for second/silver/runner-up).
Not sure what our "Carlton Fisk waving it fair" moment would be though...any ideas?
Not to mention I've often said that both our 1966 'Runts and her 1967 Impossible Dream (BoSox were in a four team pennant race with a week to go, clinched on the final day after nine straight losing seasons prior) are arguably the most beloved team in our respective franchises' history (even though both had to settle for second/silver/runner-up).
Not sure what our "Carlton Fisk waving it fair" moment would be though...any ideas?
Padgett's 3 was the greatest single sports high I've ever experienced in my life. Pure, unadulterated euphoria. Couldn't even figure out what to do with myself.
No freaking way Duke was going to ruin that, they'd just as soon stop the rotation of the earth. Also, screw Duke.
No freaking way Duke was going to ruin that, they'd just as soon stop the rotation of the earth. Also, screw Duke.
Great thread! I totally remember just being in my living room - I was living in Cincinnati at the time. We got down 17 with 9:37 to go and I turned to my then-wife and said, "we'll make a run but there just isn't enough time". Then we proceeded to shave off about 16 points in 2 or 3 minutes. We went 3, 3, 3, 3, 4 in successive possessions. But then we kept hovering between 2 and 4 points behind and I was so afraid we'd shot our wad. Then when Mills hit that tip-out 3, I crapped all over myself.
Honestly, probably my favorite game of all-time. That game was worthy of a championship. we were 32-4 and Duke was 33-3. That's a strong regional final.
Honestly, probably my favorite game of all-time. That game was worthy of a championship. we were 32-4 and Duke was 33-3. That's a strong regional final.
i agree KWilt, We would have won it all. After the game when Cawood signed off for the last time that hurt me about as much as losing the game did.
I live in St Pete and had a bunch of cousins and uncles in town for game.They were all heading home after the game.My wife and step mother didn't go and watched on TV,at half time my wife said my stepmother looked at her and said it's going to be a long ride back to Kentucky. The game ended and she said the ride got a lot shorter.
As already noted we played much better D on that play than the one in '92. That was basically just a 15 foot jump shot by a guy who didn't miss that night. In '98 Avery had to take a much more difficult shot. I was confident it wasn't going in. I really don't remember sweating it much other than it was a close game at the end. One of Tubby's better coaching moments was realizing K didn't have any more TO's, and not calling any himself. If they'd been able to call a couple late it could have very well changed the result.
I felt like every player on our team was contributing, and Duke was down to one or two guys. The other three were pooping their pants. Once Shepherd turned Avery sideways I felt much better.
The shot that scared me the most since Laettner was the Wisconsin kid's bank shot in 2014.
The shot that scared me the most since Laettner was the Wisconsin kid's bank shot in 2014.
Similar threads
