Madison Square Garden is arguably the most iconic and storied basketball venue in the entire world. There simply is no place like it; with the collection of historic moments and basketball events. Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said, "It’s gonna be an epic clash in Madison Square Garden for Christmas. I mean, it’s what you live for!"
Madison Square Garden holds a unique place in the history of Kentucky sports. It's the venue that hosted the exact moment when Kentucky basketball turned into a blue blood, and the color has never changed back. It's the venue that hosted the first National Championship, where head coach Adolph Rupp hoisted the championship trophy in 1948.
On March 23, 1948, Kentucky beat the Baylor Bears 58-42 to clinch their first national championship. Basketball nerds will be quick to point out that it was not the Madison Square Garden's current building or location; the MSG, where they won the national championship, is often referred to as the Old Madison Square Garden. This Old MSG is not even the oldest of the Madison Square Gardens, it is the third of the named Madison Square Gardens. The fourth one is the current one, but there were three before. Regardless, Madison Square Garden whichever location or venue is a place that Kentucky claimed its first of eight banners.
The Kentucky Wildcats have a storied history in any and all of the Madison Gardens. One of the consistencies of either of the two gardens where they played basketball is that they won in those venues. They are 24-10 in the Old Madison Square Garden and 14-6 in the current one that we all think of today.
In the Old Madison Square Garden, nothing takes the cake of the historic national championship but they also won other cool events like they have two wins in Olympic Trials there. They have won NIT championships, the Champions Classic, and other random games in the new Madison Square Garden.
Now they get to head in this weekend to take on Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic. That game will be on CBS at 5:30 pm EST.