The most haunting loss suffered by each of UK’s Calipari, Stoops and Mitchell
It is one of the most enduring axioms in sports: Winning does not feel nearly as good as losing hurts bad.
Across the decades, I have lost count of how many coaches and players I have interviewed who seem to have far more vivid memories of their most painful defeats than of their greatest triumphs.
Of the three most visible coaches leading Kentucky Wildcats sports teams — John Calipari (men’s basketball), Matthew Mitchell (women’s hoops) and Mark Stoops (football) — what one defeat while working at UK has most reason to be a source of unending torment?
Let’s examine:
Matthew Mitchell
The game: Oklahoma 88, Kentucky 68, 2010 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
The set up: After so-so seasons in his first two years as UK coach, Mitchell revolutionized the Kentucky women’s basketball program in 2009-10 with a full-court-pressing, three-point shooting system.
Picked to finish 11th in a 12-team SEC, Kentucky instead came in second in both the league’s regular-season standings and in the conference tournament.
A No. 4 seed entering the NCAA Tournament, UK rocked No. 1 seed Nebraska 76-67 in the Sweet 16. Needing to beat No. 3 seed Oklahoma in the Kansas City Region finals to earn Kentucky’s first Final Four trip, UK opened the game with a 13-2 run.
How it got away: After going up 13-2, the Kentucky “fuel tank” hit empty — UK was outscored 86-55 by Oklahoma the remainder of the game. Wildcats star post player Victoria Dunlap hit 10 of 18 shots (en route to 31 points); the rest of the Cats went 13 of 52.
Why it haunts: Had Kentucky broken through to the Final Four in 2010, it is possible UK would have become the “it program” in women’s college hoops.
In Mitchell’s 13-year run as Wildcats head coach, Kentucky has never been closer to the Final Four than it was with an 11-point lead against a No. 3 seed in a region final. Under Mitchell, UK’s other two trips to the Elite Eight (2011-12 and 2012-13) both ended in matchups with megapower Connecticut.
Mark Stoops
The game: Florida 28, Kentucky 27, 2017 regular season
The set up: Seeking to snap what was then a 30-game losing streak against the Gators, Kentucky seemed in full control. Getting three touchdown passes from quarterback Stephen Johnson, the host Wildcats led 27-14 inside the game’s final 12 minutes.
How it got away: Kentucky failed to deliver a knockout blow following two second-half possessions with favorable field position. Florida then rallied behind backup QB Luke Del Rio. With 43 seconds left, the Gators scored the winning touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Del Rio to wide receiver Freddie Swann — who was uncovered at the line of scrimmage.
Amazingly, it was the second Florida TD catch in the game by an undefended wideout. A lonesome Tyrie Cleveland scored on a 45-yard pass from Feleipe Franks late in the first half.
Why it haunts: Think of the positive momentum Kentucky reaped in 2018 when it finally snapped its three-decades-plus losing streak vs. Florida by beating the Gators in Gainesville. The win yielded reams of positive national publicity, and launched UK to a 10-win (10-3) season.
If Kentucky could have snapped its Florida hex in 2017, that season (which ended 7-6) might have become UK’s breakthrough. Then, if you back it up with another stellar year in 2018, that would have been huge to Stoops in his ongoing quest to build Kentucky football credibility.
John Calipari
The game: Wisconsin 71, Kentucky 64, 2015 NCAA Tournament Final Four.
The set up: UK (38-0) was two wins from securing an undefeated national title season. It would have been the first in Kentucky’s regal hoops history. It would have been the first in NCAA men’s college basketball since Indiana (32-0) in 1976.
How it got away: Kentucky led 60-56 inside the game’s final five minutes, but UK was called for three late-game shot-clock violations, opening the door for Wisconsin.
In versatile forwards Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin presented unique matchup problems for a Kentucky roster heavy on guards and post players. The 6-foot-7 Dekker started Wisky’s comeback with a driving layup with 4:26 left.
When the 6-8 Hayes scored just ahead (or not) of the shot clock going off with 2:37 left, it tied the game at 60. Dekker then put Wisconsin ahead to stay, 63-60, with a step-back three-pointer from the top of the key at 1:40.
Why it haunts: Kentucky had a player on its roster, the 6-8 Alex Poythress, who would have been an ideal defensive matchup for either Dekker or Hayes. Instead, having torn his ACL early in the season, Poythress was a spectator.
Nevertheless, UK was two wins from a genuinely historic achievement and entered the final five minutes of the first game it needed with a four-point lead — only to see it all slip away in tormenting fashion.
