Just as the ball was leaving his fingertips, LSU then-junior guard Keith Hornsby felt former Kentucky guard Aaron Harrison’s palm touch his elbow.
Hornby has even seen the “perfect picture” of the moment following his catch-and-release behind the three-point line as Harrison aggressively closed-out on the game-winning attempt in the Feb. 10, 2015 matchup with the undefeated and No. 1 Wildcats.
But in a situation like that – a contested triple with seconds remaining in a two-point game – he doesn’t expect a foul to be called.
“It all happened so fast,” Hornsby said. “Coach [Johnny Jones] drew up a play, and it was executed enough. It was just a tough, tough look. It looked on line for a second, but I kind of knew it was long.
“There would have been huge uproar – if a call would have been [made] – across the nation, probably,” he continued with a laugh. “Nonetheless, I missed the shot, but it was still an amazing memory. Just a great game.”
As Hornsby noted, last year’s contest against Kentucky, which was the first PMAC sellout since 2006, had all the makings of a memorable one. By the final buzzer, it had lived up to its billing as John Calipari’s club squeaked out a 71-69 victory.
The game had virtually everything: a 10-2 LSU start; a 13-point second half lead by Kentucky; a 21-2 Tiger run to give them a six-point lead; and a down-to-wire finish aided by LSU’s inability to score in the final 3:52. The Tigers came as close as any team to defeating the Wildcats in the regular season, but it wasn’t enough in the end to knock off the would-be Final Four participant.
“[Last year’s game] was just up and down,” said freshman guard Antonio Blakeney. “It was a real fast game. At any time, you didn’t know who was going to win. It was just a good game. You couldn’t just say, ‘Oh, this team is going to win tonight.’”
In retrospect, even the gut-wrenching defeat, a common theme in many of the Tigers’ losses in the 2014-2015 season, isn’t looked upon negatively by Hornsby. Moreover, it serves as important reminders for him and sophomore guard Tim Quarterman.
As LSU host the No. 9 Wildcats in another sold-out, nationally-televised matchup, Quarterman said the lessons from the tight loss are valuable. 
“I learned you have to take care of the ball down the stretch,” Quarterman said. “You got to execute your plays when you’re playing a good team like them. They made plays on their end.”
Not only did former Kentucky forward Karl-Anthony Town hit a step-back jumper from just inside the three-point line to end LSU’s run in the second half, but his hook shot to take a 70-69 lead with less than 1:30 in the game put the Wildcats in the lead for good. Those instances, including a few from former guard Devin Booker, are the ones Quarterman points to as the execution Kentucky had that LSU didn’t.
But this year’s Wildcat roster isn’t like the one that featured four first-round picks and two second-round picks.
“It’s way more different. The depth they had last year, they kept sending guys at you. The experience they had – [Former Kentucky forward] Willie Cauley-Stein being the leader of their team and how active he was. The depth at the big man spot, they had a lot people down low.
“I just think this year, they don’t have all the depth they had last. They don’t have all the people they had last year.”
Despite Kentucky being vastly different team than it was last year, it is still only twice-beaten and the favorite to win the conference. So, Hornsby realizes Tuesday night may see another nail-biting finish with his hands on the ball in the final seconds. 
But he isn’t necessarily expecting to get a call this time around. 
“It certainly makes each shot mean that much more when you’re playing a team like that,” Hornsby said.