Sometimes, a season ends and you're like "Thank you, Dr. Kevorkian." We have a lot of threads on here about which loss hurt the most. Well....which one hurt you the least? For me it was the 2002 loss to eventual champion Maryland. Team Turmoil.
Different thread....EASIEST tournament defeats to accept
- Thread starter FurdTurgason
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2013 Robert Morris. Just being in the NIT was lemon juice in a paper cut. Winning would have been more embarrassing than losing. I wanted it over.
Of the recent ones..
The Kstate game was more so "Good God, I'm kinda glad that's over". Never had much faith in that team, and we squandered such a great opportunity.
Oddly enough, 2014. We had so many miraculous come backs and wins, that when we lost, a part of me was like "Hey, that's just basketball". What Kentucky did that year will be more memorable than a lot of titles of that decade.. think about that.
The Kstate game was more so "Good God, I'm kinda glad that's over". Never had much faith in that team, and we squandered such a great opportunity.
Oddly enough, 2014. We had so many miraculous come backs and wins, that when we lost, a part of me was like "Hey, that's just basketball". What Kentucky did that year will be more memorable than a lot of titles of that decade.. think about that.
A few free throws and that season would have been legendary.
2008 vs Marquette. It was just a relief we had kept our tournament streak going. Plus Billy’s first year was just hard to watch outside of cheering Joe and Ramel on in their final year.
I mean at one point we were 7-9 on the year going into #3 Tennessee at home. That is just unfathomable. I was born in the 90’s, so the worst year I had ever experienced as a fan was, I suppose, one of Tubby’s last two years? Even that was a far cry from 2008.
UNC fans got a taste of that this year, although their season didn’t get any better [laughing]
I mean at one point we were 7-9 on the year going into #3 Tennessee at home. That is just unfathomable. I was born in the 90’s, so the worst year I had ever experienced as a fan was, I suppose, one of Tubby’s last two years? Even that was a far cry from 2008.
UNC fans got a taste of that this year, although their season didn’t get any better [laughing]
The problem with your 2002 pick is, turmoil and all, Kentucky had an outside chance of winning it all if the Cats beat Maryland.
And UK had a chance. The game was tied 53-53. In the last five minutes, trailing by five points, Bogans missed the front end of two 1-and-1s, Prince missed a wide open 3, and the Cats had two unforced turnovers.
The Cats had Tayshaun as a senior, capable of games where he was unstoppable, like the 41 he scored against Tulsa in that tournament. The team had Bogans, Hawkins, Estill, Fitch, Daniels, Camara and young Chuck Hayes.
Meanwhile, there were tons of upsets. If Kentucky had hung on against Maryland, who knows? The final game was against Indiana - who Kentucky had already beaten fairly easily in Indianapolis.
It’s not impossible that tournament could have been Prince’s coronation as a Kentucky King - and one of the greatest stories in program history.
For me, the answer to the OP is never for the NCAA tournament. Closest are a couple years like Tubby’s last years where the team had no real chance and a much better Duke or UNC-Cheats or Kansas is ahead in the bracket.
2001 is a good pick. Blew a game to USC and that goofy red giant Scalambrine. Next up was Duke in the Elite Eight round, and they were likely much better than Kentucky.
2007 the Cats squeezed by Villanova in an 8-9 game only to get crushed by an overrated #1 seed Kansas. I’d rather have lost the first game.
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Nahh, more likely we just would've gotten embarrassed by Loyola a couple days later.
Like the earlier poster was saying about 2013, that's also kinda how I felt about the 2018 team, I think the least likable team of the Cal era. The one silver lining of that embarrassing KSU loss was knowing I wouldn't have to watch guys like Diallo, Knox and Vanderbilt underachieve and/or be dysfunctional ever again.
Easy answer. 2009 loss to Notre Dame in the NIT which turned out to be Gillispie’s final game.
The LAST thing I wanted was that idiot to continue winning games. Amazingly, there were still a significant number of fans (morons) who supported him until the bitter end.
The LAST thing I wanted was that idiot to continue winning games. Amazingly, there were still a significant number of fans (morons) who supported him until the bitter end.
In Cal era, oddly enough it was IU in 2016...I just thought they were better than us and I cannot count 2013 NIT.
In retrospect for RP, Tubby and Billy era I guess it is all the Marquette losses...somehow they have owned us in tournaments which is very perplexing...though I struggle to say '03 was "easy to accept" the world was introduced to DWade and it kind of makes sense now with an injured Bogans.
In retrospect for RP, Tubby and Billy era I guess it is all the Marquette losses...somehow they have owned us in tournaments which is very perplexing...though I struggle to say '03 was "easy to accept" the world was introduced to DWade and it kind of makes sense now with an injured Bogans.
If we're gonna go way back, I'd say 1985.
People were shocked that we even got in the tournament that year, we were only 16-13 regular season and most people assumed we were headed to the NIT. But we somehow squeezed in and pulled a couple upsets before going down to a St. Johns team that was simply much much better than us.
Nobody was disappointed by that tourney result, as it had actually gone far better than anyone was expecting.
People were shocked that we even got in the tournament that year, we were only 16-13 regular season and most people assumed we were headed to the NIT. But we somehow squeezed in and pulled a couple upsets before going down to a St. Johns team that was simply much much better than us.
Nobody was disappointed by that tourney result, as it had actually gone far better than anyone was expecting.
Here's one that nobody will ever pick as a game they are glad to have lost. I don't either. But there is a logic to wanting to lose this one:
2005 Overtime loss to Michigan State in the Elite Eight.
Thanks to Sparks' 3 as time expired, the refs' blown foul call on that shot, and the big comeback in regulation, that game gets to live on in Kentucky lore.
But if Tubby has Hayes in the game for the OT rebound that would have won it, What Next?
Next up was North Carolina that, through cheating, was much better than Kentucky. Hell, they beat Michigan State by nearly 20 points. Losing in the Final Four to that rancid, foul program and later finding out that guys on that team made the Dean's List while admitting they never did any work or attended any classes -- then seeing them skate past an impotent, chicken-**** NCAA -- would have really been the worst.
And if Tubby wins that game and gets the monkey off his back of never making the Final Four with his own players, he might have hung on ten more years. Who knows how the future of the program unfolds?
I'd never actually pick that game because of my philosophy of never giving back a Final Four -- they are too valuable. But that would have been a mixed blessing for sure.
2005 Overtime loss to Michigan State in the Elite Eight.
Thanks to Sparks' 3 as time expired, the refs' blown foul call on that shot, and the big comeback in regulation, that game gets to live on in Kentucky lore.
But if Tubby has Hayes in the game for the OT rebound that would have won it, What Next?
Next up was North Carolina that, through cheating, was much better than Kentucky. Hell, they beat Michigan State by nearly 20 points. Losing in the Final Four to that rancid, foul program and later finding out that guys on that team made the Dean's List while admitting they never did any work or attended any classes -- then seeing them skate past an impotent, chicken-**** NCAA -- would have really been the worst.
And if Tubby wins that game and gets the monkey off his back of never making the Final Four with his own players, he might have hung on ten more years. Who knows how the future of the program unfolds?
I'd never actually pick that game because of my philosophy of never giving back a Final Four -- they are too valuable. But that would have been a mixed blessing for sure.
The 92 loss to Duke was a stomach punch. But it signaled the rebirth of Kentucky basketball. And we probably would have lost to Indiana in the Final Four, anyway. They had just blown out UCLA in the West final.
Ohio State in 1987. UK was not good that year. They lost Winston Bennett early in the year and started Rob Lick and Richard Madison. There was no chance of making a run that season.
yep, 2014 is my 2nd favorite NCAA tourney (behind 1998).
That loss in the title game barely phased me because of what transpired vs Wichita State, Michigan, Louisville and Wisconsin.
Ulis Murray team. Would’ve been nice to get the second weekend, but that team had no one 3 through 5.
white dude from Indiana hit those two threes in the corner and welp, goodnight.
white dude from Indiana hit those two threes in the corner and welp, goodnight.
I'll go with this. Had we won, North Carolina would've smoked us like they did Indiana.
Same here. And the hoopla surrounding the next season already set in plus the 2012 title was still really fresh.
‘94 Marquette. Believe that was the year Dent tore his ACL. Got dominated by Jim McAlveine. Geesh.
EDIT: It was Damon Key, not McAlveine. Shows how little I remember that game, I can probably name you at least 3 starters from every team that beat us dating back to 1992!
EDIT: It was Damon Key, not McAlveine. Shows how little I remember that game, I can probably name you at least 3 starters from every team that beat us dating back to 1992!
2013 by far, once Noel got hurt the season just folded up like a cheap lawn chair. We didn't have extra players that could come in to rest the starters and not lose a lead.
Believe it or not, it was Cal’s second year when we lost to UConn in the final four. It sucked to lose but I never felt like we were the best team and I knew we were back as a program. We overachieved.
Kinda felt the same way with 2011, although we still had the championship drought. Still we bounced the tournament favorite and UNC, made our first F4 in 13 years, and had a ridiculous team coming in/back.
Yeah, come to think of it that one too. Funny how both were ended by Uconn, who I personally, have no problem with. Those were fun Uconn teams if you ask me.
I have a hard time finding it within myself to hate UConn. I certainly don’t like them but they’re not in my Top 10.
I have a few friends who are Uconn fans and they're all super level-headed. It's almost refreshing.
Their coach was kind of a POS, and the Shabazz flop was bad.. but if you like watching wild runs.. those two teams were fun. Plus a few years later, that last second 75-foot runner they made in the conference tournament was wild.
I’ve always felt like a Sweet 16 game is the easiest to bare. Getting bounced the first weekend really sucks and losing starting in the Elite 8 is even worse knowing you were so close to a Final 4 or championship. I hate the Elite 8 game!
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I agree the game was a significant turning point as you say, but you’re the first, and only, uk fan i’ve ever heard say that game was easy to accept. no way. i still don’t like to think about it.
Ummm...stomach punch is not "easy to accept". I meant to say that it was much more acceptable when we realized we were officially back.
The RM loss was the easiest but the NIT isn't the real post season unless your Indiana.
This question just underscores how good we’ve had it under Cal, and under Pitino. “Always in the hunt” is the phrase that comes to mind. Under those two, we seemingly had a chance at a title just about every year. The other coaches, Tubby, Hall, certainly Gillispie, we had long stretches where you’re in the tournament but you know we have little chance to go all the way. The people who say titles are all that matter, and if you don’t win it all there’s no difference between a season where you’re ranked top 5 all season and a season where you end up an 11 seed......I just don’t get it, honestly.
Least hurtful? Recent vintage has to be ‘13.....
Least hurtful? Recent vintage has to be ‘13.....
Not so sure...I was more concerned with UK, than I was UNC. I felt good vs UNC. But of course, they come out and shoot 98% from three....Especially MArcus Paige.....He hit I believe like 4 straight to start the game. Ended up like 6-9.
Jut one of those games..And thing was, hell, IU shot 41% that night from three----13-31. Carolina was just on fire early.
Under Cal, probably 2011. I was just psyched we made it back to the Final Four and felt a title was just a matter of time.
Thinking outside the box but when Duke got beat by Lehigh, that was an acceptable loss.
The only thing that made the Robert Morris loss hard to take was knowing the jokes that were coming. I mean Vacated won the title that year.