Full TV Game: NCAA 2nd Round Marquette vs. Kentucky, March 20, 1994

[DavidBoone2inchesTaller]

Known as "The Game That Saved The Program", from March 20. 1994. Watch "Our Kev" and his boys knock off Slick Rick Pitino and the Kenflunky Wildcats 75-63 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament at Saint Petersburg, FL to go to the Sweet 16!

This team will go down in history as a bunch of hard working kids and a coach with limited facilities and monetary resources that showed it could still be done at Marquette at a high level in the post Coach Al/Coach Hank era. See Robb Logtermann, Damon Key, Jim McIlvaine, the great Tony Miller, and Roney Eford. Since this game the program has been, for the most part, on a long-term upward trajectory.

The Kentucky/Marquette match-up is the most common match-up in the NCAA tournament and Marquette has owned Kentucky.

https://youtu.be/_o8M3OPJTC8

[BLWarrior91]

Tony Miller, Damon Key, and Amal McCaskill were huge that day.  One of my favorite Marquette memories.

[The Lens]

I watched that game on a 13 inch B&W TV in McCormick.  Two hours later I was at the end of Wisconsin Ave looking at Lake Michigan.

We were back.   

[TVDirector]

Ranks up there as among the best games I ever attended- in any sport. 

[Goose]

TV Director

That was a great game to attend. Hard to believe it was nearly 30 years ago. While I was never a big Tony Miller guy, he sure played great that Sunday afternoon.

[tower912]

I watched that one at the fire station. Going  into the final media time out the alarm went off because a guy had flown his jet ski off the dam with predictable results.   We got back 90 minutes later.  Didn't get the chance to revel in the last few minutes.

[i71_dawg]

One correction....Kentucky coach was Slick Rick Pitino, not Tubby Smith.

Amazing that Pitino will be coaching in the tournament again this week...nearly 30 years later!

[PJDunn]

No sweeter memory than watching Travis Ford weeping on the Kentucky bench. Amal's spin move was a close 2nd.

[dgies9156]

We were back.   

Sadly, we weren't.

I remember that game well and at the time felt as you did, Brother Lens. But, we lost the following week at Knoxville to Duke (I was in Knoxville for that game) and Coach O'Neill bolted for Tennessee.

We have had fits and starts since -- notably the 2003 Final Four and a couple of Buzz years -- but it's always been two steps forward and one back.

Until now....

Coach Shaka came to us with a depleted roster. A patchwork roster in 2021-2022 was strong enough to get us to the NCAA. That was followed-up by this team and their 2 seed. While there are no guarantees, I'm excited enough about Coach Shaka and this year's team to shout:

WE'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!

[DavidBoone2inchesTaller]

One correction....Kentucky coach was Slick Rick Pitino, not Tubby Smith.

Amazing that Pitino will be coaching in the tournament again this week...nearly 30 years later!

You're right. Thank you. I think I saw Tubby leaving  the UK bench after the game on TV and that's why I assumed it was the "Tubster", and not "Slick Rick" that was UK's head coach.

I should have known better because I heard a rumor that after the game "Slick Rick" was seen passing money "under the table"!!! Okay... bad joke!!!! LOL

[Jay Bee]

I watched that game on a 13 inch B&W TV in McCormick.  Two hours later I was at the end of Wisconsin Ave looking at Lake Michigan.

We were back.   

The run down Wisconsin Ave was fun

[MUEng92]

Ahh, the old days where you would not know the score unless some guy in the TV truck was damn well ready for you to know the score

[Jay Bee]

Ahh, the old days where you would not know the score unless some guy in the TV truck was damn well ready for you to know the score

The year prior, when we played Okla St in the tourney... I used my high school pay phones to call the sports score line to find out the results in between classes

[Goose]

Jay Bee

How did you become a MU fan? Are you from MKE originally?

[Jay Bee]

Jay Bee

How did you become a MU fan? Are you from MKE originally?

Interest was piqued as an ~8 year old, but not a fan really until looking at MU for college... so, early 90s.

Born & raised in Minneapolis with no family ties to SE WI. Gophers played MU a lot back in my childhood, and there was a game where Minn scored 100 on the button against MU and something about that game stuck with me.

[Eye]

My favorite memory of that game was Tony Miller singlehandedly breaking the vaunted UK press all by himself for a layup.

[shoothoops]

Tony Miller. What a baller, and a really good dude too. Still 8th on the All Time NCAA Assist list. Training hoopers in Phoenix.

[chren21]

I watched that game on a 13 inch B&W TV in McCormick.  Two hours later I was at the end of Wisconsin Ave looking at Lake Michigan.

We were back.   

One of the greatest days ever.  My vivid memory of walking out in the lower hallway and seeing slick Rick with his arm around Travis Ford who was balling his eyes out headed for the press room.  I felt bad for about a second.

[DavidBoone2inchesTaller]

My favorite memory of that game was Tony Miller singlehandedly breaking the vaunted UK press all by himself for a layup.

That was incredible to watch. Any doubters of Tony Miller  as a player need to watch this game to appreciate him. "Tony could dominate a game without scoring a point.

Although they have different skill sets, in that way Tony reminds me of Pat Smith, Mandy Johnson, and Will Gates.

Tony was a special special player.

[tower912]

The scheme against the press was as good as I've seen.  Lob it in to Mac.   He hands to or passes over a defender to Miller in motion.  Never an opportunity to trap.  Pressure broken.


I seem to recall KO had called Lute for advice and Lute had suggested this strategy.

[Goose]

Jay Bee

MU did play some fun games with Minn over the years, and I always loved playing them. Glad you found your way at young age and became an MU fan. You are one of the best out there.