Feb. 8, 1998
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – When you have won as often and as impressively asKentucky has over the past few seasons, sometimes just winning isn’t enough.
That’s the way it’s been for this year’s team under first-year coach TubbySmith. Kentucky’s 79-63 victory over Villanova on Sunday was just its second inthe last five wins by a margin of greater than three points. Add in a loss toFlorida and suddenly the word slump was being used for a team with a 21-3record.
“We’ve been struggling a little and we needed a good effort and we gotit,” Jeff Sheppard said. “We’re really happy with the win.”
Sheppard and Nazr Mohammed each had 18 points and Heshimu Evans added 17 asKentucky, which has led the nation in scoring margin the last three seasonswhile winning a national championship and then returning to the title game, wonfor the 11th time in 12 games.
This win came about with some strong inside play and good defense anddespite some poor free throw shooting, a lot of turnovers. In addition,starting forward Scott Padgett was limited to three minutes because of backproblems.
“I thought our defense created some offense although we didn’t finish a lotof the time,” Smith said. “I was also disappointed in our turnovers, 19 isway too many, and you’ve got to shoot better than 51 percent from the foulline. That’s something we’ll be working on.”
Kentucky, which went 15-of-29 from the foul line, finished with a 38-27rebound advantage and scored the bulk of its points inside.
“They killed us on the glass,” Villanova coach Steve Lappas said. “Wespent a lot of time getting ready for Scott Padgett and what he can do. Thenwithout him they went smaller and Mohammed became really tough in the lane.”
Mohammed had 11 rebounds and five of Kentucky’s 16 steals. Evans, who playedthe bulk of Padgett’s minutes at power forward, had nine rebounds to go withhis points.
“If you had told me before the game Evans would have been their four man Iwould have been happy,” Lappas said. “But not with the way it turned out.”
The game at the CoreStates Center was an almost homecoming for Evans, a NewYork native who played at Manhattan College before transferring to Kentucky.
“I think a win like this will help us in the Southeastern Conference,” hesaid. “I had 21 friends and family here so the game was extra important tome.”
Kentucky took control in the matchup of Wildcats by scoring the last threepoints of the first half – a 25-footer at the buzzer by Sheppard – and thefirst six of the second half to take a 46-32 lead.
“That was a big shot,” Smith said of Sheppard’s buzzer-beater. “The ballgot loose, he came up with it and made a 3. That energizes your team. It gaveus a big lift.”
Villanova got back within 46-39 with a 7-0 run, but Kentucky came right backwith a 7-0 spurt with Evans scoring the first five points.
“They had a run but then we came right back and had our own run and thatwas important,” Evans said.
The lead reached 66-48 on a baseline drive by Sheppard with 5:31 to play andVillanova made its last run, a 6-0 burst over the next 1:09 that got it within10 points, but Kentucky started making its free throws to close out the win.
Kentucky missed six straight foul shots and seven of eight at one stretch inthe second half, but Villanova was missing from 11 of 12 shots from the fieldat the same time and never took advantage.
Howard Brown and Jermaine Medley each had 15 points for Villanova. Brownalso had nine rebounds and seven assists.
“They picked up their defense in the second half a little bit,” Brownsaid. “Credit them. They’re a Top Ten team and they showed it from the startof the second half.”
Kentucky beat Villanova 93-56 last season in Lexington.
