Nov. 24, 1999
By HAL BOCK
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) – The last time Kentucky and Arizona played for a championshipit was in the NCAA tournament in 1997. Now they get to do it again Friday nightin the Preseason NIT.
After No. 8 Arizona got 22 points and 11 rebounds from Michael Wright andwore down Notre Dame 76-60 in the opener of Wednesday night’s semifinaldoubleheader, No. 11 Kentucky held off a furious second-half comeback by No. 24Maryland and hung on for a 61-58 victory to set up an All-Wildcats championshipgame.
Arizona beat Kentucky 84-79 for the 1997 NCAA championship. But those weredifferent teams than the young ones who face off for the Preseason NIT crown onFriday night.
“You could call it survival,” Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said after histeam’s 16-point first-half lead dwindled away under Maryland’s pressure in thesecond half. “We made the free throws when we needed them. It was a goodpsychological boost that we held them off.”
This one looked like it would be easier than it turned out for Kentucky(3-0).
The Wildcats jumped in front in a hurry against Maryland (3-1) with SaulSmith and Tayshaun Prince nailing 3-pointers in the first 3 1/2 minutes. Pricefinished with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Keith Bogans came off the bench for 12 of his 17 points in the first halfand Kentucky took advantage of eight steals and 13 Maryland turnovers in thefirst 20 minutes to open a 40-27 halftime lead.
“The first half, we were out of synch,” Maryland coach Gary Williams said.”I don’t know if it’s playing in Madison Square Garden. We have no realexperience.”
Maryland scored the first seven points of the second half but Kentuckyresponded with a 7-0 run of its own, with Prince scoring five of the points.
Still the Terps kept battling and wiped out the deficit to tie the game at52-52 with 6 1/2 minutes left on a Terence Morris basket. Morris led Maryland with25 points.
Baskets by Marvin Stone, who had 13 rebounds, and Bogans, off a steal,restored a four-point lead for the Wildcats.
Kentucky was still up by three with 32.6 seconds to play when DesmondAllison got tangled up with a couple of Maryland players and turned the ballover. But Juan Dixon’s 3-point attempt bounced off the rim in the final secondsand Kentucky hung on for the victory.
“The second half, we held Kentucky down and that gave us a chance,”Williams said. “But we really lost it in the first half.”
Williams saw a bright side to the setback.
“The loss was worth it if it tells us how we must play for a full 40minutes.”
Arizona coach Lute Olson said Kentucky can bring problems with it.
“That’s what we need,” he said. “Problems so we can solve them and getbetter as the year goes on.”
