Final countdown is complete

WIN OR LOSE, THESE 25 FILLED WITH MEMORIES

By Mark Story / Herald-Leader Sports Columnist

Duke's Christian Laettner sank the winning shot in possibly the greatest college basketball game ever played.

The five that missed the cut
No. 5UK 91, Tennessee 84 (OT)Feb. 11, 1987; Rupp Arena
This is a little-remembered classic. UK was down 10 with 1:13 left in regulation. Then Rex Chapman led a miracle Wildcats comeback, hitting a running 12-footer just ahead of the buzzer to force an overtime, where UK won going away.No. 4Kentucky 65, Louisville 44Nov. 26, 1983; Rupp Arena
UK and U of L went 24 years without playing, then played twice in the calendar year 1983. In a regular-season opener following the Cardinals '83 NCAA tourney win over the Cats, Sam Bowie returned from the two years he missed to leg injury and helped earn "Dream Game revenge."No. 3Kentucky 80, Navy 69Jan. 25, 1987; Rupp Arena
I've never seen a better individual performance in Rupp Arena than Navy big man David Robinson's triple double — 45 points, 14 rebounds, 10 blocked shots.No. 2Kentucky 87, Tulsa 82March 16, 2002Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
Harkening back to Jack Givens' golden NCAA tourney performance in the same city, Tayshaun Prince poured in 41 points (hit 14 of 21 shots, had nine rebounds, four assists, no turnovers) to carry Team Turmoil into the round of 16.No. 1Kentucky 93, Arizona 92Dec. 23, 1993 Lahaina, Hawaii
Jeff Brassow's flying tip-in at the buzzer sent Rick Pitino on a mad-dash hug-fest across the court in the championship game of the Maui Invitational.

The 25 most memorable University of Kentucky basketball games since 1983-84 started with Cedric Jenkins' last-second tip-in to avert a Louisville upset in Rupp Arena of a No. 1-ranked Kentucky in 1987.

My countdown ended with Christian Laettner breaking the hearts of the Unforgettables in the epic 1992 NCAA Tournament game with Duke.

We did this countdown — as well as our earlier listing of the 25 most memorable UK football games since 1983 — to promote the Blasts From The Past section of Kentucky Sports.com. There, you can read for free all Herald-Leader game stories since the 1983 football season and the '83-84 men's basketball season.

Below, in one place, is my complete list of the 25 most memorable men's hoops games with a bonus: the five games that just missed making the list.

No. 25. UK 76, Louisville 75Dec. 12, 1987; Rupp Arena

Leading 75-74, Louisville was on the verge of a stunning road upset of No. 1 and unbeaten UK. As the final seconds ticked off, Kentucky's Ed Davender tried an off-balance, contested 14-footer. It missed. As the Rupp crowd held its breath, the 6-foot-9 Jenkins tipped the ball once, then again and got it in the basket with one second left to save the Cats' skins.

No. 24. Gardner-Webb 84, UK 68Nov. 7, 2007; Rupp Arena

In Billy Gillispie's second game as UK coach, Gardner-Webb — a North Carolina school with an enrollment of some 4,000 that used to be a junior college — scored the most shocking upset of Kentucky in the history of Rupp Arena.

No. 23. UK 74, Houston 67Jan. 22, 1984; Rupp Arena

Sam Bowie, Melvin Turpin, Kenny Walker for Kentucky. Akeem Olajuwon (he had not yet added the 'H' to his first name), Michael Young and Ricky Winslow for Houston. There probably has never been a more formidable collection of athletic big men on the Rupp court in one game.

No. 22. Louisville 65, UK 56Dec. 27, 2003; Rupp Arena

Kentucky was undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the country. After Rick Pitino's 83-65 stomping of his old school the season before, the Rupp crowd was thirsting for payback. Instead, getting unexpected big games from reserves Otis George and Larry O'Bannon, U of L and Pitino hung another painful loss on UK.

No. 21. UK 60, Louisville 58Dec. 18, 2004; Freedom Hall

With Rick Pitino and U of L going for their third straight win over Tubby Smith and UK, the Cards rolled to a 16-point lead at halftime. In the second half, Patrick Sparks (25 points) led a dramatic Kentucky rally. With UK down one and 0:00.6 showing on the clock, the guard from Muhlenberg County went to the foul line and coolly drained three free throws to give UK one of its sweetest wins ever.

No. 20. Kansas 150, UK 95Dec. 9, 1989Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kan.

With only eight scholarship players, Rick Pitino's NCAA-probation-riddled first UK team was at a massive talent disadvantage against Roy Williams and Kansas. The Jayhawks kept slicing through Pitino's full-court press for layup after layup, yet Pitino would not call off the press. The result is still a jaw-dropper almost 20 years later: Regal Kentucky giving up 150 points and losing by 55.

No. 19. UK 51,Auburn 49March 10, 1984Memorial Gym,Nashville(SEC finals)

With the score tied, Kenny Walker's buzzer beating 14-foot jumper hit the front of the rim, turned over and went in the bucket. It gave UK its first SEC tourney championship in the modern era of the event. It left Auburn star Charles Barkley sitting on the gym floor sobbing.

No. 18. UK 70,Florida 55Feb. 4, 2003;Rupp Arena

Billy Donovan's Gators came to Lexington undefeated (14-0) and carrying the No. 1 ranking for this first time in school history. With a crowd so loud Rupp Arena literally shook, a suffocating Kentucky defense held Florida to six first-half baskets (on 30 shots), and Tubby Smith's Cats rolled to a 45-22 halftime lead.

No. 17. UK 79, North Carolina 59Dec. 8, 2001; Rupp Arena

With the hated pale blue in Rupp, Tayshaun Prince began the game in the ultimate shooter's zone. In the first 3:46 of the contest, the spindly UK forward hit one, two, three, four, five three-pointers in a row. It set a tone, and Prince scored 31 points as the Cats rolled the Heels.