Dec. 18, 1999
By TIM WHITMIRE
AP Sports Writer
LEXINGTON, Kty. – No ranking, no problem. Playing without a number in front of “Kentucky” for the first time in nineyears, the Wildcats found new confidence in a 76-46 thrashing Saturday ofintrastate rival Louisville, their first victory over the Cardinals since 1997.
It was only the second victory in six games for Kentucky, a slide that haddropped the Wildcats (5-4) from the top 25. It also snapped a five-game winningstreak for Louisville (5-3).
“The effort was outstanding,” Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. “I wouldnever have dreamed that we could hold Louisville like that because they’ve beenplaying great basketball.”
Leading 35-34 at halftime, Kentucky blitzed Louisville in the second halfwith stifling perimeter defense at one end and sharp drives to the basket foreasy scores at the other.
What started as a modest four-point run became a 17-2 surge, then a 27-6landslide. The run didn’t end until the final horn sounded, finishing a half inwhich the Cardinals were outscored 41-12 and shot just 3-of-27 from the field.
“Our guys for some reason were in a defensive fog, especially in the secondhalf,” Louisville coach Denny Crum said. “We didn’t make the extra pass andwe didn’t guard anyone so we got a good, old-fashioned butt whipping, andthat’s the way it’s supposed to be. We got what we earned out there.”
Tayshaun Prince led Kentucky with 20 points, Desmond Allison had 16 andfreshman Keith Bogans scored 12 in his first college start. Jamaal Magloire had12 points and 10 rebounds.
Prince, 8-of-13 from the field, also had seven rebounds, five blocks and twoassists.
Tony Williams had 12 points and seven rebounds for Louisville, and NateJohnson scored 11.
The Cardinals were epic in their futility, going more than nine minutesbefore scoring their first field goal of the second half – a 3-pointer byMarques Maybin with 10:49 left – then another eight-plus minutes before theirsecond, a jumper by Reece Gaines with 2:04 left.
Crum was mystified.
“We just didn’t guard anyone. They got wide-open shots. I remember early inthat second half, (assistant coach) Scotty (Davenport) looked at me and said`God, they look like they’re in slow motion,’ which is exactly what I had beenthinking at that moment.”
Determined to improve Kentucky’s ballhandling after 20 turnovers in a 72-66loss last Saturday at No. 16 Maryland, Smith had Bogans, a 6-foot-5 guard,replace 6-11 forward Jules Camara in the starting lineup.
The switch met with mixed results initially, as the Wildcats committed ninefirst-half turnovers and Louisville stayed even in a game that looked as if itwould go down to the wire.
“It was kind of like a track meet the first half, but we just clamped downdefensively, made some corrections in the second half and we came out with avictory,” Kentucky guard Saul Smith said.
Harassed by the Kentucky defense, Louisville came out shooting bricks, withthe rebounds nearly always going to the Wildcats, who began running andpenetrating with newfound assertiveness.
Bogans was the difference, according to Tubby Smith.
“We had an extra ballhandler in the game, and that gave us anotherpenetrator,” he said.
Kentucky pulled away with basket after basket inside, making 10 of its first11 field goals from 5 feet and closer in building a 60-40 lead.
“Every one of us on this team feels very confident in our ability to take aguy off the dribble,” Saul Smith said. “We feel that no one person can stopus.”
The inside game also opened up Kentucky for perimeter shots, and theWildcats responded with their best outside shooting of the season: 7-of-14 from3-point range, including 3-of-5 by Prince and 2-for-2 by Bogans.
The Wildcats’ 30-point margin was their biggest over Louisville since an85-51 defeat of the Cardinals at Freedom Hall in December 1986. They finishedthe game with a 41-24 rebounding edge.
After the game, Tubby Smith presented Magloire with a game ball at centercourt in honor of his becoming Kentucky’s career leader in blocked shots.Magloire’s three blocks gave him 229, passing Melvin Turpin, who had 226 in1981-84.
