Isn't it interesting how our most beloved teams are often ones that DIDN'T win the championship?

[Estil]

For example, my wife is born and raised in greater Boston (Malden to be exact) and so she's always been a big time Red Sox fan. One of their most beloved teams was the 1967 "Impossible Dream" season where after nine straight losing seasons, they win the 1967 AL pennant in one of the tightest pennant races in history (four teams out of ten in the leage were still mathematically in the race with about a week left), lead by batting Triple Crown winner Carl Yastremski (no one else won the batting Triple Crown for over 40 years afterward). And their single most iconic moment in their history was when Carlton Fisk "waved it fair" to win Game 6 of the 1975 Series. Yet in both these years the BoSox just missed winning the top prize.

As for us in Big Blue Nation meanwhile, isn't it interesting that for us also, many of the most beloved teams in our history were ones that did NOT win the championship (or even make the Final Four!)? Let's start with the two most obvious, the 1966 'Runts and the 1992 Unforgettables. Shoot our other three "silver medalists" also overcame the odds to make the title game...1975 (whose freshmen would have better luck as seniors), 1997 (just barely missing a three-peat), and 2014 (no comment needed).

All the more reason we should also have our runner-up/Final Four trophies displayed along with our championship ones.

 

[WildMoon]

Nah,

My favorite and most beloved teams are

12' 98' 96'.

 

[morgousky]

Favorite teams.

1. 96
2. 98
3. 12


I’m sensing a pattern.

2010 there’s one.

 

[true blue1]

1. 84
2. 93
3. 03
4. 10
5. 15

 

[kev69]

My most beloved teams:

‘78
‘75
‘96
‘92
‘93
‘12
‘15
‘97
‘98

....this is based on the regular season and the SEC tournament. Not on what the results ended up in the NCAA tournament.

 

[BigTyrone]

02-03 will always be one of my favorites. Is your username a reference to Marquis Estill?

 

[SuporChin]

I've thought about this very same topic. Some of my favorite teams were '03 and '10, '11, '15. None of those teams won the whole thing. I can say that '14 was one of my favorite teams, because the regular season was so hard to watch, but that epic run to the final game redeemed them.

 

[HoptownCat93]

1. 2002-2003
2. 2010-2011
3. 2011-2012

My Favorite teams.

 

[Mike-D]

14-15 by a land slide.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

My 3 favorite teams in my lifetime all won the title.. 96, 98, and 12.

 

[KA4Prez]

The 02-03 team was the best TEAM of the Tubby era. Still one of my favorite seasons ever.

 

[caneintally]

My favorite teams are
1.96
2.03 undefeated SEC team
3. 98
4. 16 team with Monk/fox
5. 95 '( first team I truly followed like a damn nut even though I started watching UK in 93) .

So 3 of my top 5 lost in the elite 8 and the other 2 won a title . But I am also odd where there teams like 2011 team which I just was never a big fan of ( in comparison to other teams). The 38-1 team you will notice isn't there as the ending of that season just spoiled it so bad for me and I have no interest in ever going 40-0 . Losing 1-4 games helps to grow a team IMO . I will not be mad if and when we lose our 1st game next season as long as it is before the NCAA. I don't want to lose to UL though as they will be soooo bad.

 

[caneintally]

The 02-03 team was the best TEAM of the Tubby era. Still one of my favorite seasons ever.

From game at Vandy 2nd half on that team was a freakin machine .

 

[bbncal02]

That 14-15 team with WCS, KAT, Booker, and Ulis is one of my favorite teams. Oh that team had so much fun playing together. It was just a perfect Dichotomy for life though, how thing just don’t go as planned. I loved that team sooo much (WCS is one of my favorite Cats of all time) and that loss stung so hard because of that. I’ve never had a loss as a competitor or fan hurt like that. I haven’t been that close to a team since. This years team gives me butterflies like that team did; I just hope it ends a hair better.

I loved the 96 and 98 teams. That was puppy love as a UK fan. I was 13 and 15 respectively. So my UK fandom was really starting to blossom towards adulthood and it was exciting. I had grown up with a grandmother who watched EVERY GAME. So I too was a UK fan. But those were the years I got to decide if I wanted to be one, that near 3-peat was all I needed to truly decide that I wanted to hang out with you crazy BBN people the rest of my life.

There’s been great times (96, 98, ‘12), and bad times (BCG, NIT, end of 2015 season). But the ride has been a blast and worth it.

 

[Ripcord65]

Favorites: 2012, 1998, 1996, 1978, 1958, 1951, 1949, 1948.

next favorites: '66, '75

biggest disappointment: 1970

most overrated: 1992

 

[Estil]

02-03 will always be one of my favorites. Is your username a reference to Marquis Estill?

Concidentally I DID go to UK (1999-2003) about the same time he played! Though my name is only one L, his is two L's like Estill county.

 

[ukfan041]

Favorite non-title UK team was 92-93! I was a freshman in high school and loved watching Mash, Ford, Dent, Rhodes, and Brown light it up that year. Still angry we lost to Michigan!

 

[CatsIndy2010]

38-1

Tell me, how many teams end up 38-1?

I loved to watch them until that last loss...

 

[mktmaker]

That 14-15 team with WCS, KAT, Booker, and Ulis is one of my favorite teams. Oh that team had so much fun playing together. It was just a perfect Dichotomy for life though, how thing just don’t go as planned. I loved that team sooo much (WCS is one of my favorite Cats of all time) and that loss stung so hard because of that. I’ve never had a loss as a competitor or fan hurt like that. I haven’t been that close to a team since. This years team gives me butterflies like that team did; I just hope it ends a hair better.

Like thousands of UK fans, I loved that 2015 team. TV programs were made just to discuss "How do you beat Kentucky?" The end was heart-breaking.

WCS was one of my favorites...but...

Against Wisconsin Willie played the most minutes of every player on the team. Seven feet with crazy athleticism (for a guy that big) and you can only score TWO points?

Five rebounds in the most important game of the season?!

Zero FT's?!!

WTF? Did he piss off the point guards? Did the gamblers get to him?



OK. I'm done.

 

[Wildcats1st]

After all we went through in the 80s with near misses and Sutton the 1996 was my favorite easily. I like the 1992 team but not like the title teams.

 

[Estil]

Favorite non-title UK team was 92-93! I was a freshman in high school and loved watching Mash, Ford, Dent, Rhodes, and Brown light it up that year. Still angry we lost to Michigan!

I'm even more angry (and I've said this many many times) that they STOLE our "Fab Five" nickname!! And even with ineligible players they couldn't even win a conference title either year, much less the NCAA one!

Bottom line, our 1948 Cats, first NCAA champs AND Olympic gold medalists...those are the real Fab Five and the Fab Four of '49). Always and forever.

 

[Estil]

Like thousands of UK fans, I loved that 2015 team. TV programs were made just to discuss "How do you beat Kentucky?" The end was heart-breaking.

My first reaction was that now I know how my Bostonian wife's 2007 Patriots must feel. They too wasted an undefeated season. Both teams were looking to become among the greatest teams of all time and couldn't even be the best team of that year.

We are the only school though to twice beat an undefeated team in the NCAA's (Clown U in 1975 and Wichita State in 2014) so there's that.