1996 Final 4 complete) Ky vs Umass

[@walterlv01]

Was a crime that this was the semifinal game instead of the final - these two teams were either ranked #1 or #2 all season long and were pretty clearly the best teams in the country while you had a 4 vs. 5 matchup on the other side. It took another 6 or 7 years until they ranked the #1 seeds to make sure that the #1 and #2 teams never met in a semifinal again.

[@pm7317]

The top 2 teams rarely even make the final four together these days, so much parity with the one and dones. The era of great college basketball is over.

[@ritchietodd409]

2002 Kansas was #1 and Maryland was #2 and they faced off in a National Semifinal with a 5 seed vs 2 seed in the other Semifinal.

[@tumbleweedconnection7906]

This was my sophomore year at UMass and I was also a longtime Syracuse fan.. very memorable final 4! I think this Kentucky team was better than any national championship team since. I mean half their bench won the title 2 years later and the year in between they were runners up losing in ot in the final. Just an insanely loaded squad

[@wramsey2656]

If Derrick Anderson had not ripped his ACL in 1997 i think they would have beaten AZ in the title game. Historical team i agree.

[@kentuckyman21]

Billy Packer with some foreshadowing saying that Calipari looks like he is coming to coach Kentucky. 13 years later he was right .

[@MrFrankieblack]

I was at UMASS from 93-97. It was the glory days

[@eddiewilson3724]

u lucky dog

[@FirebrandAL]

1996 was a banner year for college hoops. Soooo many exceptional teams that had the shitty luck of being stuck with each other in a nutty year. -UConn might have had - arguably - their best team ever that year. They got bounced by Mississippi State who had a blah season, but was like preseason #3 or #4... --Wake Forest had Tim fucking Duncan. -Georgetown might have had one of their best teams ever with Iverson. Again - not taking shit away from UMass or Kentucky - it adds to the legacy, but man.... soooo many scary teams that year.

[@tumbleweedconnection7906]

So true. I think 96 was perhaps the best year ever for college basketball at least since tourney expanded in 85

[@qualitycontrol9911]

Randolph Childress.

[@kevinsanders3630]

And Georgia Tech had Stephon Marbury, Drew Barry, and Matt Harpring. Watching that Kentucky vs Georgia Tech game early in the regular season was fun for the first half, then Kentucky pulled away with their depth in the second half. 1996 was such a great year for college basketball with so much future NBA all stars and talent. Probably will never see another season like it.

[@MarkSutphin]

Heavyweight match of the times, UK was simply loaded from top to bottom and proved they were the best UK team in History!

[@kevinlakeman5043]

Helluva game from two really great teams. UMASS had the POY in Camby, a freak force of nature in college. Plus, a great backcourt, lots of maturity and great chemistry. UK was loaded as hell, and has as much experience and chemistry. This was the real title game, as others have said.

[@lenwalker9351]

This was the de facto championship game.

[@DanielSong39]

Syracuse was just as competitive in the final

[@travismurell5228]

@@DanielSong39 Nope.

[@LisaStandiford]

Thanks for posting this great game! BBN411

[@251to502]

16 years later, both coaches met in the Final Four (New Orleans - #1S Kentucky vs. #4W Louisville).

[@kentuckyman21]

It is said after the 1996 game, Cal told Rick to "win it all" and in 2012, it is said Rick told Cal the same thing.

[@251to502]

@@kentuckyman21 Also, Rick’s first Final Four (1987) was a loss to Syracuse who he avenged against.

[@ritchietodd409]

And Cal came in with the National Player of the Year at Center in 2012 too.

[@Fultonfalcons86]

ty for this upload man I have been looking all for this one

[@tfajsh]

Great memories. I was fortunate enough to get to see this UK team play in the regional finals up in Minneapolis. They obliterated Keith Van Horn/Utah and then Tim Duncan/Wake Forest. To see them up close was unreal. Physical as hell. Perfect execution. I was really worried about meeting either Georgetown or UMass . On the ride leaving out of Minneapolis we heard that UMass had won, which set this game in motion. We talked about that matchup the whole way home back to Kentucky. Great experience. What’s hard to believe is that this has been almost 30 years ago. Doesn’t seem possible .

[@ritchietodd409]

That Kentucky bench though, going 12-13 players deep. UMass was about 6-8 deep. Remember a reporter describing Kentucky jumping around at the end of the game like the end of an exhibition, while Umass looked like they just got through a marathon.

[@RetroRogue.]

Grew up in Bowling Green and loved WKU as a local team but UK will always be my favorite team of any sport along my my Yankees. The Prince/Bogan era was my favorite I have almost every game from 2000-2003. We underperformed almost every big game and shot bad FT% and 3pt. I still loved watching Bogans take 3’s anyway. This was a couple years before my time but love to watch. Funny who coached Umass. Lol

[@GBeret83]

This Kentucky team lost only 2 games all season, and both of the teams that beat them made it to the Final Four. UMass ranked #5 at the time beat then #1 ranked Kentucky in the Cats second game of the year, 92-82, at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Kentucky would then run off 27 straight wins before Mississippi State beat them in the finals of the SEC Tournament 84-73 in the Louisiana Superdome, a loss that Coach Rick Pitino would later say may have been the best thing to happen to this team at the time. Pitino said the loss, in his opinion, was the difference between his team probably going into the NCAA Tournament cocky, over-confident, and taking some of the teams they faced in the tournament for granted. Pitino said though the UK fan base wasn't happen about the finals loss in the SEC Tournament, he was knew a loss of that magnitude right before the start of the NCAA Tournament would give all the ammuntion he needed to get the team refocussed in pratice and dedicated to the task at hand..............winning it all. Still, strange though as good as this UK team was that both of their losses were both by double digits.

[@Fultonfalcons86]

KY really put on a clinic in this one .......way to go #BBN .... Hard to believe there were at least 4 HOF in this game........

[@tumbleweedconnection7906]

NBA hall of fame? I don't think anyone from this game is a hall of Famer. Camby and Walker would be the closest but neither of them are in

[@marcuscompton3772]

Compared to minutes played Tony delk had better numbers than Allen Iverson in 96. Very underrated player.

[@user-lf5bm5tm1q]

These were the best two teams by far that season.

[@Fool3SufferingFools]

12:21 Three Kentucky head coaches in this game.

[@tystarnes]

Yea it's all coming full circle. Going to be so weird Cal in red next year. BBN will miss them just wanted Cal to win more the past few years been rough for UK/Cal unfortunately. 😢

[@patrickbama1234]

Awesome game.

[@aegisofhonor]

I remember this game, and the broadcast, a classic and pretty much everyone knew Kentucky was almost certainly going to win this game, they played basically like an NBA team that tournament just destroying every opponent left and right. This was much closer then everyone expected, but it was almost a done deal that Kentucky was going to raise the trophy Monday night.

[@kevinsanders3630]

You must not remember well then. UMass was the #1 team and had beaten Kentucky earlier in the season 92-82. UMass also had the player of the year and #2 pick in the NBA draft, Marcus Camby. There were many experts that picked UMass to win this game and as a Kentucky fan, UMass was the only team that worried me. They could play the same style as us and had the best player on the court. UMass was no pushover for this Kentucky team like the 5 other opponents they faced in the 1996 tournament.

[@jameswoodard5547]

The non-call on goal tending at 1:24:41 is amazing. Can you imagine that not being called in today's game?

[@jameswoodard5547]

I guess we'll never know. Looks like 100% goaltending to me. The ball was definitely going to hit the rim--it's not like it was going to clearly be an airball.

[@zoominfree]

oh man billy packer your brilliant the briton foul that put out the game and you could still be playing he wasnt so strong.yea and i could have been the 100 yard dash champ if i wasnt so fast haha

[@garywilliams3511]

Another Classic

[@qualitycontrol9911]

I was in a tournament pool at my job that year. I drew 1 loss UMASS. Easily the 2nd best team that year. And l knew they had NO CHANCE to beat KY. A second time. That's how good they were.

[@StFidjnr]

two Kentucky wildcat coaches

[@brianmaxey7568]

Poor Billy Packer always hated Kentucky😆 he knew they was winning the 96 title..

[@user-vl1nk5tj8b]

To my brothers sister. Tiggers bounce bounce bounce

[@zackc3767]

Kentucky almost gave it away. 71-61 back to 71-67 with Umass ball on several turnovers.

[@user-vl1nk5tj8b]

2600 children sung at the dinosaurs

[@travismurell5228]

I miss the 90s.

[@tumbleweedconnection7906]

Definitely...90s was the best decade in college basketball history

[@nastynick7425]

That's bullshit of course that camby shot was goaltender would have changed that game, Umass was the ultimate underdog who destroyed every team including Dunkans Wake forest

[@jcwilder86]

so much funny stuff with this kentuckys current coach is playing and former coach is coaching umass lol and the other is still coaching at st. johns

[@user-vl1nk5tj8b]

To my brothers sister

[@kentuckyman21]

Cal and Bruiser both on bench for UMass

[@tyshawnminnot4445]

Thornton Kirk Onondaga ball park ,.

[@user-vl1nk5tj8b]

Can you drop us off at the woods

[@twicethechamps]

John Calipari vs. his future employer.

[@tumbleweedconnection7906]

I miss the days when the public address announcer did the player introductions /starting lineups. Now it's so lame...lets meet the west region champs....dumb music..."we are Kentucky!" More dumb music and players dancing on neon colored glass ugh

[@NP-io4ol]

What hasn't JIm Nantz covered

[@raularnaldo2637]

Why padilla and trabieso didn't sign for the NBA

[@fernandojose6233]

I dont know.. I do know that they went back to their home country of puerto rico and started their career there... They had a great career in pr, exiting to watch!

[@TheoSprinkles]

So nobody is going to mention that the only reason Kentucky won was the BS flop by Sheppard. Donta Bright fouled out simply because he was stronger. Not having him on the floor in the last 2:30 was the difference in the game. UMass should have won.

[@user-vl1nk5tj8b]

To my brothers sister. Tiggers bounce bounce bounce