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Word around college basketball before the 1995-1996 season was bold: Kentucky's bench could have been ranked the #2 team in the country. Rick Pitino's five starters, naturally, were #1. The rest of college basketball had a problem, because all 9 future NBA players suited up on the same roster.
Tony Delk, Anthony Epps, Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, Derek Anderson, Mark Pope, Jeff Sheppard and Ron Mercer logged most of the minutes, giving a coach depth he could only dream about. One early slip against #5 UMass was followed by 27 straight wins, and the run ended with a loss to #25 Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament Championship game.
Seeded #1 in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament, UK reached the Final Four by beating 4th seed Utah by 31 and 2nd seed Wake Forest by 20. Waiting there was a rematch with #1 UMass.
Kentucky owned the night this time. Tony Delk and Antoine Walker combined for 34 points in an 81-74 victory, and two nights later the school claimed its 6th National Championship with a 76-67 in win over Syracuse in Monday night's title game. The 1996 Kentucky Wildcats belong among the best teams college basketball has seen.
"Coach Pitino did a tremendous job of meshing talent as well as the egos. You look at it collectively as a team, guys had to sacrifice and understand everyone had a role on the team. Everyone couldn't be the star, take all the shots and play all the minutes. You had to share in some of your successes in order for the team to be successful." -Tony Delk
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