For you old timers.

[Chuckinden]

Me and a buddy used to go to the UK/UT games regularly at Stokely. Stokely's floor wan't wood, it was what they called "tartan turf".

In '75, we were there and got beat in high scoring game. I was so mad. As we were walking to the exit, my buddy asked me if his face was red. I said no, not really. He said, boy yours sure is.

 

[childe]

So glad we don’t play UT at Stokely anymore.

 

[Kampus Korner_rivals164031]

Thought those of you that can remember an old clip from 1975,Kentucky vs Tennessee..Damn I miss those days..This team would eventually beat an undefeated Indiana team in the Mideast Regional Final and go all the way to the final game before losing to UCLA,in John Wooden's final game..enjoy

Ray Mears really got fired up when he played UK. He and his diminutive assistant, Stu Aberdeen, were showmen. Before Ernie and Bernie arrived, Mears used to play stall ball. His teams would hold the ball forever until he one of his guards would hit a jump shot from 20 feet.

As has been indicated, Mears would bring unicycles, multicolored balls to Memorial Coliseum and the team would do a “Harlem Globe Trotter” warmup routine while the song, “Sweet Georgia Brown”, played in the background. UK allowed the song to be played over their PA system. However, every time UT did their routine, the UK students would throw hundreds of oranges at the UT players. UK even started screening people before they entered the Coliseum when UT was playing but the oranges somehow still got smuggled inside. It was wild.

My wife and I were fortunate to be able to sit directly behind the UK team when they played UT at Stokely in 1978, the year UK win the NCAA title. There was balcony seating at Stokely located almost overhanging the opposing team’s bench. To this day, that is the most hostile place I’ve ever seen UK play. It was scary. There were men in their 40’s, 59’s and 60’s yelling the most vile and vulgar remarks towards 19-22 year old college basketball players. I’m sure this post would get deleted if I printed what they kept yelling at the UK players and us throughout the whole game. I’ve visited every opposing team’s basketball arena and football stadium in the SEC and no fans acted more repulsive than the UT fans did during that game. It was sickening. Needless to say, we were ecstatic when UK beat the Vols that day. I despise Tennessee.

 

[dcw62]

Ray Mears really got fired up when he played UK. He and his diminutive assistant, Stu Aberdeen, were showmen. Before Ernie and Bernie arrived, Mears used to play stall ball. His teams would hold the ball forever until he one of his guards would hit a jump shot from 20 feet.

As has been indicated, Mears would bring unicycles, multicolored balls to Memorial Coliseum and the team would do a “Harlem Globe Trotter” warmup routine while the song, “Sweet Georgia Brown”, played in the background. UK allowed the song to be played over their PA system. However, every time UT did their routine, the UK students would throw hundreds of oranges at the UT players. UK even started screening people before they entered the Coliseum when UT was playing but the oranges somehow still got smuggled inside. It was wild.

My wife and I got to sit directly behind the UK team when they played UT at Stokely in 1978, the year UK win the NCAA title. There was balcony seating at Stokely located almost overhanging the opposing team’s bench. To this day, that is the most hostile place I’ve ever seen UK play. It was scary. There were men in their 40’s, 59’s and 60’s yelling the most vile and vulgar remarks towards 19-22 year old college basketball players. I’m sure this post would get deleted if I printed what they kept yelling at the UK players and us throughout the whole game. I’ve visited every opposing team’s basketball arena and football stadium in the SEC and no fans acted more repulsive than the UT fans did during that game. It was sickening. Needless to say, we were ecstatic when UK beat the Vols that day. I despise Tennessee.

Great Stuff,I wish they would have won this game but I thought it was interesting what College Basketball used to be like even during pre-game,the crazy stuff that went on especially at Tennessee and LSU.

 

[cat_in_the_hat]

I'm probably in the minority, but I really enjoyed the style of play from that era a lot more than today. Of course, I hated stall ball, but you didn't see that all that much.

 

[Poetax]

Yeah I think that most of us loved college basketball back in the day. Four year players after freshmen was allowed to play it was great. But the NBA rules and the players’s rights came into play and changed everything. I will be glad when the rules are in place and we finally see how much of college basketball is left. Since I’m not a pro fan, college basketball and football are what I watch now.

 

[IHATEUAVEL]

Was at that game at Memorial when they came out on unicycles for pregame warmups. Students bombarded them with hundreds of oranges. Loved every second of uK bb growing up!!

Yes Sweet Georgia Brown
playing in background

 

[Indyadolph]

Thought those of you that can remember an old clip from 1975,Kentucky vs Tennessee..Damn I miss those days..This team would eventually beat an undefeated Indiana team in the Mideast Regional Final and go all the way to the final game before losing to UCLA,in John Wooden's final game..enjoy

dcw62: EXCELLENT post, my man! Just EXCELLENT!!!

I absolutely HATED Ray Mears! I also Hated Ernie and Bernie show!

Of course, Adolph and Mears didn't like each other.
I think it was the 65-66 season (Rupp's Runts) that UK won the UK/UT game in Lexington. Rupp credited the win to a 1-3-1 zone for the victory. I don't know why, but that somehow rubbed Mears the wrong way. So a month later, UK travels to Knoxville. Last game of the regular season, I think. UT upsets the #1 ranked Cats 69-62. After the game reporters asked Mears how he beat UK.
Paraphrasing:
"It was unique defense, an upside parabola with hyperbola properties and an inverted triangular...blah blah blah."
Rupp was not amused!!!
LOL

Joe B. and Mears didn't like each other.
I have a UK basketball book - FROM BREATHITT COUNTY TO THE WHITE HOUSE - by Dave Kindred. It covers the 76-77 season. And in it, there's a picture of Joe B. and Mears. And the caption underneath the picture goes something like this (and again, I'm paraphrasing):
Rumor has it that Ray Mears has a dart board at home with with a picture of Joe Hall squarely in the middle of said dart board. This just in: Joe Hall isn't particularly fond of Ray Mears, either.
LOL

I think Grevey and Co. were 1-5 against Ernie and Bernie. But as previously posted in this thread, Mears and UT existed only to beat UK. Otherwise, Mears' teams were flame-outs. I think his NCAA Tourney record is something PITIFUL like 1-3.

And then there's Don DeVoe. Couldn't stand him, either. Even more so when I learned that he'd been an asst. coach for little corporal bobby knight. That made me despise him even more.
This just in: I don't think Joe B. and DeVoe cared for each other all that much. Shocking, I know!

Again, GREAT POST!!!

Go Big Blue!!!