Kentucky basketball fans just got karmic payback for a past Wildcats heartbreak
Fast-break points from the “Who Dey?” pep rally:
21. Oscar Tshiebwe’s impossible tip-in. The Kentucky star’s falling-away, 6-foot tip-in during the second half of UK’s 76-67 win over Texas A&M on Saturday was amazing.
20. An off-hand tip-in surrounded by Aggies. After an errant Antonio Reeves three-point attempt, Tshiebwe was being blocked out by both Texas A&M power forward Henry Coleman III and point guard Wade Taylor IV.
While falling away from the goal, Tshiebwe tipped the ball with his right hand toward his left hand. Using his “off hand,” he then tipped the ball toward the goal — where, improbably, it went in, giving Kentucky a 58-53 lead with 7:33 left.
19. A karmic payback. For well-seasoned backers of the Blue, Tshiebwe’s tip-in hearkened back to a similar play made against UK almost five decades ago that ultimately cost the Cats a victory that the BBN would have savored forever.
18. Poised to spoil another Indiana unbeaten season. On Dec. 15, 1975, Kentucky was only seconds from knocking Bob Knight’s top-ranked Indiana Hoosiers from the ranks of the unbeaten for the second straight season. Only months after UK’s epic 92-90 upset of No. 1 and undefeated Indiana in the 1975 NCAA Tournament, a Wildcats team with far less experience led IU 64-62 as the Freedom Hall playing clocks dipped under 10 seconds.
17. “Luckiest tip ever.” To avert the upset, Hoosiers forward Tom Abernathy rose for a 12-foot jumper, but the shot bounded long off the back rim. Kent Benson, IU’s 6-foot-11 center, got turned away from the basket while pursuing the rebound in a scrum of UK players. Benson batted the ball with the back of his hand toward the rim — where, improbably, it went in to tie the game at 64 and force overtime.
“The luckiest (tip-in) I’ve ever seen,” Kentucky Coach Joe B. Hall said after the game.
16. Unbeaten season saved. Indiana went on to win 77-68 in overtime. The Hoosiers also proceeded to win the 1976 NCAA title with an unblemished 32-0 record.
15. Tshiebwe evens the count. It only took the basketball gods 48 years to allow Kentucky to benefit from the type of crazy tip-in that saved Indiana’s bid for basketball perfection at UK’s expense in 1975-76.
14. CJ Fredrick in 2019-20. As an Iowa redshirt freshman, the current Kentucky guard shot 48.3 percent on field goals and 46.7 percent on three-point attempts.
13. CJ Fredrick in 2020-21. As an Iowa redshirt sophomore, he shot 47.4 percent on field goals and 47.4 percent on three-point attempts.
12. CJ Fredrick in 2022-23. The above track record is why I believe Fredrick — making only 34.1 percent of his shots and 27.6 percent of his three-point tries so far in SEC games — is about to go on a heater.
11. John Pelphrey. The ex-Cat and his Tennessee Tech men’s hoops team suffered an excruciating 84-77 double-overtime loss at Southeast Missouri State on Saturday. The defeat ended a five-game win streak for Pelphrey’s Golden Eagles (9-12, 5-3 OVC) and prevented Tech from moving into sole possession of the OVC lead.
10. OVC’s wild title battle. The 2022-23 OVC men’s basketball race is a mad scramble. As of Monday morning, six teams — Morehead State, Tennessee Tech, Southeast Missouri, Southern Indiana, SIU Edwardsville and UT Martin — were all tied for the league lead at 5-3.
9. Marques Warrick’s sweet 21 party. On his 21st birthday, the ex-Henry Clay star drained a 28-foot game winner to give Northern Kentucky a 57-56 win over Cleveland State Thursday night in a battle of Horizon League title contenders.
8. Marques Warrick’s stellar junior season. In addition to his birthday buzzer-beater, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior has had a 45-point game in a double-overtime win over Tennessee Tech that was followed by a 30-point game in a win over Youngstown State. Warrick is averaging a team-high 19.0 points for Darrin Horn’s Norse (13-8, 8-2 Horizon League).
7. Dre’una Edwards. Though the beef between Baylor and Kentucky over the eligibility status of the former Wildcats women’s basketball forward has consumed much attention, there are other ex-UK hoopers who are playing in games this season for new teams.
6. Jazmine Massengill. The former UK point guard is averaging 5.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists for Florida State (18-4).
5. Treasure Hunt. The ex-Kentucky forward is averaging 12.5 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds but shooting only 31.8 percent for Arizona State (7-16).
4. Olivia Owens. The former Wildcats post player transferred to Syracuse for a super-senior season. However, she left the team after she was not used in either of the Orange’s first two regular-season games.
3. Erin Toller. The ex-UK and Sacred Heart Academy guard is averaging a team-best 13.3 points for Georgetown College (13-8).
2. Tayshaun Prince. Along with fellow Dominguez High School alumnus Tyson Chandler, the former Kentucky star had his jersey retired last week in Compton, California, by his alma mater.
1. A UK jersey retired for Tayshaun. The 6-foot-9, 213-pound Prince — who scored 1,775 points in a four-year UK career (1998-2002) and went on to win an NBA championship (2003-04 with Detroit) and an Olympic gold medal (2008) — deserves a retired jersey in Rupp Arena soon, too.
This story was originally published January 23, 2023 at 10:18 AM.
