March 15, 2000

GAME:
No. 12 St. Bonaventure (21-9) vs. No. 5 Kentucky (22-9), Midwest Regional, First Round.

TIME:
Thursday, 12:20 p.m. EST.

SITE:
Cleveland State Convocation Center, Cleveland, Ohio.

St. Bonaventure makes its return to the NCAA tournament for the first timein 22 years when it plays seven-time champion Kentucky in the first round ofthe Midwest Region.

The 12th-seeded Bonnies were one of the last at-large teams in the field of64. St. Bonaventure finished second to Temple in the East Division of theAtlantic 10 Conference and again to the Owls in the conference tournament,losing 65-44 in the championship game.

The 22-year drought was one of the longest among teams reaching the 2000NCAA tournament, and the Bonnies are happy to be there, regardless of theopponent.

“Playing a team like Kentucky, who has won national championships, we’relooking forward to it,” St. Bonaventure coach Jim Baron said. “They’re aquality basketball program.”

Point guard Tim Winn leads the team in scoring at 13.7 points, and theBonnies have four capable perimeter shooters with Winn, David Messiah Capers,Patricio Prato and sixth man J.R. Bremer. The quartet sank all but 12 of St.Bonaventure’s 168 3-pointers this season.

Kentucky (22-9) is making its ninth straight trip to the NCAA tournament andits 86 wins are the most of any Division I school. The fifth-seeded Wildcatswere stunned in the quarterfinals by eventual SEC tournament champion Arkansasand took another blow Sunday when coach Tubby Smith suspended guard DesmondAllison following his arrest for drunk driving.

“You never want to be shorthanded,” Wildcats coach Tubby Smith said.”It’s always a disruption and distraction. He was an athletic swing player whoalso was one of our better defenders. It’s disappointing, but he’s made amistake and it has cost him and this team.”

The schools are meeting for the first time and the winner of this game willplay either No. 4 Syracuse or No. 13 Samford on Saturday.

PROBABLE STARTERS:

St. Bonaventure
– F Peter Van Paasen (10.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg),G Patricio Prato (8.3 ppg, 2.0 apg), C Caswell Cyrus (12.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg), G TimWinn (13.7 ppg, 4.1 apg), G David Messiah Capers (10.7 ppg, 1.8 apg).

Kentucky
– F Tayshaun Prince (12.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg), F Keith Bogans (11.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg), CJamaal Magloire (13.2 ppg, 9.0 rpg), G Saul Smith (6.7 ppg, 3.4 apg), G J.P.Blevins (4.2 ppg, 1.2 apg).

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

St. Bonaventure
– At-large bid, Atlantic 10 Conference.

Kentucky
– At-large bid, Southeastern Conference.

ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD:


St. Bonaventure
– 6-6, 4 years.

Kentucky
-86-36, 41 years.