WORLD'S GREATEST CLASSIC GAME ANALYSIS: UK VS. MICHIGAN STATE (2004)

If you want to leave a request for a game, please do so on the comment page. Just make sure that the game is from 1992 on, and the good guys win.

This is another game that I've watched so many times that my tape is almost worn out. This, of course, is the infamous Basket Bowl, played in Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. I think Michigan State had wanted to do a basketball game in Ford Field for the longest time, and they knew that the only team that could fill that stadium to capacity was Kentucky. Kentucky was #2 in the country at the time, but #1 Florida lost earlier that day, so the Cats would move up to #1 if they won this game. MSU was #21, but they had already begun to fall out from their lofty preseason hype because of the insane non-conference schedule that Tom Izzo always puts together. This team was too young to handle that kind of a ridiculous schedule, as all of their good players were freshmen and sophomores. Since this is a fairly recent game, you probably know the names: Paul Davis, Chris Hill, Alan Anderson, Shannon Brown, Kelvin Torbert and Maurice Ager. This was pretty much all they had. At the same time, even though the 2004 UK team managed a #1 seed, it had the worst depth of any of Tubby Smith's teams. Kentucky essentially went six deep, with other guys making random appearances. From Ford Field in Detroit, 78,129 people are in attendance (at least 90% MSU fans, making this a football atmosphere), and our announcers are Verne Lundquist and Billy Packer, who I still won't miss. more...