Mention the season of no joy, a year of no fun, a championship with no celebration and most any Kentucky fan will know exactly what you mean; 1978, the fifth NCAA crown for the Wildcats and one that apparently no one enjoyed. Amazing, but hardly the case. When you look back on the '78 season in photos, film clips, articles and memoirs of players, fans and others involved, it hardly appears an unpleasant undertaking; I've seen an awful lot of smiles on those faces.

I think this season of no joy has taken on an urban legend kind of mystic. True the media and some observers saw the Wildcats as all business and no fun, spurred on to this state of being by it's demanding and unreasonable fans. A number of things contributed to this ridiculous notion, such as Joe Hall's personality and coaching philosophy; it was also a senior laden team that had already experienced a shot at the championship, but had been unable to bring home the prize. I'm sure the players felt they should have already put the trophy in the case. This was their last chance, they had to take it seriously.  Fans were also anxious to see their Cats on top again after a long time between titles. Throw in the fact this was a very good team and you can see the basis for great expectations. Kentucky had not exactly been a favorite of the national sports media, but from the start of the season the media seemed determined to ride the Wildcats and Coach Joe Hall mercilessly for the entire year. As the season continued and it became more and more apparent Kentucky was not simply a contender, the criticisms and outright insults seemed to become the "in" thing to do. This was certainly nothing new to Kentucky and it continues to an extent today, but looking back I don't believe it had ever reached such a level on almost all fronts. As biased as the sports media is today, I doubt they will ever target a single team as they did in 1978. This was the two things the Kentucky players and coaches had to deal with all season……pressure to win, from many different sources, for many different reasons and the constant portrayal of being a “dirty” team. As far as the pressure to win was concerned, Kevin Grevey had this to say. “If a kid just wants to have a good time, I don’t think Kentucky’s for him. But if he’s a good player, he’d be a fool not to go there. I went through it, and I loved it. It made me a better person. And I still managed to have a good time.”

The '78 championship has always felt special to me, both then and now. I believe it's because it was the first one that I was personally able to experience, instead of reading about them or watching old film clips. The 18 year gap afterwards had me starting to wonder if they were ever going to win one again in my lifetime? You know stranger things have happened. Look at all the teams that have won once and never again.

Regardless of what "history” says I think '78 was a fun year for Kentucky basketball; then again for me, and others like me, any year is a fun year for Kentucky basketball. Looking back on that championship year may bring a new appreciation of what the team accomplished in the middle of that 38 year span.

It could be said the foundation for the 1978 championship was laid in 1975. The ‘75 squad consisted of a combination of talent both experienced and young. The ’78 starters were freshmen joining a senior group made up of Kevin Grevey, Jimmy Dan Connor, Mike Flynn and Bob Guyette. The team excelled in all phases of the game and though they were expected to be one of the top squads in the country, they were not considered to be final four contenders. The Cats got off to a fast start, but received an initiation from the Indiana Hoosiers into what it really took to be national championship contenders. In the third game of the season, Indiana man-handled the Cats 98-74. Kent Benson was particularly rugged with rookies Rick Robey and Mike Phillips; the UK players all admitted it was an eye opening experience and played a role when the two teams met later in the NCAA tournament. Near the end of the game a confrontation occurred between Bob Knight and the UK coaching staff. After a foul call on Steve Ahlfield, Knight became angry and jumped up to protest the call, walking all the way down in front of the Kentucky bench. Joe Hall rose to join the discussion and Knight began to move away. As Hall turned back toward the Wildcat bench, Knight gave Hall a flip of his hand to the back of Joe’s head. Assistant coach Lynn Nance, a former FBI agent, jumped up ready to take on the IU coach, but Hall restrained him. Knight insisted it was simply a playful tap, but to many it appeared anything but that. In this writers opinion it was intimidation pure and simple and the lesson was not lost on the Kentucky players and coaches.

When the NCAA tourney rolled around Indiana was undefeated, ranked #1 in the country and was an almost unanimous pick to win the national title. Kentucky had put together a solid season and found themselves facing the Hoosiers in the Mideast Regional Final. Indiana had suffered a loss near the end of the year when leading scorer Scott May broke his wrist. Even without May IU was so deep hardly anyone expected it to derail Indiana's chances at the title. May would play in the contest, but he was basically ineffective. The Kentucky players were pumped sky high for the game; this time they were ready and met the Hoosier's physical play head on. The teams fought an even battle right down to the wire. At halftime the score was tied 44-44 and remained close in the second half. Kentucky pulled out to an 85-75 lead with 4:22 to play. Indiana fought back but never got to the front and with :05 seconds remaining Jimmy Dan Connor broke open for an inbounds pass and by the time Indiana could foul him only :01 second remained. Connors missed the free throw, but time ran out on the Hoosiers. The Wildcats had pulled off what is still today one of the greatest wins in Kentucky basketball history by the score of 92-90.

Kent Benson had a magnificent 33 point, 23 rebound performance for the Hoosiers. Indiana native Mike Flynn was the star for the Cats hitting six of six field goals and leading UK with 22 points. One image from the game will stay in my memory forever. As the players cut down the nets, on one goal they cut every strain but one, which they left for Mike Flynn. Flynn climbed the ladder, cut the net free and then turned in the direction of the Indiana crowd with the net held high.

On a personal note with me it's one of those, "remember where you were when _____ happened?" At the time I was the parts department manager for an automobile dealer in southeast Kentucky. A few days before the game I was in Cincinnati attending a Toyota seminar, everyone there was from the region; Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois etc. During every break the conversations were almost entirely on the upcoming game. Opinions were pretty much split 50-50 on the winner. Naturally the Indiana contingent thought the Hoosiers would be victorious even without Scott May. Those of us from Kentucky believed, or may be hoped, the Cats would be ready this time. Normally these seminars do not last into the weekend, but this time we had a Saturday morning meeting. The Toyota rep got a kick out of telling us we would have another morning - afternoon session. Of course he was smart enough to know his physical well being would have been in serious jeopardy if he hadn't been joking.

Kentucky was moving on to the Final Four to face Syracuse, while Louisville and UCLA would make up the other half of the national semi-finals. From almost the moment the Indiana game ended, the Wildcats chances of winning a fifth NCAA championship seemed to slowly slip away. Jack Givens recalled he never experienced the kind of excitement that occurred following the win over Indiana for the rest of his career in basketball. The reaction of the fans only increased the intensity of the emotional high the Wildcats were feeling. Givens admitted the players were emotionally drained the following week and were just not able to get back to that same level of intensity for the Final Four. Now a series of circumstances and events seemed to work against Kentucky.

None of the UK players had ever been to California or a Final Four. Unfortunately, they became too caught up in enjoying their trip as well as trying to win a national championship. In the semi-finals Kentucky did not play well against Syracuse, but Givens did and the Wildcats won by 16 points, 95 -74. Meanwhile, Louisville and UCLA played a tremendous game that went to overtime with the Bruins winning 75-74. Now a dream match-up was set between two basketball dynasties. Playing in San Deigo UCLA would have the advantage in fan support, but the day before the game John Wooden pushed the edge in the Bruins favor even more by announcing he would retire after Monday night’s game. It seemed to be a calculated move on Wooden’s part and it had the desired affect on player’s, fans, the media and the officials. There were some who felt Wooden had already been working for an advantage with the officials pointing out several times during the week how rough and physical the Wildcats played; this coming before he even knew if UCLA would face Kentucky. Now on the day before the title game, not only was the focus on his retirement, but more and more discussions of officiating was now being heard. It certainly appeared Wooden was attempting to influence the referees and some went so far as to say he was trying to manipulate them.

Whatever the case, those officials were now in an unenviable position; they had to call the game objectively, but in the back of their minds they undoubtedly had to be thinking, “I sure don’t want to make a mistake…”. Can you imagine the criticism of the referee that ‘cost John Wooden the championship in his final game’, on what might be perceived as a bad call? During the game itself the UCLA coach’s sideline demeanor was considered out of character by many. He berated the officials throughout, walked onto the floor several times and at one point ‘scolded’, as it was later reported, Bob Guyette as he ran by the Bruin bench. Still Kentucky made a battle of it and had chances late in the game they just couldn’t cash in. UCLA gave John Wooden another title, winning 92-85 and as disappointing as it was to UK fans, players and coaches, Joe Hall would later say after reviewing game film the Wildcats had played very well considering the circumstances…….UCLA was just better on that night.

It was a tough one to take, but it may have helped in 1978. Those freshmen were seniors and had already experienced the Final Four atmosphere, both good and bad, and they had learned some lessons. Many senior led teams make the Final Four but succumb to the pressure; Kentucky would be ready this time.

How the tag of a season of no joy got stuck on the ‘78 championship year is in some ways hard to understand. If 1978 was what not having any fun is suppose to feel like, then I hope all my joyless, unhappy times are like that. As time passed, I wondered if may be my brain was being somewhat selective in it’s recollection of that season, so I decided to take another look.

The fall of 1977 had arrived and around most colleges fans were still wrapped up in the just ending football campaign. They have kind of a transition period and gradually change from pigskin fans to basketball. At Kentucky it’s a little different. By the final weeks of the season UK fans have long given up hope for the football Wildcats and are anxiously awaiting the start of the basketball campaign. The fall of ‘77 was different for the ever-suffering UK football fan. Most years the season starts with optimism; usually hollow optimism, but optimism all the same. By the halfway mark it’s the same old cry, “When does basketball season start?” When the end mercifully comes for the football squad, many seasons it can said, “Change four or five plays and they could be 7-4 or 8-3 instead of 4-7 or 3-8.” The final results are about what was really expected at the beginning, but more often then not the Cats surprise everyone by how well they play considering how little they actually have. Unfortunately this seldom shows up on the scoreboard.

In 1977 Kentucky’s football team finishes with 10-1 record at seasons end; quite a different situation indeed. UK was on top of the football tough SEC, undefeated in the conference and ranked among the top teams in the nation. It even prompted Oscar Combs to declare in his Cats’ Pause publication that big time football had arrived in Kentucky. Its been heard before and will be again I suppose, but you can’t blame a guy for hoping.

What is that saying, “Timing is everything.” It could’ve been the year before or the year after, but it was 1977 and Kentucky was on probation. The mediocre reputation UK has in football along with the lack of TV coverage prevents Kentucky from capitalizing on their success. The wrenched “Bradshaw’s Curse” (My own designation.) continued.

In 1978 you could buy tickets for all four UKIT games for $8. Wildcat Lodge was completed for a total of $490.000. Digger hated Kentucky way back in ‘77 too. After UK slapped another L on the Irish, he said he was, “..getting tired of getting his teeth knocked in by a partisan crowd..” in Louisville. It was never exactly a neutral site. After Kentucky defeated LSU in Lexington, coach Dale Brown’s press conference was…….well, bizarre. The Wildcats had the usual detractors in the media then as now. It’s a tradition passed down from one generation to the next. If the old guys on their way out let the new ones do their own research the new ones might discover that a lot of what’s been written all these years has been a bit exaggerated. We had the same type of crowds at Kentucky games, the “Country Club” group had the best seats then and they waited for the team to do something to get them fired up instead of the other way around. Many UK fans thought Billy Packer was much too anit-Wildcat and pro ACC 30 years ago. Personally, I’ve always found him to be fairly objective. Other members of the media were certainly making no effort to gain favor with UK fans. Brent Musburger committed an on-air fau paux the previous year when he announced Joe Hall would be fired at the end of the season. When contacted by Kentucky athletic director Cliff Hagan and told his story was incorrect, Musburger attempted to mend fences with the UK coach. The story goes that a couple weeks after his broadcast Musburger called Joe Hall around 3:00 in the morning. When Hall answered the phone Musburger said, “This is Brent Musburger. I’m sorry about that erroneous story…..” CLICK! Two writers who especially drew the wrath of UK fans that season were Tom Callahan, of the Cincinnati Enquirer and Dave Anderson of the New York Times. More on them later.

Generally speaking many sportswriters were comparing UK’s team to an NBA squad. I recall discussions about which NBA teams Kentucky could beat. The team was certainly big, strong and talented, but able to handle an NBA team? I don’t know now. During the ‘90’s UK fans had the pleasure of experiencing a championship run three years in a row and know there’s a lot of ups, downs and unexpected occurrences. In ‘78 it was a new experience for most of them and one that would be a long time coming again.

Twenty years between NCAA titles for the average school in any sport is not that unusual, but at Kentucky in basketball it might as well be an eternity. It was a long dry spell from 1958 to 1978 for Wildcat fans. There were some close calls along the way and in some ways that made it all the more frustrating. Those of us baby boomers probably remember hearing time and again something like, “They’re going to win it again, it’s just a matter of time.” True as that was, each year the Cat’s had a team capable of winning the title it seemed unable to overcome the pressure or fell victim to some odd set of circumstances.

Winning it all requires a countless number of things going right, many of them completely out of your control. When you don’t win you can find dozens of “what if” type of reasons, but it takes the right cast coming together at the right time. It always seems after it’s all over we hear the winners using the word chemistry a lot. There are times when a team needs just one piece to complete the puzzle. I guess if you used this analogy on the ‘78 team most people would say Kyle Macy was that missing piece. Macy brought the type of cool under pressure composure teams need in a championship run.

Unlike the other principle players for UK, Kyle had transferred from Purdue. Macy showed his versatility and the caliber of player he was by fitting in right away with players that had been together for two or three years already. One could say Kyle was very good at chemistry. Purdue had a talented group of players, but as Macy pointed out, they had no leadership or any kind of established playing style. To show the type of ability evaluating talent the Purdue coaching staff had, they were said to have been surprised at Macy’s performance as a freshman. Strange by any means. Macy felt Purdue had no confidence in him, so the Boilers loss was Kentucky’s gain, And what a gain it was. Upon arriving Macy began watching film and studying the Wildcats’ plays, offensive and defensive schemes. Joe Hall said Macy could run the Kentucky offense better on the first day of practice then players that had been there for two or three years.

While Macy was the glue that held the squad together, the team consisted of an array of talent. Besides Macy the ‘78 roster consisted of: Jack Givens, Rick Robey, James Lee, Mike Phillips, Truman Claytor, Jay Shidler, Chuck Aleksinas, LaVon Williams, Fred Cowan, Dwane Casey, Tim Stephens, Scott Courts, and Chris Gettelfinger.

The previous season had come to a premature end in the East Regional of the NCAA tournament at the hands of North Carolina 72-79. It left UK with a 26-4 record and a few games short again. With that season behind them Kentucky opened against SMU minus three players. Jay Shidler had suffered a broken bone in his foot on the very first day of practice. It was a bad omen at the time, but it was no indication of what was to come. James Lee and LaVon Williams were sitting out a one game suspension for participating in an exhibition game during the summer. Neither had realized it would be considered an organized contest. This was a made to order game to play shorthanded. The Cats had an easy time of it to the tune of 110-86.

As would be the case more often then not that season Jack Givens led the way scoring 30 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in 29 minutes. To round it all out he threw in two assists and was a perfect six for six from the line. Kyle Macy made his debut and if the Purdue folks weren’t scratching their heads trying to figure out how they let him get away they should have been. Macy was as good as advertised and then some. He finished with 16 points, 10 assists and three rebounds. As good as he was the first time out in a Wildcat uniform, true to his persona Macy said afterwards, “....there are still a few things I can improve on.”

Givens 30 points moved him up on the all-time scoring list to number eight with 1490 points. The Cats dominated, but saw a big first half lead slip to 12 at half-time. Kentucky took care of things in a hurry at the start of the second half, though. A Truman Claytor jumper, a Givens lay-up, then Claytor again, a Robey dunk and after 1:47 into the half and an SMU time-out, it was pretty much over. SMU coach Sonny Allen knew it too.

“...after they ran off the eight straight at the beginning, I knew it was over. You just can’t catch a good club like this one when you get down by that much. I said they were number one before tonight and they didn’t do anything to change that as far as I’m concerned.”

Coach Hall had praise and criticism, as most coaches do. Joe was particularly perturbed by the bench that came in late and were outscored 17-1 in the final 1:45. “That just blew my mind.” Hall said. “We’re not as deep on our bench as I thought.” A blowout with a shorthanded squad and the chase was on.

The next opponent was Bob Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers. In his sixth season Knight had already established his “reputation”. IU at this time held a five game advantage in the head to head series at 12-7 and had not played in Lexington since 1969. The games had been held in Indiana on the years the Hoosiers were hosts or in Louisville the others. It goes without saying IU wanted to avoid playing the Cats on a true home floor. Certainly Louisville is anything but a neutral site when UK plays, but unlike the situation with Notre Dame the Hoosiers knew they would have a sizable number of their fans in the stands at Freedom Hall. I’m also sure it was not lost on Knight the difference in a crowd with a well-represented student body and one without. As a matter of fact the other Indiana games in Lexington had been played in the UKIT or during the holiday break, so this was the first game with the students on campus. Kentucky went into the game with all these psychological advantages as well as the fact that it would be IU’s first visit to Rupp Arena.

Jay Shidler’s foot injury kept him out of action once again, but Kentucky managed without the “Blond Bomber”. As most Indiana-Kentucky games have been over the years this one was a tight, tough, physical contest and the Hoosiers showed no ill affects from the big Rupp Arena crowd. The Wildcats jumped on top 4-0 at the start on a Robey tip-in and a Givens steal and length of the court lay-up, but then UK had five straight dry trips to the well before Givens tied things at 6-6. It was pretty much a two point game for the rest of the first half. The bench gave Kentucky a small spurt at the end of the half when Dwane Casey and LaVon Williams combined for six points and made it 33-28 at the break.

  
The Cats came out with the hot hand in the second half, once again putting up the first four points for a nine point 37-28 lead. That was the margin more or less the rest of the way with James Lee nailing a 17 footer at the buzzer to close out the game 78-64. The officials probably needed to replace the pea in their whistles after they blew 55 fouls. The most damaging by far was IU’s loss of Mike Woodson, their leading scorer for the game. He fouled out with 12:00 minutes to go in the second half. Glen Grunwald was also lost to fouls for IU. Steve Risley, a freshman, was second in scoring for Indiana with 12 and while Ray Tolbert did not have the game in the scoring column everyone expected he made up for it somewhat with 10 rebounds.

The Cats were led by the Goose. Givens had 22 points, while Robey scored 20 with 13 rebounds. Mike Phillips was on his way to a big game, but got into early foul trouble. Macy was his steady self against his home state university with eight points, eight assists and was a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line while playing all 40 minutes. All in all this IU-UK game was pretty dull compared to many others that have been played through the years. There was no on or off court dramatics to distract or spice things up, depending on your point of view. Coach Knight didn’t have anything obnoxious or controversial to say. It was just as well though, for the next week would bring enough off court emotional distractions for UK for awhile.

Kansas has always been a special rival for Kentucky, not only because of the caliber of teams, but also the fact that the winningest coach ever at the time, UK’s Adolph Rupp, was a graduate of Kansas. Rupp had the privilege of playing for and coaching with the inventor of the game itself there. Kentucky had won big the previous year at Rupp Arena, but playing at Lawrence the players and coaches knew it would not be so easy this time. Kentucky found itself in a real battle for most of the first half. James Lee sparked a UK rally late with six consecutive points, that combined with a Kyle Macy jumper and a goaltending call gave Kentucky a 32-26 lead. The half ended with the Cats on top 36-33.

UK began the second half by scoring the first six points and moving ahead by nine, 42-33. The Jayhawks didn’t give in and a freshman, Darnell Valentine, was a thorn in Kentucky’s side all night. Behind his scoring Kansas closed to within two at 66-64 with just under 2:00 to go. The Jayhawks found themselves with a chance to tie at 1:36 with the top free throw shooter from the previous year in the Big Eight at the line. Ken Koenings, two for two in the game and shooting 87% missed both shots and that was it. This Kentucky team rarely gave anyone a second chance and this night was no exception. Macy canned a pair of free throws, then a another with 0:23 left. Truman Claytor nailed it down with a couple more and UK had it’s third win of the season. The final score was 73-66. Macy led Kentucky with 15 points; Mike Phillips added 14 and Rick Robey pulled down 10 rebounds while scoring eight points. Valentine was the leading scorer for the Jayhawks and the game with 17 points; he was followed by Paul Mokeski and Donnie Von Moore with 12 each.

People remember a win like the one against Kansas simply because of the notoriety of the team or excitement of the game. Granted, anytime you can win on the road against a team like Kansas is certainly a game worth recalling. This would be a day though Wildcat fans would remember for another reason.

December 10, 1977 former University of Kentucky basketball coach Adolph Rupp died at the UK Medical Center. The coach passed away shortly after the Wildcats defeated his alma mater Kansas. The crowd in Lawrence had observed a moment of silence before the game to pray for the coach who was in grave condition. It was a big win against a major opponent, but now it seemed rather insignificant.

Rupp’s death, while not totally unexpected, did surprise some. I think the Kentucky fan's tenacity made it difficult to face reality. Rupp had been in extremely ill health for some time before his death, but the coach’s stubborn spirit made the inevitable hard to accept. UK without Coach Rupp was hard to imagine for many Wildcat fans; for them Adolph Rupp was Kentucky basketball. Rupp not only was a great coach, but had also been fortunate to have been associated with the inventor of the game, Dr. James Naismith, and the winningest coach before him, Forrest “Phog” Allen. Few men from that era of the game remained into the modern days of the sport.

Coach Rupp recalled that Dr. Naismith had believed that basketball would never gain enough popularity to make it possible to charge admission to a game. Yet almost one year to the day before Rupp’s death UK had dedicated the largest facility for basketball in the country that would be sold out game after game for years to come. The game we enjoy today is greatly due to Adolph Rupp’s innovations. The style of Rupp’s teams would fit into today’s game with little trouble. The running game was invented by the ‘Man in the Brown Suit’ years before the term ‘up-tempo’ ever became popular.

Rupp stories are endless. Once Rupp was accused of “raiding the north” for players by another coach who called it carpetbagging. Some time later after being invited to speak at a banquet in Ohio the banquet chairman ask Rupp what his subject would be so he could use it in his program. Rupp replied, “My text will be: A Carpetbagger in the Holy Land!”
In 1935 after Kentucky lost to NYU 22-23 at Madison Square Garden, Rupp was ask about some questionable officiating. “I really don’t know. Riding back I turned on the radio and a broadcast from one of the churches in New York was on. The minister was speaking on the scripture ‘He was a stranger and they took him in.’ That’s all I know about what happened.”
During a close game Rupp drew a technical foul. A spectator in the crowd asked the coach what he thought about the officiating. Rupp answered, “Hell my coaching is worth a technical every time.”

Coach Rupp more then likely earned more awards, honors and records then anyone ever will.

 4 NCAA Championships,  23 All-American players, selected 33 times.
 27 SEC Championships,  52 All-SEC players, selected 91 times.
 1 NIT Championship, 5 National Coach of the Year Awards.
 5 Sugar Bowl Championships,  8 SEC Coach of the Year Awards.
 13 UKIT Championships,  1 Undefeated season 25-0, 1953-54.

He compiled a record of 876-190. His first victory at UK was against Georgetown 67-19 Dec. 18, 1930; #100 again Georgetown 46-21 Dec. 9, 1936; #500 LaSalle 63-54  Dec. 22, 1954. Win #772 that broke the record for all-time wins came against Notre Dame 81-73 Dec. 30, 1967. Rupp’s final victory was an 85-69 win in the NCAA Tournament against Marquette Mar. 16, 1972.

The funeral was attended by names too numerous to list. Friends, colleagues, fans; everyone of note that has ever been associated with the game, still living, seemed to be there. The tributes were too many to recount in the days following Rupp’s death.

SEC Commissioner Boyd McWhorter: “....the game has lost one of it’s pioneers and greatest coaches.”
 Paul “Bear” Bryant: “The word legend is sometimes thrown around too loosely, but he is truly a legend.”
 A. B. “Happy” Chandler: “Whatever he under took he wanted to succeed and usually did. I think he would have been a success at anything he did.”
 UK President Dr. Otis Singletary: “Adolph Rupp was one of the most important figures in the history of the University of Kentucky and his fortunes and those of the university were in extricably interwoven.”
 Joe B. Hall: “I remember him as a man having great compassion. I knew a Coach Rupp that most people never saw. I knew of his tenderness and thoughtfulness.”

People who knew Adolph Rupp knew him as a fiery competitor on court, but far different off of it. He was a difficult man to get to know personally, but his passion and devotion to the game was obvious to all. Had he been able to hear the many tributes given him he would have probably replied as he did many times in life, “That was very nice of them to say that.” When ask how he would like to be remembered he said, “That I did the best I could.”

See Adolph Rupp Obituary

Monday night Dec. 12 the Kentucky Wildcats gave their former great coach their own kind of tribute, one Adolph Rupp would have appreciated more then all the others. While the man who won more games then any other coach lay in a local funeral home just a few hundred yards away, his Cats were pounding out another win, this one over the Gamecocks of South Carolina. In a brief tribute before the game there was a moment of silence and as his blue easy chair sat empty in row one Coach Rupp’s voice came over the speakers reciting his favorite poem, Rudyard Kipling’s “L’envoi”.

The pre-game ceremonies emphasized the game’s importance, not only to the fans but also to the team. As Joe Hall put it later, it was a game “…we certainly did not want to lose.” How much pressure this put on the team is hard to say. The first half was tight with both teams shooting extremely well; South Carolina better then 70% and UK over 60%. Kentucky found itself leading only by three at the half, 38-35. In shades of Wildcat teams of the Rick Pitino years, UK put together an 18-4 “run” in the second half that pretty much put it away. Kyle Macy’s long range shooting was Kentucky’s main weapon. Macy finished with 18 points, Robey had 19 and 11 rebounds and Givens poured in 18. With the score 47-44 Wildcats, Mike Phillips was assessed his fifth  foul as the coaching staff was trying to get a sub in for him. James Lee, coming off the bench as usual, started the UK spurt with two consecutive tip-ins, he finished with 10 points. On this night Kentucky showed something that at the time was not a UK trademark, the press. While South Carolina shot a blistering 59.8% the Cats forced them into 20 turnovers committing only 10 themselves.

The Wildcats and coaches had talked about the significance of the game before the tip-off. I imagine it was somewhat like Senior Day, when everyone wants to see the senior’s have a big game. It usually turns out to be difficult to do. The final score, 84-65, may have been a bit deceiving, it was no blowout. Instead this was a hard fought, pound it out type of a game, just the kind Coach Rupp would have probably liked best.

Sad as it is, life marches on and the best way the Kentucky basketball team could honor the great man was too move on with the goal of having the best season possible. It wasn’t said so much outright, but it was plain to see the Wildcat’s aim for the National Championship was now an even more important conquest then it had already been.

Next up on the road to St. Louis was the 25th annual UKIT holiday tournament. Folks around the area of the state I’m from use to say this tourney was started so people who couldn’t get tickets when the students were in class, could see a game. Well at least try to see one. This year’s version had the Redmen of St. John’s taking on Seattle in the opener followed by Portland State against Kentucky. St. John’s advanced to the title game beating Seattle 77-60. Jawann Oldham scored 22 for Seattle while the Redmen had a more balanced attack putting five players in double figures.

Portland State’s Freeman Williams gave the UKIT crowd a sample of what was in store from him in the future.  That saying about winning the battle, but losing the war was somewhat appropriate for this game. While Williams blistered the nets with long range missiles for 39 points, the Wildcats were getting double digit production from players they weren’t accustomed to seeing it from. Jack Givens had his usual scoring night with 26 Mike Phillips put in 11 points and eight rebounds. Rick Robey, who was under the weather, had an off night with nine points and 10 rebounds. The men of the hour though were freshmen Chuck Aleksinas and Tim Stephens. Aleksinas had 17 points and seven rebounds in just 17 minutes. Stephens was a fast worker too with 12 points in 14 minutes. Kentucky put it away early and the only question was the final score; 114-88. Everyone who played for UK scored, but everyone didn’t play. The UKIT had a rule stating only 12 players per team were allowed to play in any given game. Kentucky had 14, so Chris Gettlefinger and Fred Cowans sat this one out.

In the UKIT title game the Wildcats for the first time of the season displayed the awesome firepower they were capable of. While they had won easily in most of the first five games, the players and coaches did not feel they had put together a solid effort for an entire game yet. On this night Kentucky dominated in almost every category and they did it with their two top players having off nights. Mike Phillips played one of his best games as a Wildcat. His outstanding footwork in the lane and strong rebounding and defense earned him the MVP award. Phillips led the Cats in scoring with 20 and added seven rebounds. Givens and Robey as stated before had “off” nights. The Goose had eight points and Robey 10. These early season blowouts sometimes give the regulars a chance to take it easy and let the guys on the bench have a shot at most of the action. So an off night may not exactly be the correct term on this one. The veteran players understood this was a chance for the subs to get some PT that they probably wouldn’t be able to get later. Still the starters carried the day; Macy scored 16 and was particularly damaging in the latter stages of the first half. St. Johns had cut a 10 point lead down to four at 26-22 with just over six minutes to go until half-time. The UK defense stiffened and allowed St. Johns only six points the rest of the half; meanwhile at the other end the Cats were blazing away with one lay-up after another and some Macy 20 footers. Kentucky closed out the half  20-6, making it 46-28 at the break. As was becoming the trend with this UK team they came out for the second half on a big run, a 24-6 spurt in the first 6:41 that made the Redmen Kentucky’s sixth victim of the season. Truman Claytor put 16 points on the board and Jay Shidler, being brought along slowly after his injury, saw nine minutes of action in each UKIT game and had five points against Portland St. and four against St. Johns.

St. Johns coach, Lou Carnesecca, seemed impressed with UK’s 102-72 win saying, “...Kentucky is the Cadillac today, no make that the Mercedes Benz, of college basketball.”

The UKIT format called for a consolation game, personally I have never liked the idea. Four teams get together for a tournament and one goes away 0-2. Consolation games just seem to have nothing positive about them. To me it's like the two losing teams playing to see who's the worst. FYI Portland State won the consolation game over Seattle.

Next up for the Wildcats was the Gaels of Iona coached by the late Jim Valvano. The man’s humor and wit was always a delight. After the game he said, “I feel like Santa Claus. I just came in and gave Kentucky a nice Christmas present.” Nice present indeed a 104-65 win. The game stories were all starting to sound alike, just change the opponent and scoring around a bit and it seemed to be the same results, another win for the Cats. The next game on the horizon would be a little different; Notre Dame in Louisville. This version of the Fighting Irish was a capable opponent with players whose names we would hear around the NBA for  some time when their college careers were over.

Digger Phelps had faced Kentucky seven times and had only won once. Those close to the Irish program claimed Phelps had given this year’s UK game extra special attention. He had spent far more preparation time on it then on any other game. Some say he was so obsessed with beating the Cat’s that the Irish’s loss to Indiana was a result of not properly preparing for the Hoosiers, while worrying about Kentucky.

As was the custom, UK held an open practice at Freedom Hall free to the public and as usual about 10,000 showed up just to watch the Cat’s shoot around. I think this kind of support had to bug Digger as well, he had a few biting remarks about why anyone would want to come out just to watch a team run through a couple of drills. Just before the Wildcats took the floor Joe Hall gave his team one last piece of advice. ”I’ve got to believe the way you beat ‘em last year (102-78) they’re going to be super fired up. They’re going to come at you physically, and they’re going to try to intimidate you. But they’re not as tough as you. I know this, they don’t have toughness in their bellies the way you have. You can sustain yours, and I don’t think they can. You’re going out there stomach to stomach, chin to chin, and it’s going to be hard but you’re going to do it. Let’s go.”

When the game opened it looked like bad news for the Irish as the Cats jumped on top 20-8 behind the hot hand of Jack Givens. The Goose had 16 points in the first half.  A bruising game had Kentucky in major foul trouble. Phillips, Lee and Aleksinas were saddled with three each by the end of the half. Meanwhile ND was getting balanced scoring from Bill Hanzlik, Kelly Tripucka and Duck Williams, each had eight by halftime, but the Cats led 42-34.

Kentucky held a 12 point advantage at one time in the first half, but because of foul trouble and strong play from the Irish the Cats saw their lead completely evaporate in the second half. With 8:31 left to play the Cats found themselves for the first time of the year trailing late in a game, 60-59. Givens and Lee were playing with four fouls each, but things began to really look desperate when Macy received his fourth and had to leave the game with 7:31 to go. Rich Branning made both free throws and the Irish were up by three, 62-59.

The play that probably won the game was hardly mentioned afterwards. Notre Dame had the ball with the score 66-63 in their favor. Duck Williams drove the baseline then suddenly stopped and pivoted back toward the lane, only to find Jay Shidler had foreseen the move and was standing there waiting for him. Williams was charged with the foul and Kentucky regained the ball instead of falling behind by five. Enter Kyle Macy, the sophmore was a one-man show scoring eight straight and putting UK a head 71-66 with just seconds to go. The play that seemed to take the starch out of the Irish came when Macy drove baseline and put up an off balanced shot under pressure that bounced two or three times on the rim and fell through to give the Cats the lead 67-66.

Macy and Givens finished with 18 points each, Givens had only two in the second half, Robey had 16 and 10 rebounds. The Irish had four players in double figures led by Tripuka with 15 points, Williams had 12, Branning 11 and Bill Laimbeer 10. Digger was fuming at the end stalking off the court ignoring Joe Hall and spitting some expletives at assistant coach Dick Parsons. Phelps later said he wanted Kentucky again in the NCAA’s saying, “..at least they won’t have 16,000 shaker-waving fans there.” But then again, they just might. The 73-68 win finished the Cat’s pre-conference schedule. Kentucky would start the SEC slate against Vanderbilt at Rupp and then have two on the road. Coach Hall was so pleased he told the players they could stay out until 12:15; “…you can get a New Years kiss and get back to the dorm and get your rest”.

UK opened conference play like a sleep-walker, as Joe Hall put it after the game, “We played like I thought we might and hoped we wouldn’t.” It was the classic let-down after a big win, the Cat’s played just well enough to get by. Kentucky could never get completely away from Vandy, Robey and Lee were about the only players who were able to play consistently. The Cats led by 8-12 points throughout until about the 11:00 mark in the second half. With the score 40-31 Kentucky ripped off 15 straight to seemly put the game away. Hall cleared the bench and the reserves came in, and played like they wanted to stay reserves. UK loped up and down the court while the Commodores chipped away till the score was 63-52 with 2:30 left. At that point Coach Hall put Macy, Givens and Robey back in to finish it 72-59. It was not a confidence builder going on the road to tough places like Florida and Auburn.

Florida’s Alligator Alley was a cracker box arena that held about 5,500 and the Gators had trouble filling it. When UK came to town it was another matter. Kentucky had experienced a mixed bag of results at the Alley. Small “gyms” on the road are tough places to play for any team. It’s a small crowd, but they seem to be right on top of you, even more so at Florida. After the poor showing against Vandy, Coach Hall dreaded the prospects of facing the Gators in Gainsville. He predicted it would take the Cat’s best team effort of the year to win and that’s exactly what he got. Kentucky shot 61% and left Gainsville with an 86-67 victory.

The first half was close, both teams were blazing hot and Florida jumped on top 16-10. The Cats were playing well, but the Gators matched them point for point. With a little over 8:00 remaining in the half Truman Claytor gave Kentucky its first lead at 24-23 on a drive to the basket. Kyle Macy added a couple of free throws to make it 26-23, but the Gators came back and tied it at 31. Thanks to stifling defense, the Cats made a quick spurt to finish the half on a 7 point run and led 38-31 at halftime. In shades of later Pitino teams, Kentucky forced Florida to turn the ball over 4 times during the run. Three times in a row without a shot, twice before they could get it over half court.

UK took a 10 point advantage to start the second half and pretty much maintained it until the Gators made one last charge. Florida pulled back to 46-43 with 14:40 left, but James Lee and Jay Shidler took things in hand during an 11-4 Kentucky run that left the Gators to ponder what might have been. What might have been was a tougher game had Macy not taken charge almost single-handed in the first half. Kyle had 16 of his game high 20 points in the first when Florida was hot and taking the shot away from the UK forwards. “I hit my first two shots,” said Macy, “and that always makes you feel better. The shots were there, so I went ahead and took them.”

Florida had made it really tough on the Cats. Kentucky actually played much better then they appeared to have. Coach Hall called it an impressive win accomplished more by team work then individual scoring. While Macy had dominated the first half, Givens and Lee took over the job in the second half. Givens finished with 19, Lee 16 and Robey 15. While conceding Kentucky was the number one team in the country, Florida coach John Lutz said the Wildcat’s had anything but sewn up the SEC title. He did however admit UK now had a leg up on the rest of the conference with the win on the road.The Cats had put together a solid team effort, but Coach Hall still felt they were yet to show their full potential. UK would leave the Sunshine state undefeated and head for Alabama and the Auburn Tigers.

Kentucky rode into Auburn and finished their first SEC road trip with a 101-77 pounding of the Tigers. Jack Givens and Truman Claytor made life miserable for Auburn. Givens burned the nets for 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Claytor poured in 17. The Wildcats overwhelmed Auburn from the start pulling away to a 12-0 lead. It was a game of runs for UK. After Auburn fought back to make it 22-20, the Cats ran off 8 straight and finished the first half on a 32-18 run to lead 54-38 at the half. Kentucky pushed the margin to 64-44 early in the secord period. The Tigers made a couple of come back attempts, but the Wildcats fought each one off. Auburn trimmed the lead to 70-55; then UK answered with seven straight points. The Tigers made their last charge, cutting the lead to 77-67. Kentucky put it on ice with a 20-4 run in the final minutes.

Besides Givens and Claytor UK had 2 others players in double figures, Robey with 16 and Phillips 10. Macy just missed with nine, and dished out 10 assists. Joe Hall cleared the bench, which contributed 20 points. This had started out as a dangerous road trip for Kentucky and the Cats had passed with flying colors. The first half of the conference season was a stern looking test indeed for UK with some of their toughest road games coming during that period. Kentucky was at home for their next contest, but it would come against an always difficult LSU squad. Coach Dale Brown always seemed to liven things up everywhere he went. Brown has always marched to a different drummer and I wonder if he has come to regret a few of the things he has done and said over the years. The game at Rupp would be one of those strange affairs that made Dale Brown the character most either loved or hated.

For a period during the 1990’s Kentucky dominated the LSU Tigers. It wasn’t always that way during Dale Brown’s reign in Baton Rouge. His teams were a thorn in the side to UK and inflicted some of the more crushing losses to the Cat’s. The first of the two meetings of the ’78 season would be at Rupp Arena. The Tigers had never beaten Kentucky in Lexington up to that point in time, but they were brimming with confidence after giving the Tennessee Volunteers a thrashing on their home floor, 121-87.

As has been discussed here, the ‘78 team had been tabbed with the reputation of being an overly physical squad. Many times sportswriters referred to the Wildcats as “dirty players”. What made it irritating to UK fans was the fact that a lot of these same writers had not even seen Kentucky play, but were just repeating what had become a popular notion of others going back to the ‘75 championship game with UCLA. There were those who felt UCLA coach John Wooden had used his reputation and a well timed retirement announcement to gain the psychological edge in officiating before the title game by criticizing Kentucky for playing too rough and aggressive. Wooden was still griping about Kentucky in 1978. He was the “color” commentator for NBC for the LSU-Kentucky game and continuously remarked on air how overly aggressive and physical the Wildcats were. Later after the game and off the air, Wooden said he didn’t mean to imply UK was a dirty team. To many it was just another intentional swipe at Kentucky basketball implying they did not play fairly while millions could hear, then later “clarifying” what you meant to about a dozen or so reporters. He had to know his “clarification” would reach only a fraction of the millions whose opinion he may have influenced.

Dale Brown was never at a loss for words and would let his opinion be known, whether anyone was interested or not. The fact that it was never known what might come out of his mouth next, made most everybody curious, if not interested in that opinion. I suppose it could be said that Dale Brown was in his prime in the 70’s as far as his “preaching” career was concerned. It was not at all unusual for him to be asked about a specific play or other aspect of a game and to get a 10 minute dissertation on the political situation of Afghanistan. As most coaches he was always ready to defend his team, often to the extreme according to some. This game must have held some extra special meaning for Brown, of course it’s always special when any team can hang an L on Kentucky, but his post game reactions and comments were one for the books. Dale Brown at his best and strangest, is about the only description for what transpired. LSU and Kentucky did play a basketball game, but if someone had walked in on the post game press conference it could have been mistaken for something entirely different.

As for the game, the strategy for LSU appeared to be to attempt to goad the UK players into confrontations, the kinds of which had nothing to do with basketball. After being on the receiving end of a couple of shots Mike Phillips decided to retaliate--not with the elbow, but with the ball. Phillips got fired up and turned in his best game of the season to that point, burning the nets for 18 points in the first half. The outcome was never an issue, the Cat’s took charge from the opening and ran away with it. UK moved ahead 20-10 with 11:00 to go in the first half, then expanded that lead to 38-17 with 5:48 left and to 25 points at 53-28 with 0:43

While Dale Brown accused Kentucky of playing too physical, it was the Tigers who continually took pot shots and challenged the UK players to square off. The nastiest incident took place late in the first half with James Lee going in with a full head of steam for a break away dunk. Floyd Bailey was a little used bench player, whose only purpose for being in the game appeared to be to see which Kentucky player he could coax into an incident. As Lee went up for the dunk, Bailey clotheslined him causing a scary looking spill that left two UK players holding Lee back. Strangely no technical was called, but Lee was given the basket on a goal tending call and an intentional foul was assessed to Bailey. The half ended with Kentucky on top 55-28

It was the kind of game had Coach Hall wanted, the Cat’s probably could have scored 140. The second half Joe Hall substituted freely and the rough play ceased from the Tigers as it became apparent the strategy was not going to work. Kentucky kept their cool and used their experience to handle LSU easily, 96-76.

Mike Phillips had an outstanding game with 23 points. Robey added 18, Givens 17, Macy 10 and Lee came off the bench to put up 12 points and nine rebounds. Dale Brown’s tactics were questioned afterwards, he had allowed one of his top players, Kenny Higgs, to remain in the game until he picked up his fourth foul in the first half. That and the apparent attempts by LSU to bait UK’s players into physical confrontations made Brown’s complaints after the game sound somewhat hypocritical at best

Dale Brown went on for several minutes touching on Kentucky’s “brutalizing” of the game, UK fan’s deplorable behavior, the local media, plus some comments that had nothing at all to do with the subject at hand. I will not give the entire account because of it’s length, but will review the high or low lights of the bizarre scene. I should warn you some of Dale’s comments could be considered offensive, so I have edited, so to speak in a few spots, but there is one instance that I left in the same raw language Brown used. I do this because it would lose it’s meaning and impact otherwise, so my apologies to any who finds it in poor taste.

The following are direct quotes from Dale Brown unless otherwise noted.
 “I’ll start out complimenting Kentucky. They have a great team and I think they really have a good shot at the National Title. I don’t particularly like the style of the University of Kentucky........ I read in Sports Illustrated last year by Tex Winter that he thinks they’ve brutalized the game and also read where Wayne Dobbs said there’s no possible way to win with the way they play. I think Kentucky gets the game so brutalized....... I just think they’ve taken away a lot of the beauty of the game...... I said to some of you before, you’re probably the most knowledgeable people in the world when it comes to basketball......However in Lexington, Kentucky some things are going on that just don’t belong and 90% of your crowd are phenomenal....... I think some of your fans need some criticism and I don’t mean that as a blanket statement...... Four years ago a young freshman by the name of Kenny Higgs came from Owensboro to LSU. Nobody knows the true story. Kenny Higgs is an epileptic.......The first year we walked over to our bench.......one of your fans got up and said, “Higgs, you idiot, we would just as soon have lepers in our program as epileptics.” Now that man’s sick..... I think of the insults directed at young 17 and 18 year olds, a lot of those people didn’t come to enjoy the game..... At halftime I was threatened in the tunnel...... I don’t like to be threatened and don’t like to intimidate anybody....... I took a 14 year old daughter to Gainsville, Florida and they told me quote numerous times, “Brown how would like me to ----- -- and let you ---- -- here? Brown you ---------.” I commented to the press afterwards about the sickness I think has inherited college athletics..... I tihnk we’re going to fly up our own -------- if we don’t do something about it....... I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have now."

 Q: How has Kentucky taken the beauty away from the game?
 DB: I think they’ve brutalized the game.....I think they’re too physical.... You almost can’t referee against Kentucky.... they are a very difficult team to referee against.... I just don’t think it’s the way to play the game.

 Q: Are you saying that Kentucky is a dirty team?
 DB: I think off the ball they are, yes. I think off the ball they are..... I think Kentucky has more captains then anyone in the history of the game. Only a captain is suppose to talk to an official.....apparently the whole Kentucky team talks the whole game to officials.... I just think they get away with a lot off the ball.

 Q: I saw one of your players put an elbow to Mike Phillips early in the game. Are you saying your team is simon pure?
 DB: Have you ever masturbated in your life?

 Q: What has that got to do with basketball?
 DB: I’m asking you a question. No, I’m asking you a question. Have you ever masturbated?

 Q: What has that got to do with basketball?
 DB: You don’t want to tell me do you? Ah, it’s (the question) no dumber then yours’..... We do not teach that aspect in any way......you sound trememdously pro-blue on that and may be that’s your job. May be your boss is a Kentucky graduate from the journalism school and that’s what you have to do. I’m not trying to be mean to you.

 Q: Are you taking any responsibility for this type of play? Is your team simon pure in the way it plays the game?
 DB: We sure try to be. Simon pure, what do you mean by that?

 Q: Does your team ever throw elbows or take cheap shots things like that?
 DB: If I ever see it or if they ever did it, emotions obviously, I would get them out of the game immediately. That doesn’t mean it isn’t going to happen.

 Q: Coach, I’m a neutral reporter from Boston, and it was a physical game. Did you enter the game by fighting fire with fire since Kentucky is a big club?
 DB: You must be from Cambodia then. No we didn’t. You don’t do it by starting fights...... Prior to going out on the floor, I told them...... if it was going to turn into a physical game we couldn’t work it, we couldn’t win it..... That’s like beating the Marines, you know, they’re just too big, brawny and gifted.

   Q: What was the incident at halftime involving you?
 DB: I couldn’t get all of it.... The guy looked like...I don’t know if he had a gun, knife or what he had, but I believe he’s an official, photographer, newsman or something.......I heard him say something to the extent......Brown......kill. I don’t know if he said you were getting killed or he’d like to kill me, or your team is getting killed or whatever...... First of all, the Berlin Wall doesn’t have as many guards as were there and yet what was he doing in the tunnel in the first place..... I just grabbed him and put him against the wall and told him to be arrested. And whether that’s been done yet, I don’t know. I’m going to follow it up.

Author’s note: For anyone wishing to read the read the entire transcript of this news conference, it can be found here.

And there you have it. Joe Hall decided to leave well enough alone and made no comment on Brown’s remarks. As I said before I edited this portion because of the length. This is about one-third of the entire press conference, but I believe it gives a pretty accurate picture of the tone of the discussion. Much of what was deleted was Dale rambling on but not really saying anything. Kentucky’s next game was another home contest this time against the Ole Miss Rebels, then back on the road.

How does that song go? “Oh the weather outside is frightful...” Boy, that was a perfect description for the day of the Ole Miss game. 10 inches of snow and near zero temperatures kept the crowd down to a measely 16,480, but it failed to cool down the Wildcats as they hit 61% from the field and picked up win number 13 without a loss. The Rebels tried a deliberate strategy against the Cat’s, but to no avail, UK showed patiences to win 76-56. The Wildcat’s were sluggish, probably for a number of reasons. The weather, which affected the crowd size; the beginning of the second semester and the game lacked the anticipation and excitement after the off-court senanagins of the LSU contest. Kentucky played a steady game and a 1-3-1 zone defense to grind out the win. Mike Phillips had an outstanding game for the second time in a row, leading UK in scoring with 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds. The recent comments of Dale Brown had the press asking Ole Miss coach Bob Weltich if he thought UK was a dirty team

“Being physical and playing dirty are two different things. They (UK) are just a very aggressive, physical, tough-minded, hard playing basketball team and that’s what you have to be to be a championship team.”

The Cat’s now faced another important road trip, first to Mississippi State, then Alabama. If Kentucky could win both it would put them in the driver's seat for the conference title. They couldn’t set the cruise control and just ride, but it would be pretty close. A 7-0 conference mark for a team the caliber of the Wildcat’s, even this early in the season, would be very difficult for anyone to overcome.

The game has changed quite a bit in the years since 1978. With no shot clock teams used a slow deliberate pace, holding the ball at every opportunity when playing a stronger opponent. UK saw this a lot over the years and unlike today’s Kentucky teams that prefer man to man defenses for the most part, in 1978 the defense of choice was the zone. A 1-3-1 was used most of the time and it was very effective. For most of the season Kentucky had been able to get ahead and stay ahead, there by preventing teams from employing the slow down tactics, but as the season went on and they faced better opponents UK had to deal with the four corners. When a team could tie or get the lead, there it was, two guys tossing the ball back and forth at the center line. That would be the case early on in the Mississippi State game.

Kentucky knew this was going to be a tough one, especially on the road. To further their difficulties Mike Phillips, who had been playing so well recently, developed an inflamed elbow and was forced to sit this one out. It would turn out to be a record setting night for the Cat’s and it was a good thing too. Kentucky set a new school record shooting 67.6% for the game. They also set a record for fewest field goals attempted in a game with 37.

It was a tight first half with the score tied seven times, with State usually breaking the tie and UK evening it up again. The Wildcat’s stayed with the zone, so Mississippi State coach Ron Greene decided to use the delay to force UK to go man to man, something the shot clock has thankfully eliminated. At one point Kentucky was assessed a technical for not coming out to guard the Bulldogs. On this night State’s heel would be free throw shooting. They missed the technical, then on the inbound they play took a quick shot and failed to score. UK took the lead 18-14, returned to the zone and the score was never tied again.

Kentucky's shooting was unbelievable, hitting 70% for the first half. Givens had 13, Macy 8 and Lee, who made a rare start in Phillips spot, scored six, but got into foul trouble and had to sit most of the half. UK led 36-22 at halftime. The Bulldog’s offense was almost entirely a one man show, Wiley Peck. Peck had 12 points in the first half and had he been able to make a free throw, it would have been a much closer game. Peck hit only 5-11 free throws in the opening period. Kentucky once again seemed to lack the fire or zip in their play at the beginning, but came out for the second half and stormed to a 23 point lead, 54-31, with 11:23 to go. Recognizing Kentucky wasn’t going to come out of the zone, State gambled and and brought in a freshman, Greg Grim, an outside shooter along the lines of Cameron Mills. All the kid did was shoot State back into the game from long range. That coupled with the Bulldog’s sudden dominance of the boards saw the big lead melt to six at 69-63 with 1:08 left. Fortunately for the Wildcat’s Mississippi State had to foul and UK nailed down the win from the free throw line hitting 17-23 in the second half for a 75-65 victory.

Coach Hall was quite pleased with the overall team effort, especially Macy’s handling of the offense when the Bulldogs were snipping at UK’s heels. Macy was a needed calming force. While Joe Hall was happy with the win it seemed that he, the other coaches, and the fans could sense a troubling trend with the team’s recent play. It was nothing obvious, just the fact that Kentucky wasn’t running like a well oiled machine. This was no time to be second-guessing your confidence with a trip to Alabama coming up next.

The January Slump. How many remember that? Throughout Joe Hall’s years as head coach it seemed every January Kentucky went through this 2-3 week period where the team just seemed to, well--slump. It appeared that despite the talent on the squad, this year was going to be no different. Theories abounded for the cause of these slumps, like Kentucky’s pre-conference schedule was too tough or Joe Hall’s conditioning program was so strenuous and exhausting that the players wore out by mid season and there were many of others. Personally I think it was more psychological then anything. Kentucky was still undefeated and was winning by double digit margins, but there was just something not quite right. Whatever, it looked like this year’s team was about to enter that dark tunnel known as the “Slump”.

That smooth road to an undefeated season got rough at Tuscaloosa. It seems each year no matter if they’re 1-0 or 14-0, a lot of UK’s fans think the Cat’s are going undefeated. This particular season there was real reason for that kind of thinking, but the Tide had other ideas.

This wasn't the script most fans had approved before the season started. Their plan was that UK would just run the table, start to finish, crushing their biggest rivals along the way. A more realistic script would be losing one or two close ones, probably due to some bizarre incident or bad call, but not because the opponent played better!

The fact that Kentucky lost to Alabama on the road wasn’t a shock, but the margin was completely unexpected. Alabama put the worst defeat on Kentucky in three years, 78-62. As the score indicates UK never got it going at all. The Cat’s held a lead early at 8-6, but C. M. Newton’s crew took care of that with 13 straight points and the die was cast. Kentucky did fight back to cut it to one at 26-25 with 7:31 to go in the half, but it was Alabama’s night and the Crimson Tide pulled it back out to nine and led 41-32 at halftime.

Alabama was ready for UK. They had a superb game plan to exploit the inside and try to use quickness when the match-ups were in their favor. This was probably the one area the Cat’s did not excel in. Their overall team speed was just average, that made it difficult to make a comeback from a large deficit. Kentucky did not press effectively and did not play well against the press, the very thing Alabama decided to use. Newton used three guards and forced UK into 17 turnovers. They took Givens completely out of the game, he scored only six points while playing all but two minutes. Kentucky tried to use the zone defense that had been so effective all season, but Alabama who had been a very poor shooting team to that point in the year hit their outside shots unusually well making 57.4% for the game. Their outside shots were dropping and Reggie King was unstoppable on the inside with 28 points and 13 rebounds, it was a recipe for disaster. The Cat’s were never able to get closer then nine in the second half and Alabama led by 18 at one point. UK’s attempt at a full-court press in the late stages of the game were pretty much futile, since it was almost never needed it was not a strong point of this team. This is not to say the ‘78 team was slow footed, that was hardly the case at all. Kentucky was not a fast break team, they simply picked their times to run and didn’t push the ball the way Kentucky teams of recent years have. Playing from behind, the match-ups favored Alabama in this game.

The Cat’s put only two players in double figures. Robey had a big night with 28 and Macy had 10. ”It was a bitter defeat.” Joe Hall said. “We were never in the game…Alabama was completely prepared and psyched up….We had some turn overs and took some bad shots which we have not done this year. Jack could not get in gear and none of our forwards did either for that matter. We were just totally flat.” It was hoped Kentucky would come away with something positive from this. It proved once again you have to be ready for everyone. The NCAA Tournament was two months away and though this was only one game it could be a pivotal point for the season. If that turned out to be the case which direction the team would go from here was the question on everybody’s mind. The fact that the next four games would come at the friendly confines of Rupp Arena was a comforting thought. The only worrisome thing was that they opened against Tennessee. For those who don’t remember the Vol’s had been driving Joe Hall crazy, winning the last five games.

Something interesting happened after the Alabama game, ‘Bama lost their next two games. Losing to Florida 84-73 and Mississippi State. 69-60. This has happened quite a bit over the years in the SEC. It has been looked at once or twice and it turns out that it happens better then 50% of the time. Statistical experts would have a rational explanation chalking it up to coincidence. Personally I believe beating UK leaves SEC teams so emotionally drained they can’t get motivated for the next opponent.

Coach Hall was not at all happy with the team’s practices after the Alabama game. He felt like the players were taking a “let George do it” type of attitude. The only trouble with that was Kentucky didn’t have anyone named George. UK may have gotten a break due to the weather. The Tennessee game was postponed until Feb. 15 because of dangerous weather and sub-zero temperatures. It was the first time a Kentucky basketball game had been called off since a couple were postponed in the 1920’s. The governor had ask people to stay off the roads, so it seemed wise to play this one later. Initially it looked to be an advantage for Tennessee since they had a couple of players who would have been unable to play due to injuries, but as time went on I believe the extra days of practice came in handy for the Wildcat’s. The possibility of another loss right after the Alabama game could have been devastating, especially if it came at the hands of Tennessee. Kentucky would now direct their attention to Georgia.

Better defense was the battle cry for Kentucky as they prepared for the Bulldogs. The consensus was that defense was the main reason for the lost to Alabama. The Cat’s had no intention of a repeat of that escapade in Tuscaloosa. UK abandoned its usual zone and came out in a sticky man to man defense. It probably caught Georgia by surprise as Kentucky forced them into numerous turnovers early in the game. Georgia appeared to be trying to use some of Alabama’s strategy and force the ball inside as much as possible. Coach Hall pulled another wrinkle and put LaVon Williams in the game for defensive purposes. Teams weren’t accustomed to seeing him in a game that early. Williams had played well against Mississippi State and Alabama and he stymied the Dawg’s plan of coming down time after time and jamming it into the middle. Suffering their first loss of the year had the Wildcats fired up and they opened the game on a 12-4 run and never looked back. Kentucky was shooting 57.7% on their way to a 24 point 43-19 lead with 4:40 left in the half. The Bulldog’s found themselves in big time foul trouble; three players had their third foul by halftime. There was one bright spot of sorts for Georgia since they were able to trim the lead down to 16 by halftime, 48-32.

Inconsistency continued to plague the Cat’s as they saw their first half field goal percentage drop to a frigid 37.6%, while Georgia’s heated up to 57.6%. The Bulldog’s finally realized by trying to go inside they were making more turnovers than scoring points and began to fire it up from outside. Fortunately for Kentucky they didn’t start earlier. Walter Daniels and Rob Webb helped Georgia attack the UK lead by scoring 20 points each to cut the margin to 13 at 76-63 with 3:53 to go. That was as close as they could get. Kentucky made their free throws down the stretch to nail it down. Lee finished with 18, Macy had 18 and Robey scored 11 and pulled off 14 rebounds. Joe Hall was pleased with the 90-73 victory, particularly with the intensity of the first 10 minutes, which for all intents and purposes decided the game. While happy with the win he still noted concern about conditioning, pointing to the second half drop off. “We really played well the first 10 minutes,” he said, “we have to have that the entire game. Any team in our conference is capable of beating any other team and that includes our team.”

Jack Givens continued his climb up the record books by moving into fourth place on the all time scoring list. His 19 points gave him 1747 putting him ahead of Alex Groza at 1744. If UK made it to the NCAA final Jack would have to average 24.5 points to break the record; not an impossibility for a player of his caliber. Kentucky didn't just lose their first game of the season, they had been completely blown away. The way the Cats lost was surprising and had some fans beginning to get nervous. Most of these are the quick to panic type, you know the sky is falling. For most Kentucky fans the Wildcat’s were going through a small rough spot and would play their way out of it in a game or two.

Florida was next for UK at Rupp Arena. The Gators played Kentucky to a 36-36 tie at half-time. If it hadn't been for Kyle Macy's 18 first half points the Wildcats would've been trailing at the half. There were probably burn marks on the walls of the UK locker room after halftime. Kentucky came out running and gunning, got the crowd going and went on an 11 point run. Florida couldn't resist the temptation and tried to run with the Cat’s. It was a huge mistake, there was no way they could stay with Kentucky in that kind of game. Macy had a big game scoring 30 points, hitting 8-8 from the free throw line and dishing out six assists. Jack Givens had 14 and Mike Phillips seemed to be back in form with 12 points and 10 rebounds. James Lee had another solid game with 14 points and six rebounds. It certainly looked like the Wildcat’s were back on track with this 88-61 win.

Auburn came to town and it was another one of those games the fans like. It was a high scoring affair with lots of action on both ends of the floor, but the best part was it resulted in a 104-81 win for UK. On this night James Lee was the star with 25 points, eight rebounds, two steals and four crowd pleasing dunks.

Lee had been playing well recently, but this was a career night. Red Auerbach and some Celtic scouts happened to be at the game, that couldn’t have had anything to do with it could it? Lee stressed his effort wasn’t an audition for pro basketball saying, "They were here for a reason and I was here for a reason. I just wanted to do a successful job for the University of Kentucky.” Sure can’t hurt if you look good in front of the pros at the same time though. ”I just want you to know that I’m thinking about Kentucky, not the pros. The pros are in the back of my mind, but I’ve got a career in Kentucky and I just can’t think about anything else at this time.” All the seniors had good games. Robey had 21 points and eight rebounds and Phillips scored 12 points with four rebounds. Jack Givens moved up another notch on the all time scoring list with 22, surpassing Cotton Nash for third place with 1783 points. The 23 point margin of victory implied another Wildcat blowout, but the contest remained fairly tight for the first three quarters of the game. Auburn stayed close shooting 58.6% in the first period. The Tigers were led in the half by Mike Mitchell’s 16 points and Stan Pietkiewicz who had 13. UK used a 7-3 spurt during the final 1:39 of the half to lead 45-40 at the break. Kentucky charged out of the locker room and scored 10 straight points. Auburn managed to cut the margin to 10 at 76-66 with 7:00 minutes to play. The Wildcats really poured it on during the final minutes outscoring the Tigers 28-15. Though it was a close game much of the way one never got the feeling Auburn was going to pull the upset. Kentucky appeared to be back on track as they traveled to Baton Rogue to take on Dale Brown’s LSU Tigers.

Just when it looked as though Kentucky was pulling out of it's annual "slump" things went south. It was the same teams from the earlier game or at least they looked like the same teams, but that's where it stopped. It's said when Kentucky comes to town it's the other team's biggest game of the year. It's been that way in the SEC since the very beginning. It has to be hard to get pumped up for every single opponent, game after game, but that is exactly what a Kentucky team faces each time they take the court, especially on the road. Other teams have no trouble at all getting excited and ready for Kentucky and if the Cat's can't match that excitement it can be a very unpleasant visit and very unpleasant is how Kentucky’s trip to LSU turned out. The Wildcats ended up on the wrong end of a 95-94 loss, in overtime; with all five of the LSU starters on the bench fouled out for the OT. That'll have a UK fan reaching for the Rolaids in a hurry.

Kentucky had looked better in their last few games, then inexplicably they came out flat and emotionless and LSU was primed and ready. Through the years Dale Brown was well known for attempting to gain the psychological edge over his opponent. Brown had Kentucky native Durand Macklin deliver a message via tape recording asking the crowd to show good sportsmanship and not throw things on the floor. The message was played twice before the game even started. Apparently some fans must have taken this only as a suggestion since the game had to be delayed eight times after debris was thrown on the court. Durand Macklin, Ethan Martin and DeWayne Scales did a number on Kentucky in regulation, but in the end it was the bench players who drove the stake through the heart. Jody Hultberg had 10 points in the late stages including the go ahead bucket with just over a minute to go in overtime. The game started alright, Kentucky ran out to a 5-0 lead. LSU came back to tie the score at 9-9 with 16:14 left in the half. Macklin scored the Tigers first nine points while Scales made like a vacuum cleaner on the boards, pulling in almost every ball in sight. The crowd certainly had the LSU players fired up and with 9:45 to go in the half Macklin broke open to score on a one-handed dunk that gave the Tigers a 29-20 lead and compelled Joe Hall to call time-out. The Cat's settled down and went to a more deliberate half court offense. Kentucky went to the locker room trailing 45-43, but they appeared to be in good shape for the second period.

UK's strong finish to the first half seemed to indicate the beginning of another second half blowout, but it never came. Foul trouble began to plague LSU though, and it appeared that it might be the savior for the Wildcat's. They had fallen behind 59-47 by the 16:18 mark when the first LSU player, Kenny Higgs, fouled out. Within seconds Scales picked up his fourth.

Dale Brown seemed to be doing Kentucky a favor when he left his starters in the game with four fouls. He also went to the four-corners when Higgs fouled out, but it was basically ineffective as the Tigers made several turn-overs. LSU gave Kentucky more then enough chances to take control of the game, but the Wildcats just couldn't do it. Macklin fouled out with 10:14 to go and LSU leading by eight. Seconds later Scales picked up his fifth. Lionel Green became the fourth Tiger starter lost to fouls with 1:13 left and LSU leading by five. Kentucky rallied in the final minute of play and tied the score at 83-83 when Jay Shidler stole the ball from Ethan Martin and fed Rick Robey for a layup with 0:35 left. When time ran out four LSU starters were on the bench and UK’s chances looked pretty good in overtime, so good that many fans began heading for the exits. The fans may have given up, but the LSU players didn’t.

Kentucky took the lead in the overtime period and it looked like the Wildcats just might escape when the fifth starter for the Tigers, Ethan Martin, fouled out at the 3:02 mark. It just wasn't in the cards. Jody Hultberg and the other LSU subs were the heros of the night. Hultberg shot the UK zone full of holes and gave LSU their first lead in OT, 90-88 with 1:40 left. Floyd Bailey followed up a missed shot to stretch the Tiger lead to three with 1:07 to play. Mike Phillips trimmed the margin by one with a free throw. Willie Sims increased the lead to four at 94-90 with a couple of free throws with 0:27 on the clock. James Lee answered for the Wildcats with a jumper and with no time-outs remaining Kentucky had to foul. Sims returned to the line and hit the first of a one and one, but missed the second. With 0:10 to play Lee grabbed the missed free throw, raced to the other end and lay the ball in. Unfortunately the Cats could only watch as LSU let the final seconds run out giving them a 95-94 upset.

LSU lost five players to fouls, but they put five in double figures. Durand Macklin led with 23 points and Ethan Martin added 20, but it was probably Jody Hultberg’s 10 points late in the game and overtime that did the Cats in. LSU out rebounded Kentucky 41-29 with Dewayne Scales leading the way with 17. Rick Robey scored 18 points and had 11 rebounds and Jack Givens had 17 and was the only player to play all 45 minutes. Kentucky took their licking without complaint, admitting LSU was the better team on this occasion. In contrast to the earlir meeting between the two teams in Lexington, Dale Brown was a completely different man. He was asked about the comparison between the two games since he had complained so bitterly about Kentucky’s physical play in Lexington. His response was, ”I don’t know. I don’t want to comment on that. I don’t know.” Interestingly, 65 fouls were called and 74 free throws were taken at Baton Rogue which was far more than in the first game. Dale even complimented the Wildcats. ”They showed real class I hope I can do the same thing, I hope it doesn’t take a defeat.” Things certainly look different when you’re on the winning side. Kentucky was now left with more questions and concerns for the future. The Cat's were entering the stretch run of conference play and the SEC title that had been virtually in the bank was up for grabs. Kentucky's next game was on the road again, this time at Ole Miss.

Joe Hall had a reputation as a stern task master; not at all the friendly father figure image some coaches acquire. Joe Hall was all business, one hardly ever saw the man smile even in the most jubilant moments. He dished out praise sparingly when due and he criticized if it was needed, but this team was beginning to try his patience. After what was termed as a lackadaisical practice following the LSU game, Coach Hall began venting some of his frustrations out loud, referring to the Wildcat's as the ”Quiting Quintet” and the "Folding Five". The players weren't helping matters either; in Oxford for the Ole Miss game several players came strolling out to the bus late for an afternoon practice, which didn't sit well at all with the coach. But the compost really hit the fan on Monday, the day of the game. The team bus was waiting for the players to go to the morning shooting practice, three players were late again. With the players about 10 yards from the bus Joe told the driver, "Shut the damn door and let's go! If they can't get here when they're supposed to, the hell with 'em!" LaVon Williams, Fred Cowans and Dwane Casey stood flabbergasted in the parking lot as the bus pulled away. The three players to had to catch a ride to the gym with a Lexington sportswriter.

You could've heard a pin drop at that practice. The Cat's had fallen into a malaise, no enthusiasm on the floor, and a general apathetic attitude. Coach Hall decided he needed to shake things up and since ripping the team in private and public didn’t get their attention stronger measures were called for. To show he was serious Hall started LaVon Williams in place of Phillips and Tim Stephens for Shidler against Mississippi. He even considered benching Jack Givens. The Goose did start and scored 18 points which moved him past Kevin Grevey and into second place on the UK leading scorer list, but the coach was not interested in that kind of thing at the moment. Hall said he thought the players needed to get their minds back on their play and quit worrying about records, the pros and Red Auerbach. Coach Hall was particularly hard on Givens, understanding the UK star would accept the criticisms as a means of motivating the team to put forth a more determined effort. Givens recalled the period saying at the time Kentucky’s opponents had “..played with more enthusiasm, more desire, more pride, more heart, more everything…(Coach Hall) said I played scared and with no heart. He threatened to remove me from the starting line-up. And those were the nice things he said about me.”

The shakeup didn't help much. UK led the Ole Miss Rebels the entire game, even pulling out to a 17 point lead once, but this was the poorest effort of the year. The Cat's had 23 turnovers most of them unforced. Joe tried everyone, subbing 19 times the first half alone. He became so frustrated by the offense he went to the four-corners in the second half hoping to cut down on turnovers.

When time ran out Kentucky had won 64-52, but you'd have never known it watching the team leave the floor. After the game Coach Hall closed the locker room for 30 minutes to discuss the "current state of affairs" of Kentucky basketball.

It was a nervous time for fans. This team had NCAA Champions written all over it, but they weren’t playing like it. It was only two losses, but Kentucky was struggling. One could not help but ask questions. Were they about to collapse under the pressure from fans and the media? Were Joe Hall’s public criticisms hurting the player's confidence? There just were no easy answers. I think it’s about this time that this season of no joy thing finally stuck to the team for the remainder of the season and beyond. The “experts” began popping up everywhere with observations such as; “This team didn’t deserve to be number one from the beginning.” “Kentucky needs a new coach. Joe Hall should have never been given the job in the first place.” “The players are spoiled  and don’t care.” There wasn’t as many sports call in shows on radio then and we didn’t have the Internet to vent our frustrations on either, but fans had the opinion section of the local papers and they were filling it up with all kinds of “expert” advice. Kentucky fans have long been labeled as impossible to satisfy, but I am certain this comes from a vocal minority that has created this impression of all UK fans and has given the media the opportunity to reinforce it. It has been this way for years and is a problem yet today that is probably never going to go away. So in 1978 it was hoped the team would withstand this storm of criticism from within but more so the pressure from outside.

Tennessee and Kentucky now kept their date at Rupp from the earlier postponed game. An uneasy feeling seemed to run through the crowd before the game, but not through the UK locker room. With the way things had been going and Tennessee holding a five game winning streak, no one knew what to expect. The crowd was relieved and delighted when Kentucky jumped a head 6-0 at the start. Rick Robey and James Lee had the hot hand early and the Wildcat’s held a nine point lead, 16-7, with 13:39 left. The two teams played on even terms until about 3:00 to go in the half and Kentucky leading 36-30. Tennessee decided to cut their losses and hold the ball for the last shot of the half. Since the Volunteers trailed they were required to force the action. UK simply stayed back in the zone and after Tennessee was warned a technical was called. Macy went to the line and hit the free throw with 1:23 left. Just seconds later Robey flashed to the lane, hit the shot and was fouled. The three point play gave Kentucky a 10 point lead at the half, 40-30.

The Wildcats quickly extended the lead early in the second half outscoring the Vols 11-4 to take a 17 point lead, 51-34, at the 17:37 mark. Tennessee cut the margin to 11 a couple of times, but never got any closer. For the seniors it was only the second win of their careers over the Vols. Robey and Lee had big games scoring 18 and 17 points respectively, but Kentucky had some unexpected help from the bench. Chuck Aleksinas had 10 points, Fred Cowan scored six and Tim Stephens had a bucket to help guide the Wildcats to a 90-77 victory.

The Cat’s were showing an obvious new attitude on the floor. After the game coaches and players credited the last practice before the Tennessee game for the change. The Wildcat’s were sure they had turned the corner. Coach Hall was in a better state of mind when commenting on his team. ”We played hard tonight. I was well pleased with the freshmen and their play and I congratulated them. We still played tight but this is only a temporary thing. I’m encouraged after the great practice session yesterday.” “It was a super practice,” Robey said. “Everyone was going full speed and busting their butts.” Givens agreed, “It was a very good one. We’re all just like brothers......We’re coming back.”

It seemed UK was back on track. The same players that a few weeks ago had appeared apathetic and out of synch seemed to have decided to get back to business and the Wildcats had proven what they were capable of when they did that.

The next two games virtually nailed down the SEC title for Kentucky. The first was a nail biter and the other a blowout. The nail biter came against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs took UK to the last seconds at Rupp Arena before losing 58-56. The score might have indicated a return to the uninspired play of the previous weeks, instead it was a spine-tingling thriller. The low score was due to State's use of the four-corners. Kentucky led by as much as 12 in the second half after having a 39-29 half-time lead. Mississippi State made a furious come back to take a four point lead late in the game. The Bulldogs had begun using the delay early in the second half. The Cat’s didn’t exactly mind the slowdown as they had gotten into foul trouble. ”We had people in foul trouble, so I didn’t mind the change of tempo.” said Coach Hall. ”There was plenty of time left.” Things got serious with 5:00 to go and Mississippi State leading 52-50. The Bulldogs got a lay-up from Ray White to make it 54-50 with 4:03 left. Truman Claytor hit a 15 foot jumper to cut the margin to two, then Rickey Brown scored to put the Bulldogs back out by four 56-52. Kentucky cut the lead to two, then Mississippi State took an ill advised shot that missed. Jack Givens who had been on the receiving end of quite a bit of criticism from Joe Hall in recent weeks, let his experience and senior leadership take charge. Givens drove hard to the basket, scored and was fouled. He completed the three point play to give Kentucky a 57-56 lead with 2:34 to go.

The Bulldogs decided to gamble and go for the last shot, win or lose. They called time-out with 0:13 left. Their plan was to go to Wiley Peck, who would hit Brown breaking down the lane. Kentucky had been in a zone most of the night and the play might have worked had they stayed in it. Coach Hall called time-out and decided to change the Kentucky defense. ”At first we decided to go with a zone”, said Hall, ”but then we decided to line up in a zone and quickly match up man to man.” When the ball into Peck and everyone was covered, he tried to drive to the basket. As Peck moved down the baseline he charged into Rick Robey and was called for the offensive foul. Robey was fouled six seconds later. He hit the first free throw and the second bounced off the rim right into Kyle Macy’s hands.

Givens and Macy led the Wildcat’s with 14 points each and Claytor added 10. Kentucky played extremely well, but had the game been played two weeks earlier it’s hard to imagine them pulling it out. Jack Givens had come through in the clutch and after the game showed the poise and confidence the entire team was now displaying. ”I never did think we were going to lose.” said Givens. ”We just wanted to keep our cool. Coach Hall told us they would make some mistakes if we just kept our defensive pressure on them.” Joe Hall was pleased with his team’s effort saying, ”We didn’t want to give up the easy basket, we wanted to avoid the cheap foul and we just waited for them to make a mistake. Our patience paid off. To beat Mississippi State twice is quite an accomplishment.”

The second largest crowd in Rupp Arena’s short history, was treated to the best game of the season by Alabama and Kentucky. Both teams played pretty even through the majority of the first half. With 3:55 to go and Kentucky leading 33-30, UK stepped on the accelerator. The Wildcats exploded and so did the crowd. After six consecutive free throws James Lee made a back door cut to the basket and threw down a thunderous dunk.  Givens leaped high to tip in a missed shot, then came back with a six footer to give UK a 45-30 lead with 1:24 left. Alabama tried the full court press that had been so successful in their earlier win, but this time it didn’t work. With Alabama pressing Kentucky during an inbound play, Givens broke out ahead of everyone for a length of the court drive and dunk. Kentucky raced off the court to a deafening roar with a 47-31 lead. The Tide had been outscored 14-1 in the final 4:00 of the half.

Mike Phillips made a quick drive to the hole to put the Cat’s up by 18 at the start of the second half. The two teams played on even terms scoring wise the rest of the way. Though Alabama outscored Kentucky by three for the half, the difference in the two teams on the floor was like night and day. UK looked the superior squad in every aspect of the contest. Joe Hall was happy with the team’s effort and results. ”We just played with so much more aggressiveness.” said Hall. ”Before we weren’t ready to play and weren’t mentally in the game. We didn’t play with any intensity in the first game.”

Kentucky’s four seniors created a shooting nightmare for Alabama. They were 23-27 from the floor. Givens had 22 points and missed only one field goal. Robey put in 18 points and was perfect from the field and the line. Phillips had 11 and Lee came off the bench for 13. It was the kind of atmosphere you wanted to bottle for the future. Kentucky had the same problem then they do now, crowds that can’t seem to get excited unless there’s an overwhelming reason. Over the years it has to be apparent what a home court advantage UK has when the crowd is fired up. It’s ashamed it can’t be that way every game. ”Tonight our crowd was great.” said Hall. ”They got us fired up and really helped us. I couldn’t thank our crowd enough. I want to see that every game next year. I’d like to see that kind of pre-game enthusiasm before every game.” It was a big win that had everyone leaving with a smile on their face, especially Joe Hall. The head coach felt confident his crew was back in the groove and was there to stay, but more importantly, so did the players. In a diary Joe Hall kept during the season he wrote; I knew we were going to play tonight. I could see it in their eyes. I’ve made a little fur fly the last few weeks, but they’re back now and I think they’ll stay back. I feel good about the rest of the season, but this team has taught me you can’t let up. The conference title was within grasp after the 97-84 win. There were only three games left and the next was one game the team wanted as badly as any. The seniors had never won a game in Knoxville, TN and that was a black mark they sorely wanted to erase. You couldn’t blame fans for being a little bit edgy despite the solid job the Cat’s had been doing. If they should stumble here it could have a devastating effect on their new-found confidence.

The fates just seemed to be against Kentucky when they played UT in Knoxville. Just before the trip to Tennessee half the team came down with the flu. Givens, Robey and Claytor were all dragging, but worst of all Macy went to Coach Hall minutes before the tip saying he couldn’t go. Jay Shidler would have to step in and step up, and he did just that. Shidler turned in an outstanding performance considering the circumstances. Robey and Givens had to be spelled several times and at one point Robey appeared to be on the verge of passing out on the sidelines. Despite it all, the Wildcats put together what Joe Hall called their greatest effort as a team.

It was a seesaw battle early on with the lead changing hands several times. Mike Phillips took the initiative in the first half dominating the middle, which helped Robey. Phillips had 11 first half points and along with Shidler’s play at the point in place of Macy, enabled Kentucky to stay with the Vols despite the team's illness. UK jumped ahead 4-0, but Tennessee came back with six straight points to take the lead. The Volunteers gained their largest lead of the game at 14-10 with 12:54 left in the half. Kentucky erased that deficit and moved back to the front with a quick 6-1 run. With 4:40 left in the half and Tennessee leading 25-24, the Vols decided to hold the ball until halftime. The strategy didn’t work. Tennesse’s poor ball handling allowed Kentucky to regain the lead 31-25 at the break.

Kentucky held a 5-8 point lead through the early minutes of the second half, then extended the margin. With 12:14 to go LaVon Williams gave UK it’s largest lead, 50-38, with a three point play on a baseline jumper. Kentucky players and fans had come to realize a 12 point lead in Knoxville was never safe. In the previous season’s game the Wildcats were in a similar position with the game apparently in hand only to see it get away and the frustrating losing streak continue. Tennessee made Kentucky fans nervous when they cut the lead to three at 56-53 with 6:00 to go. During the last 1:11 of the game, Macy and Givens summoned a burst of strength from somewhere, scoring six points between them to put Kentucky out to a nine point lead at 62-53. Tennessee experienced some frustration of their own during the final minute as they attempted to foul the Wildcats. UK was able to move the ball around quickly enough to prevent the Vols from committing a quick foul, avoiding Tennessee for nearly a minute at one point. Kentucky broke their losing streak to the Vols 68-57 and despite their illness they were the quicker team at the games end. It was a satisfying win on it’s own. It gave the seniors a bit of relief from the frustration of losing in Knoxville, but more importantly it meant at least a share of the SEC Championship. It’s polite to share but the Cat’s were selfish, they wanted it all.

The Georgia Bulldogs were the first obstacles in the Wildcat’s way to sole possession of the title. UK had regained the #1 national ranking and despite still feeling the effects of the flu, came out playing hard. Fearing the strength of Kentucky’s inside game and realizing they could not handle the Wildcats man to man, Georgia came out in a packed in zone. Hoping UK would have an off shooting night, Bulldog coach John Guthrie watched as Kentucky hit their first nine shots all from the outside. Georgia was able to stay with Kentucky for the first few minutes of the half and despite the Cat’s torrid shooting the Dawgs refused to come out of the zone. Guthrie admitted he didn’t believe Kentucky could continue to hit such a high percentage of their shots and stayed with the zone.”We were saying we ought to go man to man,” said Guthrie, ”but we knew what they would do inside. I didn’t believe they could shoot that good—but they did.” The UK guards did most of the damage early hitting 12-19 shots in the opening 10:00. Kentucky put together a 15-4 run that made the score 36-22 with 4:51 to go in the half and pretty much sealed Georgia’s fate. The Bulldog’s stuck to their game plan and stayed in the zone, but the Cat’s continued to shoot well and led 46-29 at the half.

The pace of the first half, plus the Cat's recent bout with the flu may have taken something out of them. After opening their biggest lead of the night at 55-35, Kentucky started to lose steam. Georgia chipped away at the lead and with 6:02 to go had cut it to 67-57. Kentucky was able to hold the Dog's off to win 78-67. The Wildcats hit 56.6% for the game which put them on pace to break the school field goal accuracy record of 50.6% set by the 70-71 team. Jack Givens and Rick Robey had 15 points each to lead Kentucky and Walter Daniels riddled the UK defense with 25 points for the Bulldogs.

The victory gave Kentucky their 31st SEC Championship. The season was winding down with only two games remaining before the NCAA Tournament. Next Kentucky fans would bid farewell to the seniors in the final home game of the year, a nationally televised contest against UNLV, which would be followed by the season finale at Vanderbilt.

The Wildcats arrived back home around 1:00am and despite freezing temperatures and a forecast for snow, 500-600 fans showed up to welcome the SEC Champs. The lodge was decorated, the pep band was on hand playing the UK fight song. There were a couple of banners declaring, "University of Kentucky Home of the #1 Wildcats and the #1 Coach Joe B. Hall." This had to be very satisfying, especially to Joe Hall.

With the conference title now safely secured, Coach Hall could use the two remaining games to fine tune the team before the NCAA Tournament began the following week. A bittersweet day had arrived for the four seniors, the last time they would put on the blue and white before the home crowd. Jack Givens, James Lee, Mike Phillips and Rick Robey would bid farewell to the UK fans. It can be said that this foursome was the nucleus for one of the finest teams ever. Put just about any supporting cast with them and they would have been contenders. Not since the Fabulous Five have there been four players who complimented one another better then these did during their stay at Kentucky.

It's an emotional day that players probably look forward to as freshmen, but despair over when it finally arrives. It was one of the more moving Senior Days ever. A record crowd of 23,608 packed Rupp Arena. It was the largest crowd for a regular season game in NCAA history. The sad farewell turned to excited delight as the Wildcats put on a show sending the Runnin' Rebels back to Vegas on the short end of a 92-70 score. It was a fans game and it came on Senior Day to boot. With emotion of the pre-game ceremony and the players desire to make their final appearance memorable, it’s not unusual for some of these games to fail to live up to expectations. However, for players and fans alike this wasn’t the case. The two teams battled on even terms for the first half. Jack Givens hit one soft jumper after another and Rick Robey dominated the inside on both ends of the court. Vegas was kept in the game by the shooting of Tony Smith who had 21 of his game high 29 points in the first half.  The Wildcat’s held a slim 40-39 lead at halftime, but somehow the game never seemed to be in doubt.

Kentucky came out in the second half and basically ran UNLV off the court, beating them at their own style of game.  The Wildcat’s had the crowd roaring after they went through an unbelievable dunking spree. Robey got it started with a two handed dunk at the 9:53 mark and the score 64-57. A little later it was James Lee and one of his familiar tomahawk jobs to make the score 74-62. Next it was Phillips turn and then Lee again. With the crowd already in a frenzy came the play of the game or maybe the year, to that point at least. Jack Givens took the ball on the baseline, spotting a lane to the basket he drove for the lay up, but a defender jumped for the block. Givens already committed and in the air twisted his body to avoid the block which put him under the rim sideways. He reached back, slammed the ball in one-handed and drew the foul. The Goose seldom dunked the ball, much less on an acrobatic play such as this. The eruption from the crowd was deafening. The Vegas players admitted later that from that point on Kentucky was virtually impossible to stop.

The ovations were long and loud as Joe Hall replaced the seniors one by one as the final seconds ticked off. What it feels like to be in that situation must be hard to relate to anyone, but afterwards all four gave a few of their thoughts as they ended their careers at Rupp.

James Lee: “I looked up and saw 23,00 plus fans looking down on me. It was a feeling of being glad and disappointed too, because I won’t be back seeing them again in a UK jersey. I don’t think I can really describe the whole feeling until I hang up my jersey for the last time at Kentucky because these fans are going to follow us all the way through the NCAA. After that I’ll be able to feel the deepness and the warmness we’ll miss by the Kentucky fans. I’ve never felt more deeply about a game then this one. We went out #1 and all the seniors had a great game and we couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Lee finished the game with 13 points and 4 rebounds.

Mike Phillips: “It might sound kinda corney, but I looked back and saw a few certain things here and there that had happened throughout my career. Thinking back I’ve had a lot of enjoyable moments at Kentucky. It was just great the way the fans sent all us seniors off.  I really loved it. We really pulled together as a team. More things happened and we jelled together today.”
Phillips had 7 points and 9 rebounds.

Jack Givens: “I was just thinking there was no better way to go out then with a victory over a great basketball team on national television, being #1 in the nation and going to the NCAA. Everything seemed so positive, you couldn’t have planned it any better. I don’t remember a game I enjoyed so much as this one, especially the second half. What made it even better is that we beat a nationally known team, a team with a lot of talent. It was just a great way to leave.”
Givens scored 24 points and had 5 rebounds.

Rick Robey: “It’s the kind of game you lie in bed the night before and dream about. All four of us had a great game and I was just so happy about that, especially when I heard I had been selected the MVP and won a $1000 scholarship for the university. That’s something I’ll be able to treasure the rest of my life. I can remember four years ago when I started here and never knew the ending would be so nice. Everything has worked out right. I just have a great feeling we’re going to win these next six ball games. I feel good about it and I think the players have the momentum going. This is the most exciting game I’ve been in here at Kentucky with the exception of the Indiana game in Dayton three years ago. This is my last game at home and it couldn’t have been a better one and I’m just as happy as I can be.”
Robey led Kentucky with 26 points and 7 rebounds.

It was a fitting way for each to finish his home court career. The Wildcat’s shot an unbelievable 64.5% and completely dominated the Runnin’ Rebels on the boards, 38-13. Now Kentucky needed to keep their momentum and avoid an emotional let down at Vanderbilt before the battle for the National Title began in earnest.

Kentucky finished the regular season with a 78-68 win over a stubborn Vanderbilt team in Nashville. The Wildcat’s led for most of the first half, but never really pulled out to a big margin. Vandy stayed 3-6 points behind most of the half. Kyle Macy had the big night for the UK after going scoreless in the last game against UNLV. Macy had 22 points for the game and was the reason Kentucky didn’t trail at half-time. Robey dominated the inside along with Lee and Phillips. The Commodores had no one capable of handling Kentucky’s size. With Macy’s outside shooting and Givens’ 19 points and eight rebounds Vandy had their work cut out for them. The Commodores did take the lead at 45-41 early in the second half, but the shooting of Macy and Robey sparked UK on a 14-2 run that finally had Kentucky on top for good, 55-47. Kentucky shot 60% and made 12 of 15 free throws to finish off Vanderbilt.  The Wildcat’s ended the regular season with a new school record for field goal shooting at 54.0%. Florida State would be Kentucky’s opponent in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Knoxville, TN. It would be a strange thing to say, but the Cat’s should feel somewhat at home in Stokely Athletic Center. It had been the site of many disappointing nights for Kentucky and would become an even more dreadful place for UK should the Cats stumble in their opening round contest, but at the very least Kentucky would be in familiar surroundings.

The goal for the Wildcats at the beginning of the season was here at last; the NCAA Tournament. No one in the UK camp was saying it, but had Kentucky not been able to win the title this particular year it would be looked back on as a disappointing season. It was not just fans and media thinking this way, but the players and coaches. From the moment the clock ran out the previous year against North Carolina, the returning players had made this year “the” year for nothing less than going all the way. Their 25-2 record, the SEC Championship, the big wins along the way and record setting performances would mean nothing if they were unable to bring home the title.

Kentucky was the top seed in the Mideast Region, although the teams were not exactly seeded at this time, but merely paired in some kind of similar procedure that nobody understood. A glance at the brackets and it was obvious the people setting them up did not seem to understand it either. Balance was not the word to describe it at all. The Mideast and West Regions seemed to have been crammed with the top teams in the field, creating the kind of first and second round match-ups one would expect to see in a regional final or even the Final Four. Looking at all the potential opponents for Kentucky from the start, there were hardly any teams in their bracket that didn’t appear capable of pulling the upset. The Midwest was not as strong as those other two regions, but had some competitive match-ups. The East, on the other hand was puzzling; most were saying just write Duke in to their Final Four slot now and that’s exactly what happened.

Florida State brought a 23-5 record into their first round match-up with Kentucky. The Seminoles, coached by Hugh Durham, was expected to slow things down like most UK opponents, but Durham stated his team had been playing a faster tempo for the last five or six weeks and would do the same against Kentucky. Durham explained his reasons, “It took us 4-5 months to learn to do this. We can’t learn something new in a week.” Some thought the strategy suicidal, but Durham showed he knew his club better then anybody else.

Hugh Durham’s strategy paid off big dividends from the very start. The Florida State team apparently caught the Wildcat’s by surprise with their quickness and was able to get several easy buckets and run-outs. Kentucky was slow to get to the boards and when they couldn’t come up with the rebound they were caught with no one back time after time and had to watch as a Seminole went in for an easy lay-up or dunk. Floundering and unable to get on track Kentucky found themselves facing their worst nightmare; trailing in the opening round game of the NCAA tournament. UK was on the short end of a 39-32 half-time score and in serious trouble. The lead was only seven points, but the drama of the situation could never have been exaggerated more.

    

With fans and media wondering what was going on out there the Kentucky subs went to work. Coach Hall said what was needed was a better effort and that’s what the new line-up gave him. It was a shock to Florida State that not only did Kentucky make such a dramatic change, but the Wildcat subs were actually out playing them. The Cat’s slowly cut into the lead and with 13:34 to go the score was 45-42. Forty seconds later LaVon Williams leaped high for an offensive rebound and slammed it back home for the score and suddenly it was a one point game. The sight of their teammates playing UK back into the game had the new Wildcat “benchwarmers” fired up and desperate to return to the court.

Florida State pulled back out to a five point margin, but their fate was sealed. The starters returned with 10:15 to go and the Seminoles leading 53-48. During the next few minutes Kentucky went on a 14-0 run and put the game away. What had looked to be an upset or at the least a nail biter ended up an easy looking 85-76 win for UK.

The Cat’s shot 56.6%. Truman Claytor led the scoring for Kentucky with 16, Givens had 11, Robey 12, Phillips 14, Macy 14 and Lee 12. Florida State put four in double figures, Mickey Dillard had 21, David Thompson 15 and the Seminoles didn’t look shabby from the field either shooting 51%. Cowan, Williams and Casey only scored six points between them, but their play was the deciding factor in keeping UK from becoming another first round upset victim. After the game Joe Hall remarked in the locker room, ”I want our All-Americans to thank the subs for keeping us in this tournament.”

Joe Hall’s strategy worked to perfection, had it not--well we can only imagine the uproar. Did he consider it a big gamble? “I really had no choice. The fans and media may call it a gamble, but I know my team. The subs brought us out of it. If you’re going to go down at least go down scrapping.....We just weren’t getting the play from the starters and I had to go with someone who would come in and give us the effort. That’s all we needed was an effort....If I had stayed with the same lineup I don’t think the game would have changed much from the first half. We didn’t get a good defensive effort in the first half, the lineup change gave us that effort and allowed us to break their offensive poise and control. We cut the lead and it allowed the starters to get a good rest.” When asked if he had been working on this in practice, Hall replied, “Devised on the spot.”

Hugh Durham while disappointed appreciated the courage it took for Hall to make the kind of change he did. “Hey, you guys would have been on him if we had won. Suppose he puts those guys in there and they come out cold and we throw the press on them and we get the lead to 18, Joe would have been standing there roasting. The surprise I saw in the second half was that Givens was not in there. I thought Givens didn’t start because he had three fouls. They had indicated throughout the first half they were trying to come in with more quickness, so I wasn’t surprised that Robey and Phillips weren’t in there. When you’re playing against the other team’s support troops that was the time for us to build the lead. We needed to get ahead a few more points, then they put the troops back in and cut the lead down a bit and we hang on. But they put the team back in and bang it was 14-0 and from there it was their game. Because of Kyle Macy Kentucky has the opportunity to do what most of you think they should do. I like to see people like that get credit because their value doesn’t always show up on the scorebook.”

Jack Givens recalled the situation in the locker room at halftime. ”(Coach Hall) lectured us on all the things we were doing wrong and predicted that if things continued the same way in the second half we would end up the same as we did at Alabama. He finally told us that if we were going to lose we would lose with people who wanted to play. For the first time in three years I wasn’t starting a second half. The move surprised everyone, including Hugh Durham and the Florida State players. Dwane and the others came out playing as though there was no tomorrow and there was no tomorrow for us. They played great defense. Fought like demons for rebounds and dove for loose balls and had Florida State completely off balance. If they hadn’t gotten tired and could have shot better I might have never returned to the game. Coach Hall’s move was a real gutsy one. I think the decision exemplified the way Coach Hall handled pressure all season. He was going to make his own decisions regardless of the fans, the press or his players. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Coach Hall.”

Kentucky’s next opponent was Miami of Ohio at Dayton. The Redskins pulled one of those first round upsets beating Marquette in the very first game of the tournament. Marquette had been 15 point favorites and one of the teams many picked to reach the Final Four. After leading most of the game Marquette lost their composure following a technical foul on their coach. They tried to freeze the ball to hold on for the win, but eventually lost in overtime 84-81.

Being in Dayton, the Redskins would appear to have the crowd in their favor, but Kentucky fans would out number everyone. This would seem to be a mismatch, but Kentucky had learned from their opening game no one can be taken lightly. The Cats would be ready for this one.

When ask about Miami of Ohio Joe Hall said, “They’re tough. They’re all tough when you get to the NCAA.” The close call against Florida State and Miami’s surprise win over Marquette had the Cat’s mind on the business at hand. Kentucky was returning to the site of one of their biggest victories ever. In 1975 Kentucky had pulled one of the biggest upsets in UK history by beating the up to then undefeated Indiana Hoosiers in the NCAA regional final.

Kentucky had been a hot shooting team all season and they burned the nets up once again hitting 61.1% for the game. Akron, OH native Mike Phillips dominated the Redskins. Like a lot of other opponents Miami made a special effort to stop Rick Robey. When they did Robey simply tossed it into Phillips who ripped Miami for 24 points. The Redskins were able to stay relatively close with Randy Ayers having a big first half. UK pulled out to a 31-22 lead after a James Lee three point play. Miami got a basket to close to seven with 6:27 to go, then the Cat’s put the game away with 11 straight points. They led 46-30 at the half.

The second half was more of the same as Kentucky pulled out to a 22 point margin within the first 5:00. The seniors all reached double figures and could’ve scored more. The margin of victory could’ve been bigger also, but Joe Hall substituted the entire second half. Besides Phillips’ 24, Robey had 14, Givens 12 with nine rebounds, Lee had 12 and Claytor 13. Kentucky finished off Miami 91-69 to move on to the next round. The Cat’s displayed the kind of intensity that would make them almost impossible to beat. At least that seemed to be Miami coach Darrell Hedric’s opinion.

“They’re awesome. We couldn’t beat that team if we played them 100 times. They are the best team we’ve played this year. We knew we had to stop their second and third shots and we couldn’t.”

Joe Hall was still irritated by the media and others who continued to suggest the Wildcats were playing overly aggressive. “I don’t understand people who say we’re a physical team. Sure we’re big, we’re strong, but to refer to us as ‘physical’ is an attempt to undermine our game with the officials.”

This was nothing new, but the constant harping by certain media people was beginning to wear thin. The fear for Kentucky fans was that UK might lose the title because some officials might be influenced by a media that simply wanted to see anyone but Kentucky win. Looking back on things I believe this subtle attempt to influence officiating through the media may have backfired. As the tournament went on more and more coaches and media members began to point out the obvious and that was Kentucky played no more physically then anyone else they were just better.

If Kentucky was strictly all muscle and no finesse, then their next game would have been the end of the road. UK met Michigan State for the right to go to the Final Four. Earvin "Magic" Johnson had already gained a reputation as an exciting player. The Kentucky coaches were very concerned with not only his scoring potential, but also his brilliant passing ability. Joe Hall gave Jack Givens the challenge of stopping Johnson. It would take a team effort though to take away the passing lanes. Magic didn't need to score a truckload of points to beat you.

In the locker room before the game Coach Hall went to the blackboard and wrote, 40-40-40—120. ”That’s two hours of work fellows.” he said. ”You can fight shakes for two hours. You can swim in the ocean and fight sharks for two hours. You can run up hill for two hours. You can do anything for two hours. And we got forty minutes of that today. Forty minutes.”

The Wildcat's showed the doubters they could do more then just muscle their way to a win. The game started with both teams feeling each other out. Kentucky came out in a man to man defense, but Michigan State was able to take advantage of the match-ups and took a 27-22 lead at half-time. Once again UK faced a second half deficit and had to make an adjustment or face elimination.

As Kentucky returned for the second half, Joe Hall turned to assistant coach Leonard Hamliton and said, ”We’re in trouble.” Hamliton suggested using Robey to set picks in the high post to free up Macy for some shots. Hall agreed to try it and also scrapped the man to man defense and switched to a 1-3-1 zone; Michigan State never adjusted to the change.

Kentucky got it's first lead of the game at the 7:08 mark of the second half on two free throws by Mike Phillips to make the score 41-39. After Johnson tied it for the Spartans, Macy put Kentucky ahead for good on a three point play, coming around that high pick set by Robey. It was the first of three, three pointers for Macy running this same play. Michigan State realized what Kentucky was doing, but just couldn't stop Macy without fouling him. Kyle was a cool down the stretch hitting 10 straight free throws in the final minutes of the game.   
Michigan State tried to ice Macy by using all their time-outs the last three times Kyle went to the line. They discovered the only ice around was the ice water in Kyle Macy's veins. Each time Macy came out and calmly knocked down the shots. With 0:08 left Michigan State fouled Macy and used their last time-out. Kyle hit both foul shots. Michigan State inbounded the ball, raced to the other end, missed a shot at the buzzer and the game was over.

The 52-49 win put the Wildcat's in the Final Four. For the first time in a long time Kentucky shot less than 50%, hitting 46.2. Macy led Kentucky with 18 points, Givens had 14 and Phillips scored 10. If ever one player won a game almost single-handed, Macy won this one. His free throw shooting under pressure was outstanding. He brushed the praise aside saying it was all concentration and rhythm. Macy even gave credit to a fellow teammate.

"Most people don't know, but I had this free throw shooting contest yesterday with Chris Gettelfinger and he may have been the one responsible for our win today." When asked if the Michigan State time-outs affected him he replied, "If it was to rattle me, they messed up. In fact, I used it to get my breath back and relax. I needed that."

What did the Spartan's think of Kentucky's physical, aggressive style of play? "I don't know what those people are talking about." said Magic Johnson. "Sure they're physical, but they don't do any cheap stuff and shove or that kind of thing. They play hard aggressive basketball, the way you're suppose to."

Jud Heathcote had nothing but praise also, "We told our kids whoever won this game would win the National Championship. We could have won it. Now, I believe Kentucky will win the National Championship."

Joe Hall was a very happy coach. "Givens' and Macy's defensive job on Johnson was great, but the other players also played good defense...Our win probably should be credited to our adjustments in the second half and Kyle Macy's free throw shooting. He's a clutch performer."

After winning the Mideast Regional, the Cat's traveled by bus down I-75 back to Lexington. Fans gathered on overpasses, bridges and just along the side of road holding signs and banners saluting the Wildcats. The seniors were on their way to the Final Four. The memories of their last trip had them hungry for the championship. The stage was set, Arkansas against Kentucky in one semi-final; Duke and Notre Dame in the other. The feeling among the "experts" along press row was the Razorbacks were just the type of team to knock the Wildcats out of the tournament. They were quick, not very tall, but could jump out of the building. It seemed everyone on the team was 6'5" and played 7'. Those with a little more true basketball knowledge, weren't so convinced Arkansas had the answer for Kentucky. Whichever side you were on though, the consensus seemed to be the title would be decided between these two.

These same "experts" had certainly shown their talent at predicting the Final Four participants. These were not the guys you wanted deciding which stocks to invest your money in. We were suppose to find Butch Lee of Marquette and Phil Ford of North Carolina here. They got lost somewhere in the first round. The national media was not at all shy about their dislike for UK. Kentucky had been ranked #1 virtually the entire season, yet the player most responsible had been all but ignored in All-America voting. After Kentucky had defeated Michigan State, a sportswriter was overheard to remark, "Kyle Macy will be the best guard in the country by the time he's a senior." Huh? What about now? Kyle Macy did not get this good in the last three weeks of the season.

The Final Four games were played at the Checkerdome in St Louis, but not on the Checkerdome floor. The Checkerdome floor had several dead spots and NCAA decided such important games as these should be played on a decent floor. The Indiana University floor was trucked to St Louis and used for the games. A couple of things came to mind when I read this. I wondered what criteria were considered when selecting the site for the Final Four? The playing floor is apparently not one of them. I also wondered if Indiana had made it to the Final Four, would they still have used the IU floor, or would that have been considered an unfair advantage for the Hoosiers?

Arkansas gained their Final Four berth coming out of the West Region. Some said it was toughest of all four, Kentucky would have begged to differ I'm sure. The Hogs had an easy first rounder taking out Weber State 73-52, but they had tight battles with UCLA winning 74-70 and Fullerton State, 61-58. On the other side Notre Dame looked impressive beating what was thought to be tough opposition, but turned out otherwise. Notre Dame handled Houston 100-77, Utah 69-56 and DePaul 84-64. Duke supposedly had the free ride, but somehow made it tougher on themselves then it should have been. The Blue Devils struggled against Rhode Island 63-62 and Pennsylvania 84-80. They did make it by Villanova easily 90-72.

Joe Hall was not blowing smoke when he said Kentucky would have to be at the absolute top of their game to beat Arkansas. "Boy they look tougher and tougher every time you watch them on film. Those "Three Basketeers" are just super. They present problems for us we haven't been faced with this year."

Those "Three Basketeers" he was referring to were Ron Harper, Sidney Moncrief and Marvin Delph. The three players looked like clones as far as size and playing style were concerned. If the Hogs had a major weakness, it appeared to be the bench. Eddie Sutton had seldom gone past six men in any game.

The Cat's were hoping to live high on the hog come Saturday night. Much of the media and other "experts" were predicting Arkansas would expose the vulnerable spot in this Wildcat team by beating them with quickness. The Hog's certainly were that, but how this idea got started that the Cat's were just a bunch of slow-footed giants puzzles me to this day. It seemed some of these guys were not even familiar with the Wildcats or they believed if they said it enough the Kentucky players would start believing it themselves. I don't think there has ever been as much animosity shown toward one team in the Final Four then what Kentucky had to put up with from the media in this one.

One Kentucky player's Final Four experience had an unpleasant beginning. Jay Shidler received a call Friday morning informing him his mother had become ill. Now with the dream of a player's lifetime at hand Jay's was turning into a nightmare. After talking to Joe Hall Shidler decided to return home to Evansville, IN. Coach Hall had told him, "Go back and stay at home however long you're needed. There are some things that are more important then this tournament."

Shidler returned to St. Louis Friday evening after staying only 3-4 hours in Evansville. He was obviously troubled by the situation and if he was doing the right thing by not being there.

"She's terribly sick." He said the next day, "When I got there I could see there was nothing I could do. I hardly slept at all last night. Back home there's nothing I can do, but here I could do my best to help the team." The best tonic for a player is to play. They can sometimes escape the troubles of their world in the game they know as an old friend.

While the other three team's coaches and players were convincing the media how fun and entertaining they were, Kentucky's squad was inspecting the stage they would be performing on. Kyle Macy immediately noticed the basket was too low on one end. When he reported it to Bill Keightly, Mr. Wildcat told him Robey had noticed it also. It took a little persuading, but the basket was finally moved to the correct height; none of the other teams had noticed. That probably should have told the media where their minds were and where Kentucky's was not.

The strategy for Kentucky against Arkansas was not exactly clear, on the other hand the Razorbacks were pretty much publicizing what they planned to do. It was simple, they were going to use their quickness to just run away from the Wildcat's. Actually that was pretty sound strategy, the only trouble was Arkansas apparently didn't realize Kentucky had a little speed of their own to be dealt with. They thought if they could get on top early they might get UK down psychologically and be able to apply the pressure that could make Kentucky crumble. The Cat's had already faced some real pressure cooker jams in the tournament and survived quite nicely. Arkansas would be another matter though, Eddie Sutton's squad played an exciting game of basketball and were capable against any opponent.

Joe Hall had the ability to sense the mood of his team. He could always tell when they were too loose or when they were too tense. Despite his serious, no-nonsense appearance, Hall had an uncanny ability of getting his players in the proper frame of mind….especially when the mood needed lightening. On Friday before a workout at the Checkerdome, Coach Hall sensed it was one of those times. As he spoke to the team in the locker room he began seriously telling the players the importance of the upcoming contests and their impact on so many different people. Hall was sitting on a trainer’s table and as he spoke he began to slowly slide over the side letting his body drop at an absurd angle. He continued to slide until he reached the floor where he rolled back and forth on his back, all the while continuing with his solemn speech to his team. By this time the locker room was filled with hysterical laughter. It was a side of the UK coach few were aware of.

On game day as the Wildcat's were preparing to take the court for the second semifinal game after Duke had defeated Notre Dame, suddenly loud noise and yelling was heard coming from the Duke locker room. It sounded as though they had just won the whole thing. The Kentucky players remembered the previous year and though it wasn't said, if there was any celebrating to be done, they would do it Monday night.

When the game opened it appeared there might be something to all this talk after all about Arkansas being quicker then Kentucky. UK won the tip, then Ron Brewer picked off the very first pass Kentucky made and turned it into a solo slam-dunk. The Cat's got the ball just over half court and Steve Schall deflected another pass that resulted in an easy basket for Jim Counce. Less then 30 seconds into the game and it was Razorbacks four, Kentucky hardly across half court. It stirred the crowd and along press row it appeared the media were convinced they were right, Kentucky was no match for these gazelles from Arkansas. Looking back on it later, it was probably the best thing that could have happened from Kentucky's standpoint. It definitely got UK's attention and may have made the Hog's a bit overconfident, at least for the moment.

After trailing the first 7:00 Kentucky got it's first lead with 13:01 to go in the half when Givens returned the stealing favor by picking off a pass at mid court and coasting in for a lay-up to make it 13-12. The Razorbacks speed and agility did give Kentucky some problems. They were able to pick off several passes, get a hand on a lot of others and were almost never beat on the drive. Their leaping ability resulted in several blocked shots inside on the UK big men. Kentucky's experience showed through though as the two teams fought a tight battle. A team without the veterans on Kentucky's squad would have been playing again Monday night, but it would have most likely been in the consolation game. The action evolved into a deliberate half court game with a fast break here and there. Kentucky maintained a small lead until they were able to work out to a 28-21 margin with 5:58 left in the half. Arkansas made a late charge and tied it at 30-30 on a 15 footer by Sidney Moncrief at the 2:51 mark. James Lee answered with 1:28 to go and gave Kentucky a 32-30 half-time lead.

By the half foul trouble had become a major factor for both teams, but in different ways. As was pointed out before, Arkansas did not utilize their bench as much as UK and Coach Sutton was forced to go to it earlier than he wanted. Razorback center Steve Schall picked up his fourth foul with 13:12 remaining in the first half and Jim Counce went to the bench with his third with 3:52 to go until the break. This raised the prospect that Arkansas might have to go deeper into their reserves than they intended. Kentucky had two with three fouls by halftime, Kyle Macy and Truman Claytor. For UK it was not a question of quantity, but quality. The Wildcats could ill afford to have Macy on the bench. Overall the officiating was not up to the standard one would expect in a national semi-final game. Several touch fouls were called that would have been better left as no calls. The officiating was consistent however, and favored neither side.

Benching Macy was most troubling for Kentucky for obvious reasons. Jay Shidler came through brilliantly even though he had the tremendous burden of his mother's illness on his mind. As time went on in the second period it was clear Kentucky's bench strength was going to be a key factor. Arkansas was becoming fatigued and if they were to have any chance they had to have their starters in the game. Now that so called edge in quickness was a moot point. They really could not take advantage of it the way they wanted to. Number one they were too tired and secondly there was foul trouble to contend with; a faster paced game usually means more fouls called. So they were forced to slow the tempo which was exactly opposite of their intentions coming into the game.

  
Kentucky controlled the second half, but never reached a comfort zone. During the first six minutes of the half UK outscored Arkansas 8-4 and at the midway point of the period the Wildcats led 50-42. After Sidney Moncrief hit the first of a one and one, Mike Phillips fired in a short jumper that was answered by a field goal from Marvin Delph. UK gained its largest lead of the game a few moments later when Givens was awarded a field goal on a goal tend by Moncrief making the score 54-45 with 8:40 remaining.

Arkansas came back with four points on a couple of free throws by Counce and a six foot jumper by Delph. Jay Shidler hit from the top of the foul circle, but fouled Brewer at the other end. Brewer made both free throws to make the score 56-51. A few moments later Steve Schall fouled out when he was called for going over the back of Robey to tip in a missed shot. Schall finished with only six points. Mike Phillips added a free throw for the Wildcats, then Moncrief worked free for an open layup. Truman Claytor answered for UK on a drive to the basket to make it 59-53 with 4:20 remaining. Delph cut the Kentucky lead to four with a five foot bank shot. After a Kentucky miss, Macy committed his fourth foul sending Moncrief to the line for one and one. Moncrief hit the first shot, but missed the second. James Lee had lapse of concentration when he allowed Alan Zahn to circle around behind him and tip in the missed free throw that cut the lead to one at 59-58. Lee was able to redeem himself by hitting two free throws to extend the margin to three with 2:21 to go. Zahn made one of two free throws to set the stage for the play that put the game away for the Wildcats. Kentucky prepared to inbound the ball after Zahn’s free throw. Arkansas matched up man to man against UK and Givens found himself behind everyone near mid-court. Jack broke for the basket, Macy hit him with a perfect pass and Givens drove in for an easy layup leaving Marvin Delph trailing behind. Kentucky led 63-59 with 1:55 remaining.

Arkansas showed patience looking for a good shot. Delph missed a jumper from the baseline and Macy came up with the rebound. After a timeout Macy made a rare mistake in a crucial situation when he threw a bad pass to Lee that sailed out of bounds giving the ball back to Razorbacks with 1:06 to play. Moncrief missed a 20 foot jumper and Givens came down with the ball with 0:43 left. Arkansas decided not to foul and Kentucky was able to run several seconds off the clock before Lee was trapped in the corner and a five second call was made with 0:18 to go. According to the rules at the time a five second violation resulted in a jump ball. Arkansas called timeout and when the teams returned to the floor the Wildcats won the ball on the jump. Inexplicably Arkansas did not foul allowing Kentucky to almost run the clock out before Moncrief finally fouled Macy with 0:01 left in the game. Macy made the first free throw and when the second missed time ran out and the Wildcats were on their way to the championship game with a 64-59 win.

The length of the floor pass from Macy to Givens was a play UK had used many times during Joe Hall’s coaching career. Jack may have gotten the points that made the difference, but it was the pass that did it according to Givens. "Kyle gets all the credit for it. It was a perfect pass. It’s a set play. Coach Hall called it in the timeout if they were pressing us." In the end the quickness differential never materialized for Arkansas and Kentucky's bench allowed them to keep their players fresher for the stretch run. Playing time told the story. Sidney Moncrief and Marvin Delph played the entire 40 minutes for Arkansas and Ron Brewer went 39. Jim Counce played 32 minutes and Steve Schall saw only 21 because he sat out most of the first half with four Fouls. Only seven players saw action for Arkansas, while Kentucky played 11. Some were in for just 2-3 minutes, but when you can rest for just a moment here and there it can make a huge difference. The Cat’s had a poor shooting night compared to previous games shooting 47.1%, but they were 80% from the line. Kentucky won the battle of the boards 32-26 and a lot of observers felt that was the key stat, but I keep going back to that notion of Arkansas being so much quicker then Kentucky. In fact it appeared Coach Sutton had possibly let himself be convinced by all the talk and failed to do his homework as he should have.

Afterwards he said, “Anyone who said Kentucky doesn’t have quickness has their head in a well. They surprised me.” He hinted there was a reason for his team’s fatigue other then Kentucky’s advantage on the bench. “They leaned on us. They wore us down. Bumping, pushing and shoving will do that. I don’t say that to be critical, it’s the way they play.”

Joe Hall summed it up best. “We tried to keep the pressure on... We did a great job on their quick people and we forced them out of their offense. Of course it’s probably an unusual thing for a big physical team to push a quick team out, forcing them to start their offense farther out then they usually do. They were probably surprised that we had that much quickness.”

Kentucky had only two players in double figures, Givens with 23 and Lee 13. Robey had eight points and Shidler came up with six points and four assists. Two of his shots came late in the game when Arkansas was staying a little too close for comfort. His four assists were high for Kentucky and equaled the total for the entire Arkansas team. Brewer scored 16 points for Arkansas, Delph 15 and Moncrief 13.

The Kentucky players were whooping it up in the locker-room afterwards. Coach Hall came in and admonished the players saying, “No celebration! No celebration!” At a press conference the next day Hall responded to a question on the subject in the same manner.

“We’re not celebrating. We want to win the championship. We’ll celebrate after it’s over.”

Bill Foster’s Duke Blue Devils had been the darling's of the media. There was constantly some article appearing in the papers or on radio or TV telling everyone what a fun bunch they were. This went on all week leading up to the Final Four weekend. It wasn’t said outright, at least not by everyone, but the implication seemed to be Kentucky was just a bunch of backward spoil sports who didn’t know how to have a good time if they wanted. The notion that Kentucky was under so much pressure to win, they couldn’t enjoy things just wouldn’t die. What I think most people didn’t understand or wouldn’t accept was that the Kentucky players had decided this is the way it was going to be. The desire to win the championship took dedication to work hard, harder then anyone else. Hard work and tough long practices were NOT fun, but this is what it took. The Kentucky players knew this and accepted it. Most of the media failed to see that the enjoyment and fun would come when the goal was accomplished. The sacrifice and hard work that went into winning the championship would make it even more satisfying.

Duke and Kentucky had faced each other 11 times before this game, Kentucky held a 9-2 edge. The first game was March 3, 1930 in Atlanta when Duke beat Kentucky 32-37 in the semi-final of the Southern Conference Tournament. This came the year before Adolph Rupp became coach at UK. Their last meeting had been December 20, 1969 in the final of the UKIT. Kentucky won that one 98-76. There was not much of a rivalry between the two schools then, although Kentucky had played Duke before in the Final Four. The Cat’s beat Duke in the semi-final round in 1966. It was an exhausting battle that left the Kentucky players totally spent. They lost the final the next night 72-65 to Texas Western in a game that has taken on almost mythical status. Not for the action on the floor, but for the issue of race. It was an infamous loss for UK that haunts Kentucky to this day. The university not only lost the national championship, but unfortunately became the symbol of racism in sports simply because of the circumstances. One has to wonder if Duke had beaten the Wildcats and played in the 1966 final would they be fighting a perception of racism today? As far as this article is concerned, this is a question and subject for another time and place.

The initial plan for Kentucky on Sunday was for the team to go to dinner and then see a movie, but Robey ask if there was a tape available of the Duke-Notre Dame game. When told there was, the players decided to stay in their rooms and watch the game. Everyone noticed the Duke zone was wide open in the middle. Coach Hall told the players they could exploit this with the right kind of strategy.

The coaches at the Final Four were all in agreement that the consolation game should be scrapped. I think it took something away from the Final Four experience, a lot of teams were proud to have just accomplished that. Why ruin it by playing what is essentially a meaningless game resulting in one team going home with two losses. Eddie Sutton had an interesting idea when he suggested a game of HORSE between himself and Digger. Since so much of the media were so interested in entertainment and fun this would have been perfect, but they played the game anyway and Arkansas won.

The night of the game Kentucky left the floor and entered the locker room after their pre-game warm-up. Before the coaches came in the seniors gathered the team and reminded them of how close they were to their goal. Joe Hall came in and walked to the chalkboard and wrote “40”. They were 40 minutes away from achieving the goal they set out for after last year's loss to North Carolina. The goal they had rededicated themselves to on a December night when Coach Adolph Rupp died.  As the team huddled up, Coach Hall said, ”This is it fellows, forty minutes to glory.”

The player introductions showed a marked contrast between the two teams. The Duke players were all smiles, while the Wildcat’s came out with a more serious and determined look. The TV crew, Dick Enberg, Al McGuire and Billy Packer were quick to point out the difference and immediately began the same speil we’d heard throughout the tournament. The pressure was all on Kentucky and Duke had nothing to lose. Al McGuire even remarked, “Duke wants to win, but Kentucky has to.” I think those different looks were natural for the circumstances. One is a senior team that has been here before, this is their last chance and the excitement of simply getting to the Final Four is not as strong this time. The other team of freshmen and sophomores are caught up in all the fanfare, but I’m sure if they had returned in a couple of years without a championship, they would have been looking a lot more serious too.

As would be expected both teams opened tight and nervous looking. Kentucky won the tip and turned it over, but Duke returned the favor at their end of floor. Surprisingly the Wildcat’s came out in a man to man defense and Duke in a zone. The Blue Devils would press most of the game, but for the most part it was not a factor. Kentucky showed they were going to run at every opportunity. Foul trouble popped up immediately for the Cat’s. Mike Phillips picked up two fouls in the first 2:00 and his third just after 3:00. Joe Hall took a bit of a chance leaving him in the game until the 15:40 mark when James Lee replaced him.  At the first time-out Kentucky led 9-6. It was a ragged start, but things were about to heat up. With 14:50 to go Jack Givens hit the first field goal of what would turn out to be an incredible night. The next couple of minutes the teams exchanged baskets, then Kentucky had a spurt. With 12:15 to go Givens hit a shot at the top of the key to give Kentucky their biggest lead to that point 19-12. UK began to struggle a bit and Givens picked up his second foul with 11:25 left in the half. It was also Kentucky’s seventh foul to put Duke in the bonus. The Blue Devils had chipped away at the lead, until Rick Robey tipped in a Jay Shidler miss on a fast break to stop a 6-0 Duke run and make it 21-18 Kentucky.

At the mid point of the half the Cat’s had a slim 21-20 lead. Duke had stayed in the game from the charity stripe hitting 12-12 in the first 10:00. Neither team could sustain any kind of momentum, but for the last four or five minutes Duke had had the better go of it. With just over 8:00 to go Gene Banks made a great move driving along the baseline for a lay-up and an apparent foul. It was a huge play that had the Blue Devil crowd on their feet, but after the whistle blew the official pointed to the floor indicating Banks had stepped on the baseline. Instead of a three point play and the lead, it was a turn over and the game was still tied at 22-22. On the very next trip down the floor Robey broke for the basket, took a pass from Kyle Macy, slammed it and was fouled. The three point play along with Bank’s turnover resulted in a potential six point turn around and stopped a possible surge in Duke’s confidence. The Devil’s had out scored Kentucky 10-3 during the last 4:15, but the Cat’s had weathered the storm and led 25-22. Kentucky’s foul trouble deepened when Lee picked up his third with just under 8:00 left in the half. Givens hit a 15 footer with 7:20 to go to make the score 27-24. Then Shidler and Mike Gminski exchange baskets to make it 29-26 with 6:45 left. Kentucky then went to a zone for the first time in the game and Duke called time out immediately. I don’t know what Bill Foster’s instructions were in the huddle, but I’m sure it wasn’t turn the ball over on the inbound play, however that’s exactly what the Devils did. UK couldn’t take advantage of the gift and gave it right back. Jim Spanarkel nailed a 10 ft. jumper and pulled Duke to within one at 29-28 with 5:48 left in the half.

Jack Givens began to take charge of the Kentucky offense hitting a line drive shot from the lane under pressure to make it 31-28. Jack hit from the lane again then on Kentucky’s next trip down court Givens was fouled and the Cat's were finally in the bonus. The Goose hit both free throws making it 35-30. Next Givens hit a 17 footer from the corner then Phillips missed a shot under the basket and it’s tipped in by, who else, Givens making the score 39-34. To say there was excitement in the air at this point would be an under statement. Duke scored four straight points cutting the lead to 39-38. With less then 1:00 to go in the half Givens would turn back the Blue Devils again. Jack drove into the lane where the ball was knocked loose. He picked it back up and fired in a jumper in heavy traffic extending the lead to 41-38. After a Duke miss at the other end Givens hit a 20 footer from the corner and it was 43-38. There was electricity in the air as the Checkerdome crowd seemed to realize they were witnessing a historic performance in the making. With time running down Gene Banks drove for the basket, but ran into Givens and was charged with an offensive foul with 0:03 to go. Givens hit both free throws and the Wildcats sprinted to the locker room with a 45-38 lead.

The last 0:50 of the half had to be a nightmare for the Duke players. I have to believe for days afterwards every time they closed their eyes to sleep they saw images of a about a dozen Jack Givens firing in jumpers from all over the court. Jack’s first half performance was spectacular. 23 points, 10 points in the last 2:00 and all of Kentucky’s last 15.

As was pointed out before, Duke stayed in the game from the free throw line. They were 20-21 for the half. The officials weren’t quite as generous to Kentucky, the Cat’s were 9-12. Besides Givens’ 23, Robey had 10, Phillips two, Claytor two, Macy four, Lee two and Shidler two. For Duke Gminski had 12, Spanarkel 10, Banks 10, Harrell two, Suddath two, and Bender two.

Duke had stayed close, but appeared to be wearing down. Kentucky had solved all of the Blue Devils defensive sets, there was nothing left for Bill Foster to surprise UK with. Duke had stayed in the zone the entire half. They had pressed and matched up, but if Kentucky could extend their lead the Devils would have to consider switching to man to man. With fatigue setting in there was little chance Duke could stay with Kentucky matched up in the man defense, or so it would seem.

James Lee started the second half in place of Phillips who had four fouls. Lee had three himself and Givens two. A couple of calls on the wrong players and Kentucky would be in a jam. Twenty minutes stood between UK and their fifth NCAA title. A minute for every year since Kentucky’s last championhship 20 years ago in 1958 and those 20 minutes would seem that they were going to take another 20 years to pass.

Duke struck first scoring the first four on a Spanarkel jumper and a lay-up by Harrell. Lee and Givens answered for Kentucky and with 18:40 to play Kenny Dennard scored his first points of the game. The pace of the second half was quicker and both teams were playing more aggressively on both ends of the floor. The excitement was growing in the crowd as well, especially among the Kentucky fans, which were still a buzz after Given’s first half performance. With 17:56 to go and the score 51-46, Lee picked up his fourth foul. Now with Lee and Phillips saddled with four fouls each it appeared the momentum could be about move in Duke’s favor. The following moments would turn out to be a decisive point in the game; instead of Duke taking charge, they would watch as Kentucky took control of the game for good.

Gene Banks went to the line for the free throws. At this point Dick Enberg brings up the fact that a death threat was made against Banks and that he was not aware of it. I know it’s far-fetched but I imagine it would have been possible for word to somehow have gotten back to Banks before the end of the game. Unfortunately this would be used later by some to fan the flames of criticism that Kentucky was already suffering from.

Banks missed both free throws. Truman Claytor took a pass and turned to head up court, as he did he hesitated and appeared to drag his pivot foot. Replays clearly showed it didn’t move. The officials made no call and Bill Foster leaped from the bench and began spinning his arms indicating traveling. Jim Bain immediately hit him with a technical. It was a very quick whistle. If Foster said nothing it’s hard to understand why he would receive a T for what he did. Of course there may have been more to it then could have been seen on TV or passed on by the announcers.

Macy hit both free throws. On the following possession Robey broke open under the basket, Macy hit him with a pass and the big guy dunked it. Kentucky had it’s biggest lead to that point at 55-46. After an exchange of baskets and a Kentucky free throw, Givens broke up an attempted lob to Gminski, raced to the other end and nailed a 20 footer from the corner. Duke called time out with 14:21 to go and trailing 60-48.

After the time out Gminski hit a short jump hook. At the other end he blocked a shot by Claytor, but was called for goal tending to make the score 62-50. LaVon Williams then stole the ball and fed Robey for an easy lay-up. On Kentucky’s next possession Givens waded through a crowd, leaped high for an offensive rebound, put it back in and drew the foul. With 12:20 left to play UK had its largest lead at 66-50. From the point of the Foster technical with 17:53 to go, the Wildcat’s had outscored Duke 15-4. The Blue Devils never really recovered.

Duke had pressed most of the game and now they tried to turn up the heat, but had only a little success. Macy had sat down for a breather and with the floor general on the bench Duke was able to make a modest run at the Cat’s with a 9-2 spurt. When the game reached the mid point of the second half the Wildcat’s led 70-61.

Kentucky let a couple of opportunities slip away. They stole the ball twice, but turned it over both times. With 8:50 to go, Lee returned to the game. Kentucky began to get more deliberate as time ticked away. The teams exchange baskets, then Robey came up with a big play on a dunk that had the UK crowd in a frenzy. With 6:36 remaining Kentucky took a time-out. Phillips replaced Robey giving Rick a quick rest before the last moments of the contest.

The strategy from here appeared to be to run as much time off the clock as possible on each possession, but to take a good shot when it came. After the time-out Lee scored on a goal tending call. It was the second of the game against Gminski and both of them were questionable. Givens nailed another jumper in the lane making the score 82-69 and giving him 37 points. Macy then hit a 22 footer to put Kentucky out to a 15 point margin. It looked like Kentucky’s game for sure now. The Kentucky players and the crowd began to sense the championship was at hand, but Duke wasn’t ready to give in yet.

The Blue Devils never quit. You had to give them credit, it would have been easy to hang their heads and just play out the last 4:00. Banks gave the Devils a boost, leaping high to snare an over-thrown pass and putting it in for the score, making it 84-73. It was Givens’ night though, with 3:50 to go Jack fired a shot from the baseline, the ball hit the side-yes the side of the backboard and went in. A Duke basket and it was Givens turn again. Jack hit a 17 footer giving him 41 points and making the score 88-75. Looking back on it now it seems impossible that Givens did not score again.

Mike Phillips fouled out with 2:10 remaining. Bender completed a three point play, then Gminski got a quick lay-up and it was 88-80. The Cat’s were trying to run the clock out and in the process probably relaxed a little too much. Duke was able to get two quick scores and with 0:26 to go it was 91-84.

Coach Hall had been trying to honor the seniors by taking them out one at a time and allowing the crowd to show their appreciation. He said later that it was important to him for all the players to at least get in the game if possible. They may not have contributed to the victory, but their names would be on record as having played in a national championship game for Kentucky. The problem was Duke would not cooperate. After cutting the lead to six at 92-86, Joe Hall called time-out and put the troops back in.

Gminski hit an incredibly tough looking line drive shot and with 0:10 left it was 92-88. Then came the icing on the cake for the Wildcats. James Lee took a pass just in the back court, dribbled up the sideline past a defender who attempted to foul. He drove for the basket and slammed it home as time expired. He turned with both arms stretched in the air and trotted back up the court. Kentucky 94 Duke 88. The players attacked the nets and the celebrating finally began.

The fans let out all the frustration, disappointment, anger and sadness from 20 years of waiting and wondering; actually wondering if there was ever going to be another championship. It sounds silly, but after some point one does begin to think those things. The exhilaration of the moment though made up for it all. As fans we can never get enough of the pictures and sounds of the moments right after the game. Players hugging cheerleaders, coaches hugging players; smiles, tears and the ultimate experience for the player, cutting down the nets.

It was one of the easiest MVP selections in NCAA history. Jack Givens finished with 41 points and eight rebounds. Hitting tough shots from a crowd, around the lane and from just about everywhere on the floor. It wasn’t like some games when a player finds a spot and keeps hitting from it over and over. Givens scored from all sides, on the move, standing still, under pressure—it was truly a performance for the ages. If not for Givens incredible game Robey would have more then likely carried off the MVP award. Rick scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds. That’s an MVP performance anytime, except this one. Somehow I feel Robey did not mind a bit. Phillips finished the game with four points, Lee had eight, Macy had nine and didn’t miss a shot. Claytor scored eight, Shidler two, and Williams had two.

On the other side of the court of course things aren’t so jubilant. Having gone through the same experience three years before, I’m sure the Kentucky seniors had to have some feelings of empathy for the Blue Devils. Duke had four players in double figures. Banks scored 22, Dennard 10, Spanarkel 21 and Gminski had 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Kentucky exploited a weakness in the middle of the Blue Devil zone time after time. Joe Hall said after the Duke players appeared unwilling to come out to cover the UK forwards, he decided to try an offensive pattern they called “Six-Zone”. It was an offense the Wildcats had used since Coach Adolph Rupp’s early years at Kentucky. The first couple of times they tried it Givens came open and they simply kept going to him. Inexplicably, Duke never adjusted their defense and the rest is history. This strategy, or lack of, exposed the difference of experience between the two teams, as well as the Wildcats ability to adjust to any type of play. The youth of the Duke players was appealing to the public and media, but it proved to be a great disadvantage on the court. “We would never have permitted a player to get so many open shots right in the middle of our zone.” Observed James Lee. ”After he a couple we would have made an adjustment to our zone. The Duke players just didn’t know what to do and being a veteran team we took full advantage of their mistakes. What most people didn’t realize and still don’t is how versatile a team we were. We were able to adjust to any style of play or any situation.”

Years later Jack Givens said he was still amazed at his performance and the fact that the Blue Devils never made more than a couple of attempts at adjusting their defense to try to stop him. ”When the game started out, I think I missed a couple or three shots.” said Givens. ”I certainly didn’t expect to get the shots I did. I took 27 shots from the field in that game and hit 18. I hadn’t taken that many shots in any other game my four years at UK, but the shots were there against Duke. We were a lot quicker than Duke was and I got a lot of points on fast breaks, but I got a lot more against the zone.”

Kentucky’s versatility could never have been demonstrated better than in the two Final Four games. Against Arkansas they faced a quick, excellent shooting team with outstanding leaping ability. Duke on the other hand had more size and played a more physical and deliberate style. Givens believed Arkansas was one of the best, if not the best team UK faced during the entire season. He and many others felt Kentucky played its best game of the tournament against the Razorbacks. Surprisingly, despite his outstanding performance in the final, Givens said he felt he played a better all around game in the semi-final against Arkansas.

For Joe Hall the championship would hopefully silence some of the critics who had questioned his choice as replacement for the legendary Adolph Rupp. There was no doubt that the Wildcats had been the better team in each contest throughout the tournament and Joe Hall was the reason. Was the pressure and criticism worth it? ”This is the fulfillment of a lifetime ambition for a coach,” Hall said. ”and it immortalizes these young players in the state of Kentucky. The pressure has been on us for six years, it’s great we got it before this group of youngsters left. I don’t want people to think we don’t have fun at Kentucky, it’s just that we take our basketball seriously.” And contrary to popular opinions, the UK coach knew how to keep things in the proper perspective. When asked what he would be doing after winning the title, he replied, ”I’ll go down to the farm and count the livestock.”

When Kentucky arrived back in Lexington at 4:00am they were greeted by an estimated 10,000 fans. The following evening 15,000 showed up at Memorial Coliseum for a long awaited celebration. Dwane Casey may have had the best quote of all after the game. He declared Tuesday Thanks Givens Day saying, “Everybody has turkey on Thanksgiving, but today we had Goose.” Don’t tell me this team didn’t enjoy this championship.

This brings me back to this season of no joy thing. Kentucky worked hard for this championship and their demeanor on and off court was serious and businesslike.  These were polite young men who didn’t do a lot of clowning around with sportswriters and reporters. They were not flamboyant and showy on the floor. I think it stemmed from sportsmanship, which Joe Hall demanded. Some people probably considered this old fashioned, but that was the manner in which Coach Hall intended his teams to conduct themselves. This wasn’t very popular then and unfortunately, it seems even less so these days.

As has been pointed out before UK fans had picked up this reputation of being unreasonable and demanding. Pressuring players and coaches so much that it was a horrible burden to play for Kentucky. If that were the case the basketball program wouldn’t even exist, you couldn't get anyone to play under those conditions. The fact is the media as a whole has their favorites and Kentucky is not one of them. It seemed more so in 1978 then in recent years. I think Kentucky hiring Rick Pitino helped with the east-coast media during his stay, but the situation still exists today.

For most of the ’78 season, Kentucky was portrayed as a bunch of thugs. Writers continued to vote UK #1 each week and then turn around and write articles saying they didn’t really deserve their ranking because they were a lousy team that simply bullied their way to victory. When the Cat’s reached the Final Four it just got worse. From the beginning of the week it looked like the national media had decided to really “put it to” Kentucky. Notre Dame, Duke and Arkansas read so much complimentary stuff about themselves they probably couldn’t see the basket for having their noses so high in the air.

The coverage afterwards on a national scale was disappointing to say the least. The following morning a couple of the morning news shows had a blurb about it. NBC, which televised the game didn’t even mention it. None of the evening newscasts made note either. One wondered what the coverage would have been like had Duke or Notre Dame won the title. Now all these guys that had been cutting Kentucky to shreds all year were coming around wanting to have a friendly interview with the winning coach. You couldn’t have blamed Joe Hall had he told them to just “Go to H***!” Instead Joe Hall displayed the same sportsmanship he expected from his players and graciously cooperated. He did get in one good stab. Referring to all the crap written about the Kentucky players not having any fun during the season Joe said, “Having fun playing basketball is what Notre Dame did at St. Louis.”

And in regard to the suggestion that Kentucky’s style of play was brutalizing, not everyone shared that opinion. Arkansas’s Sidney Moncrief had first hand knowledge on the subject and had this to say, “I didn’t think Kentucky was rough at all. Notre Dame? Now that’s a different story. I thought they did a lot of cheap stuff.”

Earlier in this article I mentioned a couple of sportswriters, Tom Callahan a writer for the Cincinnati Enquirer was one of them. In Monday’s edition this is some of the things he had to say about the finals coming up that night.

“I feel very sorry for the Kentucky Wildcats. They never smile. They can’t even enjoy being in the finals of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. But they are merely sad. Their followers who made them this way are sick.

“Kentucky isn’t really a college team at all; it’s a professional team. The irony is, that the players individually aren’t even very good. Mike Phillips, by most standards, is a stiff. He can hardly put the ball on the floor or lift himself off of it. But, like the others, he fits perfectly in this Hall scheme of basketball, which is really a brutalization of the game.

“There’s no fun to this team…..It isn’t even fun to watch them play. No doubt there is talent to suppressing entertaining teams like Arkansas and winning in the dull process. But the effect is homely.

“Tonight’s game shouldn’t be dull, however. Duke is potentially better, just presently inexperienced. The thing to hope for really, is that they don’t show up here three or four years from now looking like the poor Wildcats.”

It was yet another in a long line of articles basically taking Kentucky to task for daring to be one of the best teams in the country. As far as the players not enjoying themselves, I guess we had a mind reader here. Tom Callahan may have had a vision problem or he just didn’t know what the definition of a smile was. These guys kept bringing up entertainment and we watch sports because we enjoy it, but if entertainment was purely all they were looking for, then there were probably better choices out there for them. What was referred to as a “suppressing.. dull process” is called defense, which is a very important part of the game. I wonder what the Blue Devils would have said had Tom Callahan ask them if they would have liked to come back in three or four years and win the title in the same dull and brutalizing way Kentucky did? I’m sure if they had, Tom Callahan and others like him would have been telling everyone what a great display of basketball ability they were showing.

The lowest of the low though had to come from Dave Anderson, a writer for the New York Times Service. In reference to the threat against Gene Banks, Anderson had this to say, “Kentucky fans had fun long into the night. And somewhere one of them was chuckling, presumably the one who threatened the life of Gene Banks…If basketball is so important in Kentucky that somebody would threaten a college kids life in order to distract him in a championship game, its to be wondered if somebody would’ve threatened Hall’s life…had Kentucky lost the game. If that’s what winning the college basketball championship is all about, Kentucky can have it…Joe Hall’s language was brutal in chewing out a player after a mistake. He wasn’t supportive, he hardly ever made eye contact with them as they came out. Nobody seemed to be having any fun.”

This guy had the audacity to claim he knew where this threat came from when the police didn’t know. He was given the same press release everyone else got and no where in it did it say anything about the identity of the caller, much less that it was a Kentucky fan. If Dave Anderson was so smart he should have been helping the police track this guy down.

When Dave Anderson accused some Kentucky fan of making this threat, he accused ALL Kentucky fans. Then, as now, the bulk of the media seems unwilling to accept anyone achieving success on a national scale except their own favorites. Schools from the south or rural areas are too backward to be smart enough to win without cheating in some manner. For some it stems from jealousy and envy. For many others it’s simply prejudice.

It’s still puzzling to figure how the Kentucky players were supposed to act. All this talk about how unenjoyable the season had been and that nobody had any fun even after winning the title is difficult to figure out. At the time and to an extent still to this day many in the media insist the players we see smiling, laughing and celebrating after the title game are not happy. I suppose writers who make such comments should be given the benefit of a doubt, but it makes one wonder if they were watching the same thing.

Styles of play and how they are perceived is strictly a matter of opinion. From the beginning of the season Kentucky had been labeled by the media as a rough and physical team, playing a dull style with no charisma that won game after game despite themselves. Their style seemed to be tabbed dull simply because they were Kentucky. Strategy such as a team with the lead and plenty of time on the clock standing at half-court and tossing the ball back and forth was considered brilliant because of the name on the jersey.

I will give one sportswriter some credit for pointing out how absurd his fellow reporters were sounding. Mike Lupica was writing for the New York Daily News at the time. I must admit that he has become one of the types that I have come to dislike because of the kinds of bias we are talking about here. For those of you only familiar with him from recent years, I think it's interesting to see what 20 years of working with the national media can do to ones attitudes. I am not going to repeat the entire article, but will give you enough to get the gist of it.

"Kentucky was easy. Their fans came to St. Louis with a lust for the national championship that made even Notre Dame fans look casual. Kentucky was serious, especially compared to the Duke kids who made the trip to the Final Four look like a spring break weekend. UK was an easy target for the one-liners. Kentucky was as fun-loving as terrorist's. Kentucky smiled as much as a team of morticians. UK's players were as quotable as a stable of thoroughbreds. Kentucky only played their mules. Mike Gminski called UK's front line the meat and potatoes guys. If Kentucky won they were going to have a party. Yeah it would last until two or three in the afternoon, then they'd start worrying about next year. It went on and on.

Kentucky committed a terrible sin in St. Louis. They weren't entertaining enough. It didn't matter that this was a deep, versatile, veteran team. It wasn't good enough that the players were pleasant, personable and polite. This was Kentucky, their image was pre-packaged and sealed. Don't tamper with it.

All season it was said Kentucky played murderously. Most of that came from coaches who were envious of a 6-11, 230 pound player with the moves of a James Lee. No one noticed that in St. Louis Notre Dame played like murders making Kentucky look meek in comparison.

No one noted Jack Givens quickness and diversity. Kyle Macy's splendid guard play was deemed insignificant stacked up against the laughers and talkers from Duke.

Kentucky loses even when they win. UK was gunned down before they even took the court. They lost the media match-up. They were easy."

The season of no joy is a myth; an urban legend. There are a lot of people out there that still believe it. But Kentucky fans know the truth. The Kentucky players that wear the championship rings know also; most likely better then any of us. The pressure is always there for Kentucky teams, but it comes from the high standards the teams of the past have set for those of the future. Tradition doesn't happen overnight. It also comes at a price, if it were easy to achieve what would it really be worth? There are dozens of schools that would trade places with Kentucky in a heartbeat.

In comparison, the UCLA teams of the 1960's must have played under pressure. They never faced the wrath of the media that Kentucky did, as a matter of fact their’s was a completely opposite situation, but I have to believe the desire to continue their NCAA tournament success was pressure enough. Some of those teams must have had to go through the season in a very businesslike and serious manner. I don't think every year was a stroll through the park. Is there any difference in those teams and the Kentucky team of 1978? Only the names on the front of the jersey's and the opinions of the media.

I admit there is a bit of truth to some of the stories about fanatic UK fans. But as a whole I don’t believe they are very different then fans of North Carolina, UCLA, Notre Dame, Duke or any of the other colleges that have had successful sports teams over the years. They all want their teams to be the best. They’re extremely disappointed when they lose, they're angry when they don't give the best effort they should, but when the day is done they are still loyal fans. It's the same the world over.

There are seven NCAA Championship banners hanging in Rupp Arena. I believe there will be others in the future. The 1978 title, coming in the middle of a 40 year dry spell, should remind us to cherish the moments when they come. We were fortunate during the 1990’s to have experienced those moments again. Considering the circumstances of college basketball today who knows when or if the next championship will come? Certainly for Kentucky the odds are favorable, but we really never know. I've certainly enjoyed every minute of Kentucky basketball, but 1978 will be special to me because it was the first NCAA title I was able to experience as a Kentucky fan.

There is a photo that was taken a few minutes after the championship game. It has been published many times over the years and I'm sure most of you would recognize it immediately. The four seniors are standing arm in arm somewhere on the Checkerdome floor amid a sea of humanity. Robey and Givens have the nets draped around their necks. Jack is wearing that Kentucky western style hat. Rick Robey and James Lee have their right arms raised high in the air, their index fingers pointing skyward. Mike Phillips is holding one arm about shoulder high with his fist clinched. If you look closely, none of them are really smiling. They didn't have to.

        The Cats' Pause issues from the 1978 season.

        Six Roads to Glory by Cawood Ledford.

        Big Blue Machine by Russell Rice.

        The Winning Tradition by Bert & Steve Nelli.

        The Rupp Years by Tev Laudeman.

        The University of Kentucky Athletic Department.

        The UK Library Department.

        The Lexington Herald-Leader.

        The Louisville Courier & Journal.

         Finally and by no means least important, a very big thanks to Jon Scott for not only information from his comprehensive web site, but also for allowing me to link to his statistic pages.