November 30, 1998
#6/7 KANSAS JAYHAWKS (4-0)
vs.
#8/8 KENTUCKY WILDCATS (5-1)
GREAT EIGHT
Dec. 1, 1998
9:30 p.m. ET
United Center (21,000)
Chicago, Ill.
Great Eight Lineup
Dec. 1
#14 Washington vs. #1 Connecticut 6:30 p.m. CT#6 Kansas vs. #8 Kentucky 8:30 p.m. CT
Dec. 2
Rhode Island vs. #20 Utah 6:30 p.m. CT#9 Michigan State vs. #4 Duke 8:30 p.m. CT
* Rankings from ESPN/USA Today poll
RADIO
UK Radio Network – 8:30 p.m. ET
WVLK-AM 590 & WVLK-FM 92.9 (flagship)
Ralph Hacker (play-by-play), Sam Bowie (analyst),Dave Baker (host), Tom Leach (scoreboard)
TELEVISION
ESPN – 9:30 p.m. ET
Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Dick Vitale(analyst), Jay Bilas (courtside)
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
Probably Starters
Kentucky Wildcats (5-1)
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg34 Scott Padgett F 6-9 240 Sr. 9.8 6.214 Heshimu Evans F 6-6 215 Sr. 13.7 5.333 Michael Bradley C 6-10 235 So. 11.5 5.705 Wayne Turner G 6-2 190 Sr. 11.7 *2.721 Tayshaun Prince G 6-8 206 Fr. 8.0 4.7
Key Cats Off The Bench
32 Desmond Allison G/F 6-5 206 Fr. 4.3 1.025 Myron Anthony F 6-7 225 So. 1.7 0.740 Jules Camara F/C 6-11 213 Fr. 7.2 5.822 Ryan Hogan G 6-3 185 So. 2.8 0.842 Jamaal Magloire C 6-10 260 Jr. 3.5 2.211 Saul Smith G 6-2 175 So. 4.0 *2.7
Kansas Jayhawks (4-0)
20 Kenny Gregory F 6-5 215 So. 15.5 4.521 Nick Bradford F 6-6 190 Jr. 11.0 7.344 Eric Chenowith C 7-0 235 So. 12.5 8.013 Jeff Boschee G 6-1 185 Fr. 9.5 *4.504 Ryan Robertson G 6-5 190 Sr. 14.0 *4.5
* Assists per game
Caribbean Cats Head to Chi-town
After completing play at the Puerto Rico Shootout three days ago, the Kentucky Wildcats return to the mainland to participate in the Great Eight in Chicago. The event, now in its fourth year of existence, attempts to match each of the final eight teams from the previous NCAA Tournament in a two-night double-header.
Kentucky has played in all of the three previous Great Eights, tallying a 2-1 record:
Date Result SiteNov. 28, 1995 Massachusetts 92, Kentucky 82 DetroitDec. 3, 1996 Kentucky 101, Purdue 87 ChicagoDec. 3, 1997 Kentucky 89, Purdue 75 Chicago
In the two most recent Great Eights, the Wildcats had returned from a preseason tournament. In 1996, the Wildcats had just won the Great Alaska Shootout three days before in Anchorage. Last season, UK had finished third in the Maui Invitational and defeated Clemson in Phoenix three days prior. This year, UK is returning from the Puerto Rico Shootout, where the Cats defeated No. 10 UCLA on Saturday for third-place honors.
Kentucky will face its second ranked opponent in as many games. After defeating 10th-ranked UCLA, 66-62, in the P.R. Shootout last Saturday, UK faces No. 6 Kansas.
The Cats tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET when they battle KU in the Great Eight. UK, which has already appeared on ESPN2 twice this season, is scheduled to appear on ESPN nine times this season with four 9:30 p.m. time slots.
This is the Wildcats, seventh game in 15 days. Following the battle with the Jayhawks, UK will have four days before facing Miami (Fla.) in Lexington on Saturday.
Kentucky begins a stretch of seven games that features five teams from the 1998 NCAA Tournament, including top seeds Kansas and Duke. Georgia Tech also participated in postseason, playing in the NIT.
Kansas Series Notes
Kentucky leads the series 17-3. At neutral sites, UK has won all three meetings — 100-63 in 1974, 82-62 in 1982 and 92-89 in 1985. All three games were played in Louisville.
The first meeting in the series occurred on Dec. 16, 1950, a 68-39 UK victory. The Big Blue won the first five games of the series and then ran off 11 consecutive wins from 1974-85.
Kansas and Kentucky have not met since Dec. 8, 1990, when UK upset the Jayhawks, 88-71. KU has won two of the last three meetings, however, which includes an 83-66 win in 1986 and a 150-95 victory in 1989. Both wins came in Lawrence, Kan.
All-time vs. Big 12 teams, UK is 50-6. The Cats have already earned one victory over a Big 12 team this season, a 64-52 win over Colorado to open the Puerto Rico Shootout. The 20 games in the Kansas series is the most UK games against any Big 12 school.
Coach Tubby Smith has never coached against Kansas. Coach Roy Williams is 1-1 vs. UK.
UK-KU Moments
The Cats and Jayhawks have witnessed historic moments in their 20-game series:
1923 – Adolph Rupp, who went on to become the winningest coach in college basketball during a 42-year career at Kentucky, graduated from Kansas where he played for the great Phog Allen and his able assistant, Dr. James Naismith.
Dec. 10, 1977 – Within hours after No. 1 UK defeated the Jayhawks, 73-66, on ,Adolph Rupp Night in Allen Fieldhouse, Rupp dies in Lexington.
Dec. 9, 1978 – Trailing 66-60 with 31 seconds left in OT, Dwight Anderson scored back-to-back baskets, then stole a pass and fed Kyle Macy for the tying jumper, as host UK rallied. KU was then called for a technical as it tried to call a timeout it didn,t have. Macy,s ensuing free throw gave the Cats a 67-66 win.
Dec. 9, 1989 – Seven Jayhawks scored in double figures, led by Terry Brown,s 31 points, as KU hung the worse loss on UK during the modern era, 150-95, in Allen Fieldhouse. Coach Rick Pitino,s first UK team trailed at halftime, 80-61. Tubby Smith was a UK assistant coach for that squad.
Teams of Tradition
Kentucky and Kansas rank one and three in the all-time NCAA win column. UK is the leader with 1,720 victories, while Kansas is third (behind North Carolina) with 1,669 wins.
In the 1990s, Kansas has 267 wins, the most by any team, followed by the Wildcats with 259. In the last eight seasons, UK has 232 victories to Kansas, 209, which ranks 1-2, and in the last four years (1995-98), UK owns the national record with 132 victories and the Jayhawks have 123. In the last three years, the Cats have 104 wins, also a record for a three-year period, while Kansas has 98.
UK has appeared in four Final Fours in the OE90s with two NCAA Championships. Kansas was in the opposite bracket of UK in the 1993 Final Four but both teams lost semifinal matches. The Jayhawks also were NCAA runners-up in 1991 to Duke.
Coaching Comparisons
Tubby Smith (High Point 1973)
Overall (8th year) 164-67 (71.0%)at UK (2nd year) 40-5 (90.5%)NCAA Appearances (5) 12-4 (75.0%)vs. Kansas 0-0
Roy Williams (North Carolina 1972)
Overall (10th year) 286-62 (82.2%)at Kansas samevs. Kentucky 1-1
Team Comparisons
UK KURecord 5-1 4-0Scoring Off. 77.3 77.5Scoring Def. 62.0 59.8Scoring Margin +15.3 +17.7FG % 48.8 48.9Def. FG % 36.6 37.63FG % 24.3 37.9Def. 3FG % 28.3 31.8FT Pct. 55.3 65.1Reb. Avg. 44.2 43.3Opp. Reb. Avg. 36.5 33.3Rebound Margin +7.7 +10.0TO Avg. 17.0 16.3Opp. TO 19.0 16.5TO Margin +2.0 +0.2Blocks Avg. 6.2 4.3Steals Avg. 7.8 8.3
Sagarin Power Rankings
In the latest Jeff Sagarin Power Rankings, based on won-loss records and schedule strength, Kansas is ranked second with a 95.65 rating. Kentucky is eighth with a 91.26 rating. Maryland, winner of the OE98 Puerto Rico Shootout, leads the rankings with a 96.59 rating.
First 45
Coach Tubby Smith has a 40-5 record during his brief two-year career at UK, picking up win No. 40 last Saturday against UCLA. Smith has won more games in his first 45 contests than any other coach in UK history. Adolph Rupp began his career with a 38-7 record, Joe B. Hall began with a 29-16 slate, Eddie Sutton started with a 39-6 mark and Rick Pitino won 29 of his first 45 games.
Tubby Smith Information
Personal
Birthdate:
June 30, 1951
Hometown:
Scotland, Md.
Family: Wife Donna, Sons G.G. (21), Saul (19) and Brian (14); Coach Smith is one of 17 children.
Date Hired at UK:
May 12, 1997
Education
High School:
Great Mills (Md.), 1969
College:
High Point (N.C.), 1973
A four-year letterwinner (1970-73), he was team captain as a senior and co-captain as a junior… An All-Carolina Conference selection.
Coaching Record
1979-86 Asst. Coach VCU
1986-89 Asst. Coach S. Carolina
1989-91 Asst. Coach Kentucky
Tulsa
1991-92: 17-13
1992-93: 15-14
1993-94: 23-8 (NCAA 16)
1994-95: 24-8 (NCAA 16)
Total: 79-43 (64.8%)
Georgia
1995-96: 21-10 (NCAA 16)
1996-97: 24-9 (NCAA 64)
Total: 45-19 (70.3%)
Kentucky
1997-98: 35-4 (89.7%)
1998-99: 5-1 (100.0%)
Total: 40-5 (90.2%)
Totals
7th year: 164-67 (71.0%)
Highlights
In his first UK season, Tubby Smith won the NCAA title, the SEC regular-season championship, the league tournament title, the Eastern Division crown, and the regional title. He was named 1998 National Coach of the Year by Basketball Weekly and the Black Coaches Association and co-SEC Coach of the Year by the AP. Following the season, he was presented with the Winged Foot Award and the Victor Award for his coaching success and he was named Parent of the Year by Parent Magazine. Previously, he had won Missouri Valley Conference titles and MVC Coach of the Year honors at Tulsa in 1994 and 1995 after posting identical 15-3 records in league play.
As an SEC coach, he is 33-15 (68.8%) against SEC competition during the regular season. In the SEC Tournament, he,s 7-2. In the NCAA Tournament, he,s compiled a 12-4 record in five tournament appearances.
Smith has coached four of his last five teams to at least the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tourney — two at Tulsa, one each at Georgia and UK — and recorded the first back-to-back 20-win seasons in UGA history.
Long November
UK played more games than ever before in November, finishing with a 5-1 record. The OE99 Wildcats also were the first UK team to win five games during the month. Last season, the Wildcats played five games, and in 1989, they played four.
For the third consecutive year, UK lost a game in November when Pittsburgh defeated the Wildcats, 68-56, in the P.R. Shootout. And for the 10th time in 11 seasons, the Wildcats lost one of their first five games of the season.
Youth Movement
Kentucky returns nine letter-men, including two starters, from the OE98 squad known as the ,Comeback Cats.0/00 But nine of the 14 Wildcats are freshmen or sophomores. Only 11 teams in Division I college basketball have more freshmen 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 sophomores and five freshmen.
Caribbean Cat Tour
While the Wildcats finished the Puerto Rico Shootout with a 2-1 record and a third-place trophy, the trip proved to be an adventure.
First, the Wildcats returned to Lexington from its Wright State game in Cincinnati at 12:30 a.m. on Monday night. Six-and-one-half hours later (7 a.m. Tuesday morning), the team departed for the Louisville airport for its trek to the Caribbean.
UK caught a chartered 747 with 598 Big Blue fans. Upon arrival, the Wildcats headed to American University for practice. After sitting nearly 90 minutes in San Juan traffic, Coach Tubby Smith turned the bus around and headed for the team hotel, canceling practice. Oh, and one more thing… the team hotel was located nearly 90 minutes from the Puerto Rico Shootout headquarters.
The Wildcats returned to Lexington at noon on Sunday.
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 with 79 as a sophomore.
UK’s All-Time Steals List
1. Tony Delk (1993-96) 2012. Ed Davender (1985-88) 1913. Wayne Turner (1996-99) 1884. Jared Prickett (1993-97) 1875. 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) 362
Puerto Rico Shootout Results
First Round
Kentucky def. Colorado 64-52
Maryland def. American-P.R. 82-32
Pittsburgh def. Xavier 94-76
UCLA def. San Francisco 69-62
Second Round
Pittsburgh def. Kentucky, 68-56
Maryland def. UCLA, 70-54
Xavier def. Colorado, 74-61
USF vs. American U., 82-69
Final Round
Colorado def. American U. (7th), 101-56
USF def. Xavier (5th), 82-69
Kentucky def. UCLA (3rd), 66-62
Maryland def. Pittsburgh (1st), 87-52
Cat Streaks Ended
The UK loss to Pittsburgh ended the Wildcats, 17-game winning streak, the school,s 10th best streak overall. Kentucky,s streak began with a 79-54 win over Florida on Feb. 18, 1998. The loss to the Panthers also ended UK,s 16-game win streak at neutral sites.
The Wildcats have also:
Won 14 straight road games. The last team to defeat UK on the road was South Carolina (Feb. 4, 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 340 consecutive games.
Turner Chases NCAA Record
Senior guard Wayne Turner has a chance to play in more college basketball games than anyone on record. Turner, who has logged time in 120 games during his career, has a chance to break the mark of 148 games held by Duke,s Christian Laettner.
The Wildcats have a 30-game regular-season schedule and Turner must play in 35 games to claim the record. The Boston native has missed only one game during his UK career — the 1996 NCAA Championship game against Syracuse, when Anthony Epps played the entire 40 minutes at point guard. In addition, Turner hopes to become the first non-Duke player to play in four Final Fours. Bryan Davis (1989-92), Greg Koubek (1988-91) and Christian Laettner (1989-92) all participated in the Final Four for the Blue Devils.
Double-Doubles
Scott Padgett recorded his seventh career double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the season-opener against Eastern Kentucky. Padgett had five double-doubles last season and one as a sophomore.
Freshman Jules Camara tallied his first double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes in the opener. He followed up the effort 15-points and eight rebounds against Mercer.
1,000-Point Chase
Seniors Scott Padgett and Wayne Turner hope to join the prestigious 44-member 1,000-point club at UK. Padgett has scored 844 points in his career and Turner has posted 852 career points.
AP Trivia
The Kentucky Wildcats have been ranked in The Associated Press college basketball poll every week since the second week of the 1990-91 season, a span of 145 consecutive weeks.
UK has been ranked in the Top 10 by the AP in the last 76 weekly polls, dating back to Feb. 21, 1994, when the Wildcats fell to 11th after 34 straight weeks that dated back to the 1992 season.
Rupp Arena
UK is in its 23rd season at Rupp Arena and needs just seven victories to reach 300 in the 23,000-seat, city-owned facility. The Wildcats are 293-34 (89.6%) overall in Rupp. They have recorded seven perfect home seasons and three seasons with only one loss. The building opened in 1976. The Wildcats will play 13 games at Rupp Arena during the 1998-99 season.
Teams of the Decade
Despite starting the decade with a 14-14 record, UK is second in wins in the 1990s with 259, trailing only Kansas. Consider this: In the last three years, UK has averaged 34.7 wins per season.
Team Wins (1999)1. Kansas 267 (4-0)2. Kentucky 259 (5-1)3. North Carolina 254 (6-0)4. Arkansas 242 (5-1)
For the past eight seasons, UK has been the winningest basketball team in the nation.
Team Wins (1999)1. Kentucky 232 (5-1)2. Kansas 209 (4-0)3. North Carolina 203 (6-0)
UK Signs Four
Kentucky received four national letters of intent during the early signing period which began Nov. 11. Keith Bogans of Hyattsville, Md., Marquis Estill of Richmond, Ky., John Stewart of Indianapolis and Marvin Stone of Huntsville, Ala., all signed to play basketball for the Wildcats in 1999-2000.
Bogans, a 6-4 guard who averaged 19.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season at DeMatha Catholic, is rated as one of the top guards in the nation by nearly every recruiting expert. He was a second-team All-American by Parade Magazine last season while leading DeMatha to a 34-1 record and a No. 3 ranking nationwide. He picked Kentucky over Connecticut, Michigan and North Carolina.
Estill, a 6-9, 265-pound forward/center at Madison Central, played only 10 games last season due to an injured left knee, but averaged 16.8 points and 11.7 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 the Indians advanced to the regionals with a 21-9 record. He chose UK over Louisville.
Stewart, a 7-0, 285-pound center from Lawrence North High School, averaged 15.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game last season. He earned All-County honors and played on the Junior All-Star team last summer in Indiana.
Stone, a 6-9, 244-pound power forward, averaged 19.1 points, 12.7 rebounds, 4.5 blocks and 3.0 assists last year in leading Grissom High to a 25-5 record. He was named Class 6A Player of the Year in Alabama and a third-team Parade Magazine All-American. He chose the Cats over Alabama and Auburn.
White House Tour
The 1998 NCAA Champion Kentucky Wildcats toured the White House and met President Clinton on Mon., Nov. 9. Clinton honored the Wildcats and the Tennessee Lady Vols on their respective 1998 titles in an East Room ceremony which was broadcast live on radio and TV across Kentucky. Seniors Cameron Mills and Jeff Sheppard presented Clinton with a No. 1 Kentucky jersey.
“We gave you one of these back in 1996, and I never recall you wearing it,” Mills said during the ceremony. “But I,m going to give you another one in good faith that you,ll wear it.”
Clinton responded, “for all you know, I slept in it.”
The ceremony concluded a day that began with lunch at Grevey’s, a popular restaurant in Falls Church, Va., that’s owned by former UK All-American Kevin Grevey. From there, the Wildcats toured the Supreme Court before their trip to the White House.
Multiple Season Victories
The Kentucky Wildcats continue to set NCAA records for wins in multiple seasons. 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 a three-year span from 1996-98, UK tallied 104 victories (11 losses) and during a four-year period from 1995-98, the Wildcats had 132 wins (16 losses) — all national records.
Season Openers
With its win over Eastern Kentucky, UK has won nine of its last 10 season 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. The Clemson-UK game on Nov. 15, 1996 was the school’s earliest tipoff. The Cats also played Duke on Nov. 17, 1979, an 82-76 overtime loss in the Tip-Off Classic in Springfield, Mass.
SEC Media Picks
UK was the favored squad to repeat as Southeastern Conference Champion and Scott Padgett was selected to the five-man All-SEC team when voting was conducted at SEC Media Days in early November.
The Cats received 17 of the 21 votes to repeat as league champion with Tennessee earning three votes and Arkansas getting one. Padgett was the Cats, lone member of the All-SEC team. Wayne Turner received one vote for preseason MVP, but was left off the All-SEC squad.
SEC Media Day Predictions
Champion
Kentucky: 17
Tennessee: 3
Arkansas: 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
Just Like Big Brother
Two Wildcats this season are younger brothers of other college basketball players. Michael Bradley’s older brother David is a senior forward at Charleston Southern. Tayshaun Prince’s older brother Tommie is a senior forward at Pepperdine.
1998-99 Trends
4-0 When leading at halftime
0-0 When tied at halftime
1-1 When trailing at halftime
4-1 When UK scored first
1-0 When opponent scored first
5-0 When leading with 5 minutes to play
0-1 When trailing with 5 minutes to play
0-0 When scored tied with 5 minutes to play
5-0 When leading with 2 minutes to play
0-1 When trailing with 2 minutes to play
0-0 When scored tied with 2 minutes to play
0-0 In games decided by three points or less
1-0 In games decided by 4-10 points
0-0 When UK shoots 60% or better FG
2-0 When UK shoots 50% or better FG
3-1 When UK shoots less than 50% FG
1-0 When UK shoots less than 40% FG
2-0 When UK makes more 3FG
2-1 When opponent makes more 3FG
1-0 When 3FG made are the same
4-1 When UK outrebounds opponent
0-0 When opponent outrebounds UK
1-0 When rebounds are the same
1-1 When playing on national TV
0-0 When playing on regional TV
1-0 When playing on the weekend
4-1 When playing on a weekday
0-0 In overtime games
5-1 In November
5-1 In home white uniforms
0-0 In away blue uniforms
Wildcats vs. Conferences
1-0 vs. Big 12
0-1 vs. Big East
1-0 vs. Midwestern Collegiate
1-0 vs. Ohio Valley
1-0 vs. Pac-10
1-0 vs. Trans America
Record vs. Lineup
2-0 Padgett, Evans, Bradley, Smith, Turner
1-0 Padgett, Prince, Bradley, Smith, Masiello
2-1 Padgett, Evans, Bradley, Prince, Turner
