Top Ten Memorable Sweet Sixteen Games in Kentucky Basketball History
By J Bill Sosh
No. 3 – 2011 – Kentucky 62 Ohio State 60
The 2010-11 Wildcats struggled a bit to find their footing. Particularly on the road. They lost their first seven SEC games away from Rupp Arena. But a win in the regular season finale at Tennessee seemed to instill Kentucky Basketball with confidence entering post-season play. They won the SEC tournament and survived two close games to start the NCAA tournament. They beat Princeton on a last second driving layup by Brandon Knight in the opening round. Then they out-toughed West Virginia to earn a trip to Newark, NJ in the East Regionals.
There the fourth-seeded Cats had a tall task. They faced top-seed Ohio State on March 25. The Buckeyes had been near the top of the polls all season and were a favorite to win it all. This game was a tense affair from the get-go. OSU took an early seven point lead, but Kentucky battled back and the score was tied at 30 at the half.
Josh Harrelson Stikes
One of the favorite plays of recent years for Kentucky fans came with a little more than three minutes until intermission. Going for a loose ball on the baseline, the Wildcats’ Josh Harrellson took exception to a shove from the Buckeye’s Jared Sullinger. The player lovingly referred to as “Jorts” decided to play dodge ball and made a direct hit, nailing the All-American squarely in the chest and retaining possession. Ohio State was on notice the Cats were going to fight to the end.
The second half was more of the same with neither team leading by more than four. With the score knotted at 60 and only 23 seconds remaining, Knight saved the day for the second time in a week. He hit a pull up jumper from right of the key to give the Cats a two point lead. OSU missed a three at the buzzer and Kentucky Basketball had knocked out the number one seed. They went on to defeat North Carolina and make their first Final Four appearance under Coach John Calipari.