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Flashback: Kentucky Storms Back to Top Arkansas in 1995 SEC Championship

With Kentucky and Arkansas set to battle later tonight in Fayetteville, Arkansas, let’s take a look at one of the most memorable moments in the series.

 

With the Wildcats domination in the SEC, conference rivals change depending on which teams is the most successful over a period of time. During the mid 90’s, Nolan Richardson’s Razorbacks and Rick Pitino’s Wildcats were the creams of the crop, as both clubs battled for SEC supremacy.



Prior to their move to the SEC, the Razorbacks made their fourth Final Four appearance in 1990. As a member of the SEC, they won their only national championship in 1994 and just missed the second one in 1995, falling short in the national championship game. Meanwhile, Kentucky was beginning their resurgence to the top of college basketball, making the Final Four in 1993 and eventually winning the programs sixth national championship in 1996.

 

The Kentucky/Arkansas series has always been one of the best in the SEC and recently, the rivalry has returned with the two teams meeting in the SEC tournament finals two of the last three seasons. However, nothing tops what happened at the Georgia Dome on March 12, 1995.

Kentucky and Arkansas both entered the SEC championship game ranked in the top 5 in the AP Poll, as both clubs were looking for not only an SEC title but also a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Arkansas controlled the game and at times, looked like they would blow out the Wildcats. Kentucky trailed by as many as 19 points in the first half but closed the gap to six at the half.

 

The second half was much tighter but Kentucky never took the lead. The Wildcats battled to force overtime but things looked hopeless in the extra period. The Razorbacks scored the first seven points in overtime and extended the lead to nine points with just 1:11 remaining in the game. Thanks to missed free throws, Kentucky was able to rally in the final minute.



With Kentucky trailing 93-87, Tony Delk hit a three with 39 seconds remaining to close the gap to three points. The Razorbacks missed a free throw and Antione Walker hit an easy bucket to cut the deficit to one point on the other end, then Anthony Epps stole the inbounds pass and was fouled. Epps sank both free throw attempts to give Kentucky a one-point lead. The Cats got a defensive stop and Delk added a free throw to give the Wildcats a two-point win, as a late desperation heave was off the mark for Arkansas.

 

You can relive the Wildcats 19th SEC tournament title in the video below:



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