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Arguably the most memorable game for the Kentucky Wildcats when they travel to Baton Rouge to take on LSU happened back in 1994.
I’m sure most remember the game, as the Cats battled back to erase a 31-point deficit to head back to Lexington with a 99-95 win over the Tigers.
And yes, I have to give a shoutout to those uniforms.
A clip of the game was posted earlier today to get fans fired up for this evening, but it is one of the responses that gave some insight to when the birth of the infamous Comeback Cats was born in the eyes of one former player. That player is Scott Padgett.
I was a SR in high school when this happened. That game is the reason I never thought we were out of a game until the final horn. To me this was the birth of the Comeback Cats in my mind.
— Scott Padgett (@ScottPadgett34) January 4, 2022
Padgett, who played for St. X in Louisville, was committed at the time and arrived on campus just a few short months after this game.
The Comeback Cats, are well known to most UK fans, as the name speaks for itself on what their 1997-98 season was wildly known for. They capped it off with the 78-69 victory over Utah in San Antonio to capture the school’s seventh national title. An even crazier stat to go alongside the tournament rallies, is that the team also won 10 games in which they trailed at halftime in the regular season.
It’s always cool to see a message from a former player, celebrating the rich history of this program. Just really cool to see when it also provides some insight to how the mindset of the ‘98 team was born.