Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Top Five memorable moments from 2010-11

By Alan Smith
To some of you, it might seem like the ride is over. But I look at the bigger picture, and I believe that the ride is only just beginning. With Calipari at the helm, we have plenty more Final Four appearances coming our way. Did we not hire the man to put us back in contention every year? Well, there’s your answer. With that being said, let’s take a look at what I believe are the Top 5 most memorable moments from a great season:

1. Kentucky beats North Carolina for first Final Four appearance in 13 years: This was without a doubt the best moment for the Cats this season. Whether it was seeing Jorts and Liggins being rewarded for their hard work the past few years, or getting to see Roy Williams fight back tears after the game, it was a sweet sight for sore eyes that hadn’t seen the Cats in a Final Four. The Cats had struck out in 2003, 2005, and last season during the Elite Eight and they didn’t let the opportunity slip up here. It was a well-executed gameplan on both sides of the court; the Cats shot the three-ball very well and forced some turnovers and had a ton of blocks on defense. All in all, it was a great game for these Payback Cats.

2. Kentucky beats No. 1 overall Ohio State to advance to Elite Eight: Although the North Carolina game was great, it would not be in the record books if it wasn’t for this game. In my opinion, this was the best UK win since either the 2003 win against No. 1 Florida or the 1998 Duke game. Either way, this game was and should considered a classic. The Cats were not expected to beat the Buckeyes, who were favorites to win the title by many experts. Nonetheless, the Cats came out striking. After being down early 9-2, UK came back and the Buckeyes and Cats went blow for blow until the final buzzer. When Jon Diebler hit a deep three for the Buckeyes to tie the game at 60, Brandon Knight took the ball up the court and came through in the clutch, nailing a jumper over Aaron Craft with five seconds remaining. The last attempt by Ohio State bounced off the rim, and Harrellson hit the ball towards halfcourt as the Cats began to celebrate a monumental win. That shot by Knight is not my favorite moment of the game though, but this was:

3. SEC Championship: Honestly, as February began winding down, did anyone think we would even win the SEC Tournament, much less reach the Final Four? I thought we had the potential going into the season, but based on the way we were playing up until that point, I was already looking forward to next season. It’s a shame I didn’t give these Cats a chance; most people didn’t. But they came out strong, and took out Ole Miss and Alabama in revenge games, before dismantling the Gators 70-53 for the program’s 27th SEC Tournament Championship.

4. Taking out the Cards in their new bucket..umm, arena: As if we couldn’t beat Louisville more than we already had in one calendar year, the Cardinal Nation could not resist to boast about their season and brand new arena. Not only did the Cats take out the Cards in Rupp in January and ruined their opening day of football in the pizza oven or whatever they call it these days, but managed to slip in one more win against Little Brother on New Years Eve just to remind them who’s boss in this state. It was Josh Harrellson’s breakout game (although UofL fans and players won’t admit and say they just didn’t guard him), he led all scorers with 23 points and 14 rebounds. But then again, it was just another typical Kentucky-Louisville game; the same team always comes out on top.

5. Cats hit the Gators with a dose of Payback in Rupp: This game might not be what you expected, but for me at the time, I thought it was the Cats best performance of the regular season. The game against Florida is one I always look forward too, and after the close game played on the road at Gainesville, I was expecting more or less of the same: a close, exciting finish. Instead, I got to see an exciting performance all-around by UK and especially Darius Miller, who began to show his potential during this time. He led all scorers with 24 points on 9-15 shooting. It was a great team effort overall.

This season definitely had its ups and downs, but in the end we can only be happy for what these Cats have given us this season and look optimistic towards the future, not only next season but the ones that follow as well. As I mentioned before, the ride is only beginning with Calipari here. We are back!

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