", Sidebar - New York Times by William C. Rhoden. In the 1998 South Regional final against Duke, though, Kentucky needed one of the most improbable comebacks in the history of college hoops to improve those marks in … "But Kentucky has great kids. After a Kentucky miss, Duke nearly lost the ball to pressure, and Roshown McLeod, the Blue Devil senior, used Duke's last timeout. There was Coach Tubby Smith in the middle of his players, jumping up and down, chanting, a 46-year-old man acting like a 6-year-old boy. James had a final dunk and the game ended with a 71-60 victory on the part of the Blue Devils. After yesterday's game,Smith acknowledged the connection to six years ago. It is now on an 11-game winning streak and has won 15 of its last 16 tournament games. Those were things we wanted to prevent. The game between Kentucky and Duke is considered by some to be the greatest NCAA tournament game ever. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., March 22 -- At halftime, no one could beat Kentucky in its made dash to simply get off the floor. "Very seldom do you find that type of nerves. A few minutes later, scoring by Brand produced 10 pt leads at 27-17 and 29-19. No. 2nd ranked Duke defeated 3rd ranked Kentucky 71-60 in the Meadowlands during the Jimmy V Classic. Kentucky made 9 3-pointers, while Duke made 10. 5 : vs. (3 MW) No. The 1995–96 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1995–96 college basketball season. Duke was the top-ranked team for the entire season, and were favored to win the national championship for the second consecutive year. "But they came back from 18 points down by getting second chances and by showing no fear. 1998 Duke vs Kentucky on right now. Duke led by 77-73, then by 79-75, then Kentucky went on a 10-2 run, and led by 85-81 with 16.7 seconds remaining. A great deal of very physical contact was permitted by the referees in the opening half. this time, Kentucky got to stick the final piercing dagger. The 1998–99 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University. That helped up their spirits a bit in the comeback. "We're going to treasure this moment for a long time," Smith said. Duke had a double-digit lead at the half, but the "Comeback Cats" rallied to win the game. Instead, Smith, the Kentucky coach, earned his first. That's over. The explosive Wildcats, whose signature throughout the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament had been torrid starts, found themselves down by 18 at one point in the first half, and down by 17 in the second. Wayne Turner (#5) collides with Duke's Corey Maggette, Duke's Elton Brand works inside against UK's Michael Bradley, Scott Padgett (#34) tries to keep the ball away from Duke's Trajan Langdon. Why I missed it: I was working for the Cincinnati Enquirer then, doing columns for Sporting News on the side. He entered this one a 7-0, intent on reaching his eighth Final Four. A James layup made it 16-10, and although a pair of Padgett FTs would later cut the margin to 17-15, Duke surged out to a 23-16 edge following a Langdon layup. A pair of Padgett FTs narrowed the gap to 50-40, but Duke again surged to a 12 pt edge at 54-42 after a surprisingly undefended Langdon layup. Years Exp: 2.0 Averages weighted by minutes played High School Parade All-Americans: Jeff Sheppard, Wayne Turner, Myron Anthony 52.6% of minutes played and 48.3% of scoring return from 1996-97 roster Tubby Smith, his team fresher and sensing the kill, kept the clock moving. But this time there was one crucial difference. 1 Duke vs. No. ", "Our offense did not help our defense during their comeback because of rushed, quick shots we made. The Cats started off well enough, even taking a 6 pt lead early (at 8-2), but once the Blue Devils settled in, they had no difficulty matching Kentucky. Apr 2, 2009 175 144 43 Kentucky. Memories of one bubbly, heroic comeback, an 86-84 Kentucky victory over Duke in the South Regional of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament before 40,589 enthralled fans. Finally, the nets were cut and the lights were dimmed in Tropicana Field, and all that remained were memories. "I don't look at the score. Kentucky vs. Duke (December 22, 1998) Kentuckyvs. ", Illustrating the balance, the closeness of these teams, each team featured five players who scored in double figures. Kentucky vs. Duke - Sunday, March 22 1998 - NCAA South Regional Finals (at St. Petersburg, FL) Kentucky - 86 (Head Coach: Orlando Smith) - [Final Rank 5th by AP] But this time the deep routes were covered. They hit the Wildcats with a furious assault and before anyone knew what happened, Duke led by 38-20. (All Rights Reserved). Mar 14, 2005 28,190 "I would have felt like that had we had a full timeout left," Krzyzewski said. In this tournament, no lead is big enough.". Tubby Smith's Wildcats overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to defeat Duke in a thrilling comeback over the favored and #1 seeded Duke on their way to a National Championship. This was just a great, great college basketball game.". The tournament now heads to San Antonio and the Final Four. Kentucky looked to be in trouble in the first half. "The pressure's been on six seasons, really," said Wildcat coach Joe B. KyFaninNC All-American. 2 Kentucky. An Evans 3 with 5.5 minutes remaining cut it to 62-53, but each time Duke aggressively challenged UK and an old-fashioned 3 by Brand made the score 67-53 and this sealed the Cats' fate. Kentucky was seeded second and Duke was the top-seed. It had been boxed in and then boxed out, pressured inside and then outside, had fumbled the ball away and seen its shots kiss the rims more than the nets. FG. I kept looking in their eyes during our big runs to see if they were scared. Turner drove for a layup to cut the score to 56-48. "That is a team that kept their poise," the Duke freshman forward Shane Battier said. Duke's extended defense kept Kentucky's 3-point shooting in check and its low-post offense left he 6-foot-10-inch center Nazr Mohammed controlled. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. "Those guys had a stretch there, too, where they just didn't miss," Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski said. Avery's shot slammed off the backboard and into the waiting hands of Kentucky's Scott Padgett, who grabbed it, covered it and finally flung it away as time expired. Kentucky leads over all when these teams tangle, 11-6. 24. Duke scored 4 straight points and led, 76-73 with 4:21 left to play. I thought if we could get a basket there, we could gain some momentum.". 4 Duke over No. A victory for Kentucky (33-4) that came after it had trailed in the first half by as many as 18 points. tournament climaxed a season of pressure in grand style for the darlings of the Bluegrass. You TubeGold: Duke vs. Kentucky, 1992 & 1998. Hansen hit a long 2, and it was 41-31. Hall as he was mobbed by fans, reporters and television crews on the floor of the Checkerdome afterward. And so he did. Six years ago, Duke toppled Kentucky in overtime in a classic regional final that featured the long pass and the Christian Laettner turnaround jumper. Edwards and Hansen both missed shots, and the halftime score stood at 41-31. They weren't scared. "So my first instinct was to call a timeout. Padgett picked up 3 1st half fouls, and did not start the 2nd half. But, in a classic chess match like this, when long-term strategy ultimately decides the game, McLeod's decision proved fatal.