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2004 NCAA Tournament
Second Round
March 21, 2004
Columbus, Ohio ? Nationwide Arena (19,906)
No. 2/4 Kentucky (27-4, 13-3 SEC)
vs.
UAB (21-9, 12-4 C-USA)

Kentucky advanced to the NCAA Tournament?s second round Friday with a 96-76 win over a hot-shooting Florida A&M squad. Five players scoring in double figures and a 56.5% shooting performance helped the Cats win their 10th consecutive game of the season. The Wildcats advance to a Sunday game with UAB, which upset the No.8- seed Washington Huskies, 102-100.

Kentucky owns NCAA records for tournament appearances (45), wins (93) and games played (132). Since the NCAA began tourney play in 1939, UK has appeared in nearly 70% of 64 events, winning seven NCAA Championships over a 50-year span.

Tubby Smith is 24-9 in NCAA Tournament play, owning the fifth-best winning percentage (72.7%) among active coaches. Smith?s 11-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances rank fourth among active coaches. He is one of only six coaches to take three teams to the NCAA Sweet 16 (Tulsa, Georgia and Kentucky). The only other active coach to do so is Eddie Sutton (Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State).

The UAB Blazers

The UAB Blazers are making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1999 after receiving an at-large bid. The Blazers are 21-9 overall and moved on to secondround action after upsetting No.8-seed Washington, 102-100, Friday night. Mo Finley leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.5 ppg. Gabe Kennedy averages 11.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg to lead the Blazers on the glass. Head Coach Mike Anderson was named Conference USA Coach of the Year this month in just his second season in Birmingham. His career record is 42-22.

NCAA Cat Scratches

? Kentucky earned an automatic bid after winning the SEC Tournament title
? The Cats are appearing in their 45th NCAA Tournament and own a 93-39 (.705) record
? Kentucky was 11-2 during the regular season against the 2004 tournament field
? The Wildcats earned a No. 1 seed for the second-straight year and a nation- leading ninth time since seeding began in 1979
? This is UK?s 13th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, which ties Cincinnati for the third-longest current streak (Arizona, 20, and Kansas, 15)
? Kentucky has appeared in 13 Final Fours, 27 Elite Eights and 40 Sweet 16s
? UK has advanced to eight of the last nine Sweet 16s.

Tourney Report

? UK is 36-9 all-time in tournament openers and has now won its last 13 first-round games. Kentucky has reached the second round for the 13th consecutive year. The Cats are 10-2 in second-round action since 1992.
? The Cats own a 30-6 record as a No. 1 seed (since the tournament began seeding teams in 1979).
? Since 1992, UK is 72-13 (84.7%) in postseason play (SEC and NCAA). ? The SEC went 4-2 during the first round of NCAA action.
? Tubby Smith is 24-9 in NCAA Tournament play, 18-5 at Kentucky. As the higher-seeded coach in the tourney, he?s 18-3.

The Last Game

Despite a hot night of shooting from Florida A&M, Kentucky was able to cruise to the NCAA?s second round with a 20- point victory. Kentucky totaled 60 points in the first half, the most to open a game for UK since Jan. 16, 1996 – a 86-point first-half performance against LSU. The Cats also gave up the most points in a half this season as FAMU went to the locker room with 52.

Gerald Fitch led five players in double figures with 26, while Chuck Hayes finished just shy of a rare triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight assists. The Wildcats shot 56.5% from the field, their third best performance of the season.

Cats in Columbus Kentucky has traveled to Columbus, Ohio, for NCAA Tournament action once before. The Wildcats defeated Notre Dame in the 1970 regional semifinal before falling to Jacksonville, 106-100, in the regional final. The Wildcats are 3-1 against Ohio State in the state capital, but haven?t played the Buckeyes in Columbus since 1981. Kentucky has never played in Nationwide Arena, which opened in 2000 and serves as home to the NHL?s Columbus Blue Jackets and the AFL?s Columbus Destroyers.

Series History

Kentucky and UAB have met twice on the hardwood, splitting the series with one win apiece. The teams first met on Dec. 20, 1980, a 61-53 Wildcat win in the UKIT. The last series meeting came on March 15, 1981, a 69-62 UAB win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats are 130-46 all-time against current Conference USA teams, and 0-1 against the league this season after falling to Louisville on Dec. 27.

Kentucky-UAB Connections

? UAB coach Mike Anderson was on Arkansas? coaching staff for 17 years, the last 12 as assistant head coach. Kentucky was 12-7 against the Hogs during that time.
? UAB assistant Scott Edgar also was an assistant at Arkansas (1985-91) before they joined the SEC. He was head coach at Murray State in Murray, Ky. from 1991-95.
? UAB manager T.J. Cleveland played at Arkansas from 1998-2002. He was 3-4 against Kentucky in his Razorback career.
? Blazer guard Tony Johnson hails from Morganfield, Ky. and attended Union County High School. He was a two-time All- State selection. Johnson was born in Henderson, Ky.

Postseason Stats

In four postseason games, the Cats are putting up some impressive numbers.
? UK is outscoring its opponents by 15.0 ppg (83.0-68.0).
? The Wildcats are shooting 50.2% from the field, while its opponents are shooting 44.2%.
? UK is averaging 17.5 assists per game and just 11.0 turnovers per game in the stretch.
? Kentucky is shooting 74.4% from the charity stripe, while opponents are hitting just 57.6% of their free throws.

Triple Double Trouble

Forward Chuck Hayes just missed a triple double in each of the Cats? last two games. Hayes had 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the SEC Tournament final against Florida and opened NCAA tourney play with 12 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists against Florida A&M. There is only triple-double in the UK record books, a 19-point, 10-rebound, 10- assist performance by Chris Mills on Dec. 27, 1988.

Big Men Can Pass

In four postseason games, Chuck Hayes has totaled a team-high 21 assists and just six turnovers. His eight assists against FAMU is the most ever by a Wildcat interior player in NCAA Tournament action. The last Wildcat with eight or more assists in NCAA action was Saul Smith (8) vs. St. Bonaventure in 2000. Hayes? eight dishes tied his career high set last weekend against Florida.

Should the Cats Advance

Should Kentucky advance past the second round, it will move on to the St. Louis Regional next weekend. The Cats will play Friday in the Edward Jones Dome.