LEXINGTON, Ky -- In the 23 years since Rupp Arena opened, Kentucky has won 90 percent of its home games, compiling a remarkable 303-35 record.
One of the few teams the Wildcats have a losing record against at Rupp Arena is Utah, which handed Kentucky its first-ever loss there in a memorable game 23 years ago.The Utes were heavy underdogs against the No. 3-ranked, unbeaten Wildcats back on Dec. 18, 1976, when unsung guard Earl Williams hit a shot at the buzzer to give the Utes a shocking 70-68 victory.
Friday night the Utes will be trying to make it two-for-two at Rupp Arena when they play Kentucky in the second round of the Preseason NIT. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. MST in a game televised on ESPN.
The 1976 win, which came in the finals of the Kentucky Invitational Tournament, was the Utes' last over the Wildcats, who have beaten Utah four times during the 1990s, all in NCAA tournament play, including the 1998 national championship. Two of the key players in that victory were all-WAC players Jeff Jonas, now a color commentator for Utah broadcasts and Jeff Judkins, the longtime U. assistant, who is now at BYU.
"We had no chance," said Judkins, who had one of his best games ever, scoring 24 points. "Everybody back there thought it was over before it started. But we went out and really executed."
Jonas recalls that even after they won, people couldn't believe it.
"I remember waiting in the airport to go home with this huge trophy that they thought would never leave the state. Someone saw it and said, 'Hey what are you doing with our trophy?' "
Here's how Jonas describes the game-winning play.
"We got the ball with seven seconds left. I brought the ball up the left side and they expected us to go to Judkins and they double-teamed him. Earl Williams was all alone on the right side of the foul line so I passed it to him. When he hit the shot at the buzzer, it went from bedlam to absolute silence. All you could hear was our team celebrating and Bill Marcroft, saying 'Utah wins.' "
"I've never seen anything like it," added Judkins. "The place was going crazy, but when Williams made that shot, it went dead silent."
The only other time the Utes defeated Kentucky was in the finals of the 1947 NIT, when it was the premier tournament. Arnie Ferrin and Vern Gardner led Vadal Peterson's Utes to a 49-45 upset in Madison Square Garden.
The Utes' losses to Kentucky in recent years were 83-62 in 1993, 101-70 in 1996, 72-59 in 1997 and 78-69 in 1998. Last year, Utah was bracketed to meet Kentucky again in the NCAA tournament but lost to Miami of Ohio before having a chance at the matchup.
UTE NOTES: The Utes took a chance and flew back to Kentucky a day early and watched the game on TV. If the Wildcats had lost to Penn, the Utes would have jumped on a plane and returned home to get ready for a Friday night home game . . . Only two players from the 1998 Kentucky team that beat Utah are still on the team -- center Jamaal Magliore and guard Saul Smith, coach Tubby Smith's son . . . Magliore had 11 points and nine rebouds against Penn.