By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
The Kentucky football team’s return to the postseason was one of the top story lines in college football in 2016 and the Wildcats can put an exclamation point on the season with a win over Georgia Tech Saturday in the TaxSlayer Bowl.
The Wildcats lost their first two games, but won seven of their last 10 encounters, including a thrilling 41-38 upset victory over rival Louisville to reclaim the Governor’s Cup last month.
The finish landed the Wildcats in a bowl game for the first time since the 2010 season when Kentucky lost to Pitt in BBVA Bowl in Birmingham.
As the current calendar year draws to a close, it’s time to look back on the good, bad and the ugly that occurred during the past 12 months.
Good
Kentucky football: The Wildcats broke even in the Southeastern Conference (4-4) and were in the discussion for an SEC East title until consecutive losses to rivals Georgia and Tennessee eliminated the Wildcats from contention for an SEC East title and a first-ever trip to the conference championship game in Atlanta.
Benny Snell and Stephen Johnson: Snell, a freshman running back and Johnson, a junior college transfer quarterback, helped the Wildcats regroup from losses to Southern Mississippi and Florida to open the season and reach the postseason for the first time since the 2010 season. In 10 games, Snell rushed for 1.057 yards and 13 touchdowns. Johnson turned in his best performance of the year in Kentucky’s win over Louisville in the regular-season finale, throwing for 338 yards and three touchdowns and added 83 yards rushing.
Kentucky Basketball: Although the Wildcats failed to run the table in the SEC for the second straight season, Kentucky shared the regular-season title with Texas A&M and defeated the Aggies in the tournament finale. Both games went to overtime.
De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk: Fox recorded the second triple-double in school history in a win over Arizona State, while Monk scored a freshman school-record 47 points against North Carolina.
Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray: Ulis and Murray combined to form one of the top 1-2 guard combinations in the nation. Although short in stature, Ulis was named SEC Player of the Year and Murray’s bow-and-arrow approach after making a 3-pointer became the team’s trademark late in the season.
Women’s basketball: With the odds stacked against his team, Matthew Mitchell guided the Wildcats to a 25-8 record. Kentucky won its first two games in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Washington in the Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena.
Makayala Epps: Epps recorded the second triple-double in women’s basketball history in a win over Morehead State last season.
NBA Draft: Murray and Skal Labissiere were first-round draft choices, while Ulis was taken in the second round. During his tenure at UK, John Calipari has had 28 players drafted, including 21 in the first round.
Bad, ugly
UK Football: Although Kentucky’s football team managed seven victories, the Wildcats could have gotten at least nine wins or more if not for a last-second loss to Georgia (27-24) and a second-half meltdown in the season-opener against Southern Miss that resulted in a 44-35 setback.
UK Basketball: Coming off five consecutive victories, including three straight in the SEC Tournament, Kentucky’s basketball team lost to Indiana 73-67 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, the earliest exit from the Big Dance in Calipari’s tenure at the school.
— UCLA’s first visit to Rupp Arena was a memorable one as the Bruins dealt the Wildcats a 97-92 setback earlier this month, ending Kentucky’s 42-game home winning streak. The win gave the Bruins a second-straight win over the Wildcats.
— Following a dramatic 100-103 win over North Carolina on Dec. 17, the Wildcats suffered a 73-70 setback to rival Louisville four days later.
Women’s basketball: Mitchell survived a mass exodus and coaching turnover over the summer, putting a dark cloud over the women’s program at UK.
As a new year draws near, it’s time to make more memories and create more history.
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter