MU vs UK rivalry recap

Posted on: February 19, 2019 at 08:39:55 CT

UK won by 12 on New Year’s Eve 1960 in Lexington , 81-69, in the first matchup between the programs. That Tiger team featured what would become our all time leading scorer and rebounder in Charles Henke who was named an All American that season and who scored 27 in the game, as well as the guy who would later in the year set the single game scoring record of 46 which still stands in Joe Scott. UK was ranked #19, MU was unranked.

http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Games/19601231Missouri.html

In mid-December of 1971 in John Brown's junior year and Al Eberhard's first season on varsity, after we had already beaten Michigan State and Arkansas in the non-con, MU was invited to play in the Wildcat's own tournament held in Rupp Arena. It was Adolph Rupp's final season as Kentucky's head coach, and UK was ranked #7. John Brown scored 23 first half points and MU took a 2 point lead into halftime. With Kentucky clinging to a 2 point lead in the final minute of regulation Brown (who at this point had 34 points and 11 rebounds) drove the lane and drew contact. Officials called a charge instead of a block, fouling out Brown, and Kentucky held on for an 83-79 win.

http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Games/19711217Missouri.html

We next played UK in the Maui Classic in the 1997-98 season. UK was ranked #8, MU was again unranked and coming off a complete beating at the hand of Duke 82-59. Not a particularly strong Tiger team that went on to finish 17-15 and lost in the first round of the NIT. Kentucky would go on to win the national championship in March after beating us 77-55.

http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Games/19971126Missouri.html

In Quin Snyder’s first season of 1999-00 we played UK in the Sugar Bowl Classic in New Orleans. Both teams were unranked, and UK came away with a 70-53 win. MU shot only 31% from the field, with Keyon Dooling leading the way with 19 points.

http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Games/19991230Missouri.html

In the first meeting as SEC foes MU played in Lexington for the 3rd time in program history, a Tiger loss to unranked UK 90-83 in overtime. Phil Pressey had a double double with 27 pts and 10 assists, but melted down at the end as was his custom that season. UK coach Calipari said after the game: “This was as good a crowd and as impactful a crowd as I've ever coached in a building.”

http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Games/20130223Missouri.html

In the final season under Frank Haith against #11 at the time UK, MU would fall to the Wildcats 84-79 despite 33 points from Jabari Brown. Brown and Jordan Clarkson would combine for 77.2% of the Tiger’s points, the most combined points (61) for a pair of Tigers in a game since 1987.

http://www.mutigers.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2013-2014/02-01-14.html

In Kim Anderson’s first season as the Tiger’s coach MU travelled to Lexington, the Wildcats jumped out to a 44-18 halftime lead. The margin would eventually reach 49 points by UK holding MU to 27% shooting in what resembled an exhibition scrimmage, with the final tally of 86-37.

http://sidearm.sites.s3.amazonaws.com/mutigers.com/documents/2015/1/13/stats_20150114aaa.pdf

MU next took on a #20 ranked Wildcat team at Rupp Arena, entering the game with an 8-11 record. The Tigers totaled only 54 points, with Wes Clark leading the way with 11. After the Tigers got the first basket of the night from Clark, the Wildcats responded with a 20-0 run to gain control of the game eventually winning 88-54.

http://www.mutigers.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&id=10613

In the much anticipated rematch in Mizzou Arena, MU drew its largest crowd by far of the Kim Anderson era of 13,000+ to watch the Tigers take on #1 Kentucky. MU would respond early and take a 17-16 lead with 7 minutes remaining in the first half, but UK would go on a run to take a 9 point halftime lead. The Tigers battled back to a 38-32 deficit before a Wildcat 18-4 run put the game out of reach, with MU losing 69-53.

http://stats.mutigers.com/sports/m-baskbl/2014-2015/mu12915.html

Then 7-20 MU took on #11 ranked UK at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers were able to keep the game competitive throughout, and had it tied 52-52 with 7:45 remaining before UK went on a 10-1 run and eventually won 72-62. Terrence Phillips established a new career high of 22 points but only 1 other Tiger (Barnett with 13) scored in double digits on a day in which the Tigers totaled only 4 assists.

http://www.mutigers.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&id=11212

MU would host #21 Kentucky in the first meeting with Cuonzo Martin at the helm. The Tigers held the Wildcats to just 31.3% shooting and a first half all time scoring low under Calipari of 18 first half points on the way to a 69-60 victory. Seniors Kassius Robertson and Jordan Barnett led the way with 16 a piece, and the Tiger’s young frontcourt of Tilmon and Porter got the best of the Wildcats talented big men. It was the first victory for MU in the series history.

https://mutigers.com/boxscore.aspx?id=11787&path=mbball

The return game in Lexington did not go as well for MU. MU traded punches with UK most of the first half in a game that was tied 26-26 with 5 minutes remaining until halftime, but UK went on a 18-6 run to take a 44-32 lead into the locker room. Every second half attempt by MU to climb back into it was met with a UK 3 pointer, and a Wildcat team that entered the game shooting only 29% behind the arc hit 8 of 10 from distance in the second half to close out a 87-66 win. Kassius Robertson led MU with 26 points, but the rest of the Tigers combined to only score 40.

Some other interesting MU and UK related tidbits:

- Adolph Rupp was hired at UK based on a recommendation of MU's former coach and player Craig Ruby. Rupp then installed the MU offense at Kentucky that Ruby had learned from his coach Walter Meanwell during his MU playing days and that was the origins for Kentucky's success. To quote from the book True Sons (page 47 and 48): “According to 'The Winning Tradition: A history of Kentucky Basketball' Rupp "owed his hiring in large part to a recommendation from Illinois basketball coach Craig Ruby." Ruby's system (learned from Walter Meanwell at MU) became the blueprint for Kentucky's success. As noted in 'The Winning Tradition', "It is ironic that the system Rupp employed at Kentucky owed more to the University of Illinois (where Ruby coached at the time) than to the man for whom Rupp had played at the University of Kansas, Dr. Forest Allen."

- Travis Ford was ranked #10 in his recruiting class when he left his home state Kentucky to sign with MU (along with top 10 Allen Houston, the state of Kentucky had two top 10 guys in the class and UK signed neither). He then transferred back to UK after his freshman season when MU went on a probation that included a postseason ban.

- Current UK coach John Calipari met with Mike Alden and a 4 person team in New Jersey on the same day that Kim Anderson interviewed for the head coaching vacancy at MU after Norm Stewart stepped down. 4 days after Norm retired, Calipari’s agent called various media outlets to say his client has pulled his name from consideration and indicated that MU offered Calipari the job. MU sources indicated that wasn't the case and that Calipari ceased to be a target when he started interviewing the committee about what MU could do for him instead of what he could do for MU. Alden ultimately selected current Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder for the position.

- Two Tigers have defeated UK as members of different programs. Deuce Bello, who appeared in the Baylor victory at Rupp Arena in 2012-13 prior to transferring to MU. And Alex Oriakhi beat them as a member of UConn in the NCAA tourney.

- Little known UK fact, the first example of the 1 and done basketball player was actually Leroy ‘Cowboy’ Edwards. Here is a very well done and interesting write up of him for fans of the history of the game:
http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Edwards/index.html

Edited by FIJItiger at 08:45:19 on 02/19/19