The date is Nov. 30, 1974. Billy Swan’s feel-good hit, “I Can Help,” is taking over the radio as the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song. On the big screen, moviegoers flock to theaters to see the western film, “The Trial of Billy Jack,” the top-grossing film in the U.S. Most Americans are spending their Saturday nights tuning in to CBS to watch “All in the Family,” the highest-rated television show in the country. Around the nation, citizens are still feeling the ripple effects of the Watergate scandal and the subsequent resignation of President Richard Nixon; and of Big Blue interest, future Kentucky basketball fan favorite Jeff Sheppard was about two months old.

In the Bluegrass, the Wildcats’ basketball team is about to start their 1974-75 campaign, desperately wanting to improve upon the previous season. Kentucky had a woeful 13-13 record in 1973-74, tied for its worst winning percentage in a single season since 1928. To make matters worse, the Wildcats had not made a Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1966, their longest drought without a Final Four appearance since the NCAA Tournament began in 1939. It was painfully clear that the pressure was on third-year head coach Joe B. Hall to win and win when it mattered most. Hall had to be excited about his roster leading into the season, with a nice mix of proven, veteran seniors and promising freshmen with loads of potential. The senior class was spearheaded by the quartet of Kentucky native Jimmy Dan Conner, Mike Flynn, All-American Kevin Grevey, and Bob Guyette. Not surprisingly, they were the top four scorers from the 1973-74 squad. As much talent was returning, the incoming freshman class provided an added boost of confidence and excitement with five stellar players. Among the newcomers were a trio of native Kentuckians – Jack Givens, Dan Hall, and James Lee — and a trio of Mr. Basketball award winners for their respective states — Givens, Mike Phillips (Ohio), and Rick Robey (Louisiana). The national media was not phased by the Wildcats’ disappointing 1973-74 season, ranking Kentucky No. 16 in the preseason Associated Press Poll.

Kentucky came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, defeating Northwestern 97-70, after leading by 25 points at halftime, in its season opener at Memorial Coliseum. The Wildcats followed up that victory with a struggle against Miami (Ohio), clawing their way to an 80-73 win after trailing by five points at halftime. Next up for Kentucky was a showdown with border rival and the No. 3 team in the country, Indiana, at Assembly Hall. As well as the Wildcats played in their first two games, they were swiftly snapped back into reality against the Hoosiers. Indiana thoroughly outplayed Kentucky from start to finish, resulting in an embarrassing 24-point loss, 98-74. This was the Wildcats’ fifth consecutive loss to the Hoosiers. Tempers were flaring throughout the contest, and it all came to a climax with about two minutes remaining in the game. Joe B. Hall and Hoosiers’ head coach Bobby Knight were both arguing over an official’s call, and as Hall turned away to walk back to his bench, Knight slapped him on the back of his head. Knight later said that the slap was just a playful gesture between friends, but the Big Blue faithful thought differently.

As a result of its lopsided loss, Kentucky fell from the AP Poll. The Wildcats had no time to sulk, facing off against No. 8 North Carolina, just two days after the Indiana game, in a neutral site contest played at Freedom Hall in Louisville. Kentucky’s sluggish play against the Hoosiers had spilled over into this game, trailing the Tar Heels by as many as 15 points in the first half. The Wildcats desperately needed a spark, and they got it from senior Conner. The Wildcats went on an impressive 26-3 run that gave Kentucky an eight-point lead and the Cats never looked back. The Wildcats ended up with an upset win over a top-10 opponent, defeating North Carolina 90-78 behind Conner’s career-high 35 points. As a result of the victory, Kentucky reentered the AP Poll at No. 20. The Wildcats had a little break from competition before playing in their annual UKIT. Kentucky had little trouble in the tournament, defeating Washington State and Oklahoma State by 22 and 25 points, respectively, en route to their fourth consecutive UKIT title. The Wildcats followed up the UKIT with consecutive games played at Freedom Hall against formidable competition. First up, Kentucky played Kansas, and the Wildcats delivered a beatdown to the Jayhawks, resulting in a resounding 100-63 victory. This is the largest margin of victory ever for the Wildcats against Kansas (37 points). Their third and final game at Freedom Hall that season was a matchup with No. 13 Notre Dame. Once again, Kentucky looked impressive from start to finish, defeating the Fighting Irish by 17 points, 113-96. The nation was taking notice of the Wildcats’ recent play, catapulting Kentucky to No. 9 in the AP Poll. The Wildcats finished the nonconference portion of their schedule with a 7-1 record heading into SEC play.

Kentucky opened SEC play against LSU at Memorial Coliseum. UK carried its momentum into the 1975 calendar year overwhelming the Tigers by 35 points, 115-80. After a pedestrian performance resulting in a 19-point victory over Georgia, Kentucky was riding a seven-game winning streak heading into a road contest against Auburn. With the Wildcats clinging to a slim three-point lead at halftime, the Tigers came out of the break on fire, hitting 14 of their first 19 shots in the second half. No. 7 Kentucky couldn’t overcome Auburn’s hot shooting, resulting in a five-point loss, 90-85. The Wildcats had to regroup quickly from their first loss in conference play, since a match-up against historic border rival No. 18 Tennessee was just two days away.

Kentucky had a great bounce back performance, defeating the Volunteers 88-82 behind Grevey’s team-leading 24 points. This was the Wildcats’ eighth consecutive victory in Lexington against Tennessee. Kentucky’s victory over the Volunteers was the beginning of a season-long nine-game winning streak for the Wildcats. Within that nine-game winning streak was a five-point victory over No. 6 Alabama and a pair of one-point wins on the road, against Vanderbilt in Nashville and LSU in Baton Rouge. Kentucky’s hot streak resulted in a top five ranking, checking in at No. 4 in the AP Poll. The Wildcats then headed to Knoxville to take on heated rival Tennessee for the second time.

Kentucky had recently struggled against the Volunteers in Knoxville, with the Stokely Center being a house of horrors for the Wildcats. Unfortunately, this trip to Knoxville was more of the same for the Wildcats, as Tennessee pulled off the win, defeating Kentucky, 103-98. This was the Wildcats’ ninth loss in their last 13 trips to Knoxville. Kentucky rebounded from that disappointing loss with an impressive 19-point victory over Ole Miss, with Givens scoring a game-high 26 points, his most points scored in a single game in his freshman season. After their victory over the Rebels, the Wildcats had their only regular-season matchup of top-10 teams when No. 7 Kentucky traveled to Tuscaloosa to battle No. 5 Alabama. The Crimson Tide took a five-point lead into halftime. Kentucky turned the tables, though, outscoring Alabama 49-39 in the final 20 minutes of the second half to secure an, 84-79, victory. The Wildcats followed up their best resume win of the regular season with a trip to Gainesville to take on Florida. Kentucky couldn’t sustain the momentum from its victory over the Crimson Tide, culminating in a 10-minute scoring drought in the second half against the Gators. As a result, Florida defeated the Wildcats, 66-58. The 58 points were the fewest points scored by Kentucky during the 1974-75 season. The Wildcats were clearly frustrated with their performance against Florida.

Kentucky took out its frustration on its final two regular-season opponents, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. The contest against Vanderbilt was the final home game in the careers of the senior class. They went out in style, defeating the Commodores, 109-84. Grevey led the seniors in scoring with 28 points. As a result, Kentucky finished the season with a perfect 12-0 record at Memorial Coliseum. One week later, the Wildcats wrapped up regular-season play in Starkville against Mississippi State. Kentucky gave the Bulldogs no hope of victory, dismantling Mississippi State by 38 points, 118-80. This was Kentucky’s 17th-consecutive win against the Bulldogs. Kentucky finished the regular season with a 15-3 record in SEC play, tied with Alabama for the best record in the conference. Since UK won both regular-season meetings against the Crimson Tide, it was awarded the SEC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats headed into the NCAA Tournament with a 22-4 overall record and ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll.

Kentucky had a difficult opponent to start the NCAA Tournament, facing off against No. 5 Marquette in the Mideast Regional First Round in Tuscaloosa. The Wildcats struggled in the first 20 minutes, trailing the Warriors by three points, 28-25, heading into halftime. Kentucky flipped the switch out of the break, outscoring Marquette, 51-26, in the second half on its way to defeating the Warriors, 76-54. The Wildcats advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, to square off against Central Michigan in the Mideast Regional Semifinals in Dayton. Led by a balanced offensive attack, with five players scoring between 11 and 17 points, Kentucky soundly defeated the Chippewas, 90-73.

The Wildcats were now in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament and just one victory away from their first Final Four appearance since 1966. Who stood between Kentucky and that elusive Final Four appearance? None other than No. 1 Indiana, riding a perfect 31-0 record into the Mideast Regional Finals. By no means did the Wildcats and the Big Blue faithful forget about their 24-point embarrassment just 105 days prior. This was a completely different ballgame with more on the line for both squads and it showed from the opening tipoff. Kentucky and the Hoosiers were in an all-out battle, scrapping to a 44-all tie heading into halftime. The second half was more of the same, with the game going back and forth between the Wildcats and Indiana, with neither team having a lead of more than eight points throughout the contest. Kentucky raced out to its largest lead of the game at eight points, 89-81, late into the second half. The Hoosiers attempted a furious rally, but their late comeback attempt fell just short, as the Wildcats hung on for the two-point victory, 92-90, one of their biggest victories in school history.

Kentucky was led by none other than Indiana native Flynn, scoring a team-high 22 points. After such a disappointing campaign in the previous season, the Wildcats rebounded to end their Final Four drought in dramatic fashion. Kentucky, now ranked No. 2 in the country after its monumental win, was off to San Diego, for its NCAA Tournament national semifinals matchup with No. 6 Syracuse. With a berth in the national championship game on the line, and two top 10 teams on the court, many assumed that this game would be highly competitive.

The Wildcats rode their momentum from their season-defining win over Indiana into a surprising 16-point victory over the Orange, 95-79. The bright lights and the national stage weren’t too much for Givens, as he led all scorers that game with 24 points. Kentucky was now one win away from its fifth national championship. The Wildcats’ opponent for the national championship matchup: basketball powerhouse, and No. 1-ranked, UCLA, winners of nine of the last 11 NCAA Tournaments.

The national championship game was a matchup that even the casual fan could enjoy. The two best teams, and the two most historically successful programs in the sport were facing off for the title. This was the sixth time that the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the AP Poll were facing off in the NCAA Tournament national championship game. As if the game needed any more attention, legendary Bruins head coach John Wooden announced the day prior to the championship that he would retire at the end of the season. Without a doubt, that announcement provided a spark for the UCLA players to win for Wooden. Thankfully, the game lived up to the billing, with the teams battling in a close contest. The Bruins were holding on to a slim three-point lead at halftime, 43-40. Kentucky was not going down without a fight, cutting UCLA’s lead to just one point with six minutes remaining in the second half. Unfortunately, that was the closest that the Wildcats would get to the Bruins. UCLA held off Kentucky down the stretch and won its 10th national championship title in 12 seasons defeating the Wildcats, 92-85. At the time, this was the second highest-scoring NCAA Tournament national championship game (177 combined points). Kentucky simply couldn’t overcome its poor shooting performance, making only 38.4% of its field goal attempts. Grevey finished his collegiate career leaving it all out on the floor, scoring a game-high 34 points.

Kentucky finished the season with a 26-5 overall record and ranked No. 2 in the final AP Poll. The Wildcats finished the NCAA Tournament as the national runner-up for the second time in school history (1966). Kevin Grevey had a decorated senior season, being named All-SEC, All-American, SEC Player of the Year, and All-NCAA Final Four Team. Grevey finished his Wildcat career with 1,801 points, at the time, the second most in school history behind Dan Issel. Conner was named Third Team All-SEC and All-NCAA Regional Team. Robey had a stellar rookie campaign, being named Third Team All-SEC. As expected at the start of the season, this Kentucky team had a lot of talent, with nine players eventually being drafted by NBA teams, and five of those players going on to play in the NBA. In the end, the Wildcats fell short of their ultimate goal, a national championship. However, they reinvigorated the program and the fan base with an exciting season filled with great wins and great players; and after just 13 wins in the previous  season, the 1974-75 team was truly a redemption story.