Vicky Graff Photo
There was a different feeling entering Rupp Arena Tuesday night. Excitement filled the concourses. It was hard to walk through the crowd without running into someone holding an ice cream cone or draft beer. It just felt different.
The No. 8 Miami Hurricanes were the guests for the night and Rupp Arena was filled to the rafters to give the heated Hurricanes a cold welcome to Kentucky. Fans filled the uppermost seats in Rupp and for the first time in a long time both the lower and upper-level student sections were jammed packed.
Kentucky fans have waited years for the excitement to return to Kentucky Basketball. They have been teased over the past few weeks that perhaps it was happening. Tuesday night was the realization that it is here.
The run up and down the floor style, the 3-pointers going in, the smiles on the players’ faces were obviously missing the past three to four years. Kentucky has shooters that are makers. They have two backup guards that provide a flame unseen by this fan base in many years. They have a veteran in Tre Mitchell who is the calming factor amongst the uber talented freshmen.
Kentucky fans had anointed Reed Sheppard as the fan favorite long before he put on the Kentucky uniform. I could write pages about his performance. However, if you are a Kentucky fan you know and you realize what a special kid he is.
If you were to clone a Kentucky basketball player it would be Reed Sheppard. The talent, the maturity, the smile and his Kentucky roots could not be replicated if one tried but yet there he is wearing #15 for the Kentucky Wildcats.
There is no other word but “electric” to describe the atmosphere last night. John Wall sitting beside Ellen Calipari and walking on the floor during the game pointing and showing support. The crowd cheering as the Miami fan was escorted from Rupp Arena by security. It was just different. It was the way it should be. Kentucky fans have them a team.
Save up your money. March will be an expensive month.
Go Cats!
6 Responses
Hope your right Tina, but I like our chances as well barring no more injuries. It seems like we’ve been hack with injuries the last few years .
About two months ago it was, " here we go again with a bunch of freshmen" and "Bradshaw will be another Sharpe". Sharpe was never hurt and didn’t come until January. Cal haters jumped off the Big Blue train and now their clawing to get back on.
Nobodies clawing there way back in. True KY basketball fans will always cheer for the Cats. JCP has been her for how long?
Money in da bank! Been waiting to go see my Cats in an elite 8 or Final Four. Can’t wait until I can start planning the trip. It will be expensive because a lot of us are thinking the same way. The entire country know that if UK is in there town in March the BBN will be there in droves and that drives up prices! ! Who cares. You can’t take it with you!
Jimmy as Taylor Swift says "Haters gonna Hate" jus "Shake it Off" LOL!
Go Cats and help me spen my sons inheritance! LOL
Street value for 2012 Final 4….$1500-2000 for lower. Could have taken that. No thank you. I ran into a council member that bragged about selling his tickets. That’s the last time I’ll ever hang around him. Not a true fan.
I can’t imagine paying 10k and a lot of them will go for that and even higher. I’m sure Larry probably knows somebody to get at best, some kind of discount.
Great to have a Kentucky man in the Blue and White that is doing so well. Maybe he will play a couple of years at UK.