Everyone assumed the Louisville job was only a steppingstone for him to take the UCLA position when Wooden retired. This was the team that either invented or popularized the high five, the perfect metaphor for their high spirits. The McCrays, joined by the likes of Charles Jones, Lancaster Gordon, Milt Wagner and Billy Thompson, were the nucleus of teams that went to the Final Four again in 1992 and 1993. U of L has had a rocky decade since winning the 1986 championship behind freshman center Pervis Ellison hardly terrible, but disappointing to fans who got used to Final Four appearances every couple of years or so. Crum opposed the three-point goal when it was introduced, and it took years before his teams got comfortable with the outside game, although the past several have been right deadly from outside.
Season tickets are well-nigh impossible to get.
Scalping is illegal in Kentucky, but it s legal to resell a ticket for its face value or less. Kentucky has the richest tradition of any local team, and its present isn t too shabby either. Under coach Adolph Rupp, the Baron of the Bluegrass, UK was the UCLA of the late 40s and the 50s, winning four national championships and riding high in the polls most other years. When Rupp retired in 1972, he was the winningest coach in college history, a distinction he still holds. The school s penalties included reduced scholarships, no post-season play for two years and one year without live television.