Kentucky faithful exult in Duke payback

Posted: Mon March 23, 1998 at 12:48 PM ET

Kentucky's Scott Padgett (left) and Tubby Smith were welcomed home by thousands in Lexington    (AP)

LEXINGTON, Kentucky (CNN/SI) -- A horde of Kentucky fans -- an estimated 3,500 strong -- jammed Blue Grass Airport to greet the NCAA South Regional champion Wildcats on Sunday night and hundreds filled a downtown intersection to celebrate the 86-84 victory over Duke.

Fans at the airport waved blue flags with large white K's on them and placards that said, "San Antonio, here we come" and "It's Tubby time."

"It's great, especially after '92 and seeing that shot so many times," said Mike Mudd, referring to the buzzer-beating Christian Laettner shot that killed the Wildcats.

Many fans selected nicknames they felt best suited this season's team.

Patricia Shearer called them "The Unbelievable Wildcats."

"I'd call them 'The Remarkables,'" Mark Newton said. "They're just a remarkable team ..."

But his son, Matthew, disagreed. "I'd call them 'The Incredibles,'" he said. "They just are."

As the Wildcats embarked from the plane, the crowd shouted, "Tubby, Tubby, Tubby."

Thunderous applause continued as some of the players walked beside the chain-link fence, slapping hands with fans lined up at least a dozen deep on the other side.

Although it was only 43 degrees, many in the crowd that poured into the street at the intersection of Woodland and Euclid Avenues found the courage to partially disrobe. Several coats and a pair of pants were seen hanging from power lines above the intersection.

"I've never loved being a Wildcat as much as I do right now," said Kentucky sophomore Jill Marion as she joined the happy throng.

Police said the goal was not to let the situation get out of hand, as it did after Kentucky's 1996 national championship when there was vandalism and several arrests.

It didn't.

After students moved into the intersection, police blocked it off to traffic and allowed the celebration to continue.

At one point, reveler Rhonda Greer handed white carnations to a dozen helmeted police officers because "they looked too serious."