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Sophomore Tayshaun Prince led the Wildcats in scoring during their two exhibition games. |
Men’s hoops hosts Penn Wednesday at Rupp Arena.
LEXINGTON, Kty. – The Kentucky Wildcats — “America’s Team of the Century” — begins their 97th season of basketball against the Penn Quakers in first-round action of the Preseason National Invitation Tournament.
The Wildcats, the all-time winningest team in college basketball and owners of seven NCAA Championships, two (postseason) NIT crowns and a host of other awards and honors, will look to maintain their perfect mark against the Quakers. UK has beaten Penn in all three previous meetings.
Since practice began on Oct. 16, UK has played two exhibition games, defeating the California All-Stars, 73-66, and the Athletes in Action (Red), 98-77. But to secure a victory over Penn, an NCAA Tournament participant last season, UK must contain the Quakers’ backcourt, led by senior Michael Jordan. With respect to “His Airness,” Penn’s Jordan has made quite a name for himself, averaging double-figures in scoring in each of his three seasons, including a 15.3 ppg slate as a sophomore and junior. The Philadelphia native was the Ivy Freshman of the Year, an All-Ivy and All-Big 5 selection the last two years and ranks 20th on the all-time scoring list at Penn (1,140 points) and fifth in assists (328).
While Penn’s roster boasts three returning starters and eight juniors and seniors, UK lists one returning starter, Desmond Allison, and four juniors and seniors, only two of whom were scholarship players last season. Coach Tubby Smith will have the challenge of replacing five letterwinners from last year’s 28-9 squad that finished in the Elite Eight while Coach Fran Dunphy looks to build upon the Quakers’ NCAA Tournament berth which ended with a 75-61 first-round loss to Florida.
Penn Quakers (0-0)
vs.
#14 – #12 Kentucky Wildcats (0-0)
Preseason NIT
Nov. 17, 1999 – 9:04 p.m. ET
Rupp Arena (23,000) – Lexington, Ky.
On the Air
UK Radio Network — 7:30 p.m. ET
Ralph Hacker, Sam Bowie, Dave Baker
ESPN
Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale
To follow the Wildcats in cyberspace, log onto www.ukathletics.com. Live stats, notes and information on this year’s team is available.
Probable Starters
KENTUCKY
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. ^Ppg ^Rpg Hometown21 Tayshaun Prince G/F 6-9 215 So. 20.5 5.0 Compton, Calif.40 Jules Camara F 6-11 223 So. 4.0 4.5 Dakar, Senegal42 Jamaal Magloire C 6-10 260 Sr. 17.0 10.5 Toronto, Ontario11 Saul Smith G 6-2 175 Jr. 10.5 *3.0 Athens, Ga.32 Desmond Allison G/F 6-5 214 So. 3.0 4.5 Tampa, Fla.
^ Averages from the 1999 exhibition games
PENN
31 Oggie Kapetanovic F 6-10 235 Jr. @6.9 4.0 Nepean, Ontario15 Frank Brown F 6-6 205 Sr. 5.2 3.5 Beverly Hills, Calif.50 Geoff Owens C 6-11 240 Sr. 9.3 7.3 Audubon, N.J.20 Matt Langel G 6-5 200 Sr. 11.3 4.4 Moorestown, N.J.23 Michael Jordan G 6-0 165 Sr. 15.3 3.8 Philadelphia, Pa.
^ Penn’s averages from 1998-99 @Stats from Brown U., 1997-98
* Assists per game
Preseason NIT Bracket
UK must win two games to advance to the semifinals and championship/consolation in New York over Thanksgiving. Here’s the lineup the Cats must face to reach the Big Apple:
Nov. 16
Arkansas State vs. Utah
Nov. 17
Penn vs. Kentucky
Nov. 19
Arkansas State/Utah winner vs. Penn/Kentucky winner
Tickets Available
Nearly 1,000 tickets remain for the Preseason NIT game against Penn. Fewer than 300 remain for a second-round contest on Friday should the Wildcats advance. The upper arena seats are $15 each and can be purchased at the Rupp Arena box office or the Memorial Coliseum ticket office. Tickets can be charged with a Visa or MasterCard by calling 800-928-CATS or 606-233-3535.
Nearly 1,000 tickets remain for the UK-Dayton game on Nov. 29 at the Firstar Center in Cincinnati. Seats are $30 and must be purchased through Ticketmaster (Cincinnati — 513-562-4949; Lexington — 606-281-6644).
NIT Clarification
Some fans apparently are confused with the tournament format for the Preseason NIT. UK must win its first-round game against Penn to advance to the second round where the Wildcats would face the winner of Utah-Arkansas State in Rupp Arena. The Cats must then defeat its second-round opponent to advance to New York for the semifinals and championship game. Should UK lose in the first or second round, it would be out of the Preseason NIT and would not play again until Nov. 29 against Dayton in Cincinnati. One additional note: if UK does not advance past the first round, there will NOT be a second-round game played at Rupp Arena on Nov. 19 (i.e. Penn vs. Utah/Arkansas St.). The NIT would designate a home site from among the two advancing teams.
If the Wildcats advance to New York, they will play two games at Madison Square Garden — Nov. 24 & 26 — regardless of wins or losses. The Preseason NIT’s “Final Four” includes a consolation game prior to the championship contest.
UK has played in the Preseason NIT one previous time. The Cats beat West Virginia in 1991 before suffering a second-round defeat to Pittsburgh.
The Skinny on the Quakers
Penn finished last season with a 21-6 record and a 13-1 mark in the Ivy League. Since the ’93 season, the Quakers’ conference record is 85-13 (86.7%), tops among all Division I conferences. In comparison, UK is 93-19 (83.0%) in Southeastern Conference play during the same time period.
The Quakers’ strength is their backcourt. Led by Michael Jordan and Matt Langel, the senior guards have started 58 games together. While Jordan is a two-time All-Ivy and All-Big 5 selection, Langel earned honorable mention league honors last season after shooting 42.9 percent from three-point range, improving his career 41.2 percentage which ranks fifth on the school’s career list. He averaged 11.3 ppg last season after starting all 27 contests. Geoff Owens, the returning center, led the team in rebounding and blocked shots last season.
In dominating the Ivy, Penn shot 49.8 percent from the field last season in league play and 42.3 percent from three-point range. In non-conference play, Penn defeated Temple for the first time since 1982 and lost to Kansas by only five in the season opener, wasting a chance to take the lead inside the final two minutes. In the loss to Florida in March, former long-range ace Jed Ryan drilled six three-pointers in the first half to propel the Quakers to a 43-32 lead at intermission. But Penn could only manage six field goals in the second half before falling, 75-61.
The Quakers did not play an exhibition game this season. They held a practice/scrimmage against the Nantucket Nectars last Friday but no statistics were available.
The Series
Kentucky and Penn have met three times, all wins by the Wildcats. UK defeated Penn, 64-49, in Memorial Coliseum in 1967, 102-78 the following season at Penn and 85-62 in their last meeting, Nov. 24, 1990 at Rupp Arena. Coach Fran Dunphy was in his second season as head coach at Penn that year, while Coach Tubby Smith was in his second season as an assistant coach at Kentucky under Rick Pitino. That contest also served as the teams’ season opener.
While Dunphy is 0-1 against Kentucky, Smith has never coached against Penn.
Coaching Comparisons
Orlando “Tubby” Smith (High Point ’73)
Overall (9th year) 187-75 (71.4%)at UK (3rd year) 63-13 (82.9%)SEC Tournament (4 yrs.) 10-2 (83.3%)NCAA Tournament (6 yrs.) 15-5 (75.0%)vs. Penn 0-0
Fran Dunphy (LaSalle ’70)
Overall (11th year) 173-97 (64.1%)at Penn the samevs. Kentucky 0-1
Rupp Arena
The Kentucky Wildcats begin their 24th season of basketball at Rupp Arena when they take the floor against Penn in the Preseason NIT on Nov. 17. With a 12-1 mark last season, the Wildcats are 303-35 (89.6%) in the facility.
UK has recorded seven perfect home seasons and four years with only one defeat since Rupp Arena opened in 1976-77. The Big Blue earned its 300th victory in the 23,000-seat gymnasium on Jan. 30, 1999, an 86-62 win over LSU.
UK in the NIT
The Wildcat have participated in one Preseason NIT since the event began in 1985. UK finished the 1992 tournament with a 1-1 record after beating West Virginia 106-80 in the first round before losing to Pittsburgh, 85-67.
In the postseason NIT, UK has participated seven times, but only once since 1950. The Cats won the NIT in 1946, when it was still considered the “national” championship, and again in 1976, after failing to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. UK has an 11-5 record in postseason NIT action.
Season Openers
Kentucky has won nine of its last 10 season openers. UK’s one defeat came at the hands of Clemson, a 79-71 overtime loss in the BCA Classic double-header on Nov. 15, 1996.
The Clemson opener in ’96 still ranks as the earliest start to UK’s regular season in school history. This is the second-earliest start for the Wildcats. Last year, UK also opened on Nov. 17 against Eastern Kentucky and they opened the same date in the Tip-Off Classic in 1979.
Should the Cats Advance…
If the Wildcats defeat Penn, they would play the winner of the Arkansas State/Utah contest held on Nov. 16.
Against Arkansas State, UK is 1-0, earning the victory on Jan. 18, 1945. The score: 75-6. The six points still rank as the fewest by a UK opponent in the modern era.
Against Utah, the Wildcats are 6-2, including a 78-69 win over the Utes in the 1998 NCAA Championship game. Each of the eight meetings have occurred in tournament settings. Utah’s two wins came against UK in the 1947 NIT Championship game and the 1976 UKIT finals. The two teams have met four times in the 1990s, all in the NCAA Tournament, all UK victories.
Block Watch
UK Career Blocked Shots
1. Melvin Turpin (1981-84) 2262. Sam Bowie (1980-81, 84) 2183. Andre Riddick (1992-95) 2124. Jamaal Magloire (1997-99) 211
Cats Short on Experience, Long on Talent
Seven of the 11 Wildcats on the ’99-2000 roster are freshmen or sophomores. UK lost its top four scorers, its top three rebounders and its top three assists men. The Cats’ leading returning scorer and rebounder is senior Jamaal Magloire, who averaged 7.0 ppg and 4.4 rpg, while the leading returning assist man is Saul Smith, who averaged 1.6 apg last season. The only returning starter is Desmond Allison.
Returning production includes:
Points: 35.8%Rebounds: 38.9%Assists: 33.1 %Blocks 63.8%Steals: 37.8%
But the Wildcats’ roster includes three McDonald’s All-Americans — sophomore Tayshaun Prince and freshmen Keith Bogans and Marvin Stone.
Latest Rankings
The preseason rankings were released last week by The Associated Press, a weekly vote by the nation’s media, and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll, a weekly poll of college basketball coaches. Kentucky was ranked 14th in the AP poll, where it remains in this week’s poll, and 12th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. It’s the first time since the 1990-91 season the Wildcats have begun the season outside the AP top 10. In 1990-91, UK began the year unranked. In addition, since late in the ’92 season, this week marks the fifth week the Wildcats have appeared outside of the AP top 10, including one week during the ’94 season and two weeks last season.
The Cats finished the 1999 season ranked eighth in the final AP poll and fifth in the Coaches rankings. It was the Wildcats’ 34th finish in the AP top 10, a national record. Overall, UK has appeared in the AP top 10 in 126 of the last 130 weeks, dating back to March 2, 1992. UK has appeared in the AP poll 609 times out of a possible 798 weeks since the poll began in 1948-49. The Wildcats have spent 87 weeks at No. 1 and have appeared at the top of the final regular-season polls on seven occasions.
The top-10 finish in the Coaches poll last season was UK’s 30th top-10 finish, the most by any team.
Magloire Earns Preseason All-SEC Honor
In early November, media members at the Southeastern Conference Media Days in Birmingham picked the Wildcats to finish second in the Eastern Division behind Florida and selected Jamaal Magloire to the preseason All-SEC team. Auburn, which returns Chris Porter and Doc Robinson from last year’s Sweet 16 team, was chosen to win the regular-season crown.
SEC Media Day Predictions
Champion VotesAuburn 29Florida 10Kentucky 5
Eastern Division Western DivisionFlorida (30) 227 Auburn (40) 240Kentucky (3) 188 Arkansas 177Tennessee (7) 181 Alabama 142Vanderbilt 100 Miss. State 121Georgia 85 LSU 67South Carolina 56 Ole Miss 58
All-SEC
G - Tony Harris, Tennessee 27G - Doc Robinson, Auburn 41F - Chris Porter, Auburn 49F - Mike Miller, Florida 37C - Jamaal Magloire, Kentucky 17
SEC Player of the Year
Chris Porter, Auburn 45Doc Robinson, Auburn 1Mike Miller, Florida 1
America’s Team of the Century
The Wildcats own an unparalleled tradition of success. Since 1903, the University of Kentucky has fielded 96 basketball teams. The first national championship was an NIT title in 1946. The first NCAA Championship came in 1948 and the latest, No. 7, occurred in 1998. No other program can claim the unparalleled success that matches the Wildcats’ efforts throughout the century. Highlights include:
Seven NCAA titles (1948, ’49, ’51, ’58, ’78, ’96, ’98);
The all-time winningest team in college basketball.
1. Kentucky 1,7482. North Carolina 1,7333. Kansas 1,688
The highest all-time winning percentage in college basketball — 76.4% (1,748-538-1);
Three NCAA runner-up trophies;
13 Final Four appearances;
A national-record 40 NCAA tournament appearances;
39 SEC Championships;
22 SEC Tournament titles;
10 30-win seasons;
37 players chosen All-American 54 times;
86 Wildcats drafted by the NBA.
Exhibition Games
In UK’s first exhibition game of the season on Nov. 2, the Wildcats edged the California All-Stars, 73-66, after leading by 15 points inside the final five minutes.
Tayshaun Prince led Kentucky in scoring, finishing with 19 points and five rebounds. Jamaal Magloire tallied 17 points and 13 rebounds, and led UK in blocked shots with six. His mark would have tied his career high had the game not been an exhibition. The Wildcats also would have broken the school record for blocks in a game with 18.
The All-Stars were led by Mark Sanford’s 23 points and 14 rebounds. Sanford was a college star at Washington, who had joined the squad after participating with the Sacramento Kings during the NBA preseason. Last week, he led the All-Stars to a wins over Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech.
UK held the athletic All-Stars to 32.8 percent shooting and forced the group into 25 turnovers. But the young Cats were outrebounded 50-47 and committed 23 turnovers.
Nine days later, UK ousted Athletes in Action, 98-77, putting together a 55-point second half to roll to victory. Prince again led the Cats in scoring with 22 points. He also had five assists and committed his first turnover in the two exhibition games. Magloire added 17 points and eight rebounds while Saul Smith and Keith Bogans both added 11. After a first half that ended in a tie, 43-43, Smith sparked UK’s second stanza, canning two of his three three-pointers early in the half.
UK shot 56.9 percent from the field, including 43.5 percent from three-point range against AIA.
20-ppg Scorers
Sophomore Tayshaun Prince led the Wildcats in scoring during their two exhibition games earlier this month. Prince tallied 20.5 ppg as UK won both contests.
So how rare is it for a Wildcat to tally 20 ppg for a season? Consider that since 1977, only two UK players have accomplished the feat — Kenny Walker in 1985 and ’86 (22.9 ppg and 20.0 ppg) and Jamal Mashburn in 1992 and ’93 (21.3 ppg and 21.0 ppg).
Vitale Contest
The UK Basketball Museum is conducting a Dick Vitale impersonation contest to tip-off the 1999-00 season at the facility. Vitale, the colorful commentator from ESPN and ABC Sports, will serve as the analyst for the UK-Penn game. The contest ended Nov. 13 and judges will narrow the field to three before Vitale picks the winner during his appearance there prior to the game.
An autograph session will be conducted after the contest and the Museum will present Vitale with a contribution to the Jimmy V. Foundation, named in honor of the late former N.C. State coach Jimmy Valvano. Vitale serves on the Foundation’s board, which is dedicated to finding a cure for cancer.
Rule Changes
Timeout format for radio/TV games — five 30-second timeouts for the game. The first called by either team will be 75 seconds. Four timeouts can be carried over to the 2nd half. In overtime, an additional timeout will be granted. TV timeouts will continue to occur after the 16-, 12-, 8- and 4-minute marks.
The “held-ball rule” was rescinded after one season. Now, all held balls will be awarded according to the possession arrow.
Uniform numbers “1” and “2” are now legal.
A three-foot coaching line will extend onto the floor to enable the officials to clearly monitor the coach’s box.
After a double foul, the team in possession of the ball at that time shall have the opportunity to put the ball in play from a spot nearest to where the foul occurred. Previously, the possession arrow was used.
Administrative technical fouls now include artificial noisemakers during a live ball and the use of a laser pointers by a fan at any time.
Points of emphasis: calling the intentional foul, particularly in the closing minutes, rough, low-post play, rough play away from the ball, palming and the coaching box.
Team of the Decade
Kentucky staked its claim for the title of “Team of the Decade” during the 1990s. Only two NCAA Division I schools can claim two national titles during the last 10 years, UK and Duke.
NCAA Championships 2Final Four Appearances 4NCAA Runner-up 1NCAA Tourney Record (App.) 31-6 (8)NCAA Tourney Winning % 83.8%Decade Wins (Pct.) 282 (81.7%)30-Win Seasons 4Losing Seasons 0AP Top-10 Finishes 9All-Americans 3NBA Draft Picks (1st Rd.) 10 (8)SEC Championships 3SEC Tournament Titles 7
Did You Know?
In the last four years, UK has a 20-2 record in the NCAA Tournament.
Consecutive Threes
The Cats have hit three-pointers in 374 consecutive games. The last time UK was held without a three-point field goal was Nov. 26, 1988, a “three-point” loss to Seton Hall in the Great Alaska Shootout (63-60). UK’s current streak ranks fourth nationally. UNLV, Vanderbilt and Princeton have had a three-pointer in every game since the rule was implemented in 1986-87.
The Cats’ streak was in doubt at Florida until Saul Smith canned UK’s first three-pointer with 1:05 remaining. Scott Padgett added another three-pointer inside the final minute as the Cats hit 2-of-18 3FG.
News from the Summer Drought
The ’99-2000 schedule includes 17 teams that played in the 1999 NCAA Tournament, including Final-Four qualifier Michigan State. There may be 14 home dates during the regular season should Kentucky advance in the Preseason NIT. The Cats could appear on national TV 18 times, including 12 times on ESPN or espn2 and five games on CBS. SEC games televised on “Super Tuesdays” by ESPN will begin at 9 p.m. instead of 9:30 p.m.
Tubby Smith spent nearly all of July as an assistant coach for the 1999 USA Senior National Team. After winning the Tournament of the Americas in Puerto Rico, the squad qualified for the 2000 Olympics next September in Sydney, Australia. Smith will continue to serve on that staff as well, coaching such NBA greats as Tim Hardaway, Kevin Garnett, Steve Smith and Gary Peyton.
Point guard Saul Smith competed for the SEC All-Stars, which toured Japan in August. Smith helped the team to a 4-1 record against the Japan National Team.
Steve Masiello was awarded a scholarship for his senior season. The former walk-on from White Plains, N.Y. has been a member of UK’s ’97 NCAA runner-up squad, its ’98 NCAA Championship team and the Elite-Eight qualifier last season.
Jamaal Magloire declared his intentions for the NBA Draft in May, but withdrew one week before the event and decided to return to UK for his senior season.
Scott Padgett became the seventh Wildcat in the last four years to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft when he was taken 28th by the Utah Jazz. Padgett was one of 11 Wildcats on NBA rosters as of opening day. In addition, seven other Cats are playing professionally, including Heshimu Evans, who is participating in a French league this winter. (See pages 154-157 of the 2000 UK Media Guide.)
Fall Signees
Cliff Hawkins, a 6-1, 180-pound guard at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., and Michael Southall, a 6-10, 225-pound forward/center from West Salem, Wis., have both signed national letters-of-intent during the fall signing period to play their college basketball at the University of Kentucky.
Hawkins, a native of Dumfries, Va., helped the Warriors to a perfect 32-0 record last season and a final No. 1 ranking by USA Today, ESPN and The Associated Press, earning the crown of national champions.
“Cliff is a tough and tenacious defender who’s been an important part of a championship program,” Coach Smith said. “He understands what teamwork is all about and works to make others better. He’s not interested in padding his own stats, which was one of the first things that attracted us to him. He’s a point guard that knows how to push the ball up the court and he’s been well-schooled in the game, thanks to Coach Steve Smith at Oak Hill.”
As a junior, Hawkins averaged 11.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game last season while starting every contest. The southpaw, who his coach called the “best on the ball defender he’s ever coached,” also led the team in steals, averaging 3.9 per game. He shot 50.0 percent from the field, 62.5 percent from the foul line and 30.0 percent from three-point range during the ’99 season.
Hawkins played his sophomore season at Potomac High School, leading the squad to a state runner-up finish. In the state semifinals, he held Ronald Curry, the 1998 National Player of the Year, to six points, while tallying 31 in the winning effort. He earned first team Class AAA All-State honors before transferring to Oak Hill.
Hawkins, who chose UK over New Mexico, played on the 1998 DC Team Assault summer AAU squad with current Wildcat Keith Bogans.
Southall, who plays at West Salem High School, was the Coulee Conference and Region Player of the Year last season, averaging 20.7 points and 13.0 rebounds per game. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and earned third team All-State honors from the Lacrosse Tribune after leading his squad to a 14-8 record. He shot 65.0 percent from the field, 66.0 percent from the foul line and recorded 146 blocked shots (6.7 bpg) last season.
“Michael is a player that exemplifies the student-athlete we want in our program,” Coach Smith said. “He has set high goals and ambitions and has a great work ethic. With the loss of Jamaal Magloire to graduation next season, he’ll make an immediate impact. He’s a player that possesses excellent hands and agility and will obviously keep a shot-blocking presence on our front line.”
Southall also was named team MVP during his sophomore year, averaging 13.7 points and 12.0 rebounds a game while leading West Salem to the sectional final.
He chose UK over Utah, Georgia Tech, Michigan and Ohio State.
The fall signing period ends on Nov. 17.
Smith’s Overtime Success
With an exciting 92-88 victory over Kansas in the second round of the 1999 NCAA tourney, the Wildcats won all three overtime games last season. UK also defeated host Georgia, 91-83, and Indiana, 70-61.
The Cats are 5-0 in overtime games since Tubby Smith took over as coach. In ’98, the Wildcats earned overtime victories over Arkansas, 80-77, and Stanford, 86-85. The Cats had lost seven of their last eight overtime games prior to the five-game win streak.
Overall, UK is 42-33 in overtime games, dating back to Feb. 12, 1907.
Smith is 13-3 in overtime games during his eight-year coaching career. He’s 5-0 at UK, 2-1 at Georgia and 6-2 at Tulsa, which includes a 2-1 mark in double overtime. His one overtime loss at Georgia was an 83-81 defeat to Syracuse in the 1996 NCAA Tournament and one of his OT defeats at Tulsa came at the hands of top-ranked Arkansas in 1994.
