March 8, 1998
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP) – New coach. Same result.
No. 7 Kentucky won the Southeastern Conference tournament for the sixth timein seven years Sunday, rolling to an 86-56 victory over No. 15 South Carolina,the Wildcats’ third straight double-figure victory.
Tournament MVP Wayne Turner scored 18 points and Allen Edwards, who missedthe semifinal while attending his mother’s funeral, returned to add 15 asKentucky (29-4) added another SEC championship to its already bountifulcollection.
Most of the league’s coaches called this the most wide-open tournament theycould recall, despite Kentucky winning its 39th regular-season title with a14-2 record, two games better than anyone else.
As it turned out, that was just wishful thinking. The Wildcats won theirthree tournament games by an average of 22 points, the biggest blowout comingagainst Eastern Division runner-up South Carolina (23-7).
The Wildcats, who won their previous five tournaments under coach RickPitino, gave Tubby Smith a title in his first season. It was Kentucky’s 21sttournament championship overall, 15 more than any other school.
“Tubby! Tubby! Tubby!” the pro-Kentucky crowd at the Georgia Dome chantedas Smith accepted the championship trophy.
Kentucky gained the SEC’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. SouthCarolina was assured of an at-large NCAA bid.
Kentucky’s hottest player, Jeff Sheppard, didn’t play in the championshipbecause of a sprained ankle. It didn’t matter, because Turner and Edwardsoutplayed South Carolina’s backcourt of BJ McKie and Melvin Watson.
Turner clinched the MVP award by shooting 7-of-17, including a couple of3-pointers. The lightning-quick guard also doled out four assists, leading thetournament with an average of 6.3 per game.
Even more impressive was the performance by Edwards, a senior guard who hasendured an emotional roller coaster the past 11 days. His mother, Laura MaeEdwards, died Feb. 26 after battling breast cancer since her son’s sophomoreyear.
Edwards missed the final regular-season game, rejoined the team for Friday’squarterfinal game, then left again for his mother’s funeral Saturday. Sheppardwas injured early in the second half of a 99-74 semifinal victory over No. 16Arkansas and wasn’t able to play in the title game.
Edwards flew back to Atlanta to take Sheppard’s spot in the starting lineup,connecting two 3-pointers, dishing out a game-high five assists and coming upwith three steals.
South Carolina’s backcourt, which combined for 64 points in the semifinalvictory over Western Division champion Mississippi, wasn’t able to penetrate onthe Wildcats.
McKie, who had a tournament-high 37 points the previous day, scored only 12- all on 3-pointers – and Watson, coming off a 27-point performance, managedjust eight points.
More telling, neither guard was able to work inside and draw fouls as theydid against Ole Miss, when the Gamecocks set a tournament record by going39-of-47 from the free throw line. Watson was 2-of-3 from the line againstKentucky and McKie never got there.
In all, the Gamecocks hit 10 of 16 free throws and were further hampered by19 turnovers, leading to 28 Kentucky points. LeRon Williams led South Carolinawith 19 points.
The Wildcats led all the way, scoring the first five points and building a40-30 halftime lead. South Carolina never got closer than eight points in thesecond half, and Kentucky pulled away to its biggest lead at the end withreserves on the court.
Kentucky defeated South Carolina three straight times this season.
