No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats (24-4, 12-2)
at Auburn Tigers (15-10, 7-7)
Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum – 10,108
Auburn, Alabama
February 25, 1998
8:08 p.m. EST
BroadcastsSEC TV Network -- Coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET Tom Hammond, Larry ConleyUK Radio Network -- 91 Stations; Coverage begins 6:30 p.m. ET Ralph Hacker, Sam Bowie, Dave Baker
Auburn Tigers (15-10, 7-7) No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl PPG RPG 44 Franklin Williams F 6-6 215 Sr. 7.6 4.0 34 Mamadou N,Diaye C 7-0 230 So. 7.4 7.0 10 Scott Pohlman G 6-2 160 Fr. 9.8 2.5 50 Doc Robinson G 6-2 180 So. 12.7 *4.2 23 Daymeon Fishback G 6-5 205 So. 6.7 3.0 Kentucky Wildcats (24-4, 12-2) 34 Scott Padgett F 6-9 229 Jr. 10.7 6.6 3 Allen Edwards F 6-5 200 Sr. 9.0 3.3 13 Nazr Mohammed C 6-10 240 Jr. 12.6 7.7 15 Jeff Sheppard G 6-3 190 Sr. 12.1 3.8 5 Wayne Turner G 6-2 187 Jr. 9.1 *4.0* Assists per gameThe CoachesOrlando "Tubby" Smith (High Point OE73) Overall (7th year) 148-66 (69.2%) at UK (First year) 24-4 (85.7%) vs. Auburn 1-1Cliff Ellis (Florida State OE68) Overall (23rd year) 414-263 (61.2%) at Auburn (4th year) 66-51 (56.4%) vs. Kentucky 0-5Comparison Stats UK AURecord 24-4 15-10Scoring Off. 78.2 69.7Scoring Def. 66.5 66.3Scoring Margin +11.7 +3.4FG % 47.5 42.3Def. FG % 39.2 39.23FG % 34.5 33.5Def. 3FG % 36.3 34.0FT Pct. 65.2 64.0Reb. Avg. 42.6 40.7Opp. Reb. Avg. 33.0 35.4Rebound Margin +9.6 +5.3TO Avg. 15.9 16.5Opp. TO 17.2 15.9TO Margin +1.3 -0.6Blocks Avg. 5.6 5.5Steals Avg. 9.1 7.4
Title Hunt
With two games left in the 1997-98 regular season, the Kentucky Wildcats are in the hunt for their 39th Southeastern Conference Championship and the Eastern Division,s No. 1 seed for the SEC Tournament. The Wildcats clinched at least a tie for the division title with their 85-74 win over Georgia on Sunday. And Kentucky, which has a two-game advantage over South Carolina in the East and a one-game lead for the league crown over Arkansas, controls its own destiny. If the Cats win one of their remaining games, they will clinch the SEC Eastern Division title outright and assure themselves of the top seed and a more advantageous starting time in the SEC Tournament. The same holds true if South Carolina loses one of its remaining games — vs. Georgia on Tuesday, Feb. 24 and UK, Feb. 28, both at home. The No. 1 seed in the Eastern Division plays at 1 p.m. on March 6 in the quarterfinals of the league tourney in Atlanta. The No. 2 seed plays at 9:45 p.m. that night. In the race for the regular-season title, UK can clinch a tie with one victory in its last two games. With two victories, or a win by the Cats and a loss by Arkansas, Kentucky will win the title outright. Should the two teams tie, they will be declared co-champions despite the fact UK defeated Arkansas in the teams, only matchup on Jan. 17, 80-77 in overtime. Should the Cats capture the SEC Eastern Division Championship, it will mark the fifth time in the seven years since the league split into separate divisions in 1992.
The Auburn Series
Kentucky leads the 77-year-old series 70-16. But 12 of Auburn,s 16 victories in the series have occurred in Auburn. However, the Cats still hold a 21-12 advantage over the Tigers on The Plains. UK has won 11 straight over AU.
Last season, UK defeated Auburn twice — 77-53 on Jan. 18 in Lexington and 92-50 in the SEC Tournament in Memphis on March 7. In the first outing, the victory was overshadowed by the loss of UK,s leading scorer, Derek Anderson, to a knee injury. Anderson missed the remainder of the season, but did shoot two free throws against Minnesota in the Final Four. The injury happened in the second half as Anderson turned upcourt after catching an outlet pass.
At Georgia, Coach Tubby Smith recorded a 1-1 mark vs. Auburn, losing on the road 89-86 in 1996 before winning 53-48 over the Tigers last season in Athens. Tiger coach Cliff Ellis is 0-5 against Kentucky in his three previous years at Auburn.
Cat Tales
No. 7 UK remains the highest-ranked team in the arguably the nation,s strongest basketball conference. Kentucky leads No. 12 Arkansas, No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 14 South Carolina in this week,s Associated Press poll. Tennessee garnered 82 votes this week, just three spots away from the AP,s Top 25. The Wildcats own a 5-2 record vs. ranked opponents this season. * How successful have the Wildcats been the past four seasons? Not only have the Cats played for two national titles, winning one, but they are 121-15 (89.0%) during the period (1994-95 to present), averaging 30.3 wins per season, including the 24 wins this year. * Last Sunday, the Wildcats finished their home season at Rupp Arena with a 9-3 record. It,s the fewest home games played during a regular season at Rupp Arena and only the second time in the facility,s 22-year history the Cats failed to win 10 games. UK was 8-6 in 1988-89.
Road Warriors
Kentucky has a better winning percentage this season away from Rupp Arena than it does at home. UK is 15-1 (93.8%) away from Rupp Arena and 9-3 (75.0%) this season at home. On opponents, home floors, the Wildcats are a perfect 9-0.
Away, UK is averaging 79.1 ppg, which compares favorably to the Cats, 78.9 ppg in Rupp Arena. But while the Wildcats, defense has allowed 68.3 ppg at home, it has given up only 63.1 ppg on the road. The Cats shoot 62.5 percent from the foul line at home, but the percentage rises to 66.8 percent on the road and 67.3 percent at neutral sites. See the stats section of these notes for more home, away and neutral comparisons.
Rupp Arena
UK completed its 22nd season at Rupp Arena with a 9-3 record. Overall, UK is 289-34 (89.5%) at Rupp. The Wildcats have recorded seven perfect home seasons and three seasons with only one loss in Rupp. The Cats still own the nation,s all-time home winning streak at 129 games. The mark was set between Jan. 4, 1943 and Jan. 8, 1955 in Alumni Gymnasium and Memorial Coliseum.
Keys To Victory
The Wildcats are 22-0 when leading with five minutes to play this season. UK is 23-0 if it at least shares the lead with two minutes remaining. If the Cats shoot 50 percent or better from the field, they,re unbeaten in 13 games. For more quick facts, see ,Cats By The Numbers0/00 on page four of this release.
Lineup Changes Again
Coach Tubby Smith jostled the starting lineup for the fourth time this season, but the latest move was in honor of Senior Day at Rupp Arena. In the Cats, first 12 games, Allen Edwards and Scott Padgett started at forward, Wayne Turner and Jeff Sheppard started at guard and Jamaal Magloire manned the middle. Nazr Mohammed has since started the last 16 games at center. At Florida last week, Edwards and Padgett were pulled for Cameron Mills and Saul Smith in an effort to reward the players for their academic achievements this semester. Last Sunday against Georgia, Edwards returned to the lineup and Mills started in place of Padgett in their final home games of their UK careers. Edwards, Mills and Sheppard were honored in the annual pre-game ceremony on Senior Day.
Career Assists Ladder
Two current Wildcats — Wayne Turner and Jeff Sheppard — are working their way up Kentucky,s all-time assists list this season with a third, Allen Edwards, about to crack the top 18. Turner, the junior point guard, is 12th on the list and about to pass current TV analyst Larry Conley, a former member of Rupp,s Runts. Jeff Sheppard,s career-high eight dimes against Georgia on Sunday moved him onto the list at No. 15 for the first time. Senior Allen Edwards had seven assists vs. the Bulldogs and is about to break onto the all-time list with 256 assists.
Career Assists 1. Dirk Minniefield (1980-83) 646 2. Anthony Epps (1994-97) 544 3. Roger Harden (1983-86) 498 4. Sean Woods (1989-92) 482 5. Kyle Macy (1978-80) 470 6. Ed Davender (1985-88) 436 7. Travis Ford (1992-94) 428 8. John Pelphrey (1989-92) 327 9. Larry Johnson (1974-77) 319 10. Dicky Beal (1981-84) 301 11. Larry Conley (1964-66) 293 12. Wayne Turner (1996-98) 289 13. Rod Rhodes (1993-95) 275 14. Jack Givens (1975-78) 270 15. Jeff Sheppard (1994-98) 267 16. Jimmy Dan Conner (1973-75) 264 16. Jim Master (1981-84) 264 18. Mike Casey (1968-69, 71) 260 -- Allen Edwards (1995-98) 256
New Fiddlers?
They might be pretty good barnyard fiddlers, but we have a Carnegie Hall schedule, and it will take violinists to play that competition,0/00 said legendary UK coach Adolph Rupp, before his 1957-58 team began its season. The squad finished the year 23-6, winning the national championship after ,fiddlin, around and fiddlin, around and then finally pulling it out at the end,0/00 according to ,the Baron.0/00 The ,Fiddlin, Five,0/00 led by All-Americans Vernon Hatton and Johnny Cox, had a 9-5 record in games decided by 10 points or less. The squad won the SEC with a 12-2 record and finished ninth in the AP poll and 14th in the UPI poll. The current Wildcats have done their fair share of ,fiddlin, around0/00 with an 8-3 record this season in games decided by 10 points or less. And with no All-Americans on the roster, the OE98 Cats are 5-1 in games decided by three points or less. The OE58 squad was 3-3 in games decided by three points or less.
During the last three seasons with six future NBA players on its roster, UK led the nation in scoring margin — 20.3 ppg in 1997, 23.4 ppg in OE96 and 18.4 ppg in OE95. This year, the Cats are outscoring opponents by 11.7 ppg.
Mohammed’s Last Five
Nazr Mohammed is preparing for March Madness. In the last five games, he,s scored 86 points to average 17.2 ppg. His high games have included 21 points at Tennessee and 19 at Florida.
Smith Needs Three
Coach Tubby Smith needs two wins to reach 150 in his seven-year head coaching career. The former UK assistant coach has averaged 21.1 wins per season, which includes UK,s 24 victories this year, since taking the coaching reins at Tulsa in 1991-92, which includes UK,s 24 victories this year. He is 148-66 overall.
“Z” Breaks Into Top 20
Kentucky had not had a player in the SEC’s top 20 in scoring all season until Nazr Mohammed tallied a game-high 19 points against Florida last Wednesday to push himself into the listing. The ,Big Z0/00 is 18th in scoring at 12.6 ppg. According to the league office, the Wildcats have had a player listed in the top 20 in scoring every week for the past 20 seasons until this year.
Freshman Perfection
Michael Bradley, a 6-10 freshman from Worcester, Mass., is shooting 79.2 percent from the field this season. His attempts are few, but the power forward has connected on 19-of-24 shots spanning 22 games. He,s been perfect from the field on eight occasions: 3-of-3 vs. George Washington, 2-of-2 vs. Canisius, American and Florida, and he,s hit his only shot vs. Vanderbilt, Arkansas, LSU and Villanova.
UK in the NCAA
According to last week,s NCAA stats, the Wildcats were tied for 12th in winning percentage (84.6% – 22-4; they,ve now raised its to 85.7%), tied for 18th in field goal percentage defense (39.4%; now 39.2%) and fifth in rebound margin (9.4 rpg; now 9.6 rpg).
Nazr Mohammed is shooting 63.3 percent from the field this season which leads the SEC. When this week,s NCAA stats are available on Tuesday, Mohammed will once again rank nationally in field goal percentage. He did not have the minimum number of made field goals per game (5.0 pg) to qualify last week. According last week,s NCAA stats, his 63.3% shooting would rank sixth nationally. Washington,s Todd MacCulloch led the nation at 66.8 percent.
Vs. Ranked Teams
Kentucky has a 5-2 record against nationally ranked (AP and USA Today/ESPN) teams this year and a 1-1 record against teams in the top 10. The Wildcats lost 89-74 to top-ranked Arizona before defeating No. 13 Clemson, 76-61, No. 6 Purdue, 89-74, No. 24 Georgia Tech, 85-71, No. 14 South Carolina, 91-70, and No. 22 Arkansas, 80-77 in overtime. UK lost to No. 18 Ole Miss in its last meeting with a ranked opponent. AP rankings were current at the time of the game.
Power Rankings
In the Jeff Sagarin Power Ratings dated Feb. 23, Kentucky was still rated fifth with a 91.46 rating, trailing Duke, North Carolina, Arizona, and Kansas. Sagarin ranks UK,s schedule the ninth toughest in the nation. Auburn was rated 67th.
In an independent Rating Percentage Index (RPI) released on Feb. 22, Kentucky moved up to fifth with a .5910 rating, which trailed North Carolina, Duke, Arizona, and UConn. Kansas was rated sixth. UK,s schedule was rated 27th, according to the report. The RPI is a gauge used by the NCAA and measures three component factors: Division I winning percentage (25%), schedule strength (50%) and opponent,s schedule strength (25%). The NCAA did not, however, provide data for this report and does not publish its own RPI listing. The Streak,s Alive
Despite the fact that this UK team,s strength comes from its inside game, it has still managed to keep its streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer intact. The Wildcats have hit a three in 325 straight games. The record spans 10 years, dating back to Nov. 26, 1988, when UK lost to Seton Hall in the Great Alaska Shootout by ,three,0/00 63-60.
Telling Stats
While the Wildcats have been vulnerable against three-point shooting teams this season, Kentucky was tied for 18th nationally in field goal percentage defense at 39.4 percent last week. Currently, UK is last in the SEC in three-point defense at 36.3 percent this week, but the Cats, overall shooting defense is tied for first in the league.
SEC Domination
UK has won 55 of its last 62 (88.7%) regular-season SEC games. UK was 14-2 in 1995, tallied the league,s first perfect record in 40 years with a 16-0 mark in 1996 and followed the unblemished effort with a 13-3 record last season.
Against SEC competition, the Wildcats are the winningest team in the league with a 733-193 (79.2%) regular-season record in 65 seasons. Overall, the Wildcats have won 38 Southeastern Conference Championships and 20 SEC Tournament Championships, including five of the last six postseason titles. The other 11 league members have won a combined 35 SEC Championships and 17 SEC Tournament titles.
Shooting for 1,000 Points
Senior Jeff Sheppard, who missed last season as a redshirt, is averaging 12.1 ppg, the best in his four-year career. Sheppard started 27 of the team,s 33 games at point guard as a sophomore, scoring 275 points to average 8.3 ppg. This season, he,s already scored 339 points. He needs 91 points to become the school,s 44th member of its prestigious 1,000-point club. At his current scoring pace, the Wildcats will need to play eight more games.
Turner’s Form
Since changing his form, Wayne Turner,s free-throw percentage continues to rise. The Boston native was shooting 53.6 percent (15-28) from the line through the first 14 games of the season, but has since raised his percentage nine points in the last 14 games to 62.7 percent. Turner has converted 21 of his last 29 (72.4%) charity tosses.
Tough On The Boards
Kentucky has outrebounded 25 of its 28 opponents, including its first 20 of the season. Against LSU, both the Cats and the Tigers grabbed 30 boards. Only Vanderbilt, in the second meeting, and Florida in the first outing, have grabbed more rebounds than the Cats this season. The SEC leader in rebounding margin at 9.7 rebounds per game, UK has grabbed 50 rebounds or more seven times. The Wildcats have outrebounded opponents by double digits on 11 occasions. Twice this season, UK has grabbed a season-high 57 rebounds in a game — versus Arkansas and Vanderbilt. Against the Commodores in early January, UK limited VU to just six rebounds the entire second half, including one offensive rebound. The 18 rebounds for Vandy ranks sixth all-time by the SEC for fewest rebounds allowed by a team and is the second fewest allowed by a UK team. The SEC record for rebounds allowed is 11, held by Mississippi State and Ole Miss. UK,s record in the modern era is 17 rebounds allowed to Villanova last season.
Rebounding Margin
The Cats’ rebounding margin ranked fifth nationally (9.4 rpg) last week, and the last time UK had a rebound margin of more than 10.0 per game was during the 1961-62 season, when the Cats outrebounded opponents by 11.9 rpg. According to the SEC Record Book on rebound margin kept since 1969, Alabama holds the record at 11.6 rpg, set in 1973. The school record (available since 1950) for rebounding margin is 22.1 rpg (62.0 to 39.9), set by the 1950 squad. As a footnote, UK shot 34.2 percent from the field that season while its opponents made only 27.5 percent of their shots.
Balanced Production
Six Wildcats are averaging between 8.2 ppg and 12.6 ppg this season. The team is led by Nazr Mohammed and Jeff Sheppard, who are averaging 12.6 and 12.1 ppg, respectively, followed by Scott Padgett at 10.7 ppg. Wayne Turner averages 9.1 ppg, followed by Allen Edwards, 9.0 ppg and Heshimu Evans, 8.2 ppg.
In rebounding, seven Wildcats are averaging at least 3.1 rebounds per game, led by Mohammed,s 7.7 rpg.
Meanwhile, nine UK players are averaging at least 10.6 minutes per game and no Wildcat is averaging more than 27.7 minutes per game (Turner).
Double-Double Combo
Center Nazr Mohammed and forward Scott Padgett have recorded double-doubles in the same games three times this season, all against SEC opponents and all in Rupp Arena. The duo first accomplished the feat against Vanderbilt (1/3/98), when Mohammed tallied 19 points and 12 rebounds and Padgett added 13 points and 14 boards. Against Arkansas (1/17/98), the ,Big Z0/00 had 14 points and 13 rebounds while Padgett tallied 11 points and 12 boards. Then, against visiting Tennessee, Mohammed had 20 points and 16 boards as ,L-Train0/00 scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Mohammed leads the team in double-doubles with seven this season, 14 for his career, while Padgett has racked up four for the year, five for his career.
