Knight Time Rewind: December 10, 2011

ON THIS DAY: On this day in 2011, Christian Watford hits arguably the most dramatic shot in Indiana basketball history, draining a three-pointer at the buzzer to defeat the #1 ranked — and eventual National Champions — Kentucky Wildcats 73-72. Watford would lead five Hoosiers scoring double figures with a game high 20 points. Now renown as the “Watshot”, fans would storm the court in jubilation after having endured multiple seasons of a struggling IU program decimated by the departure of former coach Kelvin Sampson. Additionally, this would mark the end of the longstanding annual series between Indiana and Kentucky — waah, waah, John Calipari. Given how the renewal of the rivalry has been structured, it’s likely Calipari won’t set foot in Assembly Hall as a coach again.

I picked up the photo featured here recently at a local antique mall. I was able to connect with Christian at the most recent Hoosier Fan Fest, where this would have been a nice thing to have in my possession at the time. Still, I was more than thrilled to have him sign a ball with a running list of IU legends glorying it with their signature. Hopefully, I’ll get another opportunity some day to get this photo signed.

This signature moment and victory marked the rise of Indiana basketball to national prominence once again under then coach Tom Crean. Watford would later earn an ESPY award for “Best Play of the Year”. For his career, he would go on to notch a total of 1730 points, now standing at #11 on the all-time scoring list.

Go Hoosiers!