There they sit … number 1 and number 2 on the all time wins list. It’s been a bitter rivalry that thanks to the race to 2000 wins, has to be the biggest matchup in college basketball this season until, oh, these teams possibly hook up again in April. Let’s take a look at the last few meetings in this rivalry.
2008: North Carolina 77, Kentucky 58
Even the absence of All American Tyler Hansborough could not sway this game to the Wildcats as the Tar Heels stormed to a 15-2 lead just 5:30 into the game and for all intent and purposes, the game was over. The Tar Heels stretched its lead to 25-6 just a few minutes later and UK could get no closer than 11 the rest of the way. UK did itself no favors, turning the ball over 28 times. Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks both had 19 points for UK, and Patterson had 11 rebounds. Deon Thompson had 20 points on 10-16 shooting for the Tar Heels.
2007: North Carolina 86, Kentucky 77
Kentucky held Tyler Hansborough to 2-8 shooting from the field, but Hansborough responded by icing 10-12 FT’s and grabbing 11 rebounds to help lead Carolina to the win. The Cats played the Tar Heels pretty tough early, trailing just 44-39 early in the second half, but North Carolina went on a 13-0 run to put the game out of reach. Danny Green scored 20 off the bench to be an unlikely hero for the Tar Heels and UK was led by Joe Crawfored with 21, and freshman Patrick Patterson and Ramel bradley with 19 each. The loss dropped UK’s lead in the all time wins category to a 1952 to 1921 margin.
2006: North Carolina 75, Kentucky 63
Kentucky had pulled to 36-33 with 17:16 remaining in the game at the Dean Dome when Roy Williams pulled his 5 starters due to sloppy play. The Wildcats could not take advantage of the your Tar Heels who went on a 11-2 run to put the game out of reach for the Tar Heels. The Tar Heels never trailed the entire game despite shooting just 37.3% and were led by Wayne Ellington’s 17 points. UK was lead by Randolph Morris’s 21 points on 10-11 shooting. Joe Crawford chipped in 16 points.
2005: North Carolina 83, Kentucky 79
Not even losing 7 players off last season’s NCAA championship could prevent the Tar Heels from scoring a big victory at Rupp Arena over the 10th ranked Wildcats. The Tar Heels used 3 point shooting and rebounding to scrap out a 44-32 halftime lead. Kentucky started the second half with a 12-2 run to cut the lead to 46-44 but UNC never allowed UK to regain the lead and built their lead back to 71-58 wih around 7:50 remaining. UK scored the next 8 points to cut the lead to 71-66, UK turned the ball over on it’s next two possessions and UNC was back to a 10 point lead again. Rajon Rondo led the way for UK with 20 points on 9-11 shooting and Reshawn Terry led UNC with 25 points.
2004: North Carolina 91, Kentucky 78
#8 Kentucky came into the Dean Dome with a young, untested team that relied on two freshman starters, and two other freshman that figured prominently. #11 North Carolina took advantage of that youth and blasted the Cats 47-32 in the first half. Kentucky cut the lead to 47-41 in the first few minutes of the second half, but North Carolina countered that run and stretched the lead back to 71-54 with about 9:00 left in the game. Bobby Perry cut the lead to 7 with about 4:00 left in the game, but the Cats had run out of gas. Rashard McCants had 20 of his 28 points in the first half to lead the Heels, and UK was led by Kelanna Azubuike led UK with 24 points. Even with the loss, UK leads the all time wins race over North Carolina 1880-1833.
2003: Kentucky 61, North Carolina 56
The #6 Wildcats overcame a 28-20 halftime deficit, and thanks to a Gerald Fitch 3-pointer with :23 left, defeated the #9 Tar Heels. Kentucky shot just 26% points in the first half and fell behind, but then shot 55% the second half to get their 9th win in 10 games. Gerald Fitch led UK with 21 points while Erik Daniels added 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Tar Heels had drawn to 57-56 when Fitch made his 5th 3-pointer of the game with 3 seconds left on the shot clock to seal the deal. With the win, UK now leads North Carolina in the all time wins total 1858-1816.
2002: Kentucky 98, North Carolina 81
Gerald Fitch and Marquis Estill took charge after a tight first half in #18 Kentucky’s game versus #14 North Carolina. North Carolina led the game 43-40 at half, but Fitch and Estill outscored the Tar Heels 18-2 to start the second half. That gave UK a 58-45 lead and UK never looked back. Kentucky shot a blistering 60.3 for the game and UK’s starters dominated as Gerald Fitch scored 25 points and Marquis Estill and Keith Bogans each had 20 points. Rashard McCants led UNC with 22 points. Kentucky’s hot shooting extended to 3-point shooting as UK hit 10-16 treys. Kentucky became the first team to hit 60% from the field against UNC since 1993.
2001: Kentucky 79, North Carolina 59
In one of the most remarkable shooting performances ever, Tayshaun Prince nailed his first 5 3-pointers for UK’s first 15 points of the game.
The last one was a mid court heave and this helped trigger Kentucky to a 20 point rout over North Carolina at Rupp Arena.
Prince finished the game 7-11 on treys and had 31 points to go with 11 rebounds. North Carolina never recovered from the first half blitz and trailed 47-35 at the half. Marvin Stone added 11 points from the bench. Kris Lang poured in 18 points to lead the Tar Heels.
2000: Kentucky 93, North Carolina 76
The Wildcats were unranked when they traveled into the Dean Dome to renew a yearly series against North Carolina. The two teams had not met since the 1995 SE Regional Finals and this would be the first regular season meeting since 1990. Undaunted, UK had a 38-35 halftime lead against the #11 Tar Heels. UK used balanced scoring from Marquis Estill (19 points), Keith Bogans (18), and Tayshaun Prince (15) to blow the 3 point lead into the 17 point rout. Joseph Forte led the Tar Heels with 19 points.
There you have it … 9 years of a renewed rivalry. As of now, UNC leads the overall series 21-10, but it has been a streaky series. We have seen a 6 game UNC streak, a 4 game UK streak, and the current 5 game Tar Heel streak. You have to wonder what history will dictate for Saturday’s matchup: a continuation of the UNC dominance or Coach Calipari and the Wildcats starting a new chapter in the rivalry and possibly a ne
w streak?
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