The Kentucky Wildcats have won the Cancun Challenge after defeating the Stanford Cardinal 73-65 in overtime. While the game was close all the way until the final minute, the two true heroes were John Wall, who hit the game tying free throws with just 2 seconds left in regulation, and Ramon Harris with his furious defense and free throws to put the Cats up in overtime.
What was crazy about the tournament were the conditions in which the games were played. As seen in the pictures, a makeshift court was built in a ballroom, as chandeliers literally hung less than 30 feet above the floor. In addition, the wood that made up the court was warped and didn't fit together properly leaving gaps in the wood wide enough to literally cause turnovers.
While the conditions were bad, the competition wasn't much better. Stanford and Virginia were the only decent teams in the Challenge, and they are mediocre at best. I can only imagine Gillispie chose Cancun just so he could come down and get his drink on... but that's merely speculation. Calipari already has UK in the Maui invitational next year in a field that includes Michigan St, UConn and Oklahoma. Now thats what I'm talking about
Despite the conditions the Cats prevailed with three straight wins, taking their record to 6-0. They return to Kentucky to play a game in Freedom Hall in Louisville on Friday, and next Saturday comes the epic showdown in the race to 2,000 wins when the Cats host North Carolina, then head to Madison Square Garden to take on UConn. Exciting week of UK basketball ahead. Time to buckle up for the ride.
2 comments:
You weren't in Cancun covering the team, were you?
haha, unfortunately not. I had to watch a live stream on my computer along with the rest of the UK fans who dont get CBS Sports
Post a Comment