Kentucky mens basketball wins NCAA tournament game for first time since 2019
Kentucky Wildcats forward Jacob Toppin (0) celebrates during the No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 11 Providence mens basketball game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 17, 2023, at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Kentucky won 61-53. Photo by Jack Weaver | Staff
March 21, 2023
Kentucky mens basketball’s win over Providence in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament signified more than just advancing in the “big dance.”
The win marked the first time the Wildcats have earned a win in March Madness since March 29, 2019.
“It was a big relief, obviously,” senior Jacob Toppin said. “We didn’t put our heads down, we kept fighting. We did the little things that won us the game”.
That previous tournament win had come in the 2019 NCAA tournament when Kentucky bested Houston 62-58 to advance to the Elite Eight with then Kentucky Wildcat Tyler Herro showing out in the victory, hitting a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to put the nail in the coffin for the Cougars.
The win marked the seventh Elite Eight appearance in 10 years at the time for Kentucky and, later that night, the Cats were confirmed to be facing SEC rival Auburn with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Going into the game, the Cats had beaten the Tigers twice already in the regular season that year.
Since then, though, Kentucky has had a run of poor luck and disappointing performances in March.
The Wildcats dropped the aforementioned game versus Auburn, sending the Tigers to the Final Four and ending Kentucky’s season.
Then, in the 2019-20 season, Kentucky was slowly gaining momentum and looking to make yet another tournament run before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic would cancel the NCAA Tournament and end the Wildcats’ season much earlier than expected.
Looking to bounce back with the return of college basketball, the 2020-21 season is one that many Cats fans wish to forget, as Kentucky finished the year with a dreadful 9-16 record, finishing eighth in the SEC and completely missing the NCAA tournament.
Despite that, Kentucky would finally get a perfect opportunity to end the drought in the 2021-22 season, as it entered the tournament sporting a No. 2 seed with wins over Kansas and Tennessee under its belt.
With a first-round matchup against the Saint Peter’s Peacocks, many fans were completely overlooking their first-round matchup and talking about possible Final Four appearances and who the Cats may have to face down the stretch.
Kentucky’s subsequent loss to Saint Peter’s quickly made this drought of NCAA Tournament wins much more noticeable for fans.
So noticeable in fact that it was possible that, going into this year, UK’s graduating class of 2023 could go its entire four years on campus without witnessing a single win in the big dance.
After a historic upset and a turbulent season, the last 365 days undoubtedly made Kentucky fans more appreciative of every tournament win, as fans were much more focused on their opening round matchup against Providence in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
The focus and worry seemed to pay off though, as the win ended the drought at 1,449 days, giving the class of 2023 at least one win, even if it had to wait for its senior year for it.
With the win, Kentucky looks to create its own streak of wins in the tournament as it is set to face Kansas State with a Sweet Sixteen berth on the line. Tip-off is set for 2:40 p.m. EST.
