Jan. 31, 2000

#9 Tennessee Volunteers (18-2, 6-1)


vs.


#17 Kentucky Wildcats (15-5, 5-1 SEC)

Feb. 1, 2000, 9:05 p.m. ET
Rupp Arena (23,000), Lexington, Ky.

UK Radio Network — 7:30 p.m. ET
Tom Leach, Sam Bowie, Dave Baker

ESPN

Brad Nessler, Larry Conley

To follow the Wildcats in cyberspace, log onto www.ukathletics.com. Live stats, notes and information on this year’s team is available.

Cats Look To Extend 14-game Home Win Streak

• With 10 games left in the regular season, all against Southeastern Conference opponents, the Wildcats tip off February looking for their first win against Tennessee since February ’98. The Volunteers, who lead the SEC Eastern Division by 1/2 game over UK, swept Kentucky in two meetings last season, winning for the first time in Lexington since 1979 and sweeping the Cats for the first time in 20 years. Entering the contest, Kentucky is one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning five straight games and 11 of its last 12. The Cats also have won 14 consecutive games at home, dating back to the 47-46 loss to UT on Jan. 12, 1999. UK has won all eight games in Rupp Arena this season, including a 60-58 upset of No. 5 Michigan State on Dec. 23, and 21 of its last 22 played in the city-owned facility.
• Tennessee is the Wildcats’ ninth ranked opponent of the season and the 13th NCAA Tournament team from 1999. Against ranked opponents, UK is 4-4 this season, including a 2-0 mark at home.
• UK leads the SEC in scoring defense, allowing 59.3 ppg, which is tied for 11th nationally. Eight opponents have been held to 53 points or less, and only four teams have scored more than 70 points against the Wildcats. When holding opponents under 60 points, including Miami’s 57-point output, UK is 11-0.
• In both RPI polls for the fourthconsecutive week, UK owns the nation’s toughest basketball schedule. CollegeRPI.com and College Basketball News both list UK’s schedule No. 1 and both rank the Cats second in the nation overall behind Cincinnati. In this week’s Jeff Sagarin Power Rankings, UK moved up to ninth in the overall rankings and reclaimed the top spot for schedule strength. The Wildcats have played eight ranked opponents this season including three top-10 teams.
• The Wildcats completed January with its best one-month record of the season — 7-1. UK was 5-2 in December and 3-2 in November.
• Kentucky completed a rugged road stretch in which it played five of six games on opponent’s home courts. The Cats were 5-1 during the stretch, losing at No. 4 Auburn by three, but have since rebounded to win four straight road contests.
• For the first time since late December, UK will play two consecutive home games. The Cats entertain South Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 1 p.m. UK beat the Gamecocks, 64-48, on Jan. 15 in Columbia.

Series Facts

Overall Record: UK leads 126-60

In Lexington: UK leads 74-15

In Rupp Arena: UK leads 21-3

In Knoxville: UK leads 43-41

At Neutral Sites: UK leads 9-4

• This is the 187th meeting between the two teams. Kentucky has played more games against Tennessee than any other opponent. In addition, no other opponent owns 60 wins over the Wildcats.
• UK has lost two in a row to the Volunteers, the first time that has happened since 1979, which also was the last time UT won in Lexington before escaping with a 47-46 win in Rupp Arena last January. Before the victory a year ago, UK had won 11 straight games over the Volunteers, including 20 straight in Rupp Arena.
• Tubby Smith is 6-3 against UT, including a 2-2 mark while coaching the Wildcats. Jerry Green also is in his third year at Tennessee, with a 2-2 mark vs. UK.

Probable Starters

KENTUCKY

No.  Name             Pos.  Ht.   Wt.  Cl. Ppg   Rpg   Hometown21   Tayshaun Prince  G/F   6-9   215  So. 13.3  5.8   Compton, Calif.32   Desmond Allison  G/F   6-5   214  So. 7.2   3.2   Tampa, Fla.42   Jamaal Magloire  C     6-10  260  Sr. 13.6  8.4   Toronto, Ontario11   Saul Smith       G     6-2   175  Jr. 6.7   *3.3  Athens, Ga.10   Keith Bogans     G     6-5   205  Fr. 9.7   3.2   Alexandria, Va.

Key Cats Off The Bench

3    J.P. Blevins     G     6-2   181  So. 4.1   1.5   Edmonton, Ky.40   Jules Camara     F     6-11  223  So. 7.3   4.5   Dakar, Senegal24   Marvin Stone     F/C   6-10  256  Fr. 4.7   4.3   Huntsville, Ala.

TENNESSEE

22  Vincent Yarbrough F    6-7  210   So.  15.8   6.7    Cleveland, Tenn.44  Isiah Victor      F    6-9  220   Jr.  10.7   6.8    Hopkinsville, Ky.43  C.J. Black        C    6-8  255   Sr.  8.2    5.1    Chattanooga, Tenn.14  Tony Harris       G    6-0  165   Jr.  14.0   *4.8   Memphis, Tenn.42  Jon Higgins       G    6-3  190   Fr.  7.3    3.4    Shaker Hgts, Ohio 

* Assists per game

The Skinny on the Vols

• Tennessee has dominated its opponents this season, rolling to an 18-2 record behind a 17.3 scoring margin. Its first loss was a 20-point defeat to Tulsa in the Puerto Rico Classic Championship in December and the Vols most recent defeat was a home loss to Vanderbilt on Jan. 12, 76-63. Tennessee won its first 11 games and are currently on a four-game win streak.
• The Vols start just one senior, two juniors, a sophomore and a freshman. Sophomore Vincent Yarbrough leads the squad in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.8 ppg and 6.7 rpg. Preseason All-SEC selection Tony Harris leads the Vols at point guard, tallying 14.0 ppg and 4.8 apg.
• Tennessee is deadly from three-point range, leading the SEC at 37.5 percent. In its two losses, UT shot 31.8 percent vs. Tulsa, 31.6 percent against Vandy. The Vols also average 9.9 spg and 6.4 bpg.
• UK and Tennessee have played five common opponents. Both teams are 5-1 against the five opponents.

         Opponent        UK          UT         UNC Asheville   W, 86-41    W, 79-63         S. Carolina     W, 64-48    W, 60-52                         W, 73-66         Vanderbilt      W, 72-52    L, 73-76                         W, 81-73         Ole Miss        W, 74-69    W, 98-60         Auburn          L, 63-66    W, 105-76

Rupp Arena

• The Kentucky Wildcats, in their 24th season of basketball at Rupp Arena, are 311-35 (89.9%) 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. Kentucky was 12-1 in the facility last year.
• With an 8-0 record at Rupp this season, the Wildcats have won 14 straight games in the facility. Kentucky’s next home game is South Carolina on Feb. 5.
• With Kentucky’s win over Alaska-Anchorage, the Cats finished the ’90s with a 54-2 record at home against non-conference opponents.

Team Comparisons

                 UK      UT Record          15-5    18-2 Scoring Off.    68.2    82.2 Scoring Def.    59.3    64.9 Scoring Margin  +8.9    +17.3 FG %            42.5    46.3 Def. FG %       39.0    38.7 3FG %           28.5    37.5 Def. 3FG %      32.0    31.0 FT Pct.         69.8    64.8 Reb. Avg.       39.0    41.9 Opp. Reb. Avg.  33.1    36.9 Rebound Margin  +5.9    +5.0 TO Avg.         15.1    17.6 Opp. TO         15.9    20.3 TO Margin       +0.8    +2.7 Blocks Avg.     5.9     6.4 Steals Avg.     7.1     9.9

Coaching Comparisons

Orlando “Tubby” Smith (High Point ’73)

         Overall (9th year)        202-80  (71.6%)         at UK (3rd year)          78-18   (81.3%)         SEC Tournament (4 yrs.)   10-2    (83.3%)         NCAA Tournament (6 yrs.)  15-5    (75.0%)         vs. Tennessee             6-3

Jerry Green (Appalachian St. ’68)

         Overall (17th year)     281-197 (58.8%)         at Tennessee (3rd yr)   59-20   (74.7%)         vs. Kentucky            2-2     

Magloire Madness

How important has the “Big Canadian,” Jamaal Magloire, been to the Wildcats? Crunch these numbers…

• Eight double-doubles in the last 13 games and three straight double-doubles on two occasions this season,
• Scored in double figures in 17 of the 20 games this season,
• Leads the team in scoring (13.6 ppg), rebounding (8.4 rpg) and blocks (1.9 bpg),
• Vs. league competition, first in the SEC in FG percentage (61.9%), second in rebounding (9.5 rpg), third in scoring (17.8 ppg), 8th in FT percentage (74.4%) and fifth in blocks (1.5 bpg).
• Has played in 132 games in his UK career, 19 shy of the NCAA record held by UK’s Wayne Turner, a mark he could tie if the Cats advance to the NCAA title game.
• Needs 98 points to become the 47th member of the Wildcats’ 1,000th-point club.

Magloire’s Offense

Jamaal Magloire’s 19 points vs. Georgia helped him take the team lead in scoring, an honor he maintains this week. Against SEC competition, he leads the league in field goal percentage, shooting 61.9 percent. That’s a far cry from his 32.0 percent shooting (16-of-50) through the first six games of the season. Since then he’s shot 56.6 percent from the field.

Double Trouble

When freshman Marvin Stone recorded the Cats’ first double-double of the season against UNC Asheville, it opened the double-double flood gates for the Wildcats. They now have totaled the feat 11 times in the last 14 games, led by Jamaal Magloire’s eight double-doubles. Since Stone’s accomplishment, UK is 12-2 in the win-loss column.

January Thaw

Kentucky started the season shooting 40 percent or less from the field in six of its first 11 games. In the last nine games, UK has dropped below 40 percent only twice — 37.7% at Auburn and 39.6% at Miami.

In the last three games, all on the road, UK hit 24 of 64 three-pointers for 37.5%. In the three games prior, UK was 8 of 51 for 15.7%.

D-E-F-E-N-S-E

• Eight UK opponents this season have scored 53 points or less against the Wildcats.
• After beating Miami, 60-57, UK is 11-0 when holding opponents under 60 points.
• Tubby Smith’s “ball-line defense” has held 10 opponents to less than 40 percent shooting this season, including a 38.6-percent effort by Vanderbilt in Nashville, which entered the contest shooting 48.5 percent from the field. Only three teams have shot better than 45.0 percent from the field against the Wildcats — Auburn (47.5 %), Dayton (46.3%) and Indiana (54.7%).
• The Cats have allowed 39.0 percent shooting from the field, the third straight year UK opponents have shot 39 percent or less from the field. The Wildcats have allowed 59.3 ppg this season, which tops the SEC charts and is tied for 11th nationally.
• Since blocked shots were first recorded at UK in 1978-79, the Wildcats are averaging the second-most blocks on record, 5.8 bpg. In 1998, UK averaged 6.2 bpg en route to the NCAA title. Currently, three Wildcats — Jamaal Magloire, Tayshaun Prince and Jules Camara — rank in the SEC top 10 this season in blocks per game.

Bogans’ Picks

Freshman Keith Bogans is quickly establishing himself as a solid “on-the-ball defender.” Last week, the 6-5 guard had three steals against Georgia and one against Miami to run his total to 31 for the season. The school record for a freshman is 45 held by Chris Mills (1989). Steals have been recorded at UK since 1978.

Three Straight Doubles, Again

Jamaal Magloire’s three consecutive double-doubles in December was only the beginning. The “Big Canadian” achieved the feat again in January, tallying double-doubles against Ole Miss (19 points, 14 rebounds), Vanderbilt (23-15) and Georgia (19-10).

Not since Reggie Hanson accomplished the feat 10 years ago has another Wildcat had at least three straight in a season. Hanson had 24 points and 14 rebounds vs. Ohio, 13 and 11 vs. Indiana, 19 and 10 against Mississippi State and 18 and 10 against Tennessee Tech to start the 1989-90 season, reeling off four consecutive double-doubles.

Last month, Magloire ran off three straight against Maryland (12-16), Louisville (12-10) and Michigan State (18-11).

Voice Relief

Tom Leach is filling in for the ailing Ralph Hacker, who has missed four of the last five games on the UK Radio Network due to swollen vocal chords. Hacker was placed on the “D.L.” by doctors after the problem continued to persist since mid-December. He should return in February.

Hacker is a 28-year veteran of the network and has spent the past nine years calling play-by-play. Leach serves as play-by-play man for UK football.

SEC Stat Highlights

In selected SEC stats, UK’s rankings are improving when comparing all games vs. SEC games only. For instance, the Cats are tied for 10th in field goal percentage for the season (42.5%) but third in league games (44.5%).

Here’s the breakdown:

         Category        All Games       SEC Only         Scoring Off.    11th (68.2)     5th (71.5)         Scoring Margin  6th (8.9)       2nd (8.7)         Scoring Def.    1st (59.3)      1st (62.8)         FG %            T10th (.425)    3rd (.445)         FT %            2nd (.698)      2nd (.719)         Rebounds        8th (39.0)      5th (37.7)         A-TO Ratio      11th (0.8)      3rd (0.95) 

UK vs. Top 25

• Kentucky is 4-4 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this season, and 1-2 vs. top-10 teams. UK owns wins over No. 16 Utah, No. 24 Maryland in the Preseason NIT, No. 5 Michigan State and at No. 20 Vanderbilt. The Cats have lost to No. 8 Arizona and No. 23 Indiana, and on the road at No. 21 Maryland (Dec. 11) and No. 4 Auburn. AP rankings were current at the time of the game.
• While Kentucky has played six non-conference teams ranked in the Top 25, all the other Southeastern Conference teams have combined to play 11. Auburn lost to No. 2 Stanford, Florida lost to No. 24 Purdue in Maui, Georgia fell to No. 8 Kansas and beat No. 25 Wake Forest, and South Carolina has lost to No. 5 Michigan State, No. 19 DePaul and No. 7 Syracuse. Arkansas lost to No. 23 Wake Forest, Mississippi State fell to No. 1 Stanford and LSU has beaten No.11 Oklahoma State and No. 5 Arizona. Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt have not faced a ranked opponent outside the league schedule. In the 11 games the SEC teams have played against ranked opponents, they have a combined record of 3-8.

SEC Marks

• UK has won 59 of its last 70 (84.3%) regular-season SEC games. The Cats were 14-2 in 1995, tallied the league’s first perfect record in 40 years, 16-0, in 1996, and went 13-3 and 11-5 the last two seasons.
• The Wildcats are playing their 67th season of SEC basketball. The league kingpin has won 39 SEC Championships and 22 SEC Tournament titles, more titles in each category than all the other league teams combined. Kentucky is 751-199 (.791) in regular-season conference play. Last season, the Cats finished second in the SEC Eastern Division with an 11-5 record, but rebounded to win their seventh SEC Tournament in the last eight years.

Power Rankings

         Poll             Rank    Sch. Strength         CollegeRPI.com   2nd         1st         CBN RPI          2nd         1st         Sagarin          9th         1st

Tennessee is ranked 7th by Sagarin with a strength of schedule rated 65th.

Consecutive Threes

The Cats have hit three-pointers in 394 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.

Y2UK Trends

• Kentucky has won 15 of 16 games when leading at the five-minute mark. Auburn is the only team to rally in the final minutes for victory against the Cats. In addition, UK is 13-1 when leading at halftime, falling to Dayton after a cold-shooting second half.
• Since Tubby Smith made a lineup change against Louisville — inserting Keith Bogans at guard — UK has won 11 of its last 12 games. Eleven opponents have hit more threes than UK, but the Cats have won all but two of those meetings.
• UK has shot better than 50 percent from the field only twice this season — 59.6% vs. Louisville and 51.0% vs. South Carolina.

Back in the Top 25

The Wildcats are 16th in the AP poll (Jan. 24), 18th in the USA Today/ESPN poll (Jan. 31).

In the AP poll, UK has been ranked in nine of the 12 polls this season. On Dec. 13, UK was out of the AP poll for the first time since Dec. 4, 1990. The streak ended at 164 consecutive weeks in the rankings, the fifth-longest streak on record. UCLA owns the most consecutive weeks in the poll with 221 between 1966-80, followed by North Carolina’s streak that ended this week at 172 weeks, North Carolina’s previous streak of 171 weeks (1972-82) and Marquette’s mark of 166 weeks (1969-79).

Lineup Changes

Three times this season Coach Tubby Smith has altered the starting lineup. Against Louisville, he went small, inserting freshman Keith Bogans at shooting guard, moved Desmond Allison to small forward and Tayshaun Prince to power forward, and brought Jules Camara off the bench. The move paid off with six straight victories.

Against Indiana on Dec. 4, Nate Knight earned the start at power forward and J.P. Blevins got his first start against Missouri. Both moves were in response to disciplinary measures.

SEASON REVIEW

Magloire Earns SEC Honor No. 2

On Jan. 24, Jamaal Magloire earned his second Southeastern Conference Player of the Week honor this season after leading the Wildcats to wins over Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.

Magloire, a 6-10, 260-pound center, averaged 21.0 ppg and 14.5 rpg in the two victories. The Canadian had 19 points and 14 rebounds against the Rebels while shooting 63.6 percent from the field. He followed up with a career-high 23 points, along with 15 rebounds, in UK’s thrilling overtime win against the host Commodores.

Magloire also won the honor on Jan. 3 after his outstanding play over the holidays, and it was the third time in four weeks a UK player captured the award. He’s the first player to win the award twice in the same season since Auburn’s Chris Porter and Vanderbilt’s Dan Langhi took home the honor twice last season. He is the first Wildcat to receive the honor twice in a season since Ron Mercer in 1997, and the first center to earn the accolade twice in the same season since Tennessee’s Steve Hamer in 1996.

Three UK Jerseys Retired

The jerseys of Bill Spivey, Pat Riley and Jamal Mashburn were retired in pregame ceremonies, Jan. 19, prior to UK’s win over Ole Miss.

Spivey, who died in 1995, was college basketball’s Player of the Year in 1951, leading the Wildcats to their third NCAA Championship in four seasons. The All-American center nicknamed “Grits,” “The Georgia Pine” and “Mr. Poison Ivy” hailed from Macon, Ga., stood 7-foot tall, 230 pounds and was widely considered the first “big man” who could run the floor. In two seasons, he scored 1,213 points, becoming only the seventh college player to top 1,000 points in his sophomore and junior years. Old No. 77 set SEC scoring records with 578 points in 1950 and 635 points the following season. In rebounding, he grabbed a league record 567 in 1951 and his 34 rebounds against Xavier still tops the UK single-game list.

Riley, a 6-4 forward from Schenectady, N.Y., was a member of UK’s famed Rupp’s Runts team of 1966. That season was his best, earning All-SEC and All-American honors while leading the Cats on a 23-game win streak and a berth in the national championship game against Texas Western. Legendary coach Adolph Rupp called Riley one of the most complete athletes he had ever coached. Riley averaged 22.0 ppg as a junior in ’66 and 17.4 ppg as a senior the following year, finishing his three-year career with 1,464 points, which still ranks 15th all-time at UK. Riley, who wore No. 42, is the current head coach of the Miami Heat, and is in his 18th season coaching in the NBA. He was named “Coach of the Decade” for the 1980s, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to four World Championships. As an NBA player, he was a member of the Lakers’ 1972 championship squad.

Mashburn, who wore No. 24, is credited for accelerating Coach Rick Pitino’s rebuilding effort of the UK basketball program in the 1990s. The 6-8 forward from New York City started every game of his three-year career (1991-93) and was a three-time All-SEC selection and a consensus All-American in 1993. He became the 15th sophomore in SEC history to score 1,000 points and ended his career with 1,843 points, fourth most in UK history at the time. Blessed with an accurate perimeter game, Mashburn shot 51.6 percent from the field during his career, and 37.6 percent from three-point range. In 1992, he averaged 21.3 ppg, and shot a school-record 43.9 percent outside the arc, to lead UK to an exciting Southeast Regional final against Duke. The following year, he led the Cats to the 1993 Final Four, the team’s first Final Four appearance in nine seasons. “The Monster Mash” entered the NBA Draft after his junior season and was selected fourth overall by the Dallas Mavericks.

UK has now retired 39 jerseys of former Wildcat players, coaches and contributors.

Cheerleader Champions VI

The University of Kentucky cheerleaders won their sixth consecutive national championship earlier this month in Orlando, Fla. Overall, its the group’s 10th UCA title in the last 16 seasons.

Squad members Brooke Davis and Tim Passalalqua also won the partner competition. The team has won titles in 1985 ,’86, ’88, ’92 and 1995-2000.

The cheerleaders are led by fourth-year coach Saleem Habash. The event will be televised by ESPN next month.

Prince Named Player of the Week

Tayshaun Prince won his first SEC Player of the Week award on Jan. 10 after leading the Cats to wins over Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt. It was the second time in two weeks a UK player won the honor. Jamaal Magloire captured the award the previous week.

Prince recorded his first double-double — 21 points and 10 rebounds — against Georgia Tech while shooting 3-of-6 from three-point range. He followed up with a career-high five three-pointers and 17 points against Vanderbilt, becoming only the second leading scorer from an opponent to top his season average against the Commodores. For the week, the 6-9 forward averaged 19.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg and shot 61.5 percent from three-point range (8-13).

Magloire Earns First League Honor of 2000

University of Kentucky center Jamaal Magloire was named the SEC Player of the Week on Jan. 3 after leading the Wildcats to wins over Louisville, then-No. 5-ranked Michigan State, Alaska-Anchorage and Missouri.

Magloire averaged 15.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game over the holidays, tallying four double-doubles in five games and becoming the first Wildcat since 1990 to string together three double-doubles in a row. The Toronto native had 12 points and 10 rebounds vs. U of L, 18 points and 11 boards against Michigan State, 10 points and three rebounds vs. Alaska-Anchorage and a career-high 21 points and 13 rebounds against Missouri. He shot 52.5 percent from the field and 86.4 percent from the foul line while becoming the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots.

It was Magloire’s first SEC Player of the Week honor and UK’s first since Wayne Turner and Heshimu Evans won back-to-back awards in December ’98.

Cats in the ’90s

While Kentucky completed the decade with 282 wins (NCAA recognizes 1989-90 thru 1998-99), the Wildcats were 285-62 (82.1%) between Jan. 1, 1990 and Dec. 31, 1999.

Knight Leaves UK Program

University of Kentucky junior Nate Knight left the Wildcats’ basketball program on Jan. 4.

Knight, a 6-9 forward from Sandy, Utah, had transferred to Kentucky last summer >from Utah Valley State (Junior) College after a one-year Mormon mission and one season at Oregon State.

For the Cats, Knight appeared in nine games, averaging 8.8 minutes per game. He scored 15 points (1.7 ppg) and grabbed 20 rebounds (2.2 rpg).

According to reports, he recently enrolled at BYU for the spring semester. He’ll sit out until next January and have one semester of eligibility remaining.

“Show Me” Magloire

After UK beat Missouri on Dec. 30, Jamaal Magloire said, “Maybe they should join the SEC.” The senior had just tallied a career-high 21 points and 13 rebounds in UK’s 17-point victory. Two years ago, at the start of his sophomore season, Magloire tallied a then career-high 18 points and 17 rebounds against the Tigers in Maui. His two-game Missouri averages: 19.5 ppg and 15.0 rpg.

Preseason NIT Final Four Results

Kentucky earned wins over Penn, Utah and Maryland before losing in the championship of the Preseason NIT to Arizona. It was the “western” Wildcats third straight win over UK, dating back to an overtime win in the 1997 NCAA Championship game. UK finished second in the 16-team tournament field that included Ohio State, Notre Dame and Tulane. The final four results from New York’s Madison Square Garden:

Nov. 24
Arizona 76, Notre Dame 60
Kentucky 61, Maryland 58

Nov. 26
Maryland 72, ND 67
Arizona 63, Kentucky 51

Prince Makes All-Tourney

Tayshaun Prince, UK’s leading scorer and rebounder, had a career-high 21 points and nine rebounds in the Cats’ win over Maryland in the semifinals and followed up with an 18-point, five-rebound performance against Arizona to earn All-Tournament team honors at the Preseason NIT.

Joining Prince on the All-Tournament team were Notre Dame’s Troy Murphy, Maryland’s Lonny Baxter and Arizona’s Jason Gardner and Richard Jefferson. The MVP was Arizona’s Gilbert Arenas.

America’s Team Wins #1,750

The Wildcats became the first team to record 1,750 wins with their victory over Utah on Nov. 19.

UK is in its 97th season of college basketball, and its record number of victories include seven NCAA Championships, two (postseason) NIT titles, a record 84 NCAA Tournament victories and 39 Southeastern Conference Championships, more than all the other league teams combined.

November Blues

• For the fifth consecutive year, UK lost a game in the month of November. In 1995, UK lost to UMass in the Great Eight. In ’96, the Cats fell to Clemson in the BCA Classic. In ’97, Arizona knocked UK into the loser’s bracket of the Maui Invitational. Last season, Pittsburgh sent the Cats to the third-place game of the Puerto Rico Shootout. This November, Arizona earned a win over UK in the Preseason NIT final before the Cats fell to Dayton.
• For the 11th time in the last 12 seasons, the Cats lost one of their first five games of the season. The dubious streak began in 1988-89 with a loss to Duke in the Tip-Off Classic.

Home In November

Since 1980, Kentucky has lost only one home game in November, establishing a mark of 18-1 during the past two decades, including its victories over Penn and Utah. The only defeat? To Pittsburgh in the second round of the Preseason NIT in Nov. 1991.

All-time in November, UK is 45-10, including a 28-1 mark at home, a 3-0 record on the road and a 14-9 slate at neutral sites.

December Results

At home in December, the Wildcats were 4-0 this season and 271-37 all-time, a winning percentage of 88.0 percent. Overall — home, away and neutral — UK is 418-98 (81.0%) in December.

Season Openers

• With the Penn win, Kentucky has now won 10 of its last 11 season openers. UK’s one defeat came at the hands of Clemson, a 79-71 overtime loss in the BCA Classic double-header at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis on Nov. 15, 1996.
• UK has not lost a home opener since Northwestern State upset the Cats in 1988-89, a streak of 11 consecutive victories.

PRESEASON CAT SCRATCHES

The NBA Connection

Kentucky led all Southeastern Conference teams with 10 Wildcats on 1999-2000 opening day NBA rosters. No other SEC team had more than six former players in the league. For UK, the Cats had Derek Anderson (Clippers), Tony Delk (Kings), Rex Chapman (Suns), Jamal Mashburn (Heat), Ron Mercer (Nuggets), Nazr Mohammed (76ers), Walter McCarty, Antoine Walker and Wayne Turner (Celtics) and Scott Padgett (Jazz). Turner has since been waived.

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 (Votes)

 Auburn   29 Florida  10 Kentucky  5

 Eastern Division    Western Division Florida (30)  227   Auburn (40) 240 Kentucky (3)  188   Arkansas    177 Tennessee (7) 181   Alabama     142 Vanderbilt    100   Miss. State 121 Georgia        85   LSU          67 South Carolina 56   Ole Miss     58

All-SEC

 G - Tony Harris, Tennessee     27 G - Doc Robinson, Auburn       41 F - Chris Porter, Auburn       49 F - Mike Miller, Florida       37 C - Jamaal Magloire, Kentucky  17

SEC Player of the Year

 Chris Porter, Auburn   45 Doc Robinson, Auburn    1 Mike Miller, Florida    1

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           2 Final Four Appearances       4 NCAA Runner-                 up1 NCAA Tourney Record (App.)   31-6 (8) NCAA Tourney Winning %       83.8% Decade Wins (Pct.)           282 (81.7%) 30-Win Seasons               4 Losing Seasons               0 AP Top-10 Finishes           9 All-Americans                3 NBA Draft Picks (1st Rd.)    10 (8) SEC Championships            3 SEC Tournament Titles        7

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 will be 14 home dates during the regular season since Kentucky advanced in the Preseason NIT. The Cats will 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.

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.

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.