Feb. 22, 2000
Cats-Vols Rumble For SEC East Lead
The Wildcats attempt to turn the table on Tennessee with their fourth SEC Eastern Division sweep of the season after winning 22 days ago in Rupp Arena, 81-68. Last season, UT, the defending East Division champs, swept Kentucky in both regular season meetings. With a three-way tie for first place among the Cats, Vols and Florida, the game will have league title and tournament implications since all three teams have four games remaining.
The Wildcats own the best Eastern Division record in the SEC. UK is 7-1 against SEC East squads and Tennessee, Florida and Vanderbilt are each 5-3. The Cats have already swept South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Georgia in league play this season.
Kentucky enters the contest on a two-game win streak and has won 15 of its last 18 games dating back to mid-December. Tennessee had an open date one week ago before losing its second game of the season to Vanderbilt, 85-72 in Nashville. The Vols are 13-1 at home this season while Kentucky enters with a 4-4 road record, losing its last two road games.
The Wildcats will be attempting to win their 20th game of the season. UK has 44 20-win seasons in the program’s history. The Cats have won at least 20 games in the last nine consecutive seasons.
No. 7 Tennessee is the Wildcats’ 12th ranked opponent this season, their fifth top-10 foe. UK owns a 5-6 record against ranked teams, 2-2 against top-10 teams.
For the seventh 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 addition, Kentucky ranks 15th in the latest Jeff Sagarin Power Rankings, which has UK’s schedule No. 3 in the nation. Tennessee ranks 12th in Sagarin’s and the Vols’ schedule is rated 36th.
The Cats return home for their next opponent — Arkansas — on Saturday, at noon.
Series Facts
Overall Record: UK leads 127-60
In Lexington: UK leads 75-15
In Knoxville: UK leads 43-41
At Neutral Sites: UK leads 9-4
This is the 188th meeting between the two teams. Kentucky has played more games against Tennesee than any other opponent. In addition, no other opponent has 60 wins over the Cats.
In the last meeting, UK upset sixth-ranked Tennessee, 81-68, as freshman Keith Bogans scored a career-high 25 points. Vincent Yarbrough and Tony Harris led the Vols with 17 and 16 points, respectively. For a complete summary and box score, see page 23 of this media packet.
In UK’s last trip to Knoxville, Feb. 28, 1999, Tennessee rallied from a nine-point, second-half deficit to win, 68-61. With the Vols rallying behind departed senior Brandon Wharton, Scott Padgett was called for walking while attempting a second throw-in under the UT basket due to a shot clock error. Harris then canned a three as the Vols staked their claim to the 1999 SEC East title. For a complete summary and box score, see page 108 of the 1999-2000 UK Basketball Media Guide.
The Skinny on the Vols
After a 21-9 season a year ago, Tennessee has matched that win total this season and looks to win 22 games for the first time since 1985. Since the Cats beat the Vols on Feb. 1, UT has beaten Miss. State, Georgia and Florida in overtime, before losing on Saturday at Vanderbilt. Kentucky owns wins over South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia while losing at Florida and LSU.
Tennessee leads the league in three-point shooting (37.5%) and is second in scoring (82.4 ppg). Vincent Yarbrough and Tony Harris lead the Vols’ charge, averaging 15.6 and 14.8 ppg, respectively, which rank among the top seven in the league. Harris also averages 4.4 apg, which ranks sixth in the league.
Coaches Lead the League
Coach Tubby Smith and UT coach Jerry Green lead the SEC in winning percentage vs. conference opponents. Since Smith entered the SEC five years ago, he’s 53-23 for a 69.7 winning percentage. Green is 30-14 in his third year against the other 11 opponents, a 68.2 winning percentage.
Team Comparisons
UK UT Record 19-7 21-4 Scoring Off. 68.8 82.4 Scoring Def. 61.4 68.1 Scoring Margin +7.4 +14.3 FG % 42.3 46.1 Def. FG % 39.3 40.5 3FG % 29.2 37.5 Def. 3FG % 33.8 31.4 FT Pct. 69.6 66.4 Reb. Avg. 38.8 40.8 Opp. Reb. Avg. 33.9 37.3 Rebound Margin +4.9 +3.5 TO Avg. 14.8 16.4 Opp. TO 15.5 19.0 TO Margin +0.8 +2.6 Blocks Avg. 5.7 5.9 Steals Avg. 6.8 9.2
Coaching Comparisons
Orlando ‘Tubby’ Smith (High Point ’73)
Overall (9th year) 206-82 (71.5%)
at UK (3rd year) 82-20 (80.4%)
SEC Tournament (4 yrs.) 10-2 (83.3%)
NCAA Tournament (6 yrs.) 15-5 (75.0%)
vs. Tennessee 7-3
Jerry Green (Appalachian State ’68)
Overall (17th year) 284-199 (58.8%)
at Tennessee (3rd year) 62-22 (73.8%)
vs. Kentucky 2-3
Player Career Stats vs. Tennessee
The following are UK individual career stats vs. Georgia:
Wildcat Games Ppg RpgAllison 3 4.7 3.3Blevins 1 2.0 2.0Bogans 1 25.0 5.0Camara 3 6.3 3.0Magloire 7 6.8 3.4Masiello 2 0.0 0.0Prince 3 7.0 4.7Smith 5 4.8 *1.6Stone 1 5.0 4.0Tackett NA
*assists per game
Milestones
With action against Tennessee, Jamaal Magloire will tie Ralph Beard for the fourth most games played by a Wildcat — 139. He’s currently 13 behind the school and NCAA record of 151 games held by Wayne Turner.
Keith Bogans needs three steals to tie the UK freshman record of 45 held by Chris Mills (1989). Steals have been recorded at UK since 1978. He also needs five points to top 300 in his freshman season.
Consecutive Threes
The Cats have hit three-pointers in 400 consecutive games, the third longest streak in the nation. 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). Neither UNLV or Vanderbilt has missed a three-pointer since the rule was implemented in 1986-87:
Team Consecutive Games w/3FGUNLV 440Vanderbilt 435Kentucky 400
More on the Schedule
Kentucky’s seven losses this season have come to teams who have performed well throughout the year. The seven teams — Arizona, Dayton, Indiana, Maryland, Auburn, Florida and LSU — have a combined record of 140-35 heading into this weekend. Also, each team has won at least 18 games. In this week’s AP poll, six of the seven teams were ranked in the top 19.
Fewer Turnovers
The Wildcats recorded a season-low six turnovers vs. Alabama last week. The last time a UK team recorded only six turnovers in a game was in the Cats’ win over Stanford in the 1998 National Semifinals.
Against SEC competition, UK is averaging 13.9 turnovers per game. This year’s team averaged 16.7 tpg through the first eight games en route to a 4-4 start.
Power Rankings
Poll Rank Sch. StrengthCollegeRPI.com 2nd 1stCBN RPI 2nd 1stSagarin 15th 3rd
Injury Report
Marvin Stone suffered a broken bone in his right thumb in practice the day before the LSU game. Stone played an ineffective eight minutes against the Tigers but bounced back with one of his best games of the season vs. Alabama, tallying nine points, seven rebounds and two blocks. He started against Georgia (2/19/00) and played 21 minutes.
Blevins Starts
With Keith Bogans not starting against Georgia last Saturday, J.P. Blevins made his second career start a memorable one.
Blevins hit a personal-best four three-pointers, including three in the decisive second half, rallying UK to victory. His team-high 14 points was his most as a Wildcat and he added a career-high four assists with no turnovers in 31 minutes.
His first start came against Missouri when he had 13 points and three assists.
Smith’s Highlights
Saul Smith was last week’s “SEC Good Works Player of the Week.” Smith has served as a speaker for a number of groups throughout the Bluegrass, including D.A.R.E. graduations, elementary school efficiency testings and charity fundraisers. A member of UK’s student-athlete advisory council, Smith also has participated in skits for UK’s Schoolhouse Rock, an academic pep rally held at Memorial Coliseum each spring for several thousand fourth and fifth graders.
Smith topped the 200 assists plateau against Georgia. The junior point guard leads the team with 88 this season giving him 202 in his three-year career.
Smith hit three three-pointers and added a layup in a 2:16 stretch late in the second half at LSU to help the Wildcats trim a 20-point deficit to five inside the final five minutes. The junior point guard has hit 15 of his last 37 three-pointers (40.5%) after hitting only 25.0% during the Cats’ first 17 games.
Great A:TO Ratio
Desmond Allison ranks among the SEC leaders in assists-to-turnover ratio. Last week, Allison had five assists and no turnovers against Alabama and three assists and one turnover vs. Georgia. Against SEC competition, Allison ranks second (2.5:1).
In the last six games, Allison has been very efficient, tallying 24 assists and four turnovers for a superb 6:1 ratio.
Deja February
In the Tubby Smith era, UK has lost at least two games in February in each of his three seasons. In ’98, the Cats lost two at home — Florida and Ole Miss — but recovered to win the NCAA title. In ’99, UK lost four road games — at Florida, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee — yet still advanced to within eight points of its fourth straight Final Four.
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 8SEC OnlyScoring Off. 66.0 71.0Scoring Def. 60.4 65.5Scoring Margin +5.6 +5.5FG% 40.2 43.0Def. FG% 41.3 40.13FG% 25.2 29.5Reb. Avg. 38.6 37.8Opp. Reb. Avg. 33.9 34.7Reb. Margin +4.8 +3.1TO Avg. 18.0 13.9
Bogans SEC’s Best Freshman?
Keith Bogans is third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.3 ppg and second on the team in SEC play with 13.2 ppg. He leads the team in steals with 42.
He 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.
He is the second UK freshman to record three-straight 20-point games since freshmen became eligible in 1972-73. In 1979, Dwight Anderson tallied four straight 20-point games late in the season.
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. Earlier that season, the Nashville, Tenn. native 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.
Bogans’ 25 points against the Volunteers were the most points scored in a game by a UK freshman since Rodrick Rhodes rang up 27 against Georgia Tech on Dec. 5, 1992. Only 14 UK freshmen in school history have scored more than 25 points in a single game.
Magloire Madness
How important has the “Big Canadian,” Jamaal Magloire, been to the Wildcats? Crunch these All-American type numbers…
Team-leading 11 double-doubles this season, including three straight on two occasions,
Scored in double figures in 21 of the 26 games this season, including three 20-point games,
The school record holder in blocks leads the team in scoring (13.1 ppg), rebounding (8.5 rpg) and swats (46),
Vs. league competition, third in the SEC in FG percentage (56.5%), third in rebounding (9.2 rpg), 9th in scoring (14.5 ppg) and fourth in blocks (1.5 bpg),
Has played in 138 games in his UK career, 13 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 31 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 12-0 when holding opponents under 60 points.
Tubby Smith’s “ball-line defense” has held 14 opponents below 40 percent shooting this season. 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 39.3 percent shooting from the field, including a 32.2% effort by Alabama last week, the third straight year UK opponents have shot 40 percent or less from the field.
The Wildcats have allowed 61.4 ppg this season, which ranks first in the SEC, 18th in the NCAA.
The Wildcats are averaging 5.7 bpg this season and three Wildcats — Jamaal Magloire (1.8 bpg), Jules Camara (1.5) and Tayshaun Prince (1.3) — rank in the SEC top 10 this season in blocks per game.
UK vs. Top 25
Kentucky is 5-6 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this season, and 2-2 vs. top-10 teams. Here’s the rundown:
WinsOpponent AP Rank SiteUtah 16th HMaryland 24th NMichigan St. 5th HVanderbilt 20th ATennessee 6th H
LossesArizona 8th NIndiana 23rd NMaryland 21st AAuburn 4th AFlorida 12th ALSU 25th A
Rupp Arena
The Kentucky Wildcats played their 350th game in Rupp Arena, a 70-64 win over Georgia. Now in their 24th season of basketball there, UK is 315-35 (90.0%). 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 finished the ’99 season with a 12-1 record on its home court.
With 12-0 record at Rupp this season, the Wildcats have won 18 straight games in the gym, the seventh longest streak in the nation. Utah leads the nation with 50 straight wins at home. Kentucky’s next home game is Arkansas on Feb. 26.
With UK’s win over Alaska-Anchorage, the Cats finished the ’90s with a 54-2 record at home against non-conference opponents.
SEC Marks
UK has won 63 of its last 76 (82.9%) 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 755-201 (.790) in regular-season conference play. Last season, the Cats finished second in the SEC Eastern Division with an 11-5 record.
Y2UK Trends
Kentucky has won 19 of 20 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 16-1 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 15 of its last 18 games.
Fourteen 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.
Tubby Smith File
Smith Thru 100
Through his first 100 games at Kentucky, Tubby Smith owned the second-best record of any Wildcat coach since 1930. Smith trailed only Hall of Fame coach Adolph Rupp, who was 89-11 to start his UK career. Smith is now 82-20.
UK Coach Record NCAA titlesAdolph Rupp 89-11 NATubby Smith 80-20 1Eddie Sutton 77-23 0Rick Pitino 72-28 0Joe B. Hall 67-33 0
SEC Record
As an SEC coach, Tubby Smith has a 53-23 regular-season mark against league opponents. It’s the best winning percentage of any active league coach (69.7%) and he ranks third among current SEC coaches for total wins. Smith has coached two years at Georgia and three years at Kentucky.
SEC Coach Years Record (Pct.) Nolan Richardson 9 91-49 (.650) Eddie Fogler 11 87-88 (.497) Tubby Smith 5 53-23 (.697) Cliff Ellis 6 49-43 (.533) Jerry Green 3 30-14 (.682)
200th Win
Tubby Smith won his 200th game as a college head coach when the Wildcats beat host Vanderbilt in overtime, becoming only the sixth coach in history to accomplish the feat in nine years or less. He joins an elite group that includes Everett Case, Roy Williams, Jerry Tarkanian, Denny Crum and Jim Boeheim.
Smith owns a 206-82 record in his ninth season. With four games left plus postseason, he’s currently averaging a remarkable 22.9 wins per year during his tenure as a college head coach, 27.3 wins each season at UK.
Smith’s Overtime Success
The Cats outscored host Vandy 14-6 in overtime to win 81-73 on Jan. 22, improving Tubby Smith’s OT record to 6-0 at UK.
In 1999, Kentucky won three overtime games under Smith’s tutelage, and en route to the ’98 NCAA title, the Wildcats earned overtime wins vs. Arkansas, 80-77, and Stanford, 86-85. Previously, the Cats had lost seven of eight overtime games before Smith’s arrival.
Overall, UK is 43-33 in overtime games, dating back to Feb. 12, 1907.
Smith is 14-3 in overtime games during his nine-year coaching career. He’s 6-0 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.
Top 25 Rankings
The Wildcats are 18th in the AP poll, 16th in the USA Today/ESPN poll this week.
In the AP poll, UK has been ranked in 13 of the 16 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
Four 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.
Last Saturday vs. Georgia, Allison, Bogans and Prince were held out of the starting lineup while Marvin Stone earned his first start along with Jules Camara and J.P. Blevins.
’99-2000 Trends
15-1 When leading at halftime
1-0 When tied at halftime
3-6 When trailing at halftime
16-2 When UK scores first
3-5 When opponent scores first
19-1 When leading with 5 minutes to play
0-5 When trailing with 5 minutes to play
0-1 When score tied with 5 minutes to play
18-0 When leading with 2 minutes to play
0-6 When trailing with 2 minutes to play
1-1 When score tied with 2 minutes to play
3-2 In games decided by three points or less
6-2 In games decided by 4-10 points
0-0 When UK shoots 60% or better FG
2-0 When UK shoots 50% or better FG
17-7 When UK shoots less than 50% FG
4-4 When UK shoots less than 40% FG
5-2 When UK makes more 3FG
11-3 When opponent makes more 3FG
3-2 When 3FG made are the same
14-5 When UK outrebounds opponent
5-2 When opponent outrebounds UK
0-0 When rebounds are the same
9-6 When playing on national TV
7-1 When playing on regional TV
7-3 When playing on the weekend
12-4 When playing on a weekday
0-0 When starting after 10 p.m. ET
2-4 When starting after 9 p.m. ET
10-1 When game starts between 7-9 p.m.
7-2 With an afternoon start
1-0 In overtime games
3-2 In November
5-2 In December
7-1 In January
4-2 In February
0-0 In March
15-2 In home white uniforms
4-3 In away blue uniforms
Wildcats vs. Conferences
0-1 vs. Atlantic 10
2-1 vs. Atlantic Coast
1-0 vs. Big 12
1-0 vs. Big East
1-0 vs. Big South
1-1 vs. Big Ten
1-0 vs. Conference USA
1-0 vs. Ivy
1-0 vs. Mountain West
0-1 vs. Pac-10
1-0 vs. Pacific West
9-3 vs. SEC
Record vs. Lineup
4-3 Prince, Camara, Magloire, Smith, Allison0-1 Prince, Knight, Magloire, Smith, Allison13-3 Prince, Allison, Magloire, Smith, Bogans1-0 Prince, Allison, Magloire, Blevins, Bogans1-0 Camara, Stone, Magloire, Blevins, Smith
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 in January 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 UK 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 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. 24Arizona 76, Notre Dame 60Kentucky 61, Maryland 58
Nov. 26Maryland 72, ND 67Arizona 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 from last season. 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 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
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.
