Most impressive single game coaching performance in UK modern history

[FurdTerguson]

What game would you choose?

Hall beating Indiana in 74-75
Hall beating Michigan State in 77-78
Sutton beating Louisville by 34 in 86-87
Pitino beating LSU in 89-90
Pitino losing to Duke in 91-92
Pitino beating Tennessee in 92-93
Pitino beating LSU in 93-94
Pitino beating Arkansas in 94-95
Pitino beating LSU in 95-96
Smith beating Duke in 97-98
Smith beating Utah in 97-98
Smith beating Vandy in 02-03
Calipari beating Ohio St in 10-11
Calipari beating Louisville in 11-12
Calipari beating Wich St in 13-14
Calipari beating Wisconsin in 13-14
Calipari beating UCLA in 14-15
Calipari beating W. VA in 14-15
Other

 

[yoshukai]

I believe Tubbys game against Utah for the championship should be in there.

 

[Myth Buster51]

Reasonable minds can differ, but anyone who suggests Calipari for inclusion on this list needs to put the bong down. Calipari couldn’t spell X or O during his time in Lexington.

 

[FurdTerguson]

Reasonable minds can differ, but anyone who suggests Calipari for inclusion on this list needs to put the bong down. Calipari couldn’t spell X or O during his time in Lexington.

As a whole, yes. But he had some games where you have to give him props (see above). This is about best coached GAMES.

 

[bluefaithful]

My favorite is Tubby in 98 vs Duke. Rat face out of Time Outs. We steam rolled back. Classic.

 

[Cleatortoises]

My favorite is Tubby in 98 vs Duke. Rat face out of Time Outs. We steam rolled back. Classic.

This.
Suck it rat face.

 

[clevenger32]

Pitino vs Wake Forest and Tim Duncan

 

[catfan220]

As a whole, yes. But he had some games where you have to give him props (see above). This is about best coached GAMES.

I have a hard time remembering games where Cal made critical in-game moves to get us back in it. Maybe WVU in 2017-18, or did Knox just catch fire? But I think where Cal really was a great coach, at least for the first 10 seasons here, was pulling the right strings to get his team playing to their potential as the season went on. One extreme example being “the tweak” in 2014.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

I dont even know what is considered modern at this point. Is something 50 years ago modern?

For Pitino, 92 Duke despite the loss. For Tubby, 98 Duke. For Cal, 2011 OSU.

 

[baseball is life]

Hall against Florida St. 1978. Huge balls to do what he did to start the second half

 

[BlueBomb]

Pitino's entire first season. Tubby's '98 FF.

 

[HagginHall1999]

Can only speak to what I saw, but to me Tubby's strategy in '98 against Duke was the single best in game adjustment I've ever seen by a UK coach.

 

[JonathanW]

I've got to go vs LSU 89-90 (coincidentally my first UK game in Rupp).
We had no business being even close in that game vs Shaq, Chris Jackson, & Stanley Roberts.

For you young fans, our front line went 6'7-6'7-6'7 (Hanson, Feldhaus, Pelphrey). Add in Miller shooting 15 3's a game by himself, and then Woods, Farmer and Brassow. Feldhaus & Pelphrey and Farmer didn't play much the year before (on a 13-19 team) and Woods had sat out that year (Prop 48), and Brassow was a FR.
Meanwhile Chris Jackson still is the best scorer in college that I have seen in my life (I never saw Maravich). And Shaq was well Shaq, giving LSU 2 good 7-footers (him and Roberts).

 

[TopCatCal]

What game would you choose?

Hall beating Indiana in 74-75
Hall beating Michigan State in 77-78
Sutton beating Louisville by 34 in 86-87
Pitino beating LSU in 89-90
Pitino losing to Duke in 91-92
Pitino beating Tennessee in 92-93
Pitino beating LSU in 93-94
Pitino beating Arkansas in 94-95
Pitino beating LSU in 95-96
Smith beating Duke in 97-98
Smith beating Utah in 97-98
Smith beating Vandy in 02-03
Calipari beating Ohio St in 10-11
Calipari beating Louisville in 11-12
Calipari beating Wich St in 13-14
Calipari beating Wisconsin in 13-14
Calipari beating UCLA in 14-15
Calipari beating W. VA in 14-15
Other

The Calipari games you listed. Every one of these games Calipari had as much, probably more talent than the other team.

To answer your question. The 2 that comes to mind are

1 - When Joe B Hall & his 74-75 team beat #1 ranked & undefeated Indiana in the Elite-8 by a 92-90 score.
2 - Also when Tubby & his 97-98 team beat #1 seed Duke in the Elite-8.