1984 NCAA meeting (Sweet Sixteen)

On March 22, 1984, Kentucky and Louisville faced one another in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, marking a second straight season in which postseason play paired the two Kentucky programs and sustaining the heightened attention generated by the previous year's Elite Eight 'Dream Game' [3][7]. The Sweet Sixteen meeting occurred within the regional NCAA bracket and again presented the teams with a high-stakes single-elimination scenario. Denny Crum remained Louisville's coach, continuing the Cardinals' presence in late-season NCAA play, while Kentucky preserved its national stature through tournament qualification and regional advancement [3]. Contemporary coverage framed the matchup as confirmation that the rivalry could surface repeatedly in postseason settings, and media outlets chronicled the game's competitiveness, key performers, and consequential result for advancement in the tournament [7][3]. Archival schedules and game logs record the date, location and outcomes of the matchup, and the back-to-back postseason encounters in 1983 and 1984 are frequently cited in program histories as a period when the rivalry re-entered national discourse [3][7].

The 1984 Sweet Sixteen meeting underlined that postseason pairings could repeatedly bring Kentucky and Louisville into direct competition on national stages. The consecutive tournament matchups (1983 Elite Eight and 1984 Sweet Sixteen) helped shift perceptions among fans and administrators that the rivalry could be a recurring marquee event rather than an occasional state curiosity [3][7].

After the mid-1980s postseason meetings, both programs continued to produce competitive squads and occasional high-profile encounters. The tournament rematches contributed to a growing appetite among fans and media for scheduled regular-season meetings later in the century, even as administrative and scheduling considerations kept annual play from immediately becoming standard [3][7].