March 19, 2003
2003 NCAA Tournament
IUPUI Jaguars (20-13, 10-4 Mid-Continent)
vs.
No. 1/1 Kentucky Wildcats (29-3, 16-0 SEC)
First Round * March 21, 2003 * 11:30 a.m. CT
2003 NCAA Tournament
First & Second Rounds
Nashville, Tenn.
Gaylord Entertainment Center (17,413)
March 21-23, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
RADIO
UK Radio Network (80+ stations): Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, Dave Baker.
NCAA Radio Network: Dave Sims and John Thompson.
TELEVISION
CBS Sports: Jim Nantz, Billy Packer and Bonnie Bernstein.
Tubby Smith (High Point ’73)
Overall: 285-108 (.725) (12th)
At UK: 161-46 (.778) (6th)
In SEC Tourney: 16-4 (.800) (8)
In NCAAs: 20-8 (.714) (12th)
IUPUI Information
Location: Indianapolis, Ind.
Conference: Mid-Continent
Enrollment: 27,169
Founded: 1969
Nicknames: Jaguars, Jags
Website: iupuijaguars.com
NCAA Tournaments: First
Kentucky Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg Hometown Cat Scratch44 Chuck Hayes F 6-6 247 So. 9.0 6.8 Modesto, Calif. 8.0 rpg in SEC Tourney14 Erik Daniels F 6-8 214 Jr. 9.9 5.0 Cincinnati, Ohio Shot 71.4% FG in SECs50 Marquis Estill C 6-9 236 Sr. 10.9 5.8 Richmond, Ky. SEC All-Tournament Team10 Keith Bogans G 6-5 213 Sr. 16.0 4.0 Alexandria, Va. SEC Tourney MVP 4 Gerald Fitch G 6-3 188 Jr. 12.2 3.2 Macon, Ga. 41.4% from 3FG range
Key Reserves40 Jules Camara F-C 6-11 220 Sr. 6.8 3.4 Dakar, Senegal 78.0% foul shooter 1 Cliff Hawkins G 6-1 187 Jr. 5.8 *3.9 Dumfries, Va. 5.7 apg in SEC Tourney33 Antwain Barbour G-F 6-5 195 Jr. 3.6 1.6 Elizabethtown, Ky. Six points vs. Auburn24 Kelenna Azubuike G-F 6-5 208 Fr. 4.0 1.3 Tulsa, Okla. 42.3% from 3FG range* Assists per game
Team Comparison
cats jagsRecord 29-3 20-13Scoring Offense 77.5 71.5Scoring Defense 64.1 70.0Scoring Margin +13.4 +1.5FG % 48.7 45.2FG % Defense 41.2 47.43FG % 35.6 34.53FG % Defense 32.8 35.8Free Throw % 70.7 69.9Rebound Average 37.0 32.9Opp. Reb. Avg. 31.2 32.3Rebound Margin +5.8 +0.6TO Average 14.1 16.0Opponent TO 16.5 17.3TO Margin +2.4 +1.3Blocks Average 5.1 1.8Steals Average 7.8 8.5
Top Cats Begin Title Hunt in Music City, USA
After becoming the first team since the 1952 Wildcats to both sweep the Southeastern Conference regular-season schedule and the league’s postseason tournament, top-ranked Kentucky enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. UK will face No. 16-seed IUPUI, winner of the Mid-Continent Conference Championship, in first-round action in Nashville. The winner will meet the Oregon-Utah winner on Sunday.
IUPUI is in its sixth season of Division I basketball and set school records this season with 10 conference wins and 20 overall victories. This is the Jaguars’ first NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Wildcats enter the contest as the nation’s No. 1 team, according to the final AP poll released on Monday. The last time UK finished a season atop the media poll (1978), the Cats captured the NCAA title. It’s UK’s eighth time as the No. 1 team in the final AP poll prior to postseason play, which leads the nation.
Kentucky owns NCAA records in tournament appearances (44), wins (89) and tournament games played (127). Since the NCAA began tournament play in 1939, UK has appeared in nearly 70% of the 64 events, winning seven NCAA Championships over a 50-year span.
The Cats own the nation’s longest win streak at 23 games. Their last defeat came at Louisville on Dec. 28. It is the sixth-longest win streak in school history, the seventh-longest in SEC history and UK’s second-longest since 1966. In 1996, UK won 27 straight before losing in the finals of the SEC Tournament.
The Wildcats enter the contest as champions of the Southeastern Conference. With their title in the league tournament, UK claimed the SEC’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Tubby Smith is 20-8 in NCAA Tournament play, owning the fourth-best winning percentage (71.4%) among active coaches.
Madness Numbers
As the nation’s winningest team, Kentucky holds many distinctions in NCAA Tournament play, including:Appearances
Kentucky (1942-03) 44 UCLA (1950-02) 36 North Carolina (1941-01) 35
Tournament Games
Kentucky (1942-02) 127 North Carolina (1941-01) 116 UCLA (1950-02) 109
Tournament Wins
Kentucky (1942-02) 89 North Carolina (1941-01) 81 UCLA (1950-02) 81
Tournament Winning Percentage
Duke (1955-02) 76.5 (75-23) UCLA (1950-02) 72.7 (80-30) Kentucky (1942-02) 70.1 (89-38)
NCAA Championships
UCLA (1964-95) 11 Kentucky (1948-98) 7 Indiana (1940-87) 5
NCAA Final Fours
North Carolina (1946-00) 15 UCLA (1962-95) 14 Kentucky (1942-98) 13 Duke (1963-01) 13
NCAA Final Four Wins
UCLA (1962-95) 24 Kentucky (1942-98) 17 Duke (1963-01) 14
NCAA Cat Scratches
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 44
Tourney Record: 89-38 (70.1%)
Record vs. ’03 Field: 12-2 (11 teams)
Seed: UK is the No. 1 seed (Midwest) for the eighth time since tournament seeding began in 1979.
Bid: Automatic
Tourney Report
UK is 34-9 in tournament openers and has won its last 11 first-round games.
Since 1992, UK owns a 65-12 record (84.4%) in postseason play (SEC and NCAA).
Kentucky has participated in the NCAA Tournament in Nashville three times. In 1973, UK beat Austin Peay 106-100 in overtime before losing in the regional, 72-65, to Indiana. In 1982, the Cats were upset by Middle Tennessee. In 1993, UK beat Rider and Utah there to begin its trek to the Final Four in New Orleans.
The Cats participated in the 2001 SEC Tournament at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, beating three teams to capture the title. Tayshaun Prince was named tourney MVP while Keith Bogans made the All-Tournament team after averaging 21.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg while shooting a blistering 63.2% from the field, 50.0% from 3FG range.
Kentucky has played in the Midwest Region four times — 1957, 1996, 1999 and 2000. UK owns a 10-3 record in the region, including a 6-0 mark in its Dallas-Minneapolis-East Rutherford march to the 1996 NCAA Championship.
Kentucky is one of six SEC teams to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament this season. Both the SEC and the Big 12 placed six teams in the field of 65.
The IUPUI Series
Kentucky and IUPUI have never met on the hardwood.
The Jaguars will be UK’s second Mid-Continent Conference opponent in school history. The Cats took on Valparaiso in the opening round of NCAA action last year, winning 83-68.
The teams have played one common opponent this season, Notre Dame. IUPUI lost to the Fighting Irish, 89-45, in UND’s Guardian Classic on Nov. 18. The Cats earned an 88-73 win in Lexington on Jan. 18.
The IUPUI Skinny
The Jaguars claimed the 2003 MCC Tournament crown on a buzzer-beater from Matt Crenshaw. With the score tied at 64, the 27-year-old junior knocked down an 18-footer with one second remaining to give the Jags their first NCAA Tournament berth.
IUPUI is led by a starting five consisting of three seniors and two juniors. The Jags have just just one freshman and no sophomores. Junior Odell Bradley leads the squad in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.7 ppg and 4.8 rpg. The Aquinas College (Nashville) transfer will play in his first NCAA Tournament game in his hometown.
Ron Hunter leads the Jags in his ninth season at IUPUI. He took over the then-Division II program for the 1994-95 season and oversaw the transition to Division I status, which came on Oct. 30, 1997.
UK/IUPUI Connections
IUPUI junior forward Fred Long attended Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis and was a teammate to John Stewart, the UK recruit who collapsed and died during an Indiana high school tournament game in March, 1999. Stewart was one year older than Long and would have been a senior on this year’s team. Long still salutes his fallen teammate with a tribute on his playing shoes that reads, “RIP Big John.”
Jaguar associate head coach Todd Howard is the brother of former UK student manager Aaron Howard (1999-2002). The elder Howard is in his eighth season with the Jaguars, his second as associate head coach. The 1993 Louisville graduate attended Ballard High School, where he ran the backcourt with Allan Houston. He was a member of a U of L basketball squad that went to the NCAA Tournament three times under then-coach Denny Crum. His father, Terry, played for Louisville in the 1975 Final Four.
Should the Cats Advance…
If Kentucky advances past the first round, it will play the Oregon-Utah winner on Sunday. Here’s the skinny on the two teams…
Oregon
Series Record: UK leads 1-0
In Lexington: UK leads 1-0
In Eugene: 0-0
In NCAA Tournament Play: 0-0
The Cats have faced the Ducks just one time in school history, a 95-68 victory in the UKIT on Dec. 16, 1972. The Memorial Coliseum contest saw Wildcat Jim Andrews pour in 33 points and 19 rebounds, while Kevin Grevey added 14 points. The Cats are 19-8 lifetime against Pac-10 teams.
Utah
Series Record: UK leads 7-2
In Lexington: UK leads 2-1
In Salt Lake City: 0-0
In NCAA Tournament Play: UK leads 4-0
The two teams have met four times in the NCAA Tournament, with three of those meetings coming on the Wildcats’ way to the national title game. The last NCAA meeting came in the 1998 championship game, where UK rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit for the 78-69 win. It still stands as the largest halftime margin ever overcome in an NCAA title bout.
The teams last met in the 2000 Preseason NIT with UK winning, 56-48, in Lexington.
Season Review
Kentucky opened its 100th season of college basketball shorthanded at the Maui Invitational. Cliff Hawkins sat out the team’s first seven games for academic reasons and Erik Daniels missed the first four games for playing in a second sanctioned summer league.
UK managed a third-place finish in Maui, beating Arizona State in the opener before losing to Virginia in the semifinals after shooting 2-for-22 from three-point range. UK recovered to outgun Gonzaga, 80-72.
In practice two days later, the Cats lost starting swingman Antwain Barbour to a broken left hand, but traveled to North Carolina, which had just won the Preseason NIT, and left with an impressive 98-81 victory.
UK continued a rugged December schedule with a loss at home to Michigan State after Tim Bograkos canned a three-pointer with 51 seconds remaining to give the Spartans the lead. After a win over Indiana in Freedom Hall, UK lost at Louisville despite leading at halftime. The U of L game marked the first time Smith had his full complement of Wildcats available.
Since then, the Cats have strung together one of the most impressive win streaks in college basketball. Among the victims of the Cats’ 23-game stretch has been eight ranked opponents, including No. 1 Florida on Feb. 4, and three ranked foes on the road.
UK capped its impressive run by winning the SEC Tournament while holding all three opponents under 40% shooting from the field. In fact, five of the last six UK foes have shot less than 40% from the field. The one exception? Host Florida, which shot 52.8% from the field, outrebounded the Cats by one and totaled eight more assists… but lost by two.
National Coach of the Year
Orlando “Tubby” Smith was named the National Coach of the Year by The Sporting News and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association on Tuesday. Smith now has captured four national awards this season. He received the same honor by FoxSports.com on March 13 and ESPN/ESPN.com on March 14. Last week, he swept SEC Coach of the Year honors by both The Associated Press and the league coaches.
He’s the first UK coach to win the USBWA’s Hank Iba Award since Adolph Rupp captured the honor in 1966. Rick Pitino had captured TSN’s honor in 1991.
In 1998, Smith was named National Coach of the Year by Basketball Weekly.
NCAA Tournament Averages
Keith Bogans has enjoyed tremendous success in his three previous NCAA Tournaments. In eight games, the senior has averaged 17.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 3.3 apg. His best showing came in the 2001 regional semifinal against Southern Cal. He had 23 points and four boards in the loss. Bogans has topped 20 points twice in NCAA play.
Also enjoying success at the Big Dance are Jules Camara, Marquis Estill and Chuck Hayes. In Camara’s team-high nine games, he’s averaged 7.4 ppg and 4.6 rpg. Estill’s six games have seen him average 7.7 ppg and 3.0 rpg. Hayes averaged 6.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg in three games in 2002.
Back on Top!
Kentucky finished the season ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll, the news service announced Monday. It marks the first time since 1978 that the Wildcats were ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll. Earlier this season, UK celebrated the 25th anniversary of that national championship team.
UK enters the NCAA Tournament with a 29-3 overall record, winning the SEC Championship and the SEC Tournament title. The Cats spent the past four weeks ranked second nationally. Kentucky now owns the national record for the most No. 1 finishes in the AP poll with eight. UCLA trails by one. The Cats also topped the final poll in 1949, ’51, ’52, ’54, ’66, ’70 and ’78. The AP began its weekly rankings in 1949.
The Wildcats are the third SEC team to earn a No. 1 ranking this season, only the third time that has happened in the history of the AP poll. Alabama and Florida were both ranked No. 1 earlier in the season.
Kentucky has finished in the AP top 10 more than any other team in college basketball – 36 times in 100 seasons.
The Cats were ranked 17th in both preseason polls. Their lowest ranking this year was 20th.
One Shy of 30
Kentucky holds the national record for most 30-win seasons. With a record of 29-3, UK needs just one win to reach the milestone this season. It will mark the 11th time in school history, the first since the 1998 champs finished 35-4.
SEC Tournament Notables
Kentucky captured its 24th SEC Tournament Championship with a 64-57 win over Mississippi State on Sunday. The Wildcats have more tourney titles than all the other league teams combined and have won four trophies in Tubby Smith’s six seasons at UK.
Keith Bogans earned MVP honors after averaging 17.0 ppg in the three games. Joining him on the All-Tournament team was fellow Cat Marquis Estill, who totaled a tourney-high nine blocks, while averaging 6.3 rpg.
Erik Daniels went 15-of-21 from the field to lead all tournament participants in FG%, shooting 71.4%.
Kentucky led the tournament in scoring (74.3 ppg), scoring defense (59.3%), scoring margin (+15.0), FG% (50.9), FG% defense (35.8), 3FG% defense (28.9), rebounding margin (+8.0), blocked shots (7.3 pg) and assists (14.7 pg).
Other SEC Tourney Highlights
Erik Daniels had a terrific semifinal game vs. Auburn, totaling a team-high 17 points. While the Tigers led for most of the first half, Daniels ignited the crowd with 11 points in the first half, capped by a frightening dunk where Daniels ended up landing hard beneath the basket. His left wrist was bruised and he returned to action before the first half ended. He averaged 10.7 ppg in the tournament.
Cliff Hawkins tallied a season-high nine assists vs. Vanderbilt on March 14 when he earned his first start of the season. His previous season high was eight vs. Florida on Feb. 4. Hawkins averaged 5.7 apg in the tournament, while scoring 5.0 ppg.
Chuck Hayes grabbed 10 rebounds vs. Auburn, the eighth time he’s totaled double-figure rebounds this season. He leads the team in rebounding this season, averaging 6.8 rpg, but averaged 8.0 rpg in the SEC Tournament.
Three-Point Percentage
UK is shooting 35.6% from three-point range this season, its best since the 1998 season.
Against the Vanderbilt in the SEC Tourney, UK hit 40% from beyond the arc, the 13th time this season UK has hit 40% or better from 3FG arc this season.
Vs. Ranked Opponents
Kentucky has faced 12 ranked opponents this season. UK is 11-1 in those games, including wins over four top-10 teams, including No. 1 Florida on Feb. 4. (AP ranking at time of game)
Opponent Date Result Score#20 vs. Gonzaga 11/27 W 80-72#12 @North Carolina 12/7 W 98-81#21 Michigan St. 12/14 L 67-71#6 vs. Indiana 12/21 W 70-64#10 Notre Dame 1/18 W 88-73#24 Auburn 1/22 W 67-51#15 @Alabama 1/25 W 63-46#1 Florida 2/4 W 70-55#20 Georgia 2/11 W 87-67#19 Miss. State 2/23 W 70-62#21 @Georgia 3/2 W 74-66#3 @Florida 3/8 W 69-67
UK has more wins over ranked opponents than any team in America this season. The Cats are 11-1 vs. AP top-25 teams, including eight wins in the last two months. Arizona is next in wins vs. ranked opponents with seven.
Second Half Domination
After the Wildcats had their “defining moment” against Vanderbilt in Nashville on Jan. 14 — a 46-16 second half after trailing by eight points at the break — Kentucky has trailed in the second half in only three games since.
Auburn managed to grab the lead once in the second half on Jan. 22 for 44 seconds, while Georgia took the lead three times in Athens on March 2 for a total of two minutes and 56 seconds. In Sunday’s SEC Tournament title game, the Cats were behind for the first 1:06 seconds of the second half before a Keith Bogans’ three-pointer gave UK the lead for good. Therefore, in the 340 second-half minutes since Vanderbilt, UK has trailed for just 4:46.
Tubbyball
Kentucky is enjoying its best start in the Tubby Smith era with a 29-3 record entering NCAA Tournament play. The Cats began their triumphant championship season of 1998 with a 22-3 record before losing at home to Ole Miss. The current record is Smith’s best start in 12 seasons as a head coach and he’s never had a team go undefeated in league play until this season.
With the Cats’ success, Smith has captured both SEC Coach of the Year honors this season and was named National Coach of the Year by ESPN/ESPN.com, FoxSports.com, The Sporting News and USBWA over the past two weeks.
During the Tubby Smith era, the Wildcats have won 77.8% of their games, including one national championship, four SEC Championships, four SEC Tournament titles and five of six Eastern Division crowns. Including this season’s win total, Smith has averaged 26.8 wins per season in his six years.
Tubby Smith owns an impressive 31-7 record in March (81.6%) since taking over at UK. He’s 12-2 in the SEC Tournament, 14-4 in the NCAA Tournament and owns a 5-1 advantage in regular-season SEC contests.
Power Rankings
Jeff Sagarin ranks the Wildcats first in his latest power poll. UK’s difficult schedule rates eighth nationally. Two independent polls are listed below (schedule strength in parentheses):
Sagarin CollegeRPI.comKentucky 1st (8th) 1st (15th)IUPUI 162nd (210th) 160th (242nd)Oregon 30th (79th) 50th (88th)Utah 38th (86th) 16th (38th)
National Win Streaks (Through 3/19)
1. Kentucky – 23
2. Weber State – 17
3. Pennsylvania – 15
Win Streak
UK has won 23 straight games, the sixth-longest win streak in school history and the longest in Tubby Smith’s 12-year career. Smith’s 1998 champs won 13 straight en route to the title, then won the first four of the 1999 season to extend that streak to 17 games.
The Cats ran the table in 2003 league play with a 16-0 record, marking the longest SEC win streak under Tubby Smith and the longest since UK swept the SEC slate in 1996 (16-0).Other highlights of the streak include:
Kentucky earned the title of the nation’s longest win streak prior to its 14th straight win over LSU on Feb. 15.
The Cats’ win streak ranks seventh in SEC history.
The 29 wins this season are the most since the Cats captured the 1998 NCAA title with a 35-4 record.
The Cats have beaten eight ranked opponents during the run and won 11 of their last 17 games by 15 points or more.
During the 23-game stretch, opponents have averaged 17.1 turnovers per game and topped 40% shooting only eight times.
In the streak, eight Cats have averaged 10 minutes or more per game led by Keith Bogans’ 28.8 mpg.
Offensively in the last 23, UK has shot 49.1% FG and averaged 78.3 ppg while holding opponents to 40.2% FG shooting and 61.7 ppg.
UK All-Time Win Streaks
The 2003 Wildcats own the program’s sixth-longest win streak at 23 games.
Games Began Ended 32 12/5/53 1/8/55 27 12/2/95 3/10/96 26 1/28/46 12/30/46 25 2/27/65 3/5/66 24 2/6/33 2/24/34 23 1/2/52 3/2/52 23 12/30/02 -- 21 1/11/49 3/31/49 21 12/30/50 3/3/51 18 2/5/48 3/31/48
(See p. 233 of the UK media guide for a more detailed listing.)
Sir Charles of the Backboard
At 6-6, Chuck Hayes is not the most intimidating presence rebounding the ball. But the sophomore has recorded double-figure rebounds seven times this season, including a career-high 16 vs. Notre Dame. Hayes is averaging a team-leading 6.8 rpg.
If he finishes the season as the Cats’ top boarder, he’ll be the shortest leading rebounder at UK since 6-5 “Rupp Runt” Thad Jaracz averaged 8.3 rpg in 1967.
Road Warriors
UK finished the 2003 campaign with a 10-1 road record, the most road victories in a season since the ’98 champs went 11-0 on the road.
Even more impressive, UK was 8-0 on the road in the SEC in ’03.
Though NCAA tourney action is just beginning, UK has already accumulated a 17-2 record away from Rupp Arena. It’s the most neutral-site and road wins for the Wildcats since 1998. The Cats totaled 26 wins away from Rupp en route to the NCAA title that season.
Inside the Numbers
Kentucky is 7-1 at neutral sites this season, 1-0 in Nashville, a 74-52 win over Vanderbilt in Memorial Gym… In the 32 games this season, six different players have led the team in scoring, six in rebounding and eight in assists… UK is shooting 70.7% from the foul line and 48.7% from the field, the best since the 1996 season… UK has topped 50% shooting 15 times this season, after achieving the mark only six times all of last season… SEC opponents shot 41.1% FG and 28.3% from 3FG range during the regular season vs. the UK defense… UK has won the opening tip in 28 of the 32 games… The Cats are 24-1 since Cliff Hawkins returned to the lineup… The Cats have won 28 games when leading with five minutes to play… They are 4-0 when trailing at the half… UK has used just five starting lineups and Marquis Estill and Chuck Hayes are the only Cats to start all 32 games… The Cats are 24-0 when scoring 68 points or more.
Three Mania
Kentucky ranks third nationally in consecutive games with a made three-pointer. The Wildcats have hit a three-pointer in 505 consecutive games, which trails UNLV and Vanderbilt.
The Wildcats’ last game without a three-pointer came 14 seasons ago against Seton Hall on Nov. 26, 1988, a “three-point” loss in the Great Alaska Shootout.
UNLV and Vanderbilt have hit a three-pointer in every game since the three-point rule was adopted to start the 1986-87 season.
Unbeaten in 2003
UK went 8-0 in January before following up with an 8-0 slate in February. It was the first perfect January since 1998 and the first perfect February since 1996, when UK had a 27-game win streak prior to losing in the SEC Tournament final to Mississippi State. The Cats have opened March with a 6-0 record to remain unbeaten in 2003. Their last unbeaten March was 1998 (9-0).
UK now owns a 254-94 (.730) all-time record in March.
In regular-season play, UK is 63-26 in the month of March, including 54-14 record since March regular-season games resumed in 1954.
Deep Bench
Kentucky’s success this season extends beyond its starting five. The bench has paid huge dividends with five reserves averaging between 7.0 and 21.2 mpg. Cliff Hawkins and Jules Camara lead the charge. Hawkins sparks the team at both ends of the floor, averaging a team-high 3.9 apg with a career-best assist/turnover ratio of 1.9:1. Camara ranks fifth at UK in blocked shots with 154. The UK bench owns 68 career starting assignments.
Milestones
Keith Bogans moved past Jamal Mashburn and into fifth place on UK’s all-time scoring list during the SEC Tournament. The senior has 1,872 career points and can tie Tony Delk for fourth-place with 18 more points. He ranks first among active SEC players in career scoring.
Bogans now owns the school record for career three-point attempts with 719. He is just the second player in school history to attempt 700 3FGs.
Jules Camara needs three points for 800 and one rebound for 500 in his career.
Marquis Estill and Gerald Fitch both have 867 career points, 23 shy of 900.
‘Sufferin’ SuffoCats!’
Other outstanding defensive performances by UK this season include:
Holding Indiana’s Tom Coverdale to an ineffective six points, eight below his average.
Limiting Vanderbilt to four second-half FGs while outscoring VU by 30, 46-16 during the final 20 minutes to dispel the “Memorial Gym Magic.”
Forcing the nation’s No. 8 assists leader, Notre Dame’s Chris Thomas, into nine turnovers.
Holding Alabama to 10 made FGs, 23.8% shooting and 46 total points, the fewest since 1969 at home.
Limiting the Gators (2/4) to 20% shooting in the decisive first half, 34% for the game and a season-low 55 points.
Leveling Georgia (2/11) with a 20-point loss. The Dawgs had lost their previous six games by 27 total points.
Holding Arkansas to just one field goal in the first 10 minutes of the second half and just 11 points in the half’s first 16+ minutes. The Hogs finished the half with eight made baskets.
Limiting Vanderbilt to just 44 points, an opponent low this season. The ‘Dores managed to score just 15 points in the second half, also a season low for an opponent.
Holding Mississippi State’s leading peformers, Mario Austin and Derek Zimmerman to 6-for-27 shooting in the SEC tourney title game.
Allowing only four teams to shoot 50.0% from the field against the Cats five times season — Tennessee State, South Carolina in Columbia, Florida in Gainesville and twice by Tennessee. UK won all five outings.
Holding all three SEC opponents to less than 40% FG shooting.
Estill Holds Record Mark
Senior Marquis Estill owns the school record for FG percentage and ranks sixth in career FG percentage in the SEC. This year, he’s 139-for-241 from the field (57.7%), and for his career, he’s shooting 60.2%.
Estill ranks ahead of UK’s previous record holder, Charles Hurt (1980-83), who shot 59.3 percent. Estill captured the record once he surpassed the minimum 200 made during the Maui Invitational.
The 6-9 center can earn a fourth year of eligibility should he graduate by the start of the fall semester of 2003.
Career FG Percentage (Min. 200 made) 60.2 Marquis Estill (337-560) 2001-03 59.3 Charles Hurt (303-511) 1980-83 59.1 Melvin Turpin (626-1059) 1981-84 58.1 Rick Robey (533-917) 1975-78 57.1 Kenny Walker (765-1339) 1983-86
SEC Career FG Percentage (Min. 500 atts.) 64.1 Dwayne Davis, UF (572-892) 1987-91 62.6 Charles Barkley, AU (467-746) 1982-84 60.9 Aaron Swinson, AU (574-943) 1992-94 60.6 Willie Jones, VU (367-606) 1980-82 60.6 Will Perdue, VU (519-856) 1984-88 60.2 Marquis Estill, UK (337-560) 2001-03
Double-Doubles
Chuck Hayes recorded his fifth double-double of the season, the sixth of his career, when he totaled 15 points and 12 rebounds vs. Georgia on March 2. It was his second double-double of the season against the Dogs and the eighth recorded by the Cats this season.
Kentucky got two double-double performances in the same game for the first time since 2001 in its win over Georgia (2/11). The marks were achieved by Hayes (11-10) and Marquis Estill (16-12).
Estill has three career double-doubles and two this season. On Dec. 30, he had a 15-point, 11-rebound effort against Tennessee State.
Earlier this year, Jules Camara totaled 12 points and 10 rebounds in relief against Virginia, his fifth career double-double.
National Exposure
The SEC Tournament title game marked UK’s 17th appearance on national television this season. UK is 14-3 on either ESPN or CBS. The Cats’ 16 regular-season national TV games included 10 ESPN appearances and six contests on CBS.
Foul Shooting?
Kentucky has significantly improved its free throw shooting this season, hitting 70.7%, the best since the 1996 season.
Chuck Hayes was one of three Cats to shoot above 80% in 16 league games. Hayes has been Kentucky’s most consistent shooter from the charity stripe all season, hitting 80.0% of his shots. He’s hit 30 of his last 36 (83.3%) attempts.
In the Cats’ 23-game win streak, they’ve hit 71.3% of their attempts, after shooting 69.0% in the first nine games.
Against Tennessee (2/26), the Cats hit 25 of 29 (86.2%) FTs to secure the victory. It is the best percentage of the season per capita.
SEASON NOTES
100 Years
105 former Wildcats returned to campus for a 100 Years of Kentucky Basketball Reunion Weekend in conjunction with the UK-MSU game Feb. 23. A dinner on the floor of Memorial Coliseum Saturday night and a massive halftime introduction of the Cats were part of the many weekend-long events. Stars such as Ralph Beard, Vernon Hatton, Cotton Nash, Kenny Walker and Rex Chapman attended the festivities. UK also announced its “Fantasy Five,” the five favorite players according to the fans. Tony Delk, Jamal Mashburn, Kyle Macy, Jack Givens and Dan Issel made up the select group, although Delk and Mashburn were unable to attend due to NBA commitments. The oldest alum returning was Evan Settle, who played on legendary coach Adolph Rupp’s third and fourth UK teams in 1933 and ’34.
The Cats held a number of events throughout the season to honor the first century of basketball at UK, including fan balloting for the program’s greatest players, games and moments. The celebration included replays of the top-10 games on radio, a 25-year reunion of the 1978 NCAA Champs (Jan. 18) and four special-edition bobble-head dolls for fans to collect — Adolph Rupp, Tubby Smith, Kyle Macy and Cawood Ledford.
Kentucky celebrates unparalleled tradition, including seven NCAA titles, the most wins in college basketball, the best winning percentage in college hoops, the most consensus All-Americans, the most AP top-10 finishes, the most SEC Championships and tournament crowns and 15 national attendance titles.
Historic Sweep
With a thrilling 69-67 win over Florida on March 8, Kentucky captured a perfect league record at 16-0. It’s the second time in seven years that UK has accomplished the feat. In the first 22 years of the SEC (1933-54), 17 teams recorded perfect records in league play, including four seasons where two teams accomplished the feat. During those 22 years, Kentucky totaled 10 perfect SEC records.
Since 1954 (49 years), only two teams have swept the SEC regular-season schedule three times:
1956 – Alabama – 14-0
1996 – Kentucky – 16-0
2003 – Kentucky – 16-0
All-SEC
The league coaches named Keith Bogans the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and Tubby Smith the SEC Coach of the Year on March 12. It was the first SEC Player of the Year honor for the 6-5 senior and for Smith, it’s his second this season, the third of his career. He earned the honor March 11 by The Associated Press. In 1998, he was named Co-SEC Coach of the Year along with Tennessee’s Jerry Green.
Bogans also made first team in both the Coaches and AP vote along with Georgia’s Jarvis Hayes, Tennessee’s Ron Slay, Florida’s Matt Bonner and Mississippi State’s Mario Austin. Bogans was a second-team selection as a sophomore in 2001.
In the AP vote, Slay earned the league’s top player honor. UK’s Marquis Estill was named to the second team in both votes, his first all-conference honors. The AP also released an honorable mention All-SEC list that included Chuck Hayes, Cliff Hawkins and Gerald Fitch.
SEContinued Domination
UK is a charter member of the SEC and since the league’s inception in 1932-33, the Cats have been the most dominant team, recording a 796-212 mark (79.0%) during regular-season SEC play. No other team has won more than 654 regular-season SEC games (Alabama) and no other team has a better winning percentage. UK has averaged 11.4 wins and 3.0 losses per season during its SEC tenure.
The Wildcats have won 42 SEC titles and 24 SEC Tournament Championships, more titles than the other teams combined.
Kentucky has won nine of the last 12 SEC Tournament titles and Eastern Division crowns.
Tubby Smith is in his eighth season in the SEC, his sixth at Kentucky. In SEC regular-season play, he’s 94-34 (73.4%), the best record and most wins of any active coach in the league. He’s captured four SEC Championships and five Eastern Division crowns in six seasons in the Bluegrass. He also owns a 16-4 record in eight SEC Tournament appearances, winning four titles.
League Perfection
UK was one of an elite group of teams in the nation this season with a perfect conference record. The Wildcats finished 16-0 in SEC play.
Pennsylvania finished 14-0 in conference play. The Ivy League does not hold a conference tournament.
Weber State finished Big Sky action with a perfect 14-0 record. The only other time a Big Sky team accomplished the feat was WSU in 1969.
Rupp Arena
Kentucky closed out its 27th season at Rupp Arena with its 11th consecutive home victory, a 106-44 beating of Vanderbilt. UK has not lost at home since a Michigan State victory on Dec. 14. The Cats went 12-1 on Cawood’s Court this season.
The Cats recorded their 350th win in the legendary venue against Mississippi State on Feb. 23. UK is 352-40 (89.8%) all-time in Rupp.
The Cats have won the national attendance title the past eight seasons. Overall, UK has won 15 national attendance titles in the building. Kentucky claimed its eighth consecutive national attendance title in 2003, averaging 22,271 fans per contest in Rupp Arena. The next closest teams were Syracuse and North Carolina. Syracuse averaged 20,921 fans in the Carrier Dome, while UNC averaged 19,384 per game.
UK set a new attendance record with 24,459 fans at the Florida game on Feb. 4. The arena holds 200 more patrons due to the new standing-room only student section in one end zone, the “e-Rupp-tion Zone.” The previous record was 24,340 fans at the UK-Louisville game on Dec. 23, 1995.
Vs. Top-Five Opponents
Kentucky earned its 50th win over a top-5 opponent since the AP rankings began in 1949. With the 69-67 victory at No. 3 Florida, UK improved to 50-43 all-time against top-5 teams. Based on the AP ranking at the time of the game, UK owns a 5-9 mark against No.1 teams, 8-9 vs. No. 2, 8-8 vs. No. 3, 14-8 vs. No. 4 and 15-9 vs. No. 5.
SEC Marks
In 1992, the league split into two divisions and implemented its current postseason tournament format.
Since then, the Cats have earned a bye in all 12 tournaments, meaning the Cats have finished no worse than second in the division since the league split 12 years ago. In SEC media voting, UK was picked to finish third in the East this season at SEC Media Days but instead, captured the Eastern Division title.
Kentucky has won or shared nine East titles since 1992 and six of its league-leading 42 SEC Championships.
SEC Leaders
In the completed 16-game SEC slate, UK led the league in nine different statistical categories — scoring defense, scoring margin, FG%, FG% defense, 3FG% defense, rebounding, rebound defense, rebounding margin and steals. The Cats were second in scoring offense and blocks.
Bogans’ SEC Tournaments
Keith Bogans has performed well in his four career SEC Tournaments. In eight games, the senior averaged 19.3 ppg and 5.4 rpg.
His tournament-high point total came as a freshman when he scored 25 points in a quarterfinal loss to Arkansas. As a sophomore, he led all scorers in tournament play, averaging 21.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg, but teammate Tayshaun Prince won the 2001 SEC Tournament MVP honor. This season, Bogans captured the honor after averaging 17.0 ppg in three games, including 22 points in the win over Mississippi State.
Sports Illustrated
Junior guard Cliff Hawkins graced the March 10 cover of Sports Illustrated entitled, “Kentucky Comes On Strong.” SI is a national sports magazine read by 21 million people worldwide. It’s the Wildcats’ first regular cover since former guard Wayne Turner earned the honor after Kentucky won the 1998 NCAA Championship. That season, UK appeared four times, including the Coach Tubby Smith cover that was featured on the magazine’s special commemorative issue to celebrate Kentucky’s title. So was there a jinx? Not at all. UK appeared on a tournament preview issue in ’98, then again on the Final Four preview issue.
Heshimu Evans appeared on a regional cover the following season as part of the NCAA Tournament preview. All totaled, UK has appeared on the SI cover 19 times, including the very first cover in 1948 featuring Ralph Beard.
This is the first in-season college basketball cover that SI has produced in three years.
Dominating the ‘Dores
Kentucky recorded the most dominating victory in its win streak against visiting Vanderbilt on March 5, 106-44. It was UK’s largest margin of victory since defeating Morehead State, 96-32 (64 points) on Dec. 16, 1995. It was the largest margin of victory vs. an SEC opponent since the Wildcats beat Georgia by an SEC-record 77 points, 143-66, on Feb. 27, 1956 in the Louisville Armory.
UK’s win over VU ranks as the fourth-largest margin of victory by an SEC team over a league foe. The Cats own each of the four spots.
Date Team Opp. Score Margin2-27-56 Kentucky Georgia 143-66 772-27-47 Kentucky Vandy 98-29 692-23-47 Kentucky Auburn 84-18 663-5-03 Kentucky Vandy 106-44 62
Senior Night
In a special pregame ceremony before the Vanderbilt game on March 5, UK honored its seniors, Keith Bogans, Jules Camara and Marquis Estill, on Senior Night. The ceremony included video tributes, 23,000 singing “My Old Kentucky Home” and the gift of framed jerseys.
The Cats also honored the memory of John Stewart III, a UK signee who collapsed and died during a state playoff game his senior year in Indianapolis. Stewart’s parents attended the game and participated in the ceremony. The 7-0 bigman from Lawrence North High School would have been a member of the 2003 senior class and the first 7-footer since Sam Bowie in 1984. It was determined later that “Big John” died from a congenital heart condition.
Kooky for Azubuike
Freshman Kelenna Azubuike was “the man” in the second half against Vanderbilt on March 5. The 6-5 forward, who averaged nearly 40 points per game last year in high school, played two unproductive minutes in the first half, but turned up the heat after the break.
He was 6-6 FG, 2-2 3FG and 2-2 FT to total 16 points three rebounds and three steals in just eight second-half minutes. He got the spurt started with an awe-inspiring tip-dunk that made SportCenter’s Plays of the Day.
Bogans’ Streak Ends in Athens
Keith Bogans’ streak of hitting a three-pointer in consecutive games came to an end against Georgia on March 2. The senior nailed a three-pointer in 29 consecutive games, including the first 26 games this season and the three NCAA Tournament games last year. His streak is the third longest in school history.
UK 3FG Streaks
1. Tony Delk (1994-95) – 34
2. Travis Ford (1993-94) – 32
3. Keith Bogans (2002-03) – 29
*Note: All three streaks occurred over two seasons.
Stormin’ Sixth Man
UK guard Cliff Hawkins earned recognition from hoops analyst Dick Vitale as one of the top-six sixth men in the country this season.
Hawkins, who missed the first seven games of the season due to academic ineligibility, has returned in an effective reserve role. As one of the Cats’ best defenders, his assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.9:1. He had a season-high 14 points vs. Mississippi State on Feb. 23 then followed up with 11 vs. Tennessee on Feb. 26, just the second time he’s registered back-to-back double-figure point totals in his career.
Joining Hawkins on the Vitale All-Rolaids team were Brian Boddicker (Texas), Daniel Ewing (Duke), Marc Jackson (Utah), Chevon Troutman (Pittsburgh) and Ronny Turaif (Gonzaga).
Early Honors
Keith Bogans earned first-team recognition and Marquis Estill was named to the second team when the NABC District 7 teams were announced last week.
Joining Bogans on the first team was Tennessee’s Ron Slay, Vanderbilt’s Matt Frieje, Louisville’s Reece Gaines and Morehead State’s Ricky Minard.
On the second team with Estill was Chris Massie of Memphis, Damien Kinloch of Tennessee Tech, Marvin Stone of Louisville and James Singleton of Murray State.
On the Rebound
Kentucky dominated its opponents on the glass during league play, owning an SEC-leading rebounding margin of 6.8 rpg. The Wildcats also finished first in rebounding defense, holding teams to just 29.6 boards per game.
Those stats were put to the test against Mississippi State on Feb. 23. The Bulldogs ranked second in the country in rebounding margin entering the game, outrebounding their opponents by 9.1 rpg. UK won the battle of the boards, 37-25. Against Georgia on March 2, UK outrebounded the Dogs, 50-32. The Cats then followed with a 56-34 domination of the glass against Vanderbilt (3/5).
Topping Twenty
The Wildcats won their 20th game of the season for the 13th year in a row against LSU on Feb. 15. Kentucky has recorded 20 wins in 38 of its 100 seasons. Coach Tubby Smith recorded his 10th consecutive 20-win season as a head coach. He’s accomplished the feat in all six seasons in the Bluegrass and his impressive string has occurred at three different schools.
Vs. SEC West
UK finished the 2003 regular season with a 6-0 sweep of SEC Western Division teams. With its win over Mississippi State on March 16, the Cats own a 10-game win streak against the West, dating back to 2002, and have won nine of their last 10 vs. teams from the other division. UK’s last West defeat came against Alabama last year.
It was UK’s first regular-season sweep of the West since 1996. The Cats lost to MSU in the SEC Tournament that year.
Overall, UK is 57-17 (.770) against SEC West Division teams since the league split in ’92.
Opponent’s Top Target
During SEC play, Kentucky singled out the opponent’s top gun and severely limited his production in the first half of those games.
Against Auburn, UK limited the SEC’s No. 2 scorer, Marquis Daniels, to just two first-half points. Daniels totaled just 11 points, eight below his average.
At Alabama, Erwin Dudley finished the game 0-7 FG and teammate Kenny Walker was 0-6 FG. Dudley was scoreless in the first half.
Against Florida on Feb. 4, Matt Bonner had no points on 0-6 shooting in the opening stanza.
Vs. Ole Miss, Justin Reed was 0-6 in the first half and had no points at halftime.
Against Georgia on Feb. 11, Ezra Williams canned his first shot with 13:41 left to play, finishing with five points for the game. In the rematch on March 2, UK held Bulldog star Jarvis Hayes to just five first-half points and 11 in the game. Hayes and Williams, the Dogs’ top-two scorers, were a combined 10-of-29 from the field for the game.
Vs. LSU, Ronald Dupree scored just two of his 10 points in the first half.
Against Vanderbilt (3/5), UK held Matt Freije to just nine points, half of his average. The junior was 3-of-13 from the field. The Cats also held VU’s No. 2 scorer, Brian Thornton, to two points, 10 below his average.
Good Work!
Jules Camara was the SEC Good Works Team Player of the Week for Feb. 17-23 and was featured on Jefferson-Pilot’s telecasts of the UK-Arkansas, Alabama at Tennessee and South Carolina at Georgia games that week.
The senior has been a community volunteer throughout his career, including serving dinner at the “Hope Center” for the homeless, working ice cream socials at the senior citizen’s center, playing bingo at the UK Children’s Hospital, assisting with the March of Dimes’ “Walk-a-thon,” appearing at a rally against violence in schools and giving pep talks to school children prior to state testing. Most impressively, after violating the athletics department’s policy on alcohol, Camara has appeared at numerous DARE graduations and pep rallies.
Toppling the Top-Ranked
Kentucky arguably won its biggest game of the year on Feb. 4 when it defeated No. 1 Florida. Highlights included:
The 70-55 win was UK’s fifth victory over a top-ranked opponent and marked it’s largest margin of victory against a No. 1 opponent. It marked the third top-10 opponent UK had beaten this season.
Florida was held to 55 points and 34.0% shooting, both season lows for the Gators. UK held Florida to just 20.0% shooting in the first half.
Kentucky fans set a new Rupp Arena attendance record with a crowd of 24,459. The previous record was 24,340 against Louisville in 1995.
Keith Bogans led the Wildcats with 15 points, all in the decisive first half. In seven career games against the Gators, he averages 16.9 ppg.
The Wildcats held Gator seniors Matt Bonner, Justin Hamilton and Brett Nelson to a combined 17 points. The group entered the game averaging a collective 30 points a game.
Kentucky’s key run came with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half. Up 22-18, UK closed the half with a 23-4 run for a 45-22 halftime lead.
The UK/Florida game was the highest rated college hoops game on ESPN all season.
Dynamite Daniels
When the Cats traveled to Ole Miss on Feb. 8, Erik Daniels was listed as questionable for the game. The junior was battling pain due to an infected gland beneath his right arm.
Infection or not, the Cincinnati native scored a career-high 20 points on 10-for-12 shooting to lead the Cats. His 10 made baskets also were a career best. Daniels added four boards, three assists and a steal in the win.
On Feb. 9, he had the infection surgically drained. He totaled 12 points and six boards against Georgia two days later.
Glue Times Two
On Jan. 7, UK’s Chuck Hayes was named to cnnsi.com’s All-Glue team. The squad, chosen by Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis, celebrates those players in the game who ‘by virtue of their toughness and smarts help their teams win in subtle but important ways’.
It marks the second straight year that a UK sophomore has earned the honor. Gerald Fitch was named captain of the squad last season.
Joining Hayes on this year’s squad is captain Rick Anderson (Arizona), Jaron Brown (Pittsburgh), Justin Hamilton (Florida), Robert Johnson (Oregon), Ellis Myles (Louisville) and Tony Robertson (UConn).
Quick Start
UK played at South Carolina’s new Carolina Coliseum for the first time on Feb. 1, and got off to a quick start, tallying 57 points in the first half.
It was the most points in a half by a USC opponent this season, as the Cats led 57-32 at the break. UK went on to win the game, 87-69, marking the most total points by a Gamecock foe this year as well.
The Cats’ dominated inside, tallying 52 of their 87 points in the paint. Kentucky topped 50.0% shooting for the 10th time in ’03.
Low Tide
Against Notre Dame, basketball analyst Clark Kellogg described Kentucky’s defense as the “saran-wrap defense.” Against Alabama, that “D” produced tremendous results.
UK held the Tide to just 10 made baskets, the lowest by an opponent since Morehead State made nine FGs in a 96-32 loss to the Cats on Dec. 16, 1995.
Bama’s 46 points was its lowest point total since the 1996 season and the fewest at home since 1969.
UA’s 23.8% FG shooting was the lowest by an opponent this season and the worst by a UK opponent since Georgia Tech shot 24.2% against UK on Dec. 19, 1998.
2002 SEC Player of the Year Erwin Dudley shot 0-for-7 from the field while teammate Kenny Walker was 0-for-6. It marked the first time in Dudley’s four-year career he was held without a FG.
Cats vs. No. 1 Teams
With its win over top-ranked Florida on Feb. 4, UK owns a 5-9 all-time record against the top team in the Associated Press Top-25.
UK vs. No. 1 teams since 1949:
Opp. Result Date Site Ohio St. L, 74-87 3-18-61 N-Louisville Ohio St. L, 64-74 3-17-62 N-Iowa City Indiana W, 92-90 3-22-75 N-Dayton UCLA L, 85-92 3-31-75 N-San Diego Indiana L, 68-77 12-15-75 N-Louisville Indiana W, 69-58 12-15-79 H-Lexington UNC L, 69-82 12-26-81 N-Meadowlands Duke L, 80-55 11-19-88 N-Springfield Duke L, 103-104* 3-28-92 N-Philadelphia Arkansas W, 90-78 3-12-94 N-Memphis UMass W, 81-74 3-30-96 N-Meadowlands Arizona L, 74-89 11-25-97 N-Maui Duke L, 92-95* 12-18-01 N-Meadowlands Florida W, 70-55 2-4-03 H-Lexington *Overtime
Hayes Fever
Chuck Hayes has been a consistent threat for the Wildcats over the past two seasons, but on Jan. 18 against 10th-ranked Notre Dame, Hayes had his best game at Kentucky.
The Modesto, Calif., native recorded 17 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks and five assists, all then-career bests.
Hayes collected three blocks within the first six minutes of the game and dominated the glass, pulling down 13 defensive rebounds in the win.
Hayden Dies
Basil Hayden, the Wildcats’ first All-American in 1921, passed away on Jan. 9, in Paris, Ky. He was 103.
Hayden lettered for the Wildcats from 1919-22, leading the Cats to the 1921 Southern Intercollegiate Tournament Championship. The four-game event, played in Atlanta, was the first basketball tournament held in the South, and many believe, the first played in the nation. The Cats beat Tulane, Mercer, Mississippi A& M and Georgia to capture the trophy and finish the season with a 13-1 record.
Hayden injured his knee in the high jump prior to his senior season and while he played, was less effective. He later returned as coach of the Wildcats, but after leading UK to a 3-13 record, decided coaching was not in his blood.
Season Turning Point?
Kentucky battled back from a 14-point first-half deficit against Vanderbilt on Jan. 14 to win the game, 74-52.
Down 36-28 at the half, UK used a 25-3 run to start the second half, virtually shutting the ‘Dores down in the final period. The Cats outscored VU 46-16 in the half. Prior to the game, UK was outscoring its opponents by 7.0 ppg in the first half, but just 1.9 ppg in the second stanza.
The Wildcats tallied 12 second-half steals, converting to 17 points off turnovers in the final period. UK limited Vandy to just one offensive rebound in the second half and the ‘Dores had more turnovers (13) than FGs (4) in the second half.
Senior Day Supremacy
The Wildcats have been highly successful in Senior Day games in Lexington. Since 1920, the Cats are 79-4, winning the last six and 38 of the last 39. UK has not lost a Senior Night game in the Tubby Smith era.
With it’s 106-44 win over the Commodores on March 5, Kentucky is 22-1 against Vanderbilt on Senior Day, with the only loss coming on Feb. 20, 1932, a 32-31 decision. UK has defeated the Commodores by an average of 21.7 ppg on Senior Day in Lexington. The first UK-VU Senior Day battle came on Feb. 23, 1912, a 22-18 UK win.
SEC Openers
With the win over Tennessee on Jan. 8, Kentucky is 54-16 all-time in SEC openers and has won 15 of its last 16 league debuts. Its only loss during the stretch came last year at Mississippi St., a 74-69 decision in overtime.
Home Openers
With the win over High Point, Kentucky is now 85-15 all-time in home openers. Nine of those losses occurred before Adolph Rupp began coaching in 1930. The Cats are 66-6 since 1930, losing the home opener in 1955 to Temple, 1962 to Va. Tech, 1972 to Iowa, 1988 to Northwestern State, 2000 to Penn State and last season to Western Kentucky.
UK now stands at 24-3 in home openers at Rupp Arena.
Bogans Off the Bench
In his four-year career at UK, Keith Bogans has played a reserve role just 13 times, but he’s played the role well. The senior averages 10.8 ppg off the bench and has scored in double digits eight times.
Bogans’ most recent outing as a reserve came against Tennessee on Jan. 8, where he led the team with 20 points and nine rebounds.
December Embers
The Wildcats completed a rugged December schedule, which included three road games and games against three ranked opponents, with a 5-2 record.
All-time, UK holds a 431-103 mark (.807) in the month of December. Last season, the Cats went 5-1 in the year’s final month with their only loss coming at the hands of then-No. 1 Duke in the Jimmy V Classic.
The Hawk Returns
Point guard Cliff Hawkins returned to the court against IU on Dec. 21 after missing the Cats’ first seven games. The junior was ineligible for the fall semester after academic troubles.
Hawkins showed he hadn’t missed a beat when he entered the game mid-way through the first half. The Dumfries, Va., native totaled four points, five rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes.
The highlight of his return came late in the game when he timed an alley-oop pass to Jules Camara for a dunk.
Fitch Named SEC and TSN’s POW
Gerald Fitch recorded back-to-back career highs – 18 points against High Point, 25 against No. 12 North Carolina – in early December to lead the Wildcats to consecutive wins, earning SEC Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. He also was recognized nationally as The Sporting News’ Player of the Week.
Fitch shot 68.2% from the field for the week and 75.0% from three-point range against the two teams. Against High Point, he totaled a career-high six assists as well. Against UNC, he scored 16 of his 25 in the decisive second half as UK rallied from a 43-40 halftime deficit. Fitch, normally a two-guard, was playing at point guard in the absence of 2002 starter Cliff Hawkins. He averaged 21.5 ppg and 4.0 apg for the week.
Triple Trouble
Three Wildcats topped the 20-point mark in UK’s win over UNC on Dec. 7, making it the first time in 13 seasons that three players scored 20 points in the same game. Gerald Fitch led the team with a career-high 25 points, while Keith Bogans and Marquis Estill each added 20. All of Estill’s points came in the decisive second half.
The last group to accomplish the feat included current UK assistant coach Reggie Hanson. With Tubby Smith on the sidelines as an assistant, Hanson combined his 20 points with 21 by Deron Feldhaus and a 40-point burst from Derrick Miller for a 100-73 win over Vanderbilt on Feb. 7, 1990.
Long-Range Love
UK was 10-of-16 from treyville against UNC, connecting on 62.5% of its shots, which would be a school record had the Cats made the minimum 20 threes needed.
It was the highest three-point percentage since UK hit 63.6% of its shots against Wake Forest during its 1996 march to the national title. UK was 7-of-11 from outside in that game.
Daniels’ Solid Return
Junior Erik Daniels, who was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating NCAA rules governing summer league play, had a stellar return against North Carolina on Dec. 7. Daniels shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including 1-of-1 from three-point land, for nine points, while grabbing five rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes.
His productive start was reminiscent of his freshman season when the Cincinnati native missed the opener after having his knee scoped in the preseason. He returned against UCLA and over the course of the next three games was a perfect 9-for-9 from the field.
Maui Invitational Results
Kentucky finished in third place at the 19th annual Maui Invitational. Kentucky beat Arizona State in the first round before getting upset by Virginia in the semifinals. The Wildcats then beat No. 20 Gonzaga in the consolation game. It was the third appearance for UK in the Maui Invitational. The Cats are now 7-2 all-time in the tournament, earning a championship in 1993 and a third-place finish in 1997 in their two previous appearances.
Keith Bogans averaged 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game to earn All-Tournament team honors. UK rival Indiana beat Virginia to claim the 2002 title.
Well more than 500 Kentucky fans made the trip to the Maui Invitational to cheer on the Cats. UK chartered an L1011, and along with an official traveling party of 55 team and school personnel, an additional 300 fans were aboard the plane. Also, another 150 fans purchased the trip through Lexington’s Commonwealth Travel and flew commercially. Others made the trip via additional travel agencies or on their own to help give the Wildcats the largest cheering section among the eight participating teams.
PRESEASON NOTES
The Zone
Once again this season, Rupp Arena debuted new upgrades, including all blue seats in the lower level, a new concourse, a standing-room only “eRUPP-tion Zone” for the student body and a media press box, all totaling $5.1 million. The new purple concourse is two levels, replacing the old one-level boxed concession stand. It features greater concession stand access and more restrooms. The “eRUPPtion Zone” moved 400 season ticket holders to other seats in lower arena and moves the band and nearly 700 students into the end zone nearest UK’s bench. It also gave students access to floor-level seating, er, standing. A UK junior from Lincolnton, N.C., Andy Acker, named the area in a contest among the student body. His entry was picked from nearly 200 submissions.
Returning Production
UK lost just one starter off its 2002 Sweet 16 team (Tayshaun Prince), but returned just 67.1% of its scoring from a year ago. Here’s the complete breakdown:
Points – 67.1%
Rebounds – 76.6%
Assists – 81.7%
Blocks – 67.3%
Steals – 77.4%
SEC Preseason Poll
The Wildcats were picked to finish third in the SEC Eastern Division in a preseason poll of media members. UK, which has not finished lower than second since the league split into divisions in 1992, also was predicted to finish fourth in the race for the SEC regular-season crown.
Keith Bogans was the only Wildcat picked as either first- or second-team preseason All-SEC poll. The first team included Erwin Dudley (Alabama), Mario Austin (Miss. State), Jarvis Hayes (Georgia), Maurice Williams (Alabama), and Brett Nelson (Florida). The second team included Bogans, Ronald Dupree (LSU), Matt Bonner (Florida), Ezra Williams (Georgia) and Derrick Zimmerman (Miss. State).
BIG BLUE MANIA
Great Games Replayed
Host Communications and the UK Radio Network re-broadcasted the top-10 UK games as voted on by the fans this past fall.
The games, which aired from January to March included; No. 10 — UK -Louisville 1983, the original “Dream Game”; No. 9 — UK-LSU in ’90, when the outmanned Wildcats shot down Shaquille O’Neal and Chris Jackson; and No. 8 — UK-Kansas in ’78, when Dwight Anderson and Kyle Macy led the Cats to a 67-66 win after trailing by six with 30 seconds to play; No. 7 — UK-Duke ’92, arguably the greatest college basketball game ever played and the last with the legendary Cawood Ledford behind the microphone; No. 6 — 1975 Kentucky-Indiana regional final as the Cats earned a trip to the Final Four; No. 5 — 1978 NCAA Championship game between UK and Duke with Jack Givens scoring 41points to lead UK; No. 4 — the 1996 NCAA Championship game as Tony Delk tied a title-game record with seven three-pointers to help the Cats down Syracuse; No. 3 — the 1998 NCAA title game against Utah which saw Jeff Sheppard earn Final Four MVP honors for his performance in the games; No. 2 — the 1994 LSU game which saw the Cats claw back from 31 points down with just 15:34 remaining in the game to earn the 99-95 win and No. 1 — the 1998 NCAA Regional Semifinal vs. Duke, which saw UK battle back from a 17-point deficit with 9:38 remaining to claim an 86-84 win and the Final Four berth.
Fantasy Five
Kentucky introduced the “Fantasy Five,” the all-time top-five players in UK’s 100 seasons of basketball as voted on by fans in balloting last fall on UK’s official website, ukathletics.com, and in retail outlets.
The group of more than 500,000 voters chose Dan Issel, Jack “Goose” Givens, Kyle Macy, Jamal Mashburn and Tony Delk to the all-star squad. The group was honored in ceremonies prior to the Mississippi State game on Feb. 23, though Mashburn and Delk could not attend due to NBA commitments.
Mashburn, Walker Earn All-Star Recognition
Former Wildcats Jamal Mashburn (’93) and Antoine Walker were both named to the 2003 NBA All-Star team. The “Monster Mash,” who plays for the New Orleans Hornets, earned his first NBA award while averaging 20.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game at midseason.
Walker has the Boston Celtics in playoff contention once again, averaging 21.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 4.3 apg at midseason. He was on the All-Star team in 1998 and 2002. Walker was the Cats’ sixth former letterman to be named an NBA All-Star while Mashburn, a 10-year NBA veteran, becomes the Cats’ seventh NBA All-Star.
It marks the first time since 1951 that two Wildcats have earned All-Star recognition in the same season — Alex Groza and Ralph Beard.
Cheerleaders’ String Snapped
The Kentucky cheerleaders had their string of eight consecutive national championships ended on Jan. 11 when UK finished second to Central Florida at the UCA Championships in Orlando.
Kentucky has won the title 12 times, but not since 1994 has a team other than the Wildcats captured the crown until Central Florida.
The UK pom squad finished ninth nationally and Scratch, one of two UK mascots, placed 11th in the mascot competition.
Keightley’s Been a Part of Half of UK’s Games
Incredible. Bill Keightley is in his 42nd season as equipment manager of the UK basketball team. The beloved “Mr. Wildcat” began assisting in the equipment room during the 1961-62 season and since then, UK has played 1,295 games, owning a 994-301 (.768) record.
The Wildcats, who are celebrating their 100th season of basketball, have played 2,418 games, meaning Keightley has played a role in 53.6% of the games.
The Lawrenceburg, Ky., native, who has a jersey retired in the rafters of Rupp Arena, has worked under five different head coaches at UK — Rupp, Hall, Sutton, Pitino and Smith. The current cats have a modern nickname for the 75-year-old Keightley — “Smooth.”
Wiggins In 50th Season
Big Blue fan Bob Wiggins, 75, continued his amazing streak of following the basketball Cats. He’s in his 50th season watching Kentucky play in person and through his own record-keeping, has attended 1,253 UK games.
Wiggins, who is retired and lives in Falmouth, Ky., saw 615 consecutive games — home and away — from 1977 until he suffered a heart attack before the 1996 Great Alaska Shootout. It’s the second-longest streak on record at UK. The longest record is the late Steve Reardon’s 626 games.
The illness forced Wiggins to miss four games, but he has since returned to see every contest in person, a streak of 238 games.
Meanwhile, his home court streak is still intact. Wiggins has not missed a home game in 42 years, a streak spanning 602 games. During that period, which dates back to 1960-61, UK has a home record of 535-67 (.889).
UK’s NBA Players
To start the 2002-03 NBA season, the following Wildcats were active:
Derek Anderson – Portland
Tony Delk – Boston
Jamaal Magloire – New Orleans
Jamal Mashburn – New Orleans
Walter McCarty – Boston
Ron Mercer – Indiana
Nazr Mohammed – Atlanta
Scott Padgett – Utah
Mark Pope – New York
Tayshaun Prince – Detroit
Antoine Walker – Boston
In addition, former UK assistant Jim O’Brien is the coach of the Boston Celtics while former UK All-American Pat Riley coaches Miami .
Other Wildcats participating in professional basketball include Heshimu Evans, Jared Prickett, Andre Riddick and Wayne Turner, who are all playing overseas, and Saul Smith, who plays for Columbus of the NBDL.
