Bringing Back The Good Times

So how much conflict will Pelphrey feel when his Razorbacks play at Rupp Arena on Feb. 23? "I do love my alma mater," he says, "but I also know who is paying the bills."

OF COURSE, FARMER, Woods, Feldhaus and Pelphrey all remember the shot that ended their Wildcats careers: Christian Laettner's catch-and-turnaround jumper in the regional final that capped one of the best college basketball games ever played.

Pelphrey, who was fronting Laettner on the play, had thought he cost his team the win. "I was backing up," he recalls. "I could see the ball curving to my right. I was going to catch it. I could feel the leather. I thought I had both hands on the ball, and he took it out of my hands. Only later did I see that I never touched the ball."

Regardless of what happened that night, these four players had already won the hearts of Kentuckians and built friendships that no one buzzer-beating shot can erase. "We are forever going to be linked," Farmer says. "That's fine with me, because I love every one of those guys. We had a closeness that will last no matter what. I feel like if I ever needed any one of those guys day or night, I could call them and they would be there for me. And I would be there for them."

Teammates like Farmer, Woods, Feldhaus and Pelphrey can never be duplicated. They're irreplaceable. And some may even say unforgettable.