Kentucky basketball fans have been blessed with outstanding, unforgettable memories from previous NCAA tournaments. Will there be a hero in this year’s NCAA Tournament for the Cats?
Cameron Mills hitting the clutch three-pointer against Duke. Scott Padgett knocking down a three-point shot in the closing minutes against Duke. Patrick Sparks’ unbelievable play against Michigan State to force overtime. John Calipari’s heroic shot-makers; Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Karl Anthony-Towns and Brandon Knight. Kentucky basketball fans have been blessed with unbelievable memories in previous NCAA Tournaments. Will there be a hero in this year’s NCAA Tournament for the Cats?
2011: Brandon Knight
In 2011, Brandon Knight hit game winning shots against Princeton and Ohio State. The Princeton game should not have come down to a final shot, but it did and Knight was ready. Knight was able to penetrate into the paint, as he did all throughout the season. His body control and athleticism allowed him to make a tough floater off the glass. The Kentucky basketball team survived and advanced.
The game-winner against Ohio State was one of the most exciting final 15 seconds of any Kentucky game I can remember. Ohio State hit a game-tying three-pointer, then Kentucky quickly in-bounded the ball to Knight. Knight went one on one against Buckeye defensive specialist Aaron Craft, and hit a pull-up jumper to put UK up by 2 points. Ohio State immediately came down and attempted a three-point shot to win the game, but it missed and UK advanced. Knight stormed off the court, once again playing the hero in a great victory for the Kentucky basketball team.
2014: Aaron Harrison
In 2014, Aaron Harrison cemented his place in Kentucky fame and legacy with several big shots. Harrison hit the game-winning triple against Louisville and 2 free throws to close out the game. He followed that up by playing hero again against Michigan in the Elite Eight. In this game, Harrison hit a clutch three-point shot with 2 minutes left, and then the game-winner with 2.3 seconds left. In the Final Four against Wisconsin, it was Aaron Harrison again with the heroics. With 5.7 seconds left, Harrison made another game-winning shot from distance to send UK to the national championship game.
Harrison connected on three consecutive game-winning three-pointers in the 2014 National Tournament. At this point in Kentucky basketball history, Aaron Harrison is the most clutch shot-maker Big Blue Nation has ever seen.
2015: Karl-Anthony Towns & Andrew Harrison
In the 2015 Elite Eight game against Notre Dame, Karl Anthony-Towns put the team on his back in the final minutes to win the game. But with 6 seconds left, it was Andrew Harrison that hit the game winning free throws after drawing a foul when driving to the basket. Andrew Harrison’s ability to step to the line under pressure and knock down clutch foul shots was heroic.
Will Kentucky have another player step up and play hero starting in the Sweet 16 this year? The most likely candidates are certainly Kevin Knox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander is most likely to get to the paint and his a game-winner like Knight. Knox is most likely to play the role of Aaron Harrison, hitting game-winning shots from the perimeter.
Who do you think is most likely to play hero in UK’s tournament games moving forward?