Today is the 25th anniversary of Kentucky's Elite Eight win over Duke
On this day 25 years ago, Kentucky finally got some revenge for the 1992 loss to Duke.
On Sunday, March 22, 1998, the No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats faced the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils in the Elite Eight in the South Region at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The ’92 game may trump the ’98 game in college basketball lore, but what Tubby Smith and the Wildcats pulled off that day will always have a special place in Kentucky Basketball history.
In the first half, it looked like Kentucky was headed toward another heartbreak. Duke led by as many as 18 points in the first half and 10 at halftime. With 9:30 to go, the Blue Devils led by 17, 71-54. What happened next is pretty remarkable. In under three minutes, the Cats cut the deficit to two thanks to three-pointers by Heshimu Evans, Scott Padgett, and Allen Edwards, crucial buckets by Wayne Turner, and free throws by Jeff Sheppard.
With just over two minutes left, Heshimu Evans tipped a rebound from Roshown McLoud to Cameron Mills on the perimeter. Mills, who hadn’t made a basket the entire tournament drained a three to give Kentucky its first lead, 80-79. Duke retook the lead on the next possession, but Scott Padgett’s three with 40 seconds left put the Cats ahead for good.
With 4.5 seconds left, Duke’s Shan Battier and William Avery attempted to recreate Christian Laettner’s game-winning play from six years prior, but Avery’s shot ricocheted off the backboard and into Scott Padgett’s hands. Padgett flung the ball into the air as time expired and at least some of the demons from 1992 were exorcised.
Just writing about it gives me goosebumps. If you want to truly relive the memories, the entire game is available on YouTube.
Too long? Here are the final two minutes:
And a quick, better quality highlight reel:
Kentucky celebrates 1996, 1997, 1998 teams
The win over Duke was just one of many amazing comebacks that season. The Comeback Cats would rally twice more, vs. Stanford in the Final Four and Utah in the national championship game, to bring home Kentucky’s seventh title and cap a historic three-year run that included two national championship and one runner-up trophies.
Last month, Kentucky celebrated the 1996, 1997, and 1998 teams at halftime of the Tennessee game. Those who couldn’t make it sent in video messages, which played over the big screens.
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