Dec. 17, 2001
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – No. 7/8 Kentucky Wildcats (6-1)vs.No. 1/1 Duke Blue Devils (9-0)
GAME #8
Dec. 18, 2001
Jimmy V Classic
9 p.m.
The Meadowlands (20,000)
East Rutherford, N.J.
UK RADIO NETWORK
90+ stations: Tom Leach, Mike Pratt and Dave Baker.
TELEVISION
ESPN: Brad Nessler, Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas
Wildcats Face Unbeaten Duke in Jimmy V
Celtics vs. Lakers. Mets vs. Dodgers. Packers vs. Bears. Nicklaus vs. Palmer.
Blue Devils vs. Wildcats.
In what has become one of the most storied rivalries in all of sports, Duke vs. Kentucky resumes when the two teams battle in the Jimmy V Classic at the Meadowlands. An epic contest in the 1992 NCAA East Region elevated the rivalry to near legendary status as the Blue Devils advanced to the Final Four with a 104-103 overtime win in what many labeled “the greatest college basketball game ever played.” Since then, the teams have met only twice. Kentucky gained revenge in the 1998 NCAA South Regional when the Cats rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit in the final 10 minutes to earn an 86-84 victory en route to the NCAA Championship. The last meeting was at the Meadowlands three years ago — Dec. 22, 1998 — a 71-60 win by Duke in the Jimmy V Classic.
But the rivalry was born many years ago. The first two meetings occurred in the Southern Conference Tournament in 1930 and ’31. In the 18 previous meetings, the games have been decided by six points or less 12 times. Kentucky and Duke have met in the national semifinals (UK winning 83-79 in ’66) and the national championship (UK winning 94-88 in ’78).
Nine of the last 10 meetings dating back to 1963 have been played at neutral sites. The Wildcats haven’t played in Durham since 1958, while Duke has never visited Rupp Arena.
While Kentucky enters the contest on a six-game win streak, Duke has won 19 consecutive games. The game also features two preseason All-Americans and leading candidates for National Player of the Year Honors — front-runner Jason Williams of Duke and UK’s Tayshaun Prince.
But what else is there… it’s top-ranked Duke vs. No. 8 Kentucky.
Series History
* This marks the 19th meeting between the rivals and the third in the last five seasons. Kentucky leads the series 11-7, but Duke has earned five of the last six wins. The Blue Devils were on a four-game series win streak when the Cats pulled the upset in the 1998 NCAA South Region Final.
* The teams last met at the 1998 Jimmy V Classic with the Devils taking the 71-60 decision after a 22-point performance by Elton Brand. Duke holds a 6-5 advantage at neutral sites.
* Five of the last seven games in the series have been decided by six points or less, three of which have been decided by two points or less and a fourth decided in overtime.
* Duke and UK have met four times in the NCAA Tournament with each team winning twice.
* Nine of the last 10 games in the series have occured at neutral sites, dating back to the Sugar Bowl turney in 1963. Overall, the teams have met at neutral sites 11 times with Duke holding a 6-5 edge.
* The first game in the series was played on March 3, 1930, a 37-32 Duke win in the Southern Conference Tournament, a league where both teams once competed.
* Coach Mike Krzyzewski is 3-1 against UK starting with an 80-55 victory in the Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 19, 1988.
* Coach Tubby Smith is 1-1 against Duke after grabbing a win in the ’98 NCAA South Region Championship before his Cats suffered a loss the next December in the Jimmy V Classic.
Duke Series Information
Series Record: UK leads 11-7
In Lexington: UK leads 5-0
In Durham: Series tied at 1
At Neutral Sites: DU leads 6-5
Last Game: Dec. 22, 1998 – DU 71, UK 60
Website: GoDuke.com
Series Scores
DU 37, UK 323-3-30
UK 35, DU 302-28-31
UK 37, DU 302-6-32
UK 85, DU 6912-21-53
UK 81, DU 762-1-56
DU 85, UK 8412-18-56
UK 78, DU 7412-2-57
UK 78, DU 6412-8-58
UK 81, DU 7912-31-63
UK 83, DU 793-18-66
UK 98, DU 7612-20-69
UK 94, DU 883-27-78
DU 80, UK 76*11-17-79
DU 55, UK 543-13-80
DU 80, UK 5511-19-88
DU 104, UK 103*3-28-92
UK 86, DU 843-22-98
DU 71, UK 6012-22-98
*overtime
Comparing Coaches
Kentucky and Duke are led by two of the nation’s most successful and influential coaches in Tubby Smith and Mike Krzyzewski, both members of the NABC Board of Directors.
Here’s a look at each coach’s first four years at their respective school:
SmithKrzyzewski1st Year35-4 ('98)17-13 ('81)2nd Year28-9 ('99)10-17 ('82)3rd Year 23-10 ('00)11-17 ('83)4th Year 24-10 ('01)24-10 ('84)Totals110-3362-57Winning %.769.521
Other coaching comparisons include:
* Current Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearances: Smith — 8, Kryzewski 6
* Highest NCAA Tournament Winning Percentage: Krzyzewski — 80.0% (2nd), Smith — 72.0% (4th)
* Winning Percentage by Active Coaches thru ’01: Krzyzewski — 73.1% (11th), Smith — 71.1% (16th)
March Madness with the Devils
Throughout the series, UK and Duke have played some memorable games in the NCAA Tournament:
March 18, 1966: Forward Pat Riley and his No. 1 Wildcats beat No. 2 Duke, 83-79, in the NCAA Semifinals. “Rupp’s Runts” then advanced to the final game where they were upset by Texas Western.
March 27, 1978: In the NCAA Championship game in St. Louis, UK forward Jack Givens poured in 41 points as the Wildcats defeated the Blue Devils, 94-88.
March 13, 1980: The Wildcats’ season ended the same way it started…with a Duke loss. The Devils had beaten the Cats, 80-76, in overtime that season in the November Tip-Off Classic (Sam Bowie’s debut). In the NCAA Tournament, Duke registered a 55-54 win.
March 28, 1992: At the East Region final in Philly, Christian Laettner canned a turnaround jumper as time expired to give top-seeded Duke a 104-103 overtime win. The Cats, seeded second and playing in their first NCAA Tournament since NCAA probation, nearly pulled the upset. After fighting back from a 12-point deficit, UK’s Sean Woods nailed a running bank shot over Laettner with 2.1 seconds remaining before Laettner’s heroics.
March 22, 1998: Kentucky trailed by 18 in the first half before cutting the margin to 10 at the break. The second-seeded Cats then found themselves down 17 with 9:38 remaining in the game. But behind South Region MVP Wayne Turner, UK mounted a charge, outscoring Duke 17-1. Cameron Mills canned a three with 2:15 remaning to give UK an 80-79 lead. With the game tied at 81, Scott Padgett’s trifecta advanced UK to San Antonio with an 86-84 victory.
UK Attempts ACC Sweep
After recording a 79-59 win over North Carolina earlier this month, the Cats improved their all-time record against ACC opponents to 113-51. The .689 winning percentage is boosted by a 56-15 record against former SEC member Georgia Tech. Duke is the only other ACC opponent on UK’s regular-season slate.
Last season Kentucky went 1-1 against the ACC with a 93-76 win over UNC and a 86-84 loss to the Ramblin’ Wreck.
Coaching Comparison
Orlando "Tubby" Smith (High Point '73)Overall (11th year)240-96 (71.4%)at UK (5th year)116-34 (77.3%)SEC Tournament (6 yrs.)13-3 (81.3%)NCAA Tournament (8 yrs.) 18-7 (72.0%)vs. Duke1-1
Mike Krzyzewski (Army ’69)Overall (27th year)615-223 (73.4%)at DU (22nd year)542-164 (76.8%)vs. Kentucky3-1
Team Comparisons
catsdevilsRecord6-19-0Scoring Offense87.789.2Scoring Defense65.6 66.8Scoring Margin+22.1 +22.4FG %47.8 47.9FG % Defense38.939.23FG %32.334.43FG % Defense31.533.8Free Throw %65.868.9Rebound Average45.940.8Opponent Rebound Average32.736.4Rebound Margin+13.2+4.4TO Average16.314.7Opponent TO20.121.0TO Margin+3.8+6.3Blocks Average3.43.2Steals Average8.710.9
Did You Know?
Did you know that until Duke captured the national championship last year, the ACC had as many national championships as Kentucky? Duke and North Carolina each have three NCAA Championships while N.C. State owns two.
Meadowlands Success
Kentucky is 3-1 at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. The Wildcats beat Massachusetts there, 67-64, on Feb. 6, 1994. Then in 1996, UK beat UMass again in the NCAA Final Four, 81-74, before disposing of Syracuse, 76-67, in the final.
UK’s only loss in the arena came at the hands of Duke, 71-60, in the 1998 Jimmy V Classic.
Only two current Cats have seen action in the facility. Freshmen Tayshaun Prince and Jules Camara combined to record nine points in 38 total minutes in the ’98 Jimmy V game. Teammate J.P. Blevins did not see action.
Cats vs. No. 1 Teams
Kentucky owns a 4-8 record against No.1-ranked teams in the AP poll since 1949.
The last No. 1-ranked team to face Kentucky was Arizona, who beat the Cats 89-74 win in the 1997 Maui Invitational.
The Wildcats have played Duke two other times when the Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 in the country. Duke won both games, 80-55 on Nov. 19, 1988 and 104-103 in overtime on March 28, 1992.
Kentucky’s last win over a top-ranked team was an 81-74 victory against UMass at the Meadowlands in the NCAA Semifinals on March 30, 1996.
Vs. Ranked Opponents
The game with Duke marks the first ranked opponent UK has faced this season. It’s also the first time Kentucky has played further than 85 miles from Rupp Arena. UK beat Kent State last month in Cincinnati, the Cats only game away from home this season.
The Wildcats were 8-5 against ranked teams a year ago with 10 of those 13 games played away from Rupp Arena. The highest ranked team the Cats faced was No. 2 Michigan State, a 46-45 MSU win in East Lansing.
UK in December
The Wildcats hold a 425-100 record in the month of December for a stellar .810 winning percentage. The mark is the best of any month for the Cats. Last season, UK was 4-2 during December. At home, the Cats are 275-37 (88.1%) all-time during the year’s 12th month.
Big Blue Birthday
Birthday wishes go out to long-time equipment manager Bill Keightley. “Mr. Wildcat,” whose jersey is retired in Rupp Arena, turned 75 on Monday, Dec. 17.
TREY-Shaun
Tayshaun Prince’s streak of five three-pointers on five straight possessions to start the North Carolina game were the first of seven for the game, all coming in the opening half. His fifth, just a few inches past the “U” at center court, measured nearly 30′.
His seven 3FGs in a half tied Derrick Miller for the most threes scored in a half at Kentucky. Miller also drained seven to start the Kansas game on Dec. 9, 1989 before finishing with eight threes in the game.
Prince’s seven, however, were the most treys recorded by a Wildcat in Rupp Arena as Miller’s came in the Jayhawks’ storied Allen Field House.
TREY-mendous Effort
Tayshaun Prince’s effort vs. UNC won’t soon be forgotten. Along with his three-point shooting display, Prince totaled 31 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. He matched his career scoring and steals totals. It was his second consecutive double-double, the ninth of his career.
Walk-on Wonder
After relinquishing his scholarship in June to keep the Cats compliant with the NCAA limit of 13 scholarships, Marquis Estill grabbed national attention.
Once he moved into the starting role at power forward against Morehead State, Estill again earned notice. Of the school’s listed in this week’s AP Top 25, Estill is the ONLY walk-on starter. He’s averaging 12.4 ppg and 3.9 rpg.
Offensive Production
Kentucky has increased production on the offensive end this season after a disappointing 52-point performance to open the season against Western Kentucky. The Cats are now averaging 87.7 ppg this season, the most since the Cats averaged 91.4 ppg during the 1996 championship season. During the six-game win streak, Kentucky has averaged 93.7 ppg.
Defense Improving
Coach Tubby Smith has always made solid defense his top priority and this year is no different. In the first seven games, no team has shot better than 43.6% from the field (Western Ky.) and four teams have failed to top 40% shooting. In his four previous years at Kentucky, opponents have combined to shoot less than 40% from the field three seasons.
Cats on the Glass
Kentucky has hit the boards thus far this season, outrebounding opponents by an average of 13.1 rpg, at this point the greatest rebound margin since 1956-57 when UK averaged 15.7 rpg more than its opponents. UK has averaged 45.9 rpg, while opponents have grabbed 32.7 rpg.
Next Game
The Wildcats will play their third neutral-site game of the season on Dec. 22 when they face Indiana in the RCA Dome before a crowd of nearly 40,000 fans split down the middle in blue and red.
December to Remember
Kentucky kicked off a highly anticipated December schedule of great rivalries on Dec. 8 with a 79-59 rout of North Carolina. After 118-63 win over Kentucky State, the Wildcats battle No. 1 Duke, Indiana and Louisville in a 12-day stretch. The U of L game marks the naming of the Rupp Arena playing court after UK’s national basketball hall of fame announcer Cawood Ledford, who passed away in September after a long battle with cancer.
National Exposure
The Duke game marks Kentucky’s second appearance on national television this season.
Kentucky will appear six times on ESPN and seven times on CBS.
Records Watc
Tayshaun Prince’s seven three-pointers against the Tar Heels catapulted him into fifth place on UK’s all-time made 3FG list. He currently has 158 in his career and needs two more to capture fourth place.
Both Prince and Keith Bogans continue to climb UK’s list of all-time scoring leaders. Prince is 22rd with 1,346 points, while Bogans is 41st with 1,092.
Last Time Out
Kentucky scored the most in the Tubby Smith Era at UK, en route to a 118-63 victory over Kentucky State.
UK set Rupp Arena records for assists (33) and made FGs (49) to win its sixth consecutive game. Five players scored in double figures, led by Marquis Estill’s 21 points, and every Wildcat scored except Rashaad Carruth.
For a complete box and summary, see page 20 of this note packet.
National Polls
UK began the season ranked fourth in both major polls.
After dropping in the polls two consecutive weeks following its season-opening loss to Western Kentucky the Cats have steadily climbed two spots in each of the past two weeks and sit at 8th in the Coaches poll. At the time of this release, the AP poll had not been released.
Three Mania
Kentucky’s streak of hitting a three in consecutive games has reached 448 games, the nation’s fourth-longest streak, trailing UNLV, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech. UNLV, Vanderbilt and Princeton have hit a three-pointer in every game since the rule was adopted in 1987.
The Wildcats’ last game without a three-pointer came against Seton Hall on Nov. 26, 1988, a “three-point” loss in the Great Alaska Shootout.
Double-Doubles
Tayshaun Prince earned his second consecutive and ninth career double-double of the season when he tallied 31 points and 11 boards against North Carolina . It was Kentucky’s second double-double of the season.
Other current Wildcats who have recorded double-doubles in their career include:
CatCareer DoublesKeith Bogans2Jules Camara3Marquis Estill1Gerald Fitch1Jason Parker2Marvin Stone1
2001-02 Trends
6-0When leading at halftime0-0When tied at halftime0-1When trailing at halftime4-1When UK scores first2-0When opponent scores first6-0When leading with 5 minutes to play0-1When trailing with 5 minutes to play0-0When score tied with 5 minutes to play6-0When leading with 2 minutes to play0-1When trailing with 2 minutes to play0-0When score tied with 2 minutes to play0-0In games decided by three points or less0-0In games decided by 4-10 points0-0When UK shoots 60% or better FG4-0When UK shoots 50% or better FG2-1When UK shoots less than 50% FG0-1When UK shoots less than 40% FG3-0When UK makes more 3FG2-1When opponent makes more 3FG1-0When 3FG made are the same6-0When UK outrebounds opponent0-1When opponent outrebounds UK0-0When rebounds are the same1-0When playing on national TV1-1When playing on regional TV3-0When playing on the weekend3-1When playing on a weekday0-0When starting after 10 p.m. ET0-0When starting after 9 p.m. ET4-1When game starts between 6-9 p.m.2-0With an afternoon start0-0In overtime games3-1 In November3-0 In December0-0In January0-0In February0-0In March6-1In home white uniforms0-0In away blue uniforms
Wildcats vs. Conferences1-0vs. Atlantic Coast0-0vs. Atlantic 100-0vs. Big East0-0vs. Big Ten0-0vs. Conference USA2-0vs. Mid-American1-0vs. Ohio Valley0-0vs. SEC1-0vs. Southern1-0vs. Southern Intercollegiate0-1vs. Sun Belt
Record vs. Lineup1-1vs.Prince, Stone, Bogans, Fitch, Hawkins3-0vs. Prince, Estill, Bogans, Fitch, Blevins2-0vs.Prince, Estill, Bogans, Fitch, Hawkins
SEASON NOTES
Queen City Mark
In November, Kentucky played its fifth consecutive season at the Firstar Center in Cincinnati, defeating Kent State, 82-68. The Wildcats are now 6-1 all-time in the arena.
Within the BordersThe game with Kentucky state is the third of four Kentucky colleges on the 2001-02 schedule, the most since the 1920-21 season.The Cats have already played Western Kentucky and Morehead State, and will battle Louisville later this month. They faced Kentucky Wesleyan, Cumberland, Georgetown and Centre during the ’21 season, posting a 5-1 record in the meetings.
Season Openers
Kentucky is 81-18 in season openers after its loss to Western Kentucky in the NABC Classic. Last season, the Cats were upset in New York by St. John’s, 62-61. Tubby Smith is 8-3 in season openers during his head coaching career.
Home Openers
Kentucky is 84-15 all-time in home openers after the loss to WKU. Nine of those losses occurred before Adolph Rupp began coaching in 1930. The Cats are 65-6 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 this season to Western Kentucky.
UK now stands at 23-3 in home openers at Rupp Arena.
PRESEASON NOTES
AP Names Prince All-American
Forward Tayshaun Prince added yet another honor to his resume in November as he was named to the The Associated Press Preseason All-America team, the only senior on the list.
Prince joined Duke’s Jason Williams, Stanford’s Casey Jacobsen, Missouri’s Kareem Rush and Illinois’ Frank Williams.
Prince is just the second Wildcat to earn the preseason honor from the AP since the national news organization began naming a preseason team in 1985. Jamal Mashburn was a preseason All-American prior to the 1992-93 season.
Prince also was named first-team Preseason All-America by collegeinsider.com, Athlon Sports, Blue Ribbon Basketball, The Sporting News and Basketball News.
He was a second-team selection by AP at the end of last season.
Conference Supremacy
Kentucky was picked to finish first in the SEC by a media vote at the conference’s annual media day on Nov. 1.
Tayshaun Prince also was predicted to repeat as SEC Player of the Year, while he and Bogans both were named first-team Preseason All-SEC.
Men's Basketball PredictionsChampion - Kentucky (20), Florida (3).Eastern Division1. Kentucky (20)262. Florida (3)433. Tennessee764. South Carolina985. Georgia1056. Vanderbilt123Western Division1. Alabama (15)332. Arkansas (5)603. Ole Miss (2)664. Auburn (1)785. LSU1216. Mississippi State125
All-SEC First TeamG – Brett Nelson, Florida17G – Keith Bogans, Kentucky15C – Udonis Haslem, Florida22F – Tayshaun Prince, Kentucky22G/F – Rod Grizzard, Alabama11
Prince, Bogans on Wooden List
Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans were both named to the preseason Wooden Award Candidate list for 2001-02.
Only 50 college basketball players make the prestigious list, which culminates in the presentation of the Wooden Award for the nation’s best collegiate basketball player each April.
The award was started in 1976 and has seen past winners that include Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Tim Duncan. No Kentucky Wildcat has ever claimed the honor.
Parker Injury
Jason Parker underwent his second ACL surgery on his right knee in four months when he had a patella tendon autograft performed by team physicians Darren Johnson and Scott Mair on Nov. 1. Parker injured the knee June 24 in a pickup basketball game and had his initial surgery July 2. He retore the ligament prior to introductions for Big Blue Madness on Oct. 12.
Parker will miss the 2001-02 season as a redshirt. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Production Return
Kentucky lost one senior from last year, returning 12 lettermen and four starters from a team that finished as co-champions of the Southeastern Conference and won the league tournament. With the loss of Jason Parker for the season, the numbers change to three returning starters. The statistics below reflect the returning production, excluding Parker:
Points80.6%Rebounds82.4%Assists71.4%Blocks83.4%Steals72.1%
Their Old Kentucky Home
This season’s roster boasts six products from the Bluegrass State, the most since the 1991 season.
J.P. Blevins (Edmonton), Marquis Estill (Richmond), Cory Sears (Corbin), Matt Heissenbuttel (Lexington), Josh Carrier (Bowling Green) and Adam Chiles (Louisville) all hail from within the state’s borders.
In ’91, Reggie Hanson, Richie Farmer, John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus, Michael Parks and Todd Bearup all came from Kentucky. Much like Sears and Heissenbuttel, Parks and Bearup were both walk-ons 11 seasons ago.
Face Lift
Fans attending UK home games will recognize changes at floor level. In addition to the new floor that was purchased last summer, courtside fan seating has been added as well. Currently, 20 new “scholarship seats” have displaced some traditional media seating and been installed on press row. The 20 seats were sold for $313,000 a pair and the revenue generated will go to endow all 13 men’s basketball scholarships. There are still four pairs remaining to be sold.
Kentucky celebrated its 25th season in the first built-for-basketball arena last year, playing for a quarter of a century on the original floor. Pieces of the original floor were auctioned off prior to the charity game, “A Night of True Champions,” on Aug. 11, raising more than $38,000. The money was split between the UK Basketball Museum, the KHSAA and the Lexington Civic Center for the purchase of the new floor.
The new floor was designed by UK in conjunction with Lexington Civic Center officials. It was constructed by Robbins, Inc., in Cincinnati, Ohio at a cost of $125,000.
BIG BLUE MANIA
Chapman Makes Dunk List
Former Wildcat Rex Chapman made the list of Slam Magazine’s top-50 dunkers of all-time. Chapman, who played two seasons (1987-88) before becoming a first-round draft pick of the Charlotte Hornets, was No. 35 on the list.
The top five were Vince Carter, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Julius Erving and Jackie Jackson. Not on the list was former Cat Kenny Walker, who won the NBA’s slam dunk contest in 1993.
Keightley In 41st Season
Kentucky equipment manager Bill Keightley is in his 41st season in the UK program. The beloved Mr. Wildcat has served UK since 1961-62, watching the Cats roll to a 950-290 record during that era.
Keightley, 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.
Wiggins Keeps on Coming
Big Blue fan Bob Wiggins continues his amazing streak of following the basketball Cats. Wiggins, who is retired and lives in Falmouth, Ky., saw 615 consecutive games — home and away — from 1977 until he suffered a heart attack just before the 1996 Great Alaska Shootout. It’s the second-longest streak on record at UK.
The illness forced him to miss four games, but he has since returned to see every contest in person, a streak of 184 games.
Meanwhile, his home court streak is still intact. Wiggins has not missed a home game in 41 years, a streak spanning 581 games. During that period, which dates back to 1960-61, UK has a home record of 517-64.
In all, he’s in his 49th season watching the Cats in person and through his own record keeping, has attended 1,198 UK games.
UK No. 2 with Most NBA Players
To start the 2001-02 NBA season, the following Wildcats were active:
Derek AndersonPortlandTony DelkPhoenixWalter McCartyBostonJamaal MagloireCharlotteJamal MashburnCharlotteRon MercerChicagoNazr MohammedAtlantaScott PadgettUtahMark Pope MilwaukeeAntoine WalkerBoston
In addition, former UK assistant coach Jim O’Brien is the head coach of the Boston Celtics while the Cats’ all-time leading scorer Dan Issel coaches the Denver Nuggets and former UK All-American Pat Riley coaches the Miami Heat.
— Go Cats —
