1980-81 UK Basketball season: What happened??

[Zakk Wyldcat]

Heading into the postseason, this team was 22-4, ranked 7th in the country & coming off a home defeat of #2 LSU, preventing the Tigersfrom going undefeated in SEC play. In the SEC Tournament opener, they faced Vanderbilt, a team they had defeated by 32 points in Rupp Arena two weeks prior, they also defeated Vandy by 16 in Nashville earlier in the year. Inexplicably, Vanderbilt beat the Cats, 60-55. So, on to the NCAAs. Despite the loss, UK earned a 2 seed & first round byeand was placed in the Mideast Region against UAB, who they had beaten in the UKIT championship game, 61-53. There, the season came to a suddenhalt as UAB won, 69-62.

So, what happened in the postseason that led to the sudden collapse?

[HC]

With thanks to my UK Basketball Encyclopedia.

Against Vandy in the SEC tourney: Vandy sunk 22 FT's, UK 9.

Against UAB in the NCAA tourney: Uk hit on 23 FG's UAB only 19. However it was FT's again: UAB hit 31 of 40! UK hit 16 of 21.

Here's a ? for WCN. I remember a controversy about Joe Hall destroying the shooting confidence of a player in the 80's. Was it Hord????

[Zakk Wyldcat]

Probably Hord. Or Master. Or Minniefield. You get the picture-Hall was accused of destroying the confidence of many shooters.

Back to the original post, stats only tell part of the story. How many of those FTs came when UK was fouling at the end to stop the clock? How can a team which lost by 32 points 2 weeks prior suddenly make enough of a jump to defeat a top 10 UK team? Who around hereis old enough to give some perspective?Anybody??

[Wildcat Larry]

Might have been Richard "Master Blaster" Madison, or Hord is a possibility since he didn't really live up to his pre-college billing. I think Master and Minniefield did just fine.

Hord, a McDonald's All-American,had a good junior season (All-SEC), but really dropped off his senior season.

http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Graphics/Players/derrick_hord.jpg

Madison just didn't seem to hit his stride at UK. He was a McDonald's All-American, but never averaged over 8.5 points, though he did collect 7.5 rebounds a game in his junior year.

http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Graphics/Players/richard_madison.jpg

[CatsSaintsFan]

HC wrote: With thanks to my UK Basketball Encyclopedia.

Against Vandy in the SEC tourney: Vandy sunk 22 FT's, UK 9.

Against UAB in the NCAA tourney: Uk hit on 23 FG's UAB only 19. However it was FT's again: UAB hit 31 of 40! UK hit 16 of 21.

Here's a ? for WCN. I remember a controversy about Joe Hall destroying the shooting confidence of a player in the 80's. Was it Hord????



It was Derrick Hord. His career started out well but really struggled as a junior. His senior year showed glimpses. I remember him being a pleasant suprise in the NCAA Tourney and the Dream Game

[cumberlandredskin]

I'm sure it was Hord. IIRC he was very good his first three years but really melted under the pressure his senior year. I have read that Hall was very hard on him and took his criticisms personally and just didn't respond. It was a shame because if Hord had played up towhat his level should have been his senior year it may have been the difference in an NCAA championship. But instead we lost to UL in the Dream Game in the Mideast Regional.

Looking at the Cats Pause yearbook Hord averaged 8.9 points his sophomore season,16.8 his junior season and then back down to 8.9 his senior season.

As for the 1981 season my memory is getting dim on that season.I do know that was a very young team. Relying on mainly sophomores formost ofthe playing time. Thiswas the first year in three seasons that UK didn't have Kyle Macy at pg. That should not be underestimated. They probably over looked Vandy because they had just beaten them by 32 points a week or so before. UAB was then a no name school who they had beaten in the UKIT that same season. When young teamsdon't respect the opponent bad things usually happens. I can remember being very disappointed at the end of that season. And even more disappointed the next season as we lost to Middle Tennessee, of all people, in the NCAA's!

[Lost Highway]

Derrick Hord played like a man with girl friend troubles. His head wasn't in the game. He came to UK as one of the top, if not the top recruit in the nation at his position.

[The Old School JPS]

Just a shot in the dark, but perhaps they were looking ahead in both instances, to their next opponent in the SEC tourney and in the NCAA tourney (Indiana, I think)?

I think that might have been the case when they lost to Middle Tennessee the next year (I think that's right) when UL would've been next.

UK was subject to some awful, late collapses under Hall. The Final Four game vs. Georgetown, blowing a 7 point halftime lead with 3 of 33 FG shooting or whatever it was, is maybe the worst example, though the one in this thread is pretty bad too.

[bobcat41702]

Zakk Wyldcat wrote: So, what happened in the postseason that led to the sudden collapse?



Another theory I felt had some validity was the fact that the 80-81 squad had minimal leadership in the upper classes.

The entire senior class that year consisted of Fred Cowan and walk-on Chris Gettelfinger. The junior class was only Chuck Verderber and walk-on "Bo" Lanter.

[Tom Blevins]

One big factor in the team's lack of post season success was an incident that happened in the regular season game against Vanderbilt in Lexington. Sam Bowie went up to dunk the ball on a fast break and was undercut by a Vanderbilt player. No one realized how badly injured he was and he continued to play for the rest of the season. It was later discovered that he had a hairline fracture. It was slow to heal and he sat out the next TWO seasons. I'm sure he wasn't as effective in our two post season games as he would have been had the injury not occured.