Did Patrick Sparks blast CBS Analyst Billy Packer? I don't know but this is pretty fishy:
Michigan State upset UK 80-68 in the 1957 Mideast Region finals in Memorial Coliseum. If UK had won, the Cats would have advanced to play unbeaten North Carolina in the Final Four. This year, Michigan State advanced to a game against North Carolina in next weekend's Final Four in St. Louis.
But anyway, I did look into and this is what was said on the rumored blasting:
Sparks appeared to direct angry words at Packer, who sat near mid-court along the sideline opposite the team benches.
"I was just caught up in the moment," the UK guard said. "I was just going that way, my momentum was going that way."
Packer denied that Sparks said anything inappropriate.
"I slapped hands with him," said Packer, who noted that Sparks' three-pointer compensated for missing the front end of a one-and-one with 27.1 seconds left. "I felt so bad for him."
As for Sparks approaching him, Packer said, "I think it was because he was so elated."
When the double-overtime game ended, Sparks ignored the customary handshakes and headed toward the locker room. Michigan State's Chris Hill intercepted Sparks, who shook his hand, before heading off the court.
"It was such an emotional game," Sparks said. "I was so emotionally drained. I had a bad feeling and a sore taste in my mouth. My stomach hurt."
Expect the Wildcats to be in the preseason top ten this fall:
"It was a great game, and sometimes you get it and sometimes you don't," Kentucky senior forward Chuck Hayes said after his standout career ended one game shy of his ultimate goal. "You figure if you give everything you have and with all the hard work, you know you will get the result that you want."
That Kentucky (28-6) would be in position to play for a Final Four berth seemed somewhat improbable in November, as the Wildcats entered the season with three new starters.
While junior guard Patrick Sparks, a transfer from Western Kentucky, was somewhat of a known quantity, two starters were freshmen -- point guard Rajon Rondo and center Randolph Morris. Rondo and Morris joined guards Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley to form one of the nation's most touted freshmen classes.
None of the freshmen became immediate stars, and Crawford even left the team for a week in January in a dispute with coach Tubby Smith over playing time. But by season's end, all four players had made significant contributions, and Rondo had set a single-season school record for steals with 87.
It wasn't just the freshman class that developed. The team's four sophomores -- centers Shagari Alleyne and Lukasz Obrzut and forwards Bobby Perry and Sheray Thomas -- also became part of Smith's deep playing rotation.
The 7-foot-3 Alleyne received most of the early headlines, as he scored in double figures in three of the team's first six games. His playing time dwindled as the season progressed because of academic issues, but the 7-foot Obrzut emerged late in the season as a contributor.
With Morris in foul trouble during a regional semifinal, Obrzut and Alleyne teamed to frustrate Utah All-America center Andrew Bogut, keying the Wildcats' 62-52 win.
Thomas missed the season's first month after surgery to remove a tennis ball-sized benign tumor in early October. He returned by mid-December and helped Perry spell Hayes along the frontline.
Bradley, Crawford, the four sophomores and junior walk-on Ravi Moss each averaged between 6.4 and 12.3 minutes per game.
Kentucky's light early schedule -- Coppin State, Ball State, Georgia State and Tennessee Tech -- resulted in a 4-0 start, but a trip to North Carolina on Dec. 4 gave the Wildcats their first loss, 91-78.
A highlight of the season came Dec. 18, when the Wildcats rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to win 60-58 at eventual Final Four qualifier Louisville. Sparks became an instant legend by making three free throws with less than a second left to win the game.
Charles Edward Hayes Jr. is just "Chuck."
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