Few Kentucky home games have had this much build-up. The 1996 team, aka the Untouchables, was at Rupp Arena to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its national championship season. Kentucky and Nike even teamed up to recreate the famous denim uniforms for the occasion, sending BBN into a throwback frenzy.
In the first half, it looked like the moment may have been too big for the current Cats. Kentucky trailed Tennessee by 14 at halftime, yet another double-digit deficit to climb out of. The Cats did it, pulling off the biggest comeback from a halftime deficit in Rupp Arena history to complete the sweep against Tennessee. Kentucky is now second in the SEC standings, just one game back from Florida, setting up a monster showdown in Gainesville one week from today. After all this team has been through so far, who woulda thunk it?
So, you can understand why the 1996 team mobbed Mark Pope, their team captain, after the buzzer sounded on the 74-71 win. Steven Peake was right there to capture it all, getting so close that one of the former players stepped on his foot. If you know Steven, you know he’ll take a broken foot if it means reversing Kentucky’s injury curse.
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That wasn’t all. The 1996 team joined Mark Pope on the podium for his postgame press conference and for his radio comments with Tom Leach. Listening to the group celebrate, tease, and reminisce was the icing on the cake of a very special night.
“Well, it means that our group text is not going to be quite so vile,” Pope quipped of what it meant to get this win with his former teammates in the row behind the bench. “This is not about me, and it’s actually not about us; it’s about the guys that played, but on a very personal level, it means a lot because I love these guys so much, man.
“The connection that we have, like, you can’t buy it. You can’t. It’s just like, there’s nothing in the world like it. I care about these guys so much. I love them so much, and so I’m grateful that they could be honored in all the ways that they got honored today. And I’m grateful that our team was able to honor them with a win because that matters too. It matters to me.”
It matters to his former teammates, too. Anthony Epps teared up while discussing the win on the radio, reflecting on his journey as a lifelong fan and player.
“These other guys probably don’t understand it like I do, because I’m a Kentucky kid. This right here is what makes Kentucky basketball special. A lot of you guys sitting at the very top get to come down after the game. It means so much to you, and it means so much to me to watch these guys fight to get the win in the second half like they did today.
“And I just want to salute you guys, being a Kentucky kid. You guys are what make us who we are. 30 years later, we can still come into our palace and still get the same love. But my kicker is, no matter what goes on throughout the rest of this season, win or lose, stay on the wagon, because it’s going to be a great ride.”
This team is certainly proof of that. Cheers to a great night!
