March 28, 2003
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS – A day before Kentucky played for the chance to go to theFinal Four, the Wildcats still didn’t know if star guard Keith Bogans would beavailable.
Whether Bogans plays in Saturday’s Midwest Regional final against Marquettewill be a game-time decision. The Kentucky senior sprained his left ankle inthe first half of Thursday’s win over Wisconsin when he collided with theBadgers’ Kirk Penney. He sat out the entire second half.
“It’s a high ankle sprain,” Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said Friday. “Thatcan be a real bad thing. I’ve seen guys go a month without doing anything. He’sable to put pressure on his foot and raise up on his toe. That’s a good sign.”
Smith is ready to start defensive specialist Cliff Hawkins in Bogans’ place.
Bogans, the Southeastern Conference’s player of the year, has had the ankleunder constant care, relying on the old remedies of rest, ice, compression andelevation to get him healthy enough to play.
“I won’t know until I get out there and run on it,” Bogans said. “I don’twant to get out there and hurt my team if I can’t go.
“If it’s up to me, I’m going to gut it out and play. I’m not going to sit.It hurt to watch yesterday.”
Kentucky is perhaps the nation’s deepest team, a roster without a true starthat relies on a versatile mix of players capable on both the offensive anddefensive ends.
If any team could withstand the absence of a player like Bogans, it wouldseem to be the Wildcats.
“We’ve got a lot of different players who can do a lot of differentthings,” Hawkins said.
Bogans is the Wildcats’ leading scorer at 15.7 points per game, though, andthe one player who can consistently knock down the critical outside shot.Marquis Estill’s 28 points fueled Kentucky’s win in the semifinals againstundersized Wisconsin, but the Wildcats will need someone on the perimeter todraw the Marquette defense away from Estill in the paint.
Guard Gerald Fitch sounded resigned to Bogans’ absence.
“Keith brought a lot of scoring,” Fitch said. “Guys are going to have tostep up, myself included. I’m going to have to take my game to another level,especially offensively. We don’t have that many shooters on the perimeternow.”
Kentucky will probably play swingmen Antwain Barbour and Kelenna Azubuikemore, and Smith said freshman guard Brandon Stockton may also get more playingtime.
Marquette is planning on seeing Bogans play.
“Every time we’ve been in a situation that there was a question mark on aplayer who can break the game open like Keith Bogans can, you prepare like he’sgoing to be there,” coach Tom Crean said. “He’s as efficient a guard as thereis country right now, when it comes to doing the little things – coming offscreens, reading screens, being ready to shoot, attacking the rim, pressuringthe ball and passing lanes, running transition offense and defense. Even ifhe’s not at 100 percent, he’ll still be pretty good.”
Some Marquette players said they’d be disappointed if Bogans didn’t play.
“I’m quite sure he’ll suck it up,” forward Robert Jackson said. “I justwant them to be full force when they play us. I’m a great player, and I likeplaying against great players. We don’t want no easy road to the Final Four.”
Said guard Travis Diener: “We want their team to be at their best, and wewant our team to be at our best.”
The best Bogans, a senior, could do on Thursday was offer encouragement. Hemay have to do that again on Saturday, knowing he could be back at fullstrength if the Wildcats advance to New Orleans next weekend.
“I know my teammates needed me,” Bogans said. “It would help them seeingme out on the sidelines cheering for them. I was just trying to do whatever Icould.”
