Fans are still reveling in Kentucky’s eighth national championship, still on the emotional high that comes along with a huge win in the tournament. The team itself will no doubt be remembered for years to come, right along with the other championship teams.
What most people don’t realize is, winning the Big One is hard. A lot of great players have passed through the NCAA without ever winning it all, which makes winning it all the more sweet.
But what about those who never won the big dance? There are plenty of big names in the annals of Kentucky history who never got a chance to cut down the nets, or see their face in a ‘One Shining Moment’ video. Today on the Big Blue List, we’ll look at the ten best players who never won the NCAA Title.
[B]Only players from the NCAA three-point era were considered for this list (1986-present)[/B] for clarity, as well as familiarity with the readership. As always, the views expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Nationofblue.com or its partners.
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[B]10. Travis Ford (1992-1994)[/B][/CENTER]
The diminutive Ford was known as one of Kentucky’s best shooters of all time, shooting an impressive 52.9% in 1993. But he was part of the team that fell victim to He Who Shall Not Be Named and his shot over Pelphrey and Felhdaus in 1992. Next year was also rough, with a heartbreaking overtime loss to Michigan in the Final Four in 1993. Ford’s last chance at a hoop title ended in the second round in a bitter loss to Marquette in 1994. Ford scored 24 points to go along with five assists, but the Cats shot just 32% from the field (including just 26% from downtown) in the loss.
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9. Patrick Patterson (2008-2010)[/B][/CENTER]
The 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons were a dark period for Kentucky basketball, but one of the lone bright spots was Patrick Patterson, the big forward from Huntington, West Virginia. When Patterson chose Kentucky over Florida and Duke, it was considered a coup for new coach Billy Gillispie. Big things were expected for a Gillispie-coached Kentucky team. While Patterson did little to disappoint, Gillispie’s tenure left a lot to be desired. Patterson missed the tournament his freshman season due to an ankle injury, a game in which 11[SUP]th[/SUP] seeded Kentucky lost to 6[SUP]th[/SUP] seeded Marquette. (We’ll hear more about those darned Golden Eagles later). And of course, Kentucky missed the tournament altogether in 2008-09 in what would be Gillispie’s downfall. Patterson’s game improved further under new coach John Calipari, and finally made his first NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, the favored Cats stalled against West Virginia in the Elite Eight, and Patrick later departed to the NBA.
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[B]8. Chuck Hayes (2002-2005)[/B][/CENTER]
No player in Kentucky history embodied the blue-collar work ethic like Chuck Hayes. Generously listed at 6-foot-6, he was often called upon to defend much larger opponents. Despite giving away several inches and pounds to his adversaries, he more often than not was able to keep them in check. Hayes’ first shot in the tourney was halted in the Sweet 16, when the top-ranked Maryland Terrapins defeated the fourth-ranked Cats 78-68. In 2003, the Cats were a number one seed, but were stymied once again by Marquette (are you starting to hate them as much as I am?) in Dwayne Wade’s coming out party, losing 83-69 in the Elite Eight. If fans thought that game was frustrating, they were downright flabbergasted by the 2004 loss, to lowly eight-seed UAB in the second round, where the Cats were the top overall seed. Determined to end his career on a winning note, Kentucky took a number two overall seed to the 2005 tournament, where they would ultimately lose in two overtimes to Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans.
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7. Jodie Meeks (2007-2009)[/B][/CENTER]
Much like Patrick Patterson, Meeks was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise bleak period for UK basketball. His aptitude for shooting and scoring made him a favorite of the fans. His tying of Dan Issel’s single-game scoring record will live on as one of the greatest individual performances of all time. His tournament success, however, left a lot to be desired. It’s odd to think that Meeks only played in TWO NCAA Tournament games in his career. Both of those games came in 2007, when eight-seeded Kentucky defeated ninth-seeded Villanova in the first round, but only to fall to one-seed Kansas in the second. Meeks missed most of his sophomore season to a sports hernia (rumored to be brought on by Billy Gillispie’s boot camp practices), only played eleven games and sitting out of the tournament loss to Marquette (grrr). Jodie had an incredible season in his Junior year, averaging 23.7 points per game and shooting over 40% from beyond the arc. Despite this, the Cats were NIT bound and Jodie left for the greener pastures of the NBA. Had Jodie returned to play under Coach Cal for his senior season, Kentucky would have likely won it all. Oh, what might have been…
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[B]6. John Wall (2010)[/B][/CENTER]
He may have only been around for one season, but John Wall did more for Kentucky in one season than some players have done in an entire career. The Cats were coming off four straight disappointing post-seasons, as well as the third coach in four seasons. The fans, as passionate as any in the country, longed for a winner. So when John Wall, the nation’s top recruit, decided to come to Kentucky, the breath of life was breathed back into the Cat hopeful. A new energy was in the air, and with a new up-tempo coach in John Calipari, an excellent supporting staff in Patrick Patterson and fellow freshmen DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe, Kentucky was a contender once more. Wall showed his game changing ability in his first college game, hitting a last second shot and denying Charlie Coles’ Miami-Ohio team an upset bid. Wall went on to become an electric playmaker, the face of a new era in Lexington. The Cats earned number one seed in the tournament, and were considered the favorite to win the whole thing when Kansas was upset by tiny Nothern Iowa in the second round. As mentioned previously, the high hopes faded in the Elite Eight against West Virginia. But by then, Wall had already cemented his legacy in Wildcat lore.
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5. Keith Bogans (2000-2003)[/B]
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A four year starter for Coach Tubby Smith, Bogans was one of the teams’ primary scoring threats and floor leaders. He never averaged less than 11.6 points per game over his career, was never any lower than the team’s third leading scorer, and he led the Wildcats to an undefeated SEC record in his senior season. In Keith’s freshman season, the fifth-seeded Cats thwarted twelfth-seeded St. Bonaventure’s upset bid, squeaking by with a 85-80, two overtime affair in which Bogans provided 19 points. They didn’t fare so well in the second round, losing to Four-seed Syracuse 52-50. His sophomore season, the second-seeded Cats made it to the Sweet Sixteen before losing out to the sixth-seeed USC, Keith and his 23 points were unable to hold off the Trojans, who went on to a 80-76 win. His junior year was much the same, with the loss to Maryland in the Sweet Sixteen. And Bogans’ ankle injury in 2003 was a big part of Marquette (I’m getting tired of talking about them.) being able to get past the Cats on the way to the Final Four.
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4. Tayshaun Prince (1999-2002)[/B][/CENTER]
Prince was Tubby Smith’s first big recruit, coming out of Compton, California as a tall, lanky kid who could shoot and score. He was touted as the next great Kentucky scorer, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. Prince didn’t see a whole lot of action his freshman campaign, playing behind returning seniors Scott Padgett and Heshimu Evans, but what time he did play he contributed. He was able to put up twelve big points, including two big three pointers, in the Elite Eight loss to one-seed Michigan State. Now a more prominent contributor, Prince led the team as a big time scorer and deep threat, and carried that into their tournament games. And even though the Cats lost to Syracuse in 2000, USC in 2001 and Maryland in 2002, the “Fresh Prince of UK” is still highly regarded in the Bluegrass.
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3. Kenny “Sky” Walker (1983-1986)[/B][/CENTER]
Without a doubt, Kenny Walker was one of the greatest to put on a Kentucky uniform. His resume speaks for itself: Second in career points scored at UK, sixth in career rebounds, Two-time All-SEC Team (third team in 83, first in 84), All-American First Team in 86, as well as countless other commendations and awards. The one thing that seemed to elude Sky Walker was the NCAA Championship. His freshman season, he scored only two points in their Regional Final loss to Louisville. He had only four next year, when they lost to Patrick Ewing’s Georgetown Hoyas in the Final Four. He stepped it up and had 23 points against St. Johns in the Regional Semifinals in 1985, but it wasn’t enough to stop Chris Mullin and Mark Jackson’s Redmen, who went on to win 86-70. The year 1986 was destined to be Walker’s year. Going into the tournament as a one-seed, they were upset by eleventh-seeded LSU, a team they had beaten twice before that same season, in the Regional Finals.
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2. Rex Chapman (1987-1988)[/B][/CENTER]
Much like John Wall, “King” Rex was one of the most recruited players in the nation, coming out of Apollo High School in Owensboro. When he decided to play his basketball for the Big Blue, everyone just knew that a championship was on the way. After all, they had just came off a 32-4 season under new head coach Eddie Sutton, and by adding one of the best players coming out of high school, another major tournament run was inevitable. However, things didn’t go according to plan. While Rex was everything he was touted to be, the Cats fell short in their tournament hopes, falling in the first round to Ohio State. The next year, they managed to make it to the Sweet Sixteen before being knocked off by Villanova. King Rex has 30 points, but it wasn’t enough to overtake Rollie Massimino’s Wildcats, who went on to win 80-74. Rex left for the NBA Draft after the season, but he will still be remembered as one of the greatest to put on a uniform.
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1. Jamal Mashburn (1991-1993)[/B][/CENTER]
By all intents and purposes, “Monster Mash” was Rick Pitino’s first success story. When Pitino accepted the head coaching job at UK, the program was in shambles. It had barely missed the death penalty after the Chris Mills/Emory Worldwide Incident, but still came away with three years of probation, a two year postseason ban and no live televised games for the 1989-90 season. Most of the press had written off the Cats, saying the penalties pretty much spelled the end for the Kentucky dynasty, once and for all. So getting a player like Jamal Mashburn was pretty much out of the question, right? After all, he was rumored to be high on St. John’s, and with him being from the Bronx, it seemed almost like a natural fit. And even then, if he were to go to UK, he wouldn’t be able to play in the tournament. But lo and behold, Pitino pulled off the coup of all coups and brought Mash to Lexington in a move that shocked basketball pundits nationwide. The 1992 tournament was Mash’s first foray into the tournament, where despite averaging 24 points over four games (including 28 in their last game), they fell victim to “The Shot” (*pukes*) against Duke in the Elite Eight. Mash led the cats to a one-seed in the 1993 tournament, and despite averaging 19.4 points over the course of the tournament, they fell short in the Final Four, losing to Michigan’s Fab Five in overtime, 81-78. A lot of people credit Rick Pitino for Kentucky’s quick turnaround after adversity. And I can’t say they’re wrong. But were it not for Monster Mash, that turnaround may not have been as quick.
[I]Honorable mentions – DeMarcus Cousins, Gerald Fitch, Brandon Knight, Rajon Rondo, Joe Crawford, The Unforgettables[/I]
