November 22, 1998
WRIGHT STATE (0-3) vs. KENTUCKY WILDCATS (2-0)Nov. 23, 1998 * 8:08 p.m. ETThe Crown (15,200) * Cincinnati, Ohio
Wildcats Look To Extend Streak In Crown The Kentucky Wildcats, winners of 15 consecutive games, hope to extendtheir streak at the Crown in Cincinnati when they face Wright State. Thegame will be the Cats, last contest on the U.S. mainland before departingfor the Puerto Rico Shootout early Tuesday.
With a victory over Wright State, the Cats will equal their 10th-best winstreak in school history at 16 games. Fourteen other UK squads havecompiled 16-game win streaks or more. The school record is 32 games, setbetween Dec. 5, 1953 and Jan. 8, 1955, which also includes UK,s onlyundefeated season of 1954 (25-0). In addition, the Wildcats look to extendtheir streak at ,neutral sites to 15 games. UK has not lost a neutral sitegame since the Arizona defeat in Maui one year ago.
This is Kentucky,s third game in seven days. The Wildcats will play theirfirst seven games of the season over a 15-day stretch, including threegames in as many days later in the week at the Puerto Rico Shootout.
Tickets Available Tickets still remain for the UK-Wright State game. Seats are $26 and canbe purchased at the Crown box office, all Ticketmaster locations, includingThriftways or by phone by calling 513-562-4949.
RADIO +/- UK Radio Network — 7 p.m. WVLK-AM 590 & WLRO-FM 101.5 (flagship) Ralph Hacker (play-by-play), Sam Bowie (analyst), Dave Baker (host), Tom Leach (scoreboard)
TELEVISION +/- UK Television Network — Live 8 p.m. WKYT-TV (flagship) Rob Bromley (play-by-play), Martin Newton (analyst), Dick Gabriel (sidelines)
WEB +/- Follow the Cats in cyberspace at www.ukathletics.com. And to catch the play-by-play of every UK game anywhere in the world, log on at www.uksports.com.
Coaching Comparisons
Orlando Tubby Smith (High Point OE73) Overall (8th year) 161-66 (70.9%) at UK (2nd year) 37-4 (90.2%) NCAA Appearances (5) 12-4 (75.0%) vs. Wright State 0-0
Ed Schilling (Miami, Ohio OE88) Overall (2nd year) 10-21 at Wright State (2nd year) same vs. Kentucky 0-0
Kentucky Wildcats (2-0)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg 34 Scott Padgett F 6-9 240 Sr. 15.0 9.0 14 Heshimu Evans F 6-6 215 Sr. 13.0 6.0 33 Michael Bradley C 6-10 235 So. 12.5 6.0 5 Wayne Turner G 6-2 190 Sr. 13.0 *2.0 11 Saul Smith G 6-2 175 So. 2.0 *2.0or 21 Tayshaun Prince G 6-8 206 Fr. 7.5 6.0
Key Cats Off The Bench
32 Desmond Allison G/F 6-5 206 Fr. 9.0 2.0 25 Myron Anthony F 6-7 225 So. -- -- 40 Jules Camara F/C 6-11 213 Fr. 10.0 11.0 22 Ryan Hogan G 6-3 185 So. -- -- 42 Jamaal Magloire C 6-10 260 Jr. -- --
Wright State Raiders (0-3)
30 Sherman Curry F 6-5 171 Sr. 12.3 4.7 50 Inus Norville F 6-9 271 Sr. 8.7 6.7 52 Bruno Petersons C 7.0 244 So. 4.7 3.0 20 Marcus May G 5-10 170 Fr. 11.3 *3.7 21 Keion Brooks G 6-3 173 Sr. 15.7 *6.7
* Assists per game
Team Comparisons
UK SURecord 2-0 0-3Scoring Off. 90.5 66.7Scoring Def. 57.5 79.7Scoring Margin +33.0 -13.0FG % 52.4 46.3Def. FG % 33.3 46.23FG % 26.2 16.7Def. 3FG % 28.9 43.1FT Pct. 50.0 56.7Reb. Avg. 49.0 38.0Opp. Reb. Avg. 36.5 34.7Rebound Margin +12.5 +3.3TO Avg. 14.5 25.7Opp. TO 22.0 22.0TO Margin +7.5 -3.7Blocks Avg. 6.0 5.3Steals Avg. 9.5 8.0
Crossing the Ohio
The Wildcats, last game at the Crown, formerly Riverfront Coliseum, was a58-46 win over Vanderbilt on Jan. 22, 1997. The game was the first contestafter UK star Derek Anderson was sidelined with a knee injury.
At the Crown in the OE90s, UK also has earned wins over Ohio (73-63 on Dec.23, 1991) and Texas Tech (83-68 on Dec.17, 1994). All-time in the QueenCity, UK claims a 27-11 record, including a 16-1 mark at Xavier, an 8-7record at UC, an 0-2 mark at Cincinnati Christ Church and an 0-1 record atthe Cincinnati YMCA (1906).
Back In Action
Sophomores Myron Anthony and Ryan Hogan, along with junior JamaalMagloire, will each suit up for the first time this season when theWildcats face Wright State. All three missed the first four games of theseason for violating team rules.
Magloire started the first 12 games of the OE98 season. He appeared in 38contests, averaging 5.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Heshot 71.4% from the field and 80.0% from the foul line during the 1998 NCAATournament, tallying seven points, two boards and three blocks against Utahin the final. He also had 22 starts as a freshman in 1997.
Anthony came off the bench 31 times a year ago to average 2.3 points and1.2 rebounds per game. Hogan played sparingly as a freshman last season,seeing action in 19 games.
Series Notes
+/- UK leads the series 2-0 with both wins coming at Rupp Arena. TheWildcats and Raiders first met on Dec. 2, 1992, an 81-65 victory. The lastwin came on Dec. 9, 1996, a 90-62 win. Derek Anderson and Ron Mercer bothscored 19 points that season in the home opener at Rupp Arena.
+/- Inus Norville, the 6-9, 271-pound forward/center for the Raiders, playedagainst the Wildcats twice during the 1995-96 season as a sophomore atMassachusetts. Norville, now a senior at WSU, tallied only three foulsagainst the Cats in UMass,s upset victory in the Great Eight (92-82). Inthe national semifinals, Norville had two points, but UK rolled into thetitle game with an 81-74 victory.
Coach Ed Schilling was an assistant coach on John Calipari,s staff atUMass that season.
November To Remember
UK will play six games this November, the most regular-season games everplayed by a UK team during the month. Last season, the Wildcats played fivegames, and in 1989, they played four.
Coach Tubby Smith wasted no time implementing his style of play atKentucky. Several characteristics define his coaching philosophy:
Ball-Line Defense: Smith keeps his off-the-ball defenders between the balland their respective opponent. In OE98, UK,s defense allowed only 38.4percent FG shooting, the lowest mark by a UK opponent in 36 years.
Rebounding: A fundamental approach to boxing led the Cats to finish secondnationally last season in rebound margin (8.2 rpg).
Assists: Smith always emphasizes his team to ,make the extra pass, and inOE98, UK recorded the third most assists in school history.
Even Keel: Smith preaches to ,never get too high and never get too low. That composure helped UK turn 12 halftime deficits into 10 victories in OE98.
Tight Game Victories: UK was 2-0 in overtime games en route to its OE98title, including an 86-85 win over Stanford in the Final Four. In gamesdecided by three points or less, UK was 7-1 last year.
Turner Climbs Steals, Assists Lists
Wayne Turner continues to climb the steals and assists lists at UK.
Note: Turner already holds the UK record for most steals in a season with79 as a sophomore.
UK’s All-Time Steals List
1. Tony Delk (1993-96) 2012. Ed Davender (1985-88) 1913. Jared Prickett (1993-97) 1874. Wayne Turner (1996-99) 1855. Anthony Epps (1994-97) 1846. John Pelphrey (1989-92) 173
UK’s All-Time Assists List
1. Dirk Minniefield (1980-83) 6462. Anthony Epps (1994-97) 5443. Roger Harden (1983-86) 4984. Sean Woods (1989-92) 4825. Kyle Macy (1978-80) 4706. Ed Davender (1985-88) 4367. Travis Ford (1992-94) 4288. Wayne Turner (1996-99) 350
Cat Streaks The Wildcats are currently on a 15-game winning streak. Kentucky,s lastdefeat came on Feb. 14, 1998, a 73-64 loss to Ole Miss in Rupp Arena.
The most consecutive wins in UK history is 32, dating from 1953-55. With awin against Wright State, UK will equal the school,s 10th-best streakoverall.
The Wildcats have also:
* won 14 straight road games. The last team to defeat UK on the road wasSouth Carolina (Feb. 4, 1997);
* won 14 consecutive neutral site games, dating back to the Arizona lossin Maui in November 1997;
* played in the last three Final Fours;
* played in the last four regional championship games;
* won six of the last seven SEC Tournament titles, including the last two;
* have hit three-pointers in 336 consecutive games.
Turner Chases NCAA Record
Senior guard Wayne Turner has a chance to play in more college basketballgames than anyone on record. Turner, who has logged time in 116 gamesduring his career, has a chance to break the mark of 148 games held byDuke,s Christian Laettner.
The Wildcats have a 30-game regular-season schedule and Turner must playin 35 games to claim the record. The Boston native has missed only one gameduring his UK career — the 1996 NCAA Championship game against Syracuse,when Anthony Epps played the entire 40 minutes at point guard.
Two-Game Highlights
* Scott Padgett recorded his seventh career double-double with 21 pointsand 12 rebounds against Eastern Kentucky. Padgett had five double-doubleslast season and one as a sophomore. He broke the 800-point plateau with a21-point effort against the Colonels. He now has 815 in his career.
* Freshman Jules Camara tallied his first double-double with 10 points and11 rebounds in 23 minutes against EKU. He followed up the effort 15-pointsand eight rebounds against Mercer.
* Four of the five freshmen made their first shot attempts as Wildcats. JPBlevins, Tayshaun Prince and Todd Tackett all hit three-pointers to starttheir UK careers while Desmond Allison converted a layup on his first fieldgoal attempt. All came against EKU.
* Center Michael Bradley made his first career start a memorable one. The6-10 sophomore had career highs vs. EKU in points (13), rebounds (7), fieldgoals (6), field goal attempts (11), assists (4) and steals (4). Padgett,s10 made field goals also were a personal best.
* Wayne Turner scored 11 points against Mercer and now has 808 points inhis career.
Rupp Arena UK is in its 23rd season at Rupp Arena and needs just seven victories toreach 300 in the 23,000-seat facility. The Wildcats are 293-34 (89.6%)overall in Rupp. They have recorded seven perfect home seasons and threeseasons with only one loss. The building opened in 1976. The Wildcats willplay 13 games at Rupp Arena during the 1998-99 season.
Big Blue Trivia Who holds the UK school record for most fouls in a three-year career? Howabout a four-year career? Answer on page 5.
Season Openers
* With its win over Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky has won nine of its last 10season openers. The one loss was a 79-71 overtime defeat to Clemson on Nov.15, 1996 at the BCA Classic in Indianapolis.
* This is UK,s second earliest start to the season in school history. TheClemson-UK game on Nov. 15, 1996 was the school,s earliest tip-off. TheCats also played Duke on Nov. 17, 1979, an 82-76 overtime loss in theTip-Off Classic in Springfield, Mass.
Teams of the Decade
Despite starting the decade with a 14-14 record, UK is second in wins inthe 1990s with 256, trailing only Kansas. Consider this: In the last threeyears, UK has averaged 34.7 wins per season.
Team Wins (OE99) 1. Kansas 266 (3-0) 2. Kentucky 256 (2-0) 3. North Carolina 251 (3-0) 4. Arkansas 241 (4-0)
For the past eight seasons, UK has been the winningest basketball team inthe nation.
Team Wins (OE99) 1. Kentucky 230 (2-0) 2. Kansas 208 (3-0) 3. North Carolina 200 (3-0)
UK Gets Four Signees
Kentucky has received four national letters of intent during the earlysigning period which began Nov. 11. Keith Bogans of Hyattsville, Md.,Marquis Estill of Richmond, Ky., John Stewart of Indianapolis and MarvinStone of Huntsville, Ala., have all signed to play basketball for theWildcats in 1999-2000.
Bogans, a 6-4 guard who averaged 19.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per gamelast season at DeMatha Catholic, is rated as one of the top guards in thenation by nearly every recruiting expert. He was a second-team All-Americanby Parade Magazine last season while leading DeMatha to a 34-1 record and aNo. 3 ranking nationwide. He picked Kentucky over Connecticut, Michigan andNorth Carolina.
Estill, a 6-9, 265-pound forward/center at Madison Central, played only 10games last season due to an injured left knee, but averaged 16.8 points and11.7 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, he led the state in shooting,canning 76.9 percent of his shots. He tallied 14.0 ppg and 7.7 rpg as theIndians advanced to the regionals with a 21-9 record. He chose UK overLouisville.
Stewart, a 7-0, 285-pound center from Lawrence North High School, averaged15.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game last season. He earnedAll-County honors and played on the Junior All-Star team last summer inIndiana.
Stone, a 6-9, 244-pound power forward, averaged 19.1 points, 12.7rebounds, 4.5 blocks and 3.0 assists last year in leading Grissom High to a25-5 record. He was named Class 6A Player of the Year in Alabama and athird-team Parade Magazine All-American. He chose the Cats over Alabama andAuburn.
Rule Changes
The biggest rule change for the 1998-99 season concerns a held ballsituation created by the defense. In previous years, the offense retainedpossession of the ball if it owned the possession arrow. With the change,the ball will be awarded to the defense at the spot nearest to where theheld ball occurred. The arrow then, does not change.
All other situations — i.e. two players diving for a loose ball and bothgaining possession at the same time — will be governed by the direction ofthe possession arrow.
In another change, when a double personal foul is called, the ball will beawarded to the team in possession of the ball when the foul occurred. Thearrow will not change and the shot clock will not be reset.
Also, a rim that is pulled down and contacts the ball before it returns toits original position is basket interference.
White House Tour
The 1998 NCAA Champion Kentucky Wildcats toured the White House and metPresident Clinton on Mon., Nov. 9. Clinton honored the Wildcats and theTennessee Lady Vols on their respective 1998 titles in an East Roomceremony which was broadcast live on radio and television across Kentucky.
Seniors Cameron Mills and Jeff Sheppard presented Clinton with a No. 1Kentucky jersey, just like the OE96 UK champs had done two years prior. ,Wegave you one of these back in 1996, and I never recall you wearing it, said Mills during the ceremony. ,But I,m going to give you another one ingood faith that you,ll wear it.
,Cameron, Clinton responded, ,for all you know, I slept in it. The ceremony concluded a day that began with lunch at Grevey,s, a popularrestaurant in Falls Church, Va., that,s owned by former UK All-AmericanKevin Grevey. From there, the Wildcats toured the Supreme Court beforetheir trip to the White House.
Youth Movement
Kentucky returns nine lettermen from the OE98 squad known as the ,ComebackCats, including two starters. But nine of the 14 Wildcats are freshmen orsophomores. Only 11 teams in Division I college basketball have morefreshmen and sophomores on their rosters than UK.
UK,s returning production includes — points: 52.1%; rebounds: 62.8%;assists: 59.8%; blocks: 60.5%; steals: 59.5%.
The Wildcats, roster includes three seniors, two juniors, four sophomoresand five freshmen.
Multiple Season Victories
The Kentucky Wildcats continue to set NCAA records for wins in multipleseasons. In 1997 and OE98, UK tied its own NCAA record with 70 victories(six defeats), a mark it set originally in 1947 and OE48. During athree-year span from 1996-98, UK tallied 104 victories (11 losses) andduring a four-year period from 1995-98, the Wildcats have 132 wins (16losses), all national records.
SEC Media Picks
UK was the favored squad to repeat as Southeastern Conference Champion andScott Padgett was selected to the five-man All-SEC team when voting wasconducted at SEC Media Days in early November.
The Cats received 17 of the 21 votes to repeat as league champion withTennessee earning three votes and Arkansas getting one.
Padgett was the Cats, lone member of the All-SEC team. Wayne Turnerreceived one vote for preseason MVP, but was left off the All-SEC squad.
SEC Media Day Predictions
ChampionKentucky 17Tennessee 3Arkansas 1
Eastern Division Western DivisionKentucky (24) 159 Arkansas (25) 160Tennessee (3) 129 Auburn (1) 114South Carolina 96 Ole Miss (1) 108Georgia 92 Mississippi St. 69Florida 67 Alabama 63Vanderbilt 33 LSU 38
All-SEC
G - BJ McKie, South Carolina 27G - Tony Harris, Tennessee 12F - Jumaine Jones, Georgia 23F - Scott Padgett, Kentucky 21C - Tyrone Washington, Miss. State 16
MVP
BJ McKie, South Carolina 16Jumaine Jones, Georgia 3Wayne Turner, Kentucky 1Tony Harris, Tennessee 1
1,000-Point Chase
Seniors Scott Padgett and Wayne Turner hope to become the 45th and 46thplayers to join the prestigious 1,000-point club at UK. Padgett, the team,sleading returning scorer, has scored 815 points in his career and Turner,the team,s second-leading returning scorer, has posted 808 career points.
AP Trivia
The Kentucky Wildcats have been ranked in The Associated Press collegebasketball poll every week since the second week of the 1990-91 season.
UK has been ranked in the Top 10 by the AP in the last 77 weekly polls,dating back to Feb. 21, 1994.
Tough Schedule
Kentucky could face 14 teams that played in last season,s NCAA Tournament,including top seeds Kansas and Duke. The Wildcats also could face 19 teamsthat participated in postseason play in 1998 (NCAA or NIT).
Just Like Big Brother
Two Wildcats this season are younger brothers of other college basketballplayers. Michael Bradley,s older brother David, is a senior forward atCharleston Southern.
Tayshaun Prince’s older brother Tommie is a senior forward at Pepperdine.
Trivia Answer
Pat Riley set the UK record for most fouls committed during a three-yearcareer when he tallied 294 (1965-67). Mike Phillips owns the mark for mostfouls during a four-year period with 344 (1975-78).
