A look back on the 2021-2022 UK year: February

Greetings, BBN!

As we continue our tour of the highlights from each month across UK sports and recap the greatest moments we get into the heart of college basketball season and some of Oscar Tshiebwe’s best performances of the year! February didn’t just have one great win against the Alabama Crimson Tide—it had two of them!

Let’s dive in:

2/5: UK vs. Tide I: Tuscaloosa Rumble

Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images

No premier SEC matchup would be complete without a name, at least not after I spend an evening reading about historic boxing bouts, so I decided to dub this one the “Tuscaloosa Rumble” due to the gritty 66-55 score where Kentucky came out swinging and never let the Tide get the advantage. Amazing road performance just a week after the unprecedented Kansas beatdown and a fun Saturday for BBN.

2/12: UK throttles Gators

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Florida hasn’t been as much of a threat on the hardwood as they used to be, and the ‘Cats took full advantage of it in a relatively easy 78-57 home win. Always fun to beat a rival at home.

2/19: UK vs. Tide II: Lights Out Trey Bout

Swish! Splash! Crash! Shots rained in all afternoon in the Kentucky-Alabama rematch two Saturdays after UK took the first duel in Coleman Coliseum. In the first half the Tide built a 13-point lead as they nine three pointers but couldn’t sustain the accuracy as Kentucky clawed back and took a 47-46 lead into the break.

By the end of the game the teams had combined to make 23 three-pointers including a wild one by Kellan Grady who had the ball bounce against his side when he wasn’t paying attention, scooped it up, and heaved it at the rim where it swished home. A thrilling 90-81 home victory in a very well played game by both teams with lots of offensive fireworks.

Other Memorable Moments:

• 2/18 UK baseball wins opener vs. Jacksonville State 10-8
• 2/26 UK falls in thriller at Arkansas 71-73 (a loss, but a hugely entertaining game. Also known as the “Bud Walton BBQ”)