You didn't think we would just leave you with the 10 most painful losses, did you? This time around, we're revisiting the 10 best wins in the decorated history of Kentucky hoops.
Of course, every national championship win would top this list... so I've gone ahead and compiled those contests into one standing. Better to keep that one simple and not leave you guessing.
With a little bit of business out of the way, let's get right to it!
10. Wichita State - 2014
Often cited as one of the best games in NCAA Tournament history, Kentucky vs. Wichita State in 2014 had everything you could want from the postseason.
A young and hungry Kentucky team that underachieved with immense talent and a low seed pitted against a veteran Wichita State group chasing perfection. The Shockers were the one-seed, but the eight-seeded Cats pulled off a second-half comeback to pull out a tight 78-76 win. Fred Van Vleet had a shot to win it for the Shockers, but his miss meant the Cats danced on.
9. LSU - 1990
If you were alive during this one, you know how much this meant to the program. Kentucky was sanctioned by the NCAA at the time, playing with just eight scholarships, and LSU had Shaq and Chris Jackson. None of that mattered to Derrick Miller, though who scored 29, and Deron Feldhaus finished with a 24-point double-double. The Cats showed under Rick Pitino that they were going to be back in a big way really soon... you know how that story ends.
8. Final Four vs. Temple - 1958
I could easily talk about the 1957 game before this one, where former Lexington City Commissioner William Baughn collapsed and died of a heart attack in the stands of what would eventually be a triple overtime thriller. That's a truly outlandish story, but just one year later, the two teams met in the Final Four and Vern Hatton, just as he did the year prior, made a shot with just over 16 seconds left to lift Kentucky to title game.
7. Louisville - 1984
Before 1983, Kentucky and Louisville had not played each other in basketball since 1959, and had not met in the regular season since 1922. That all changed in the Regional Final in 1984, when Kentucky and Louisville matched up in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcars knocked off the Cards by five, and it was proof positive that the two teams should keep meeting up from there on out. The true beginning of the rivalry we know today.
6. LSU - 1994
This duel with LSU is another game that Kentucky had no business winning, but somehow did. The Cats trailed by 31 points (68-37), and then proceeeded hit 12 threes in the second half to win the game in regulation. This is one of those moments when fans were calling friends and hoping they didn't turn the game off. The original of the Comeback Cats.
5. Final Four vs. Louisville - 2012
In this one, Kentucky saw their former coach, in Pitino, and a really good Louisville team waiting in the Final Four. The matchup delivered on the hype, and it was Kentucky who knocked off Louisville by eight points on its way to the most recent national title to come home to Lexington.
4. Kansas - 2021
Allen Fieldhouse is one of the best venues in the sport. It's loud, and Kansas is almost always elite, especially there. But in 1989, the Cats made it look like a junior varsity gym.
Kentucky put up 51 points in the first half and never let Kansas get into the game. Keion Brooks Jr. had 27 points, and the Wildcats eventually won 80-62. We won't talk about how that season ended, but there were some real bright spots along the way - this one led the batch, without a doubt.
3. Elite Eight vs. Indiana - 1975
Indiana was undefeated coming into this game, looking like a team of destiny. They had beaten the Cats earlier that year in overtime, but Kentucky was not to be denied in the NCAA Tournament. It was maybe Bobby Knight's best Indiana team, which is saying something, but Kentucky prevailed 92-90 in a matchup that again set the tone for a rivalry that still exists today.
2. Duke - 1998
Duke looked like they were on their way to another win in the NCAA Tournament... that is, until the Comback Cats did their thing again. Wayne Turner roasted Steve Wojciechowski all night long, but when he found Scott Padgett at the top of the key with under 41 seconds to go, Padgett hit one of the biggest triples in blue and white history.
Not only was this a big win, it was a cathartic moment against a team that had broken Big Blue hearts six years prior. Historic redemption.
1. Every National Championship
Pick your favorite poison here, Cats fans. Was it Goose Givens dropping 41 against Duke? Anthony Davis and company controlling Kansas? Rupp's dominant run? Tubby cutting down the nets in his first year? It's like picking between eight children.
Let's hope we're not far off from adding another memory to that final spot. In Mark Pope, Milan Momcilovic, and company we trust.
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