Feb. 11, 2000
LEXINGTON, Kty. – The Wildcats venture to the Bayou to play host LSU in yet another Top-25 matchup. The pre-Mardi Gras contest should be at a fever pitch in the sold out “Deaf Dome” since the John Brady-coached Tigers are experiencing their first winning season since 1993. Kentucky is 7-6 away from Rupp Arena this season, including a 4-3 road mark. Earlier this week, the Wildcats had their seven-game win streak snapped at Florida, 90-73. Meanwhile, the Tigers have won two straight games, including an 83-68 home victory over Auburn on Wednesday. This is UK’s first Sunday game of the season.
The contest will play a key role in both SEC division races. The Wildcats enter the weekend tied for second with Florida, one-half game behind Eastern Division leader Tennessee. LSU is second in the Western Division, a game and a half behind Auburn.
UK is 1-1 against SEC Western Division teams. UK has seven regular-season games remaining, four against West Division teams. LSU is 1-3 this season against Eastern Division teams.
After a 4-4 start, Kentucky has won 13 of its last 15 games. The only two losses in the stretch were on the road at Auburn and Florida. While Auburn pulled out a three-point win on Jan. 11, Florida handed UK a 17-point loss, its worst defeat of the season, outrebounding the Cats by 13, the second-worst margin in the Tubby Smith era at UK. Utah outrebounded the Cats by 15 in the 1998 NCAA Championship game.
UK has been shorthanded the last two games since the injury to Jules Camara. Coach Tubby Smith has just nine Cats eligible, including three-year walk-on Steve Masiello, who earned a scholarship for his senior season.
No. 25 LSU is Kentucky’s 11th ranked opponent this season. The Wildcats own a 5-5 record against ranked foes, 2-2 against top-10 teams.
This is Tubby Smith’s 100th game as UK coach. Smith is 80-19 (80.8%) during his three seasons in the Bluegrass. See page 7 for a complete report.
For the fifth consecutive 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 the Thursday’s Jeff Sagarin Power Rankings, UK was 11th in the overall rankings and second in schedule strength. LSU was 20th in Sagarin’s and its schedule ranked 159th.
Kentucky returns home for a two-game homestand next week. The Cats will play Alabama on Wednesday followed by Georgia next weekend. With seven games remaining on UK’s slate, three are on the road including the LSU contest.
#11 – #14 Kentucky Wildcats (17-6, 7-2)
vs.#25 – #25 LSU Tigers (18-4, 5-4)
Feb. 13, 2000 – 1:06 p.m. ETMaravich Assembly Ctr. (14,164) – Baton Rouge, La.
UK Radio Network — 11:30 a.m. ET
Ralph Hacker, Sam Bowie, Dave Baker
JP Sports
Tom Hammond, Joe Dean, Jr.
To follow the Wildcats in cyberspace, log ontowww.ukathletics.com. Live stats, notes andinformation on this year’s team is available.
Probable Starters
KENTUCKY
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Ppg | Rpg | Hometown | |
| 21 | Tayshaun Prince | G/F | 6-9 | 215 | So. | 13.0 | 5.7 | Compton, Calif. | |
| 32 | Desmond Allison | G/F | 6-5 | 214 | So. | 7.9 | 3.5 | Tampa, Fla. | |
| 42 | Jamaal Magloire | C | 6-10 | 260 | Sr. | 13.1 | 8.2 | Toronto, Ontario | |
| 11 | Saul Smith | G | 6-2 | 175 | Jr. | 6.4 | *3.3 | Athens, Ga. | |
| 10 | Keith Bogans | G | 6-5 | 205 | Fr. | 11.5 | 3.3 | Alexandria, Va. |
Key Cats Off The Bench
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Ppg | Rpg | Hometown | ||
| 3 | G | 6-2 | 181 | So. | 4.0 | 1.4 | Edmonton, Ky. | |||
| #40 | Jules Camara | F | 6-11 | 223 | So. | 7.4 | 4.5 | Dakar, Senegal | ||
| 24 | F/C | 6-10 | 256 | Fr. | 5.1 | 4.3 | Huntsville, Ala. |
LOUISIANA STATE
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Ppg | Rpg | Hometown | |
| 2 | Brian Beshara | F | 6-8 | 220 | Jr. | 12.7 | 5.1 | Dallas, Texas | |
| 4 | Stromile Swift | F | 6-9 | 225 | So. | 17.2 | 8.2 | Shreveport, La. | |
| 52 | Jabari Smith | C | 6-11 | 255 | Sr. | 13.6 | 7.2 | Atlanta, Ga. | |
| 3 | Torrie Bright | G | 6-4 | 200 | Fr. | 10.2 | *4.9 | Slidell, La. | |
| 43 | Lamont Roland | G | 6-4 | 205 | Jr. | 10.5 | 4.3 | New Albany, Ind. |
* Assists per game, # Injured, not expected to play
Series Facts
Overall Record: UK leads 70-20
In Lexington: UK leads 34-4
In Baton Rouge: UK leads 24-14
At Neutral Sites: UK leads 12-2
This is the 91st meeting between the two teams. UK has won the last nine games in the series. The last LSU win occurred in Baton Rouge on Feb. 2, 1992, an 81-59 victory over the Wildcats who later advanced to the East Regional final before falling to Duke.
During the Kentucky win streak, several games in Baton Rouge have been memorable ones. In 1994, UK staged a “Mardi Gras miracle,” rallying from a 31-point deficit with 15:34 remaining to win, 99-95. In 1996, the Cats scored an SEC-record 86 points in the first half en route to a whopping 129-97 victory. In the last UK visit, the Wildcats dodged two shots in the waning seconds to escape with a 63-61 win en route to the 1998 NCAA Championship.
John Brady is 0-2 coaching against the Wildcats while Tubby Smith is 5-0 against the Tigers, including a 2-0 mark at UK.
The Skinny on the Tigers
LSU has made one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball. After finishing with a 12-15 record last season, the Tigers have an 18-4 record this season, including a 5-4 mark in the SEC. The Tigers won 13 straight games before a trio of losses to visiting Tennessee, host Florida and host Vanderbilt. But Tiger victims include three ranked opponents — Oklahoma State (the second game of the Sugar Bowl Classic double-header), Arizona and Auburn. LSU is 12-1 at home this season, the lone loss to Tennessee.
Why the turnaround? Sophomore Stromile Swift has emerged as one of the league’s top performers after only playing the last two months of the 1999 season. Swift leads the team in scoring (17.2 ppg) and rebounding (8.2 rpg). Senior big man Jabari Smith returns in the middle where he continues his solid play. Most impressive is that all five starters average double figures for the Tigers, including freshman point guard Torris Bright, who chimes in with 10.2 ppg and 4.9 rpg.
The two teams have six common opponents this season. UK owns a 4-3 record against the teams while LSU is 3-3.
| Opponent | UK | LSU | |
| Arizona | L, 51-63 | W, 86-60 | |
| Tennessee | W, 81-68 | L, 59-64 | |
| Florida | L, 73-90 | L, 57-82 | |
| Georgia | W, 75-69 | W, 61-57 | |
| Vanderbilt | W, 72-52 | L, 62-65 | |
| W, 81-73 | |||
| Auburn | L, 63-66 | W, 83-68 |
Team Comparisons
| UK | LSU | |
| Record | 17-6 | 18-4 |
| Scoring Off. | 69.3 | 79.9 |
| Scoring Def. | 61.2 | 63.6 |
| Scoring Margin | +8.1 | +16.3 |
| FG % | 42.8 | 50.0 |
| Def. FG % | 39.6 | 39.3 |
| 3FG % | 29.6 | 36.1 |
| Def. 3FG % | 33.0 | 32.4 |
| FT Pct. | 69.6 | 63.1 |
| Reb. Avg. | 38.7 | 40.6 |
| Opp. Reb. Avg. | 33.6 | 31.6 |
| Rebound Margin | +5.1 | +9.0 |
| TO Avg. | 14.9 | 17.2 |
| Opp. TO | 15.6 | 18.0 |
| TO Margin | +0.7 | +0.8 |
| Blocks Avg. | 5.8 | 5.6 |
| Steals Avg. | 6.8 | 9.8 |
Coaching Comparisons
Orlando “Tubby” Smith (High Point ’73)
| Overall (9th year) | 204-81 | (71.6%) | |
| at UK (3rd year) | 80-19 | (80.8%) | |
| SEC Tournament (4 yrs.) | 10-2 | (83.3%) | |
| NCAA Tournament (6 yrs.) | 15-5 | (75.0%) | |
| vs. LSU | 5-0 |
John Brady (Bellhaven ’76)
| Overall (9th year) | 128-114 | (52.9%) | |
| at LSU (3rd year) | 40-37 | (51.9%) | |
| vs. Kentucky | 0-2 |
Injury Report
Sophomore Jules Camara, who had never missed a game in his two-year UK career, suffered a “stress reaction” to the bone in his right foot against Tennessee and has since missed the South Carolina and Florida games. Camara is expected to miss another 1-3 weeks recovering from the injury.
Before & After
Since the 4-4 start, UK has improved in key statistical categories. Here’s the comparison between the first eight games of the season and the eight SEC games:
| Category | First 8 | SEC Only | |
| Scoring Off. | 66.0 | 73.2 | |
| Scoring Def. | 60.4 | 66.4 | |
| Scoring Margin | +5.6 | +6.8 | |
| FG% | 40.2 | 44.6 | |
| Def. FG% | 41.3 | 40.9 | |
| 3FG% | 25.2 | 30.6 | |
| Reb. Avg. | 38.6 | 37.2 | |
| Opp. Reb. Avg. | 33.9 | 34.0 | |
| Reb. Margin | +4.8 | +3.2 | |
| TO Avg. | 18.0 | 13.9 |
Top Frosh Campaign
Keith Bogans tallied 25 points against Tennessee, 21 vs. South Carolina and 24 against Florida. The freshman scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half against the Gators, the most points scored by a Wildcat in a half this season.
Bogans is the first UK freshman to record three-straight 20-point games since Dwight Anderson in 1979. Anderson tallied four straight 20-point games. But since freshmen became eligible in 1972-73, they are the only two Cats to accomplish at least three in a row. In 1986-87, Rex Chapman tallied 26 against Boston, 26 vs. U of L and 12 against Georgia, but never had three straight. In 1979-80, Sam Bowie twice had consecutive 20-point efforts, highlighted by 19 points vs. Florida, 20 against Vanderbilt and 23 vs. UNLV, but he too could not top 20 three straight times. Others also canned two but now more.
Ron Mercer is the last Wildcat to accomplish the feat, a mark that came during his sophomore season of 1997. Mercer had three straight 23-point performances against Florida, Alabama and Vandy. Bogans will try to become the first to string four together since Mercer tallied 20 vs. Alaska and 22 against College of Charleston in the 1996 Great Alaska Shootout, then followed with 30 against Purdue and 26 vs. Indiana.
The 6-5 guard’s 25 points against the Volunteers are the most points scored in a game by a UK freshman since Rodrick Rhodes rang up 27 against Georgia Tech on Dec. 5, 1992.
Against league competition, Bogans ranks 11th in the SEC in scoring (14.2 ppg), 10th in 3FG made (1.9 pg) and seventh in steals (2.0 spg).
The native of Alexandria, Va. is quickly establishing himself as a solid “on-the-ball” defender. Bogans has totalled a team-leading 37 steals this season, eight shy of a freshman school record. The rookie mark is 45 held by Chris Mills (1989). Steals have been recorded at UK since 1978.
Magloire’s Offensive Improvement
Jamaal Magloire, long known as one of the league’s best defenders, has stepped it up this season offensively. Against SEC competition, he leads the league in field goal percentage, shooting 61.0 percent. After the first six games of the season, he shot only 32.0 percent (16-of-50) before hitting his stride in mid-December.
Magloire Madness
How important has the “Big Canadian,” Jamaal Magloire, been to the Wildcats? Crunch these All-American type numbers…
Nine double-doubles this season, including three straight on two occasions,
Scored in double figures in 18 of the 23 games this season, including three 20-point games,
The school record holder in blocks leads the team in scoring (13.1 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg) and swats (1.9 bpg),
Vs. league competition, first in the SEC in FG percentage (61.0%), third in rebounding (8.7 rpg), ninth in scoring (15.1 ppg) and third in blocks (1.8 bpg),
Has played in 135 games in his UK career, 16 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 69 points to become the 47th member of the Wildcats’ 1,000th-point club.
D-E-F-E-N-S-E
Eight UK opponents this season have scored 53 points or less against the Cats and only five teams have scored more than 70 points against the Wildcats.
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 host Vanderbilt last month, which entered the contest shooting 48.5 percent from the field. Only two teams have shot better than 50.0 percent from the field vs.UK — Florida (50.0%) and Indiana (54.7%).
The Cats have allowed 39.6 percent shooting from the field, the third straight year UK opponents have shot 40 percent or less from the field.
The Wildcats have allowed 61.2 ppg this season, which ranks second in the SEC and 21st nationally. It’s the lowest opponent scoring average since UK’s 1984 Final Four team (58.1 ppg).
The Wildcats are averaging 5.8 bpg this season. In 1998, UK averaged 6.2 bpg en route to the NCAA title. Currently, three Wildcats — Jamaal Magloire (1.9 bpg), Tayshaun Prince (1.2) and Jules Camara (1.4) — rank in the SEC top 10 this season in blocks per game.
Mid-Winter Thaw
Kentucky started the season shooting 40 percent or less from the field in six of its first 11 games. In the last 10 games, UK has dropped below 40 percent only twice — 37.7% at Auburn and 39.6% at Miami.
In the last five games, UK has hit 47 of 129 three-pointers for 36.4%.
UK vs. Top 25
Kentucky is 5-5 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this season, and 2-2 vs. top-10 teams. Here’s the rundown:
| Wins | |||
| Opponent | AP Rank | Site | |
| Utah | 16th | H | |
| Maryland | 24th | N | |
| Michigan St. | 5th | H | |
| Vanderbilt | 20th | A | |
| Tennessee | 6th | H | |
| Losses | |||
| Opponent | AP Rank | Site | |
| Arizona | 8th | N | |
| Indiana | 23rd | N | |
| Maryland | 21st | A | |
| Auburn | 4th | A | |
| Florida | 12th | A |
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 61 of its last 73 (83.6%) 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 Cats have won seven of the last eight SEC Tournaments, boasting a 23-1 record in the event.
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 753-200 (.790) in regular-season conference play. Last season, the Cats finished second in the SEC Eastern Division with an 11-5 record.
Rupp Arena
The Kentucky Wildcats, in their 24th season of basketball at Rupp Arena, are 313-35 (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 a 10-0 record at Rupp this season, the Wildcats have won 16 straight games in the facility. Kentucky’s next home game is Alabama on Feb. 16.
With Kentucky’s win over Alaska-Anchorage, the Cats finished the ’90s with a 54-2 record at home against non-conference opponents.
Power Rankings
| Poll | Rank | Sch. Strength | |
| CollegeRPI.com | 2nd | 1st | |
| CBN RPI | 2nd | 1st | |
| Sagarin | 11th | 2nd |
Consecutive Threes
The Cats have hit three-pointers in 397 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 17 of 18 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 15-1 when tied or 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 13 of its last 15 games.
Twelve opponents have hit more threes than UK, but the Cats have won all but three 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 11th in the AP poll, 14th in the USA Today/ESPN poll this week.
In the AP poll, UK has been ranked in 11 of the 14 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 season 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.
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 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.
In December, Magloire ran off three straight against Maryland (12-16), Louisville (12-10) and Michigan State (18-11).
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 enrolled last month 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
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% |
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-up | 1 | |
| 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.
