“We’re going down there to win and it’ll take a smart ball club to beat us.” Those were the words of Coach Adolph Rupp as the Kentucky Wildcats departed Lexington for the 1939 SEC Tournament in Knoxville,Tennessee. The Cats entered the tournament the favorite to take the title. They opened the conference schedule 0-2, but finished with eight straight wins and momentum on their side. Despite his statements, Rupp was somewhat concerned because the two losses had come against Alabama and Tennessee and the tournament was being played on the Vol’s home floor. Getting to the games was a little different 60 years ago, but to this writer it sounds far more enjoyable. I suppose its nostalgia that makes it seem that way. It was an overnight trip by train to Knoxville, which arrived at 3:00am. The players remained in their special car on a siding until 7:00am, and then went to the Farragut Hotel where they rested until game time. I’ve probably watched too many old movies, but train travel in a sleeping car sounds very appealing to me…..at least 1940’s style any way.

           The Cats got off to a slow start in their opening contest against Mississippi fighting tooth and nail to a 17-17 tie at the half. While UK’s offense sputtered, their defense suffered because of foul trouble. Kentucky center Marion Cluggish found himself on the bench early on with three fouls committed while trying to guard the smaller Burnell Egger. Rupp replaced Cluggish with Homer Thompson who did a better job on the Mississippi center, but the Rebels continued to be a nuisance. After five lead changes Mississippi stood on top 28-25 with 10:45 remaining in the game and the crowd primed for the upset. Unfortunately for the Rebels, their fate was sealed only a moment earlier when leading scorer Irving Keller fouled out with 11 points. Not having to guard Keller any longer, Lee Huber took over for the next several minutes and his brilliant shooting, from the side mostly, fired the Wildcats offense to such a fever that the Rebels soon were consumed in the conflagration. During the final eight minutes of the game Kentucky outscored Mississippi 18-2, which included an 11-0 run to finish the contest. Keith Farnsley lead UK with 11 points; Thompson and Bernie Opper had 8 each and Lee Huber tossed in 9 points all in the second half. At one point late in the game with the contest no longer in doubt, Rebel’s Kimble Bradley committed his fourth foul. Mississippi coach Frank Johnson had no one to replace Bradley with since his roster consisted of only seven players and two had already been lost to fouls. According to the newspaper account and in what would be considered unusual at the very least today, Coach Rupp ask the officials to allow Bradley to finish the game. Whether or not they did wasn’t noted. The 49-30 win moved Kentucky to the next round where they would face LSU the following evening.

           Kentucky had a much easier time of it against LSU. The Cats jumped out early and simply ran away from the Tigers. UK scored the first six points inside of one minute and after five minutes of play held a 12-3 margin. For all intents and purposes the game was over. Kentucky led 25-14 at the half and in the second period it was simply more of the same. The Cats spread the wealth around in this game and were led by Homer “Tub” Thompson with 10 points; Fred Curtis and Mickey Rouse each had eight; Farnsley nine; Opper and Huber had four apiece. While UK had little trouble with their opponent on this night, all accounts seemed to say the men blowing the whistles challenged them more. Recounting the number of fouls called on the Cats in the first half, Neville Dunn wrote, The Wildcats steadily accumulated a mounting total of fouls as Ben Chapman, the baseball player who is trying to build up old-age insurance by learning to officiate basketball games, called misdemeanor after misdemeanor on the Kentuckians. Despite the handicap, Kentucky defeated the Tigers 53-34 and would meet Tennessee for the title on Saturday night.

           In facing Tennessee the Wildcats would be opposing a former UK coach, John Mauer. Mauer had coached the Wildcats three seasons and was replaced by Adolph Rupp in 1930. It was Mauer’s first season as head coach for the Volunteers and as we have seen in recent years, having a former Kentucky coach take over an archrival can really intensify things. Most expected the contest to be a battle worthy of a championship and they were not disappointed.Tennessee had beaten UK in their only meeting earlier in the season. The Vols were playing on their home floor and as today the neutral crowd would pull for whomever Kentucky’s opponent was. For a while it appeared that Tennessee just might have the Cats number this year as they moved out to an early lead. Kentucky fell behind 18-11, but rallied on the strength of a scoring outburst by Bernie Opper. The UK captain dropped in two long shots that were followed by a Marion Cluggish crip shot. Moments later Opper fired in a one-hander that gave Kentucky the lead. The Cats finished a furious first half on a 13-1 run to lead 24-19. The issue was never in doubt in the second half, even though the game was physical and hard fought UK gradually lengthened their lead pulling out to their largest margin at 41-30 with four minutes remaining.Kentucky won its third SEC Championship, the final score being 46-38. The Cats were led in scoring by Opper with 13. Fred Curtis had 9; Keith Farnsley 8; and Cluggish 6. Opper was named to the First All-Tournament Team and though an MVP award was not given he received more first team votes then any other player. Farnsley was named to the Second Team; Cluggish, Lee Huber and Mickey Rouse were given Honorable Mention. Coach Rupp claimed to have lost 30 pounds during the tournament and appeared genuinely relieved with the results. “Boy it’s great to get this one. We certainly had a struggle and I’m glad it’s over. Tennessee put up a good fight, and I’m proud of the way my boys performed.”

           As 1939 closed and the decade of the ‘40’s began the future of UK basketball looked promising and after suffering through years of an economic depression, the country seemed to be headed for a period of prosperity; or at the very least better days. But a cloud of uncertainty and fear had been growing across the Atlantic Ocean. For some time now Germany had been rattling its saber and now as the autumn months arrived war appeared to be imminent. During the month of August it seemed each day brought new headlines of threats and counter-threats. Adolf Hitler was demanding return of territory taken from Germany at the end of World War I. The Nazi leader had become quite bold after absorbing Austria and Czechoslovakia a year earlier. The rest of the world sat by and did nothing hoping to stay out of another “war to end all wars”. At the time British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had traveled to Berlin to meet with Hitler and returned with a document he claimed would bring a lasting peace to Europe; “peace in our time” were words that would haunt Chamberlain. In it Hitler stated the restoration of the Sudetenland was his last territorial demand in Europe. As we would later learn Hitler saw the reluctance of Britain and the rest of world to stand against him as weakness. German demands for the return of the city of Danzig and the Polish Corridor were refused by the Polish government. And as each day passed in late August the threat of armed confrontation appeared more and more likely. Britain and France warned they would come to Poland’s defense if Germany attacked. In the early morning hours of September 1, 1939, German armed forces crossed into Poland and another war that would involve our entire world had begun. Memories of World War I had most of the population determined that this country should stay out of another European conflict. The government adopted a Declaration of Neutrality. President Roosevelt reassured the country that every means possible would be used to prevent the United States from becoming involved, but as time passed US involvement in the conflict became inevitable. It touched almost every facet of life in the country and UK basketball would not be immune. While the crisis over seas grew, people had to go about living their lives as normal as possible. And so it was with the University of Kentucky and basketball.

           Life would have to go on for Coach Rupp’s Wildcats without their two leading scorers from the previous season; Fred Curtis and Homer Thompson. The Cats would also miss All-American guard Bernie Opper. As a matter of fact Kentucky would return only five players; Layton “Mickey” Rouse, Marion Cluggish, Keith Farnsley, Lee Huber and Harry Denham. Among the new faces was a six player sophomore class that included Stan Cluggish, Marion’s brother. The remaining players consisted of James King, Donald Orme, Ermal Allen, Waller White and a junior Carl Combs.

           The first week of November arrived and while Coach Rupp was putting his 10^th squad of Wildcats through their paces, talk around campus centered on the oblong ball. Kentucky’s football fortunes were looking up for a change. Just as it is today the UK football Cats normally struggled at best, but this fall the Wildcats were undefeated going into a game with Alabama. Not only was Kentucky’s record out of the norm, but believe it or not the Cats were favored to beat the Red Elephants—and at Alabama to boot! Days before the game a local prognosticator in the Herald calling himself The Demon Dopster, was predicting the outcome to be a “tie or defeat for the Crimson Tide; 13-13 or 7-7. If there is a victory it will be a Kentucky triumph.” The Dopsters picture appeared to be something from a Mad Magazine cover. Despite his Alfred E. Newman looks you had to give the guy credit, his prediction hit the nail right on the head as Kentucky played ‘Bama to a 7-7 tie. It wasn’t a win, but it was better then the 17 previous losses.

           While it was the heart of pigskin season, Coach Rupp and UK basketball was still news around Kentucky. The coach was making what had to be considered a “unique” proposal for the time. Kentucky was to play Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl Classic at New Orleans in late December. Rupp suggested that the Sugar Bowl committee charter “one of those big passenger planes” to fly both teams to and from New Orleans. “The plane could pick up Ohio State in Columbus and we could board it in Cincinnati.” Rupp said. At the time trains and buses were the normal mode of transportation for schools and their teams; planes were seldom used. Rupp’s suggestion was partly made in jest, but it would have been beneficial for UK since they were scheduled to play Kansas State five days later on New Years night. A train trip to New Orleans would take two days and Rupp would much rather use that two days practicing instead of riding a train. It was noted that an unnamed fellow coach atUK found Rupp’s idea amusing saying, “You couldn’t get Rupp on a plane for love or money.” Neither the Cats nor their opponent would need an airplane to get to the season opener. UK faced the Mountaineers of Berea College from just down the road a piece, so to speak. As usual this first contest of the new season was figured to be a routine win for the Ruppmen. As always folks were eager to see how the new members of the varsity would perform. They would get to see one of them right away since Rupp was starting Stan Cluggish at one of the forward spots. The other starters were Stan’s brother Marion at center, Keith Farnsley at the other forward and Layton Rouse and Lee Huber at the guard positions. And speaking of new faces, in a preliminary contest the Kentucky freshmen squad disposed of their Berea counterparts 67-30. The Kittens were led by a trio of names that would become quite familiar in future years: Cliff Barker, Milt Ticco and Mel Brewer.

           The main event got under way with Marion Cluggish putting the Cats in the score book first hitting a charity shot. After a Mountaineer miss, brother Stan scored on a crip shot. Moments later Lee Huber marked the book with a three point play when he was fouled while hitting a crip of his own. UK led 6-0 when Berea finally got on the board with a short jumper; it would be the closest they would get for the rest of the evening. The game played out pretty much as expected with the Wildcats gradually stretching the lead. By the mid point of the half Coach Rupp was sending in the reserves, most of them members of the previous year’s “Lost Battalion” squad.During the 1938-39 season Rupp had decided to hold certain promising players out of any real game competition in order to save a year of eligibility; in other words “red shirting” as it has become known today. Those players came to be called “The Lost Battalion”. By half time the starters had for the most part retired to the bench. The reserves eager for their first action under fire raced away from the overmatched Berea team, posting a 74-24 win. The Wildcats were led in scoring by sophomore Jim King who tallied 18 points; Rouse and Huber added 10 each. Rupp used almost the entire bench, Ermal Allen was the only Cat not to see action and everyone who played scored. Rupp’s charges had handled their first opponent easily as expected and would await their next victim. That next victim, Cincinnati, was putting away their home opening opponent on this same evening beating Georgetown 33-18. Despite the Bearcats lopsided win over Georgetown the concensus was they would be no real threat to Adolph Rupp’s Wildcats.

           Laurence Shropshire’s report began with the quote, “The bigger they come, the harder they fall.” And it was never more appropriate. The Cincinnati Bearcats came into Lexington as overwhelming underdogs. After all they were facing the Southeastern Conference Champions and they had been completely run off the court by Notre Dame in their season opener. The Bearcats had beaten Georgetown, but were upset later in the week by HanoverCollege, so surely they were no match for Kentucky. It seemed the local fans and sportswriters were not the only ones certain of a UK victory, but apparently the Kentucky players already had this one in the W column also. Unfortunately for the Wildcats the boys from just across the Ohio River had other things in mind. Cincinnati caught UK on a night when they were “pitifully off form”; and they took advantage of an opportunity that didn’t come around very often. When the night was over the Bearcats were heading back to the QueenCity with a 39-30 upset win.

           The Wildcats got off to a sluggish start playing over two minutes before scoring. Kentucky was able to hold their opponent in check during this early drought and finally get on the board when Marion Cluggish hit a twisting layup. Cluggish cashed in a free toss moments later to give UK a 3-0 lead, but senior guard Eddie Jucker connected on a jumper and free throw to even the score. The teams spent a couple of minutes of futile scuffling before the Cats pushed to the front on another basket by Marion “Big Clug” Cluggish, two foul shots by brother Stan and a crip shot and free toss by Mickey Rouse. Kentucky led 10-3 at the midway point of the half when Ted Deskin scored for Bearcats, but Big Clug matched it with a crip shot. The 12-5 lead would be the largest of the night for the Wildcats.Cincinnati chipped away at the lead until Jucker scored on a crip shot with six minutes remaining in the first half to tie it at 12-12. Both teams missed charity shots before Jucker broke the deadlock cashing in two free throws of his own. Lee Huber and Carl Staker each converted a free toss to tie it up again, but the Bearcats sank a jumper and a free throw to finish the half on top 17-14. During the first half Coach Rupp had substituted freely trying to find a player or combination that would get the Cats going. When the second half began he returned his starters to the floor, but it was to no avail. Cincinnati scored six straight points to push their margin to nine. Rouse finally broke the ice for Kentucky with a foul shot, but Cincinnati answered immediately with a basket to make the score 25-15. After a UK free throw miss, Jucker scored on a long set shot to give the visitors a 12 point lead. Hoping for a spark Rupp inserted Ermal Allen into the fray; it was his first action in a varsity game. Allen was able to make several steals. But the Cats continued ragged play prevented them from taking advantage of them. With four minutes remaining Cincinnati led 36-24. The Cats managed just six points the rest of the way and though the Bearcats lost two players to fouls they were able to run out the clock and steal the win.

           Jucker led all scorers with 12; Kentucky was led by Marion Cluggish with 7, all of them coming in the first 12:00 of the opening half. Whether it was over-confidence or lack of concentration one thing was sure, it just was not the Wildcat’s night. Coach Rupp was naturally more then disappointed in the result, calling it “the worst exhibition of basketball that any of my teams ever put on. In the first half we played conservatively, but in the final half we opened up with everything we had. Nothing we did seemed right. It may have been the boys mental attitudes that caused our downfall.”

           Coach Rupp was determined to correct those mental attitudes before the Cat’s faced Clemson, their next opponent, in a road game. The following two or three days found the coaches putting the team through the very basic fundamental exercises in the mornings and running them through 30 minute scrimmages in the afternoons. That over-confident looking team was said to have been replaced by a serious-minded group of cagers with great determination and vengeance in their hearts. Ahhh, for those writers of the good ol’ days! Coach Rupp wanted to make sure that 39-30 loss was on the minds of every player when they took the court against the Tigers in Ashville, NC.

            Maybe it was the hard work in practice; maybe it was the embarrassment of losing to an underdog at home or perhaps it was fear of the wrath of Adolph Rupp should the Wildcats lose a second game in a row they were favored to win. Whatever the case, the Cats got back on track against Clemson and looked like the team their fans had come to expect. While it was a contest between champions, Kentucky of the SEC and Clemson of the Southern Conference; it turned out to be anything but that. The Cats had little trouble registering a 55-31 win. Kentucky took control from the start and made certain the Tigers would pose no threat on this night. Behind the scoring of Lee Huber and Keith Farnsley, the Cats raced out to a 17-3 lead at the midway point of the opening half and led 31-7 at the intermission. Though Clemson did manage to match the Wildcats scoring wise in the second half, they were unable to cut into the lead and Kentucky basically cruised to the final horn. Lee Huber led all scorers with 17 points, Farnsley had 12 and Marion Cluggish added 9 plus a tub full of rebounds. Stan Lancaster was Clemson’s top scorer with 13.

            The players were given a two day break for the Christmas holiday, then it was back to work on Christmas Eve in preparation for the biggest game of the season to date; the Ohio State Buckeyes in the fifth annual Sugar Bowl Tournament at Tulane University in New Orleans. Even though Kentucky had been sharp in their win against Clemson Coach Rupp was not satisfied saying, “My boys could have looked a lot better and they will have to show more improvement to defeat Ohio State.” It was partly coach-speak for the media and especially his players, but there could be something to it. Ohio State had lost in the previous years NCAA finals to Oregon. They returned three starters from that team; Johnny Schick, Bill Sattler and Captain Bob Lynch. The contest between Ohio State and Kentucky on the hardwood opened a week of sporting events that included tennis, track, boxing, and rowing, culminating with the feature event of the week the Sugar Bowl football game between the Texas Aggies and the Tulane Green Wave. The Sugar Bowl originated in 1935, the basketball game featured Pittsburgh taking on LSU and Tulane facing Temple in the football contest. It would be Kentucky’s second trip to the basketball half of the Sugar Bowl. UK had upset Pittsburgh 40-29 in 1937. After their arrival both teams would be guests at a banquet held by the Midwinter Sports Association on Tuesday night. Wednesday morning the players would be taken on a sight-seeing tour followed by a luncheon at the New Orleans Rotary Club at which Coach Rupp would be the principle speaker. A record crowd of more then 7,000 packed the huge air-conditioned municipal auditorium to witness the scrap between the Buckeyes and Wildcats. Tickets sold out hours before game time and scores of spectators were turned away during the afternoon. For the second game in a row the Cats would be facing a conference champion; the Buckeyes having won last season’s Big Ten title. A tight, furious game was expected and that’s exactly what the participants delivered.

            The first half was a see-saw battle. The lead changed hands 10 times with 3 ties and neither team managed to gain a lead of more then three points. The players raced up and down the floor at top speed for most of first half. Johnny Schick put Ohio State on the board first with a free throw. Then Lee Huber tied it with a charity toss and moments later a short basket gave UK the lead 3-1. Bill Satterly tied it for the Bucks with a jumper, then a Farnsley foul shot gave the lead back to the Ruppmen. The teams traded the lead back and forth until the midway point of the half that saw the Big Ten Champs out in front 10-7. Baskets by Cluggish and Huber gave the Cats a one point edge, then Sattler and Schick put the Buckeyes back ahead by one. It was UK’s turn to go to the front on a couple of goals by Rouse and ‘Big Clug’, but the Ohio State squad came right back taking an 18-15 lead with two minutes remaining. Rouse laid in a crip shot and Huber hit with a minute to go for a Kentucky lead, only to see Sattler score from 20 feet out just before the horn to give the Buckeyes a 20-19 half time margin.

            A Schick basket extended the Ohio State lead to three to start the second period. The score was tied at 22-22, 24-24 and 26-26 before Farnsley put Kentucky ahead to stay with a foul shot. Goals by Waller White and Cluggish gave UK its biggest lead of the night at 31-26. The Bucks battled back to 32-30 with five minutes to play. Moments later Rouse lobbed in a bomb from center court and with the Wildcats running the clock out Rouse broke open under the basket for a clean score on a pass from Farnsley to give Kentucky the 36-30 win. Rouse and Huber were the stars for UK. Rouse led everyone with a career high 14 points, Huber had nine and Cluggish tallied six. Sattler was high point man for the Buckeyes with 13, followed by Schick with seven. Rupp was pleased with the results. “My boys played the very best ball they were capable,” he said, “and they beat a very fine team.” Ohio State suffered their first defeat of the season after three wins. “We were not organized as well as we might have been.” Said Ohio State coach H.G. Olsen. “We had to use three players who just became eligible last week.” Coach Rupp and company would return home for a date on New Years night with Kansas State.

            A young Jack Gardner brought his first Kansas State team into Lexington with high hopes, but with the realization that his green team had little chance against a seasoned club like Kentucky. The University of Southern California graduate was embarking on his first major college coaching job and while this particular season would probably be a lean one he was on his way to becoming one of the most successful coaches in the college game. Coach Rupp meanwhile was somewhat perplexed by his bench, which had not lived up to his expectations so far especially on defense. Of course I believe this is a complaint of coaches through out the ages of college basketball; none of them ever seem to be completely happy with a team’s defense. Neither offense nor defense would give the coach any worries on this night. Kansas State would put some fine basketball teams on the floor in years to come, but this squad was totally out of its class against their cousin Wildcats from Kentucky.

            Kentucky’s guard tandem of Mickey Rouse and Lee Huber were operating as efficiently as any in the country. The pair accounted for the better portion of the Wildcat’s scoring on the night. Rouse fired in five field goals and a free throw for 11 points and Huber came up with eight points on four field goals. Marrion Cluggish had eight points also and Waller White scored six. Kansas State was almost shutout in the first half managing only one field goal. UK scored the first eight points and the game was basically over. The Kansas State squad was able to string together three consecutive free throws, but before they could dent the score board again the Wildcats had added 10 more points to their total. Kansas State’s lone field goal came late in the half on a long shot by a substitute center named Checksfield. Ironically, he would be the high point man for the Kansas “Wildcats” with seven points. Rupp’s more polished quintet took a commanding 32-7 lead to the locker room at the intermission.

            The Kentucky starters began the second period, but soon gave way to the reserves. The Kansas State crew faired better against the UK subs, out scoring them 19-17. This did not sit well with Coach Rupp. Several of Coach Gardner’s boys were playing basketball for the first time this season; Rupp figured even his subs should be able to out perform a green bunch still learning the game. Still it was an easy victory with Kentucky winning 53-26. Though UK doubled the score on Kansas State it was the kind of night that Coach Rupp could have won by as many points as he wanted. Coach Gardner seemed to have resigned himself to the fact the game was lost right from the beginning. He appeared to be more interested in observing the Kentucky team’s plays and methods then instructing his own players. He used his entire bench, splitting playing time equally among everyone. Coach Gardner may have realized this was a chance to gain valuable experience his team could never duplicate on the practice floor.

            UK had celebrated the New Year with an easy win that amounted to little more then a good scrimmage for the Cats. The next one would be a little different. The Wildcats faced another team from Cincinnati, whose university of the same name had already upset Kentucky earlier. This time Rupp’s club would bus north, cross the Ohio River and take on Xavier. Cincinnati’s win was a bit of a fluke, the Wildcats were definitely the better team. If the two played, oh say a 10 game series, the Cats would likely win eight or nine; Xavier though was another matter altogether. Though their 3-6 record would not indicate it, The Musketeers had experience and talent equal to and possibly superior to the Wildcats.

            The Musketeer starters consisted of Bill Gates a former St. Xavier High star from Louisville, senior captain Al Geselbracht, James Vaughn a sophomore sensation out of Chicago, Pius Litzinger and Bob Himmler. “These five boys are all dangerous and we will have to be at our best if we lick Coach Clem Crowe’s outfit.” stated Coach Rupp. “In fact I think Xavier is many points better then the University of Cincinnati. Xavier is reported to have a better basketball team this season then it has had for the past five years.” continued the UK coach. “Against Ohio Wesleyan last Saturday night the Musketeers turned in what could almost be described as a perfect ball game. They made few errors and played heads-up basketball throughout the contest.”

            Thursday afternoon Rupp put his charges through a couple of long drills, paying particular attention to their defense. It was followed by a scrimmage against the “Lost Battalion”. The guard tandem of Huber and Rouse performed brilliantly. Unfortunately, the UK coach was not as pleased with his forwards, issuing most of his instructions to them during the afternoon practice session. It was reported speedy forward Ermal Allen had been slowed by a reoccurrence of an old foot injury, but was expected to be ready for action by Saturday evening.

            The extra attention afforded the Kentucky forwards apparently paid off. The Wildcats had to punch the clock for extra time, but it was worth it in the end. The Cats and Musketeers treated the crowd to an exciting exhibition of round ball. Xavier came very nearly mastering the Ruppmen, coming up a point shy in overtime 42-41. The contest was tied 11 times during regulation and three times during the extra period. “Both Kentucky and Xavier played good ball,” said Rupp afterwards, “and it took all we had to defeat the Musketeers.”

           Keith Farnsley put UK on the board first with a jumper. Vaughn and Gates answered to move Xavier out in front, but UK’s Waller White knotted it at four all with a field goal. The teams exchanged field goals for the next several minutes; Marion Cluggish then gave Kentucky the lead 10-9 midway through the first half. UK went on a 7-4 run making it 17-13 with less then five minutes until the break. Xavier scored five straight to take back the lead 18-17; they would not be headed again until the middle of the second period. The Musky’s out scored UK 5-4 on their way to a 23-21 half time lead.

           The Wildcats had to battle 10 minutes before overtaking Xavier in the second half. It remained a tight contest with the Musketeers moving back ahead 28-27 at the five minute mark. Two quick field goals by Ermal Allen and James King put Kentucky back out in front 31-28 with four minutes remaining in the game. With two minutes left the game was tied once again, this time 32-all. Waller White broke the deadlock hitting a short shot with one minute to go. Xavier battled the UK defense down to the wire, scoring on a field goal by substitute Jerry Quinlan with 10 seconds left to send the game into over-time. The Ohio squad drew first blood in the extra period with two free throws, one each by Geselbracht and Quinlan. Farnsley evened it with a crip shot and moved Kentucky ahead adding a charity toss. Gates tied it for the second time in the OT on a foul shot, then Rouse drove in for a crip shot and a two point lead for the Wildcats. With the clock moving under two minutes to play, Quinlan took a long pass from Geselbracht in the backcourt, drove under the basket and made a difficult shot under great defensive pressure that tied the game for the final time at 39-39. White broke free for a lay-up and was fouled on the shot. He sank the free throw to complete the three point play. Gates was able to hit a jumper just before the horn, leaving the Musketeers one point short. The Kentucky front court carried the load this time out. Farnsley led UK with 12 points, White added seven and James King came off the bench to tally nine at the center position. Gates and Vaughn both had nine, Litzinger scored seven and Himmler and Quinlan each were credited with five points for Xavier.

           The Wildcats were “pretty well battered” according to Rupp. “They put out everything they had….defeating Xavier. Three of my forwards – Keith Farnsley, Waller White and Ermal Allen – were injured in the fray; it was their work that stood out though. Usually it’s the guards who carry the major portion of the burden, but against Xavier it was the forwards who came through in fine style.” Farnsley injured his knee, while White and Allen re-aggravated foot injuries. Rupp reassured though, they would all be in shape for the next foe, which would be West Virginia.

           Monday’s bout with West Virginia would be the first of two difficult encounters of the week for Kentucky. Saturday night the Wildcats would travel to South Bend, Indiana to take on Notre Dame. UK had not had much success against the Fighting Irish having lost four in a row, but first things first; Rupp’s Wildcats had other business to tend to. The unbeaten Mountaineers of West Virginia were led by senior center Homer Brooks who had scored 250 points during his junior year. Brooks was on pace this year to match that or better it. West Virginia was coming off an impressive win over Carnegie Tech 44-39. Tech was considered one of the best teams in the east. 

           The main event of the evening was preceded by a contest between the UK freshmen and Campbellsville College. Cliff Barker led the frosh with 12 points as they won easily 53-23. West Virginia’s squad was well conditioned and played a tough physical game, but the Cat’s quickness and finesse created problems for the Mountaineers. Rupp’s crew was smooth and precise during the opening minutes of the game running out to a 13-1 lead. Lee Huber had started the scoring with a long field goal in the first minute of play. Marion Cluggish hit a foul shot and Keith Farnsley added two shots before the Mountaineers finally got on the board with a free throw. A couple of more lay-ups by Cluggish and a shot by Rouse and the Cats were off and running. The Mountaineers methodically carried on, but Kentucky still maintained an edge in scoring the rest of the way and led 32-17 at the half.

           During the second half West Virginia chipped away until they reduced the UK margin to 36-29 making the hometown fans uneasy. Mickey Rouse came to the rescue nailing two long shots to give the Cats some breathing room. Kentucky had basically cruised in the second half and while West Virginia had made a comeback it seemed the Cats were able to increase their lead whenever needed. The teams pretty much matched points during the final minutes with UK posting a 47-38 win. Coach Rupp must have been concerned with the outcome of this contest. Normally the UK coach would substitute freely, especially with a sizeable lead such as the Wildcats had in the first half. However on this night he made only two changes, one of those after Marion Cluggish fouled out. The other was Carl Staker for Lee Huber after Huber collected three first half fouls. Cluggish and Rouse scored 12 points each; Huber had nine and Farnsley eight. Ermal Allen, a last minute substitution in the starting line-up added four points. The Mountaineers had no one in double figures, the high scorer was Baric with nine; their star Brooks was held to seven.

           So far Coach Rupp’s current squad had been inconsistent with the exception of Lee Huber and Layton “Mickey” Rouse. Guard play had been second to none, but the other positions had seen no one step forward to grab and keep a starting spot. Keith Farnsley was doing well at one forward position; the other was being handled by Ermal Allen and Waller White. In recent games Rupp seemed to be leaning toward giving Allen the nod for the majority of the minutes between the two. James King had been coming on at center and had seen some important playing time in the last few contests. While this might not appear to be a major problem, it would play an important role in UK’s next game.

           In 1929 Kentucky took on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame for the first time. Then UK coach John Mauer surprised the Irish with a 19-16 upset in South Bend. The two teams would not meet again until 1936. Since that first encounter Kentucky had not fared so well against Notre Dame, losing four games in a row. Rupp was hopeful but also concerned with his team’s chances. Coach George Keogan had a deadly shooter in forward Eddie Riska. The Wildcats would seem to have the advantage at guard and Marion Cluggish was taller then either of the Notre Dame centers. Now all the Cats had to do was go up to South Bend and beat the Irish.

           The luck of the Irish proved too much for Adolph Rupp and Company once again. Kentucky remained winless against Notre Dame under Coach Rupp, losing 52-47. While the final score might indicate a tight game, in truth the Fighting Irish gained the upper hand early and held it throughout the contest. The Wildcats made the final margin more respectable looking when Notre Dame Coach Keogan brought in the reserves. The Irish led by 15 with four minutes to play. What seemed to be a safe gap almost completely disappeared as Lee Huber and James King went on a 10 point scoring spree; unfortunately for Wildcat fans they ran out of time. As was feared Eddie Riska had a big night scoring 17 for Notre Dame.  Mickey Rouse had 13 for UK and Huber added 11. Kentucky was unable to take advantage of their height inside as the taller Cluggish was beat to the rebound time after time. Coach Keogan’s defensive scheme didn’t allow the Cats to utilize that size to score in close. The Wildcats were limited to long range shots throughout the evening. The 52 points was the best offensive output of the season for Notre Dame. The Irish shot 37.8%, while holding Kentucky to 29.4%, which was a respectable mark for this period of time in college basketball. Things didn’t get any easier; UK’s next opponent was border rival Tennessee.

           Over the years Tennessee has been one of Kentucky’s toughest opponents. One never knows what to expect; no matter what the two team’s records are or their rankings. Seldom through the years has UK been the underdog. The majority of the time the Wildcats are favored, but as we have seen this matters little when the two rivals take the court. This rivalry goes back many years, even in these early decades of the 1930’s and ‘40’s the games were hotly contested. Now Tennessee coach John Mauer was the former UK coach Adolph Rupp had replaced; that alone could have gotten the fireworks started. The Vol’s biggest win of last season was no doubt their victory over the Wildcats in Lexington, 30-29. Kentucky had come out on top though in a later meeting in the SEC Tournament. This would be UK’s first conference game. Tennessee on the other hand had already had two SEC encounters and were leading the standings at 2-0. UT had a solid starting five, but their bench was a bit weak. A portion of the Tennessee squad came from the Vol’s football team. Starters Bob Foxx at forward, Mike Balitsaris at guard and reserves Bill Luttrell and Bernard O’Neil all hailed from the gridiron team. Their top player was Bernie Mehen; a slick ball handling guard nicknamed “Houdini”. Mehen had become somewhat of an entertainer on the court, using trick ball handling and unorthodox passes. He had been known to clamp the ball between his legs while faking a shot, and then when his opponent was drawn out of position he would calmly take the unguarded shot. Fun and games aside, both teams were evenly matched and the game appeared to be a toss-up that could go either way.

           For some it probably seemed the basketball teams had taken up where their football counterparts had left off in November. Kentucky and Tennessee battled, literally, on the hardwood and the Wildcats came out a little bruised up, but victorious. Kentucky had certainly played better games, but not many more aggressively then on this night. During the 35-24 win a total of 31 fouls were called. UK’s defense was extremely stingy, allowing only four Tennessee players to score. The magician Bernie Mehen accounted for half of the Vol’s points with 13. Rouse and Huber led the Wildcats with 11 and 12 respectively. It was the first loss for John Mauer’s Volunteer squad in SEC play. In the next few days Coach Rupp would discover that bumps and bruises were not the only things his team would have to recover from.

           Wednesday morning Coach Rupp gave everyone the bad news. Several key players had become very ill. Jim King and reserve guard Marvin Akers who were both suffering from temperatures of 104 degrees, were hospitalized at Good Samaritan suffering from severe streptococcus infections. Lee Huber was also sick and was being confined to his bed at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house. If all of this weren’t enough, Coach Rupp had dismissed Keith Farnsley from practice when he felt ill. As a matter of fact even the coach himself seemed to be somewhat under the weather. “I was all right and looked forward to the Alabama game in Birmingham Saturday night with equanimity and a normal heart beat and temperature, but now I feel sick myself,” stated the UK coach. There is no good time during a season to lose players like Huber and King, but for Kentucky it probably couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Cats next two games were on the road at Alabama and Vanderbilt. Losing Akers was not so critical since he was on the reserve squad was not likely to have seen action this season anyway, but without Huber and King it was very doubtful that UK could beat Alabama or Vanderbilt on the road or at home. While Coach Rupp thought the chances of Kentucky winning the next two were slim, he wasn’t completely giving up. “I’ll just plan on using Carl Staker at guard in Huber’s place and Big Clug or Little Clug will have to be in there for King.” said Rupp. “We have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoon on which to get ready. We may be able to save the day yet.”

           When the train carrying the UK basketball team left the station southward, Lee Huber, Jim King and Marvin Akers were not on board. Just as expected the three players were too ill to make the trip. All seemed to be improving and there was hope that possibly King could be well enough to meet the team in Nashville for the Vanderbilt game. However, Rupp admitted the chances of that happening were very slim. Coach Rupp had considered taking along Lloyd Ramsey, a member of the reserve or “Lost Battalion” Squad, but finally decided to go with the remaining varsity players.

           Alabama knocked off Kentucky 36-32. While that was not a surprise considering the circumstances, the score was. In reality not many thought the Wildcats would be able to stay close in this one. The Crimson Tide led all the way, but they were never able to get away from Kentucky. Alabama was led by George Prather who came off the bench to score 11 points in about half of the game. Prather who had been out for two weeks with a broken thumb, entered the game midway of the first half and fouled out with 12 minutes remaining in the contest. Still the Cats were unable to overcome the loss of King and especially Huber. Be that as it may, the game was lost at the charity stripe. The two teams scored 11 field goals each, but Alabama made good 14 of 25 free throws while UK hit 10 of 17. It was another foul plagued game that kept officials Bowser Chest and Chin Johnson winded from whistle blowing. Mickey Rouse led Kentucky with seven points and three other Wildcats had six each. UK would travel to Nashville to face the Commodores of Vanderbilt and Jim King would not make the trip to join his teammates.

           If Kentucky had a chance of winning one of the two games on this short-handed road trip, one would figure it would be against Vanderbilt. The Commodores had won only two of six conference games to date. After UK’s close showing against Alabama one would think the Cats chances of beating Vandy were better then they had thought they were when this road trip began. Just how much Lee Huber meant to the Kentucky team would become very clear after this encounter. Without Huber the Wildcats were not as cohesive as they had been in earlier games. It really was not surprising considering Rouse and Huber were one of the best guard tandems in the country. For awhile it appeared Kentucky just might pull it off. After Vandy moved out to a 4-0 lead, a free throw by Ermal Allen and a Marion Cluggish crip shot tied the score. During the next few minutes UK pulled ahead 16-9. Vandy began to chip away at the Wildcat margin. Brant “Pinky” Lipscomb scored two quick baskets, then a charity toss by both Thweat and Hanna moved the Commodores to within a single point. A long shot by Irby gave Vanderbilt the lead 17-16 with three minutes to go in the half. Stan Cluggish scored on a rebound put back to regain the lead for Kentucky, but Rouse committed his third foul on the following trip down court. Since four fouls were all that a player was allowed at this time in the college game, Rupp took no chances and replaced Rouse with Carl Combs. Vandy outscored Kentucky 5-0 in the final two minutes of the first half and led 23-18 at the break.

           The Wildcats were never really able to get going. After Staker opened the second half scoring with a charity toss for UK, the Commodores went on an eight point scoring spree hitting four field goals by four different players. The Cats were never a threat in the final period losing their second consecutive game. Vanderbilt outscored Kentucky 40-32. Lipscomb led the scoring with 14 for Vandy; teammates Hanna and Davis had nine points a piece. Rouse was high for UK with eight and Stan Cluggish added six. The Wildcats were two games past the halfway point of the regular season. They were 7-4 overall, but 1-2 in SEC play. Their next contest would be a non-conference game against Marquettte in Milwaukee.

           Marquette annually fielded one of the best teams in the country and this season was no exception. Coach Bill Chandler’s Hilltoppers who were coming off of a 16 point drubbing of Northwestern, were undefeated at home and posed a formidable opponent for any team much less a short-handed squad like Kentucky. Huber and King were both recuperated sufficiently to make the trip to Milwaukee, but it was unlikely either would see action. Coach Rupp had been using the last few days experimenting with different combinations hoping to find some lineup that would compensate for the missing players. Keith Farnsley had fallen into a shooting slump in recent games and Rupp had decided to replace him in the starting lineup with Waller White. The other starters would be Ermal Allen at forward, Marion Cluggish at center and Carl Staker in place of Huber at guard along with Mickey Rouse. The game had been moved from the Marquette University court to the Milwaukee Municipal Auditorium to accommodate the estimated 9,000 fans expected to attend. There was some good news for UK, Marquette’s top player Bill Komenich had been declared ineligible to play during the second semester. Even without Komenich Kentucky’s chances were still mighty slim.

           The long odds that faced UK against Marquette grew longer before they could even reach Milwaukee. On the way to the Marquette contest Carl Staker and Waller White became the third and fourth Wildcat players to become ill. Neither player was sick when the team left Lexington Saturday morning. When the team arrived in Louisville Staker was beginning to feel ill. By the time they had reached Chicago he was so sick he had to be assisted from the train and was taken to Presbyterian Hospital. White was now feeling ill also and was sent to the hospital as well. Kentucky now faced the prospects of having to take on one of the best teams in the country without four of their regular players. Once again Rupp would have to shuffle his lineup. Farnsley would return to his starting spot at forward for White and Carl Combs would replace Staker at guard. With only eight healthy bodies, UK’s crippled squad seemed to have little hope of defeating Marquette on the Hilltoppers home floor.

           Going into the game Coach Rupp and the UK players were cautiously optimistic on the outside, but surely they must have been hoping they would be able to just stay close to the Hilltoppers and prevent the game from turning into a blow-out. The first half set the stage for a surprising finish. The Cats kept it tight, instead of playing a conservative pace because of their short bench, Kentucky jumped all over Marquette. Farnsley put UK on the board first with a goal in the opening moments. Marquette came back to take the lead 4-2. A Rouse field goal sent the score into the first of seven ties in the half. After a 6-6 tie Farnsley and Marion Cluggish put UK back in front with two quick shots, but Marquette tied it again at 10 all. A long shot by Rouse put Kentucky back ahead, but Bill McDonald evened it at 12-12 for Marquette. Rouse found the range again and the Wildcats held the lead until the Hilltoppers tied it at 19-19 with five minutes in the half. The score was tied for the seventh time at 20 all before Bobby Deneen nailed a couple of jumpers to move Marquette back to the front. The teams exchanged baskets in the final two minutes giving Marquette a 26-22 lead at the break.

           The game was turning into a shooting match between Deneen and Farnsley. After having shooting woes for the last few games Farnsley was back on target, but Deneen was matching him point for point and then some. The Wildcats began the second half outscoring Marquette 6-2 to pull into a 28-28 tie. Marquette scored the next five points to take a 33-28 lead. With 15 minutes remaining Carl Combs committed his fourth foul and was sent to the bench. Combs, who had been inserted in the lineup when Staker became ill, had scored only two points before fouling out. It appeared the short-handed Wildcats may be about to run out of gas. Enter Don Orme. Moments after entering the game Orme hit a free throw that cut the lead to four, but Ralph Amsden shot Marquette into its largest lead of the night at 35-29. UK came back to tie it at 35-35 on two free throws and a crip shot by Farnsley and a long field goal by Rouse. The contest continued a see-saw affair; two charity tosses by Deneen put Marquette back ahead, then Rouse tied it with another long shot. Charles Hammer moved the Hilltoppers to the front for the final time, but Orme’s jumper tied the game at 39. Orme had the hot hand hitting two more baskets giving UK its first lead of the second half 43-39. During the last five minutes Marquette narrowed the lead to two points, but Orme pushed the Cats back to a four point gap with a driving shot. When the clock expired Kentucky had somehow pulled the upset. The word upset is rarely if ever used to describe a UK win, but on this night it was the only way to define the outcome.

           Kentucky had fought their way back from a six point deficit in the final eight minutes to beat Marquette 51-45. The odds were definitely against the Cats before the start of the contest, then in the second half when the game could have easily gotten away from them they found the spark they needed. Donald Orme, who had seen little playing time, answered the call when Carl Combs fouled out. One could see how this could have been the end for Kentucky, instead it turned into a rally for the crippled Cats. The red-headed Orme, who was known as “Rufus the Red” to teammates, was instructed to shoot every time he had an opportunity and that’s exactly what he did. Orme scored nine points in the final 15 minutes of play and was the key to the Wildcats comeback. Keith Farnsley picked a most opportune time to come out of his shooting slump firing in 18 points to lead Kentucky. Mickey Rouse had a big game with 12 and Marion Cluggish pitched in six. The ailing Lee Huber was able to get into the contest for about five minutes and scored two points. Marquette used 12 players during the game, but only four of them scored. Bobby Deneen hit for 21 points, Amsden had 13, McDonald eight and Hammer had three. The Wildcat defense shutout everyone else for the Hilltoppers.

           After the game Coach Rupp had high praises for his crew, saying they played almost a perfect game. “It is only once in a lifetime that a crippled ball club can turn in such a performance as did the Wildcats against Marquette,” he said. “My boys got a good start and this encouraged them to play a brand of basketball that was nothing short of marvelous. The boys never threw the ball away and they hit a good percentage of their shots. They just got together and rushed the Marquette team off its feet.” While Rupp was naturally ecstatic with his team’s play, he admitted being a bit surprised with the outcome. “Marquette has one of the toughest teams we have played this season and I am still a little bewildered as to how the Wildcats managed to come out on top.”

           Whether it was overconfidence by Marquette or just an outstanding performance by Kentucky, the unexpected result was a shot in the arm for the team that had been hit hard by illness. Carl Staker and Waller White were unable to return to Lexington with their teammates and would remain in the Chicago hospital for a few more days. There was good news though, Lee Huber and Jim King were now recovered enough to return to practice; that along with Keith Farnsley’s apparent return to form had things looking up again for Wildcat fans.

           A few years later an amusing anecdote came out concerning the Marquette game. With the UK team missing four of their best players, Coach Rupp was unusually relaxed in the dressing room before the game and told the players to just go out and have fun. When halftime rolled around and the Cats found themselves trailing by just four points, Rupp came charging into the dressing room and said, “By God, don’t forget this is a Kentucky team and I am the coach. What I said before the game is out. We are going to beat these bastards and there will be no more #@*%!* fun this trip!”

           In 1940 the SEC consisted of 13 teams including three that are no longer members; Georgia Tech, Tulane and Sewanee. Tennessee led the conference standings with a 4-1 record. What was odd about this was the different number of SEC games each team had played. While Tennessee had played five conference games, Alabama had played 12 and Mississippi State had only played two. Kentucky had played three and stood in 10th place at 1-2. You might suspect by season’s end all the teams would have played the same number of games, but that would not be the case. Comparing Alabama and Kentucky alone, Alabama had already played 12 SEC games and had more remaining. Kentucky on the other hand would play just eight conference games total. So selecting a champion basically had to be done by playing a tournament. And speaking of Alabama the cagers from the Capstone in Birmingham were next on the UK schedule. The Tide had upended Kentucky 36-32 earlier in the year. The Wildcats would have the services of Lee Huber and Jim King this time around. Both were ill and didn’t even make the trip for the first encounter. With Huber and King in the lineup Kentucky would be a much more formidable opponent. The Alabama game would be the first of three in fours days for the Wildcats. After meeting ‘Bama Saturday night Kentucky would have a rematch with Xavier on Monday and face Mississippi State the following night.

           Laurence Shropshire wrote in the Herald You can’t upset Kentucky’s Wildcats and get away with it any more than an official can call a foul on a Kentucky player on the home court and escape without a thunderous booing. The Wildcats seemed to be living up to the statement. UK avenged that earlier loss at the hands of the Tide in Birmingham by blasting Alabama 46-18. With the Ruppmen back at full strength, it was a very different team that Coach Hank Crisp’s squad faced this time out. For the biggest portion of the first half the teams engaged in a fierce battle that appeared to be headed to another tight finish. The Wildcats missed an open crip shot that was set up off the opening tip and ‘Bama scored first at the other end when Jim Brantner broke open under the basket. Kentucky took the lead quickly when Marion Cluggish scored four straight points. Though the score stayed close most of the half, the Tide never had the lead again. Before either side could score again Alabama had someone in foul trouble. Leeth committed his third foul and Coach Crisp sent in the star of the game in the last UK ‘Bama encounter, George Prather. This time Cluggish made life difficult for the Alabama center. At the midway point of the half Kentucky held a slim 8-6 lead. The Cats finally got going and finished on a 10-4 run to take an 18-10 advantage at the break.

           Kentucky got off early in the second half and broke the game open. Rouse hit a long shot just seconds into the period and then Harry Denham connected. After an Alabama goal Denham hit two more field goals and Huber added a lay-up to put UK a head 28-12 and take most of the starch out of the Tide. The Cats got big scoring nights from a couple of players that hadn’t been heard from much so far in the season. Carl “Hoot” Combs provided several crushing shots in the late stages of the game and finished with nine points. Harry Denham, who had been going through a rather quiet season, accounted for eight. The final score was 46-18 and while Kentucky had a fine scoring night their defense was exceptional. UK held Alabama to just four field goals for the entire contest and Marion Cluggish virtually throttled ‘Bama’s center Prather limiting him to three points. Cluggish turned in probably his best game of the year. While he scored just six points his rebounding and defense were outstanding, which was not lost on the Kentucky crowd who gave him a rousing ovation when Rupp relieved him near the end of the game. Kentucky next faced a rematch with Xavier, this time in Lexington, with a contest against Mississippi State the following evening.

           The first time around the Wildcats trimmed the Musketeers in Cincinnati 42-41 in overtime. The feeling was it would not be so close this time since UK had its team at full strength and some players who had not been contributing were now beginning to make some noise. Carl Combs and Harry Denham had surprisingly good games against Alabama and were expected to keep that momentum going. While the locals were figuring this to be an easy Kentucky win, Xavier had other ideas. From the opening whistle the game appeared headed for another down to the wire finish. During the first five minutes both teams jockeyed back and forth; Xavier opened the scoring, Rouse answered for Kentucky to tie. The Musketeers pulled back in front, but goals by Farnsley and Cluggish put UK back on top 6-5. Robben had the hot hand for the Musketeers and hit a short shot to make it 7-6 until Farnsley threw in two more field goals to give the lead back to the Wildcats. It was Robben again on a 17 footer, followed by three points by Rouse and then free throws by Xavier made it 13-12 Kentucky. The two combatants traded the lead again when Nick Weller scored for Xavier and Rouse threw in a long 20 footer then slipped through the middle for a crip shot that put the score 17-14 with just under three minutes to go in the half. Robben erased the three point UK lead when he hit a nifty pivot shot in the middle and was fouled. He made the free throw and the half ended 17-17.

           The second half appeared to be headed for the same back and forth type of game as the first. Cluggish threw in five points for UK, while Robben and Litzinger scored for Xavier. A basket and a free throw for UK; two baskets for Xavier and another free throw for the Cats made it 26-25. That would be as close it would get and the Wildcats began to pull away with eight minutes remaining. Combs scored on a long shot and Orme grabbed a loose ball for a lay in. Robben scored for the Musketeers and Rouse matched it. Cluggish put a rebound back in and during a wild scramble for the ball Ermal Allen was fouled and hit a charity shot to give Kentucky the lead 34-27. During the final few minutes Xavier took the ball out of bounds instead of taking the free throw, which was allowed during this period in college basketball. Since only one shot was awarded on a foul, they were hoping to score the field goal instead of settling for the single foul shot, unfortunately for the Musketeers it didn’t work. The Wildcats shut down every attempt Xavier made at the basket until the final minute when Robben threw in a long hook shot. UK added another Allen free throw and a Cluggish field goal to make the final 37-29. Cluggish had another good outing scoring 11 points, Rouse had 10 and Farnsley nine. Robben was almost a one man show for Xavier throwing in 18 points. No rest for the weary or the Wildcats for that matter; it was back to the hardwood the following evening against a fast breaking Mississippi State team.

           Over the years Kentucky has been known as a team that prefers to play a fast tempo, at least compared with most of the other SEC teams. In 1940 Mississippi State brought a team to Lexington that utilized the fast break more than the Wildcats did. While its true most of Rupp’s teams would run every time the opportunity presented itself, they also knew when to slow it down. This Mississippi State squad seemed intent on racing up and down the court every single trip. This being UK’s third game in four days, fatigue was a concern for Rupp and he would have to use his bench judiciously. Among the attendees for the night’s game were Governor Keen Johnson, Lt. Gov. Rodes K. Myers and several members of the general assembly. The Special guests were introduced by university President Frank T. McVey during a brief ceremony at half-time. The Alumni Gym crowd was treated to an entertaining contest. The Maroons of Mississippi State employed a fast pace, led by their captain Walter Craig who charged down the lane practically each trip down the floor. Meanwhile the State defense took UK’s inside attack away from the Cats forcing them to rely on long range shooting most of the evening. Fortunately Kentucky was up to the task winning their fourth game in a row 45-37. Rouse and Farnsley shared the scoring honors with 14 points each and Marion Cluggish had nine.

           The game was a tight affair through most of the first half. Both squads raced up and down the floor and at the 10 minute mark Kentucky led 8-5. The combatants basically matched points for next few minutes running the score to 12-10 UK. The Cats then ran off seven unanswered points and led 19-10 with three minutes remaining in the half. Mississippi State then went on a seven point scoring spree of their own to finish the half 19-17 in favor of Kentucky. The Maroons continued their whirlwind attack in the second half and briefly went into the lead 23-19. A field goal and free throw by Cluggish and a long shot by Rouse put UK back in front to stay. With 10 minutes left Kentucky held a 35-29 advantage and though Mississippi State scrapped and fought they were never able to get closer than three points. Despite the furious pace of the game, only 18 fouls were called. Kentucky hit all seven of their free throw attempts while State connected on 7 of 12. The fast tempo gave the teams plenty of scoring opportunities. The Wildcats threw up 94 shots hitting 19 of them. After a busy four days, the Cats would get a few days off before traveling to Knoxville to take on Tennessee.

           Anyone who has followed Kentucky basketball for any number of years is well aware that Tennessee is probably the Wildcat’s oldest rival. Kentucky has played Tennessee more then any other opponent and while the Cats have a commanding lead in the overall series, Tennessee holds the distinction of having beaten UK more times then any other team. The two teams met for the first time in February 1910 in Lexington. The Wildcats won that first contest 20-5. The trend of the two rivals playing each other frequently was evident in these early years. Kentucky and Tennessee played four times during one season four different years and the Vols beat UK all four games during the 1916-17 season. For several years the series was quite competitive in terms of wins and losses with both schools trading the lead in the win column until the late 1920’s. At the end of the 1928 season the series record was tied 16-16. During the next 10 years Kentucky began to pull away for good winning 20 of the next 24 games. Still a trip to Knoxville was and is a tough chore which often yields unpredictable results.

           The season was winding down for Kentucky as they prepared to face Tennessee. The Wildcats had three games remaining, all against SEC opponents. Tennessee had been in the lead or near the top of the conference standings most of the year and was leading going into the UK game. The Wildcats found themselves down in the lower half of the league at 3-2. After going through a difficult stretch where the Cats were forced to play without several of their top players, Kentucky was hoping to build momentum during these final games before the SEC Tournament began. UK didn’t seem to be heading in the right direction when they floundered at Tennessee losing 27-23. The 23 points would be Kentucky’s lowest output for the season. UK was never able to get moving in what turned into another rough and tumble battle between the two rivals. Kentucky found themselves trailing 19-11 at halftime and were never able to catch up even though they outscored the Volunteers 12-8 in the second period. It was a most un-Kentucky like effort. Not only was UK unable to reach their average point total, the usual Kentucky scoring leaders never got on track. The Wildcats were led by Ermal Allen’s six points. The normally reliable Mickey Rouse and Lee Huber combined for a grand total of one point, with Rouse being completely shutout. Keith Farnsley did manage to come up with four points as did Carl Combs. Frank Thomas led Tennessee with 11 points and Bernie Mehen added seven.

           Things didn’t get any better two nights later in Atlanta as Georgia Tech knocked off the Wildcats 44-39. While Kentucky’s play was much improved from their effort against Tennessee, they still came up short. The Cats actually out shot Tech from the floor hitting 16 field goals to the Engineer’s 15. The deciding factor in the game came at the free throw line. UK had 23 fouls called against them, while Georgia Tech was called for just nine. Tech made 14 of 26 free throw attempts and Kentucky hit 7 of the 10 charity tosses they were awarded. It was a tight contest all the way. After trailing 26-22 at the half Kentucky took a brief lead 31-30 and with three minutes left the Cats trailed 40-39. During the final minutes Tech fired in four of those 14 free throws to finish off the Wildcats. The UK starters were more or less back to normal in this contest. Farnsley led with 11 points, Rouse had nine, Marion Cluggish four, but Huber was held to one point for the second game in a row. As usual Coach Rupp substituted several times during the game, but the Georgia Tech starting five played the entire contest.

          Kentucky had one game remaining against Vanderbilt before the SEC Tournament. The Commodores had beaten Kentucky earlier in the season while the Cats were short-handed due to the illness that had struck the team. This time the Wildcats were healthy and at full strength, but they had lost their last two games and the players confidence may have been a bit shaky. It was also beginning to appear Lee Huber had not fully recovered from his bout with the flu. Seniors Mickey Rouse, Marion Cluggish and Harry Denham would be playing their final game at Alumni Gym. Rouse’s farewell appearance ended on a sour note when he fouled out in the first half after scoring only one point. Denham who had not seen much playing time during the year also put just one point on the board. Cluggish however was almost a one-man team. He scored a career high 22 while dominating play on both ends of the floor. The big center kept the Cats in the game when Vanderbilt appeared ready to hang another “L” on the Wildcats. The Commodores jumped out to a quick lead 10-3 after seven minutes. Rouse picked up his third foul at this point and went to the bench. A few minutes later he returned and was called for his fourth almost immediately. Cluggish then came to life for the Cats, throwing in three field goals to pull UK to within three at 20-17. The Commodores answered with a couple of baskets during the last two minutes of the half to lead 24-17 at the break.

          Cluggish came out dominating the second half. At the mid point of the period UK took the lead for the first time 31-30. After a Vandy free throw tied the score, Cluggish put Kentucky ahead for good with two close fielders. When the final horn sounded UK had taken the win 43-38. While the Wildcats play overall could best be described as erratic, Cluggish put on a clinic in his final game in front of the home crowd. Farnsley and Combs added seven points each for Kentucky. For a change this time UK was the beneficiary of the officials whistle hitting 17-32 free throws, while Vanderbilt made 10-21. It was good to finish the regular season on a winning note. Now Coach Rupp and the Cats would wait along with the other SEC squads for the pairings of the conference tournament to be announced.

          UK finished 4-4 in the SEC tied for 6th place with Georgia Tech. The University of Kentucky had established itself as the premier program in college basketball in the south and while the Wildcats had made a name for themselves on a national scale, in truth they still lagged behind the powers of the north and east. Discussing this matter UK assistant coach Paul McBrayer used the Notre Dame game to illustrate the reason why. “We were out-coached and outclassed plenty.” Mac said. “We played good ball, but they simply had us outmanned. A week before our game, Notre Dame played Syracuse, one of the better teams in the east, winning by four or five points. Yet the two boys they started at guard against us did not even get into the game with Syracuse, even as substitutes. We have may be a couple of boys as good as anybody on the Notre Dame squad, but they have two full teams that can go.” McBrayer cited two players from the UK “area”; Bernie Crimmins an outstanding player out of St. Xavier High School in Louisville and Steve Sitko a two sport athlete from Indianapolis. Both were now attending Notre Dame. Crimmins was a third stringer that had saw only a few minutes playing time all season and Sitko, the first string quarterback on the Notre Dame football team, had been unable to even make the Irish JV squad. “Give us Crimmins and Sitko to fill in,” commented McBrayer, “and we’d never look back.” UK was getting their share of the best athletes in the state, but was recruiting very few of the best from the midwestern industrial states or the eastern metropolitan areas. By the mid to late 1940’s, Kentucky would be fielding teams made up of the most talented players from across the country. From that time forward the Wildcats would be a national power year after year.

          Kentucky’s position in southern basketball was further illustrated when the pairings were announced for the SEC Tournament. Despite finishing with a .500 record, tied for sixth place, UK was named one of the four teams to be seeded; most likely on the basis of being defending champions. The other three seeded teams were Alabama who finished in first place, Tennessee the second place finisher and third place Georgia. Four teams would receive first round byes. Instead of giving the byes to the seeded squads the coaches had agreed to select the byes by drawing the teams from a hat. Two seeded squads received byes; Alabama and Kentucky, along with Florida and Mississippi. This tournament appeared to be a wide open affair with as many as six or seven teams that had realistic chances to win the title. Most of the coaches and athletic directors felt Alabama was in the best position to take the championship, but they also saw Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and Georgia Tech as being just as capable of winning it all. One thing everyone agreed on though was the road to the title led straight to Kentucky.

          While everyone was quick to point out the lack of a dominate team going into the tournament, they all seemed to have their favorite. Tennessee coach John Mauer called it a toss-up. “Look at the standings for the season. They show every team has been defeated at least twice and that’s a good indication most of them are about on a par.” Georgia Tech coach Roy Mundroff tagged Georgia as his pick to win it all. Georgia coach Elmer Lampe disagreed saying Alabama or Kentucky was more likely to end up at the top. “I think Alabama is in the best spot and Kentucky next.” Said Lampe “They’ll be fresh for their first games against teams already tired from earlier play. Both are strong offensively and defensively and have good reserves.” Jim Buford coach of Vanderbilt picked Tennessee to take the crown. None of the coaches or AD’s were willing to pick their own team as a possible champion, although it was reported that 'Bama coach Hank Crisp had told his team, “Take along enough clothes to last through Sunday.” For the most part the media were predicting an Alabama-Kentucky showdown for the title on Saturday night. 

          The UK coach had his opinion on a likely winner also. While admitting being pleased with the position the Wildcats drew, Coach Rupp added he did not believe his team would be able to defend their SEC Championship. "It appears to me that Alabama should have the easiest sledding into the championship game." He predicted Tennessee would be the Crimson Tide's opponent. Rupp was concerned with the poor shooting the Cats had suffered in recent games. Hew attributed some of it to the fact that some players had not completely recovered from recent illnesses and were in poor physical condition as well. "Only Saturday night two of my boys asked to be taken out of the Vandy tilt. Lee Huber and Waller White both were taken out of the Vandy encounter at their own request. The boys who have been ill this season can now go at full speed for only about eight minutes and then they need a four or five minute rest before attaining top form again. For this reason I don't think it is our year to cop the crown." In addition to their physical problems, the Cats were facing an "even year jinx". Since the SEC was formed UK had won the title three times; all in odd numbered years. Kentucky was yet to win the championship in an even numbered year. Of course those kinds of superstitions were probably completely ignored by a coach who never passed picking up a bobby pin and wore a brown suit to every game.

          The tournament got underway on Thursday in Knoxville. Kentucky would play the winner of the Vanderbilt – Mississippi State contest in the final game of the day. Looking at the days schedule shows how much things have changed over the years. Eight games were on the slate beginning at 8:30 in the morning. Each game was scheduled one hour and 15 minutes apart, all on the same court; a virtual impossibility these days.

          LSU opened competition topping Tulane 57-44 in the morning’s first game. That was followed by Georgia beating Auburn 48-41; it was Tennessee over Georgia Tech 55-43 and Vanderbilt knocked off Mississippi State 46-36 to close out the first round. The second round got underway later that same afternoon as the teams that had received byes got into action. Alabama breezed through their opening encounter with LSU, winning easily 51-25. Georgia also had little trouble advancing taking out Mississippi 45-28. Tennessee beat Florida 42-32 leaving Vanderbilt and UK to meet in the final game of the day. Out of the three second round games played, Alabama was the only team with a first round bye to advance. So far all of the seeded teams had moved on with Kentucky yet to play.

          The Wildcats ended the regular season against Vandy with a 43-38 win. Now five days later their first opponent in the SEC Tournament was the Commodores. UK had not exactly had a strong finish to the season. The team’s play had been inconsistent, but Marion Cluggish had played very well and it couldn’t have been coming at a better time. Cluggish would continue his hot streak and Kentucky would get a double digit scoring effort from an unexpected source; Ermal Allen. The UK sophomore would have a season high 12 points, which along with Cluggish’s 13 moved the Cats on to the next round 44-34. Kentucky jumped on top right out of the gate when Cluggish put in a missed shot. The Commodores were able to take the lead briefly at 3-2, but UK pulled back ahead for good and after five minutes led 8-5. During the next five minutes Farnsley cashed in a free throw and Rouse threw in a long jumper. Vanderbilt’s Hanna then hit a twisting shot and at the mid point of the half the score stood at 11-7. Vandy did cut the margin to one at 13-12, but the Cats scored six straight to extend the lead. With five minutes remaining and the score 19-14 Allen drove under for his first basket. Cluggish scored his 10th and 11th points of the half with a field goal and a free throw. Vandy sandwiched a couple of baskets around a long goal by Allen and the half ended 26-18 in favor of Kentucky.

          Vandy got off first with a basket to start the second half, but Cluggish matched it and Rouse added a free throw. Hanna then flipped in a difficult shot for his 16th point of the night. The Commodores scored five more points to make it 29-27; it would be as close as they could get. Allen accounted for eight of Kentucky’s next 10 points during a 10-2 run. The teams matched baskets during the final few minutes to give UK the 44-34 win. Allen and Cluggish scored half of Kentucky’s points, Rouse had five and no one else scored more then three. Huber had another disappointing outing coming up with only two points. Huber had not scored more then two points in any game since returning to the lineup after his illness. He had been the second leading scorer up to that point in the season and had scored 12 points against Tennessee in his last game before becoming ill. The viruses and infections that had gone through almost half of the squad had probably cost UK a couple of games. In a few of those contests someone was able to come through to take up the slack. In this last game against Vanderbilt it had unexpectedly come from Ermal Allen and if Huber continued to struggle, someone else would have to step forward to do the job. Kentucky would need everyone who set foot on the floor to be in top form against their next round foe, Tennessee. Tennessee was a tough opponent under normal circumstances, but this was the SEC Tournament and it was being played on their home floor.

           The previous year’s championship match-up was one of this year’s semi-finals. The Wildcats would face a capacity partisan crowd that expected a tight battle down to the wire. Kentucky got in the scoring column first when Carl Combs grabbed the opening tip and drove under for an easy hook shot. Tennessee cashed in a free throw and Combs hit another shot in close. Frank Thomas got the Vols first basket and was fouled on the shot. After Thomas made his charity toss, Combs continued to have the hot hand early with a crip shot. Farnsley then added a free throw and Rouse fired in a 25 footer to give UK a 12-5 lead with just under five minutes remaining before the half. Waller White was called for a foul and complained to the official and was hit with a technical. Tennessee hit both the technical and the personal foul shots and finished the half outscoring Kentucky 5-3 to trail 15-10 at the break.

          Tennessee opened the second period with four straight points. UK added a basket, but the Vols matched it with one of their own. Combs sank a charity toss for the Cats and Bernie Mehen hit a set shot from the corner for the Vols that tied it at 18 all. Both teams matched challenge after challenge. Farnsley drove under for a twisting lay-up, Mehen hit again from the same corner spot and Combs added a free throw. Thomas followed up a Volunteer miss to give Tennessee the lead for the first time 22-21. After Tennessee missed three straight foul shots, Gilbert Huffman finally connected from the stripe for the Vols. A long jumper by Rouse tied it; then Mehen hit again for Tennessee, but Farnsley answered with two baskets that gave the lead back to UK. Mehen, who had been almost unstoppable in the second half, fired in a push shot from the top of the foul circle that evened it at 27-27 with 3:30 to play. Neither team was able to break the deadlock, missing several shots before time expired sending the game into overtime. For a while it appeared neither club was going to score in the extra period. With just under two minutes to go Mehen put Tennessee ahead with a running one-hander. Farnsley sank a free throw and after the Vols lost the ball while trying to run out the clock, the UK forward hit a short jumper with 0:12 seconds remaining. Tennessee inbounded the ball and threw up a frantic heave from mid-court that bounced off the rim as the horn sounded. Kentucky survived 30-29 to move on to the championship game.

          After the tight defensive struggle against Tennessee it appeared Coach Rupp’s prediction that his squad wouldn’t be up to the task of claiming a second straight championship just might be right. Kentucky’s opponent for the title however turned out to be Georgia who surprised everyone with a 30-28 upset of highly favored Alabama. UK’s chances looked much better against the Bulldogs and it became apparent only moments after the opening tip that the Cats were ready and able to place another SEC Title in the records. Kentucky had faced a stifling defense in a low scoring game against Tennessee, but in the championship contest the Wildcats more or less raced through a wide-open Georgia defense. UK sprinted out to an early lead to start the game that left the Bulldogs playing catch-up the remainder of the night. While Kentucky maintained the lead throughout, Georgia did give the UK rooters some uneasy moments before the final horn.

          Kentucky controlled the opening tip when Marion Cluggish followed a miss by Mickey Rouse to get UK on the board first. Georgia answered with a basket by Kirkland, then the Cats ran off seven straight points to take a 9-2 advantage. Chatman drove under for a Georgia crip shot and was fouled by Waller White. He made the basket and the free throw to cut the margin to five. The Cats put six unanswered points on the board when White cashed in two charity tosses, Farnsley nailed a long jumper and Cluggish put a rebound back in. The Bulldogs then went on a 5-1 run that made the score 16-10. The Cats wrapped two baskets around a Georgia foul shot to make it 20-11 at the mid-point of the first half. During the next eight minutes the Cats outscored Georgia 9-4. Farnsley threw in an long bomb, Cluggish got his fifth basket of the half on a slick pivot shot, then Farnsley hit from the foul line and White finished the run with a long fielder that made it 29-15. Georgia got four points to Kentucky’s two in the final minutes to make it 31-19 at the half.

          Georgia got on the board first to start the second period, but UK answered with two baskets by Huber and Rouse. Kirkland hit from long range for the Bulldogs, but Roused matched it with a crip shot. Georgia hit two more field goals to make it 37-27. The Bulldogs fought hard to chip away at the UK lead, but each time the Wildcats held them at bay. With eight minutes to play the Kentucky lead was 47-38. Georgia made one last run at the Cats, cutting the margin to six after a technical foul was called on Kentucky’s Jim King. Kelly hit the technical for Georgia and followed it with a rebound tip-in. During the final minutes the Cats ran the clock down with the ‘Dawgs chasing in vain. UK got two more baskets; a crip shot by White and a rebound by Cluggish. Georgia hit a long jumper at the buzzer that made the final 51-43.

          Kentucky overcame several obstacles to win their fourth SEC title and their second in a row. They had to battle illness that had the coach in the brown suit scrabbling just to put a line-up on the floor. They fought off the challenge of a talented Tennessee squad playing on their home floor. They played each game in front of a hostile crowd as fans whose teams had lost, cheered for whomever UK was playing; then there was the “Even Year” jinx. The championship game was a bit anti-climactic and it showed in the attendance. After the Wildcats knocked off host Tennessee and Alabama, another favorite to win was upset, less than 700 fans showed up for the title game.

          Kentucky put four players in double figures, Farnsley and Rouse scored 12 each; White had 11 and Cluggish came up with 10. Georgia was led by Chatman with 12 points and Kirkland with 10. The Cats had one player each selected to the first and second All Tournament Teams. Mickey Rouse was voted to the first team along with Bernie Mehen and Frank Thomas of Tennessee; George Prather from Alabama and Georgia’s Alex McCaskill. Keith Farnsley was selected to the second team and Carl Combs, Marion Cluggish and Ermal Allen were named honorable mention.

          After stating he didn’t believe his team had the stamina, physically or mentally, to capture the SEC crown, Coach Rupp praised his squad saying they peaked at just the right time. “The boys went down to Knoxville,” Rupp said, “rolled up their sleeves and really went to work. They played swell and each deserves the same amount of credit for bringing the championship back to Lexington again. We changed our entire defense for the tournament and it worked out almost perfectly. There were more high-class ball clubs in the tournament this year for quite a while and it took some A-1 playing to win the crown.” The victory was Coach Rupp’s 160th since becoming the UK coach. The NIT and NCAA tournament’s were up next for college basketball and in what would be considered almost blasphemous today, UK announced they were not accepting an invitation to play in the NCAA. Athletic Director Bernie Shively said that Kentucky had been chosen as the Southern representative, but that the Wildcats had just completed a strenuous campaign and were not in good enough physical condition to take part in another hard tournament.

           Well, it was a different era after all. As the decade of the 1940’s began, the game was changing. After the SEC Tournament there were many discussions about the way the game was played in the south; mostly centering around officiating. Coach Rupp had been campaigning for years for a more liberal interpretation of the rules. Rupp and others argued that fans and players preferred less whistle blowing and more action. Even coaches who used a more conservative philosophy, such as former UK coach John Mauer agreed southern basketball would benefit by playing a more “open game”. The SEC Tournament just finished showed the officials had taken Rupp’s and others advice. The average number of fouls called during the tournament was 26 per game, compared to over 40 during the regular season. Veteran official Bowser Chest stated this had been discussed at length during their meetings with coaches. It didn’t happen overnight, but over the next few years southern basketball evolved to a style that was more on par with rest of the nation. While it would have happened anyway, there is no question that the coaching philosophy of Adolph Rupp helped the game improve faster then it would have otherwise.

          The 1940 season had come to a close and the Wildcats had added another SEC crown to what would eventually become an unmatched record. The 1941 squad would be another competitive team, returning veterans Jim King, Lee Huber and Keith Farnsley. The 1940’s and Kentucky Basketball were off to a fabulous beginning.