Feb. 28, 2000
LEXINGTON, Kty. – Kentucky begins the final week of regular-season play on the road at Mississippi State before returning home to face SEC East-leader Florida on Saturday. The Wildcats must win both games to finish with at least a No. 2 seed in next week’s Southeastern Conference Tournament. Currently, the Cats trail the Gators by one game and own the tiebreaker (better SEC East record) should the two teams tie for first. If UK wins both games and the division ends in a three-way tie — Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee — the Vols would currently get the nod with a better combined record (3-1) vs. its tied opponents, Kentucky (2-2) or Florida (1-3).
After a 4-4 start, the Wildcats have won 16 of their last 20. Their last four losses have come during league play and all against ranked opponents on the road — #4 Auburn, #12 Florida, #25 LSU and #7 Tennessee. Kentucky is still in position to win at least a share of the SEC Championship, its 40th in school history, despite shooting 41.8 percent from the field this season, the worst since 1962-63. Yet, for the third consecutive season, UK has held opponents to less than 40 percent shooting (39.3%) and owns a league-leading 61.6 ppg scoring defense.
Mississippi State enters the final week of the season with Kentucky and Alabama at home. The Bulldogs have dropped six of their last seven games and rank sixth in the SEC Western Division. But State has played well as of late, losing by five, 71-66 at LSU last Saturday. Also during the stretch, MSU lost by one at South Carolina, by six to visiting Arkansas and by seven to Tennessee during the stretch. State owns a 9-3 record at home in “The Hump” this season while the Wildcats are 4-5 on the road.
Kentucky is 3-2 against Western Division opponents this season while Miss. State is 1-4 against East teams.
The Wildcats won their 20th game this season with the victory over Arkansas last Saturday. It’s the 10th consecutive season with 20 wins and the 45th in UK history.
Jamaal Magloire will attempt to record his fourth straight double-double. Not since Reggie Hanson in 1989-90, has a Wildcat recorded four straight in a season. Magloire recorded 15 points and 12 rebounds vs. Arkansas, 11 points and 13 rebounds against Georgia and 11 points and 15 boards at Tennessee.
For the eighth 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.
#TBA – #18 Kentucky Wildcats (20-8, 10-4 East) vs.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (13-14, 4-10 West)
Feb. 29, 2000 – 9:05 p.m. ET
Humphrey Coliseum (10,500) – Starkville, Miss.
UK Radio Network — 7:30 p.m. ET
Ralph Hacker, Sam Bowie, Dave Baker
ESPN
Brad Nessler, Larry Conley
UKathletics.com
Follow the Wildcats in cyberspace with live stats, notes, audio and much, much more.
Probable Starters
KENTUCKY
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Ppg | Rpg | Hometown | |
| 21 | Tayshaun Prince | G/F | 6-9 | 215 | So. | 12.5 | 5.9 | Compton, Calif. | |
| 32 | Desmond Allison | G/F | 6-5 | 214 | So. | 7.6 | 3.6 | Tampa, Fla. | |
| 42 | Jamaal Magloire | C | 6-10 | 260 | Sr. | 13.1 | 8.8 | Toronto, Ontario | |
| 11 | Saul Smith | G | 6-2 | 175 | Jr. | 6.7 | *3.2 | Athens, Ga. | |
| 10 | Keith Bogans | G | 6-5 | 205 | Fr. | 11.7 | 3.5 | Alexandria, Va. |
Key Cats Off The Bench
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Ppg | Rpg | Hometown | |
| 3 | G | 6-2 | 181 | So. | 4.4 | 1.3 | Edmonton, Ky. | ||
| 40 | Jules Camara | F | 6-11 | 223 | So. | 7.2 | 4.7 | Dakar, Senegal | |
| 24 | F/C | 6-10 | 256 | Fr. | 4.9 | 4.1 | Huntsville, Ala. |
MISSISSIPPI STATE
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Ppg | Rpg | Hometown | |
| 20 | Tang Hamilton | F | 6-7 | 215 | Jr. | 14.4 | 6.2 | Jackson, Miss. | |
| 21 | Michael Gholar | F | 6-5 | 205 | So. | 5.1 | 4.5 | Prentiss, Miss. | |
| 55 | Robert Jackson | C | 6-8 | 245 | So. | 12.6 | 7.0 | Milwaukee, Wisc. | |
| 5 | Todd Myles | G | 6-4 | 175 | Sr. | 9.0 | *4.5 | Brooklyn, N.Y. | |
| 11 | Antonio Jackson | G | 6-4 | 185 | Jr. | 11.5 | 3.1 | Huntsville, Ala. |
* Assists per game
Series Facts
Overall Record:
UK leads 76-16
In Lexington: UK leads 39-4
In Starkville: UK leads 27-10
At Neutral: UK leads 10-2
This is the 93rd meeting between the two teams. UK has won three straight against the Bulldogs and eight of the last 10. State’s last win in the series was March 10, 1996 in the finals of the SEC Championship, 84-73. UK rebounded to win the national title that season as both teams advanced to the Final Four.
The Bulldogs’ last win over UK in Starkville was Feb. 9, 1991, 83-82. The Wildcats have won the last four games in “the Hump.”
Kentucky native Rick Stansbury is in his second season coaching Mississippi State with an 0-1 record against the Cats. Stansbury was born in Louisville and graduated from Meade County High School in 1977 and later, as a senior guard, led Cam-pbellsville College to the 1981 District 32 Championship.
Coach Tubby Smith is 3-2 against the Bulldogs, including a 2-0 record while coaching UK, a 1-2 mark while coaching Georgia.
Milestones
Jamaal Magliore needs five points to become the 47th member of UK’s prestigious 1,000-point club. It’s a tremendous accomplishment for a UK student-athlete who has been a complementary player for the Wildcats until this season. Magloire never averaged more than 20 minutes per game in any of his three previous campaigns. He leads the 2000 Wildcats in scoring and rebounding and is averaging 7.1 ppg during his career.
Keith Bogans, who has topped 300 points in his freshman season, needs one steal to tie the UK freshman record of 45 held by Chris Mills (1989). Steals have been recorded at UK since 1978.
Magloire continues his climb up the career games played list. The “Big Canadian” has played in 140 games during his four years in the Bluegrass, and can move into a tie for third with Anthony Epps (1994-97). He trails NCAA leader and former Wildcat Wayne Turner by 11 games. Turner logged 151 games in his career which concluded last March. For a top-five UK and NCAA list, see page four of this note packet.
Team Comparisons
| UK | MSU | |
| Record | 20-8 | 13-14 |
| Scoring Off. | 68.4 | 72.7 |
| Scoring Def. | 61.6 | 70.2 |
| Scoring Margin | +6.8 | +2.5 |
| FG % | 41.8 | 45.6 |
| Def. FG % | 39.3 | 43.4 |
| 3FG % | 28.9 | 33.7 |
| Def. 3FG % | 34.1 | 35.3 |
| FT Pct. | 68.4 | 66.8 |
| Reb. Avg. | 39.3 | 37.2 |
| Opp. Reb. Avg. | 33.9 | 33.8 |
| Rebound Margin | +5.4 | +3.4 |
| TO Avg. | 14.6 | 15.3 |
| Opp. TO | 15.2 | 13.6 |
| TO Margin | +0.6 | -1.7 |
| Blocks Avg. | 5.6 | 3.6 |
| Steals Avg. | 6.5 | 6.4 |
Coaching Comparisons
Orlando “Tubby” Smith (High Point ’73)
| Overall (9th year) | 207-83 | (71.4%) | |
| at UK (3rd year) | 83-21 | (79.8%) | |
| SEC Tournament (4 yrs.) | 10-2 | (83.3%) | |
| NCAA Tournament (6 yrs.) | 15-5 | (75.0%) | |
| vs. Miss. State | 3-2 |
Rick Stansbury (Campbellsville ’82)
| Overall (2nd year) | 33-27 | (55.0%) | |
| at MSU | same | ||
| vs. Kentucky | 0-1 |
Career Stat Cats vs. Hogs
The following are UK individual career averages vs. Arkansas:
| Wildcat | Games | Ppg | Rpg | Apg | |
| Allison | 1 | 11.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | |
| Blevins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bogans | N/A | ||||
| Camara | 1 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0 | |
| Magloire | 3 | 7.0 | 3.3 | 0.3 | |
| Masiello | 2 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0 | |
| Prince | 1 | 10.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | |
| Smith | 2 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | |
| Stone | N/A | ||||
| Tackett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*assists per game
Birthday Wishes
Sophomore Tayshaun Prince celebrated his 20th birthday on Monday, Feb. 28.
Cats’ Leap Year Results
This is Kentucky’s eighth appearance on Leap Day. The Wildcats are 5-2 on Feb. 29, and their last game played on that date was in 1980, a 70-67 win over Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament. The Cats have won their last four “Leap Day” games. Here’s the rundown:
| Year | W/L | Opponent | Score | Site | |
| 1916 | W | Centre | 38-14 | H | |
| 1924 | L | N. Carolina | 20-41 | N | |
| 1936 | L | Tennessee | 28-39 | N | |
| 1940 | W | Vanderbilt | 44-31 | N | |
| 1952 | W | Tulane | 85-61 | N | |
| 1964 | W | Tennessee | 42-38 | A | |
| 1980 | W | Ole Miss | 70-67 | N |
Rupp Arena
In its 24th season of basketball at Rupp Arena, UK is 316-35 (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 a 13-0 record at Rupp this season, the Wildcats have won 19 straight games in the gym, the eighth longest streak in the nation. Utah leads the nation with 51 straight wins at home. Kentucky’s final home game of the season is against Florida on Saturday.
The Kentucky Wildcats played their 350th game in Rupp Arena, a 70-64 win over Georgia, on Feb. 19.
With UK’s win over Alaska-Anchorage, the Cats finished the ’90s with a 54-2 record at home against non-conference opponents.
From historic Alumni Gym to Rupp Arena, the Wildcats have logged 72 consecutive seasons without a losing record at home, a mark that began in 1927-28 when the Cats were 6-2. It’s believed to be the longest streak in the nation. Only seven of UK’s 97 basketball teams have finished with a sub-.500 record at home, and all seven seasons occurred prior to 1928.
Cats’ Board Work
Kentucky has stepped up its second-chance efforts, averaging 18.0 offensive rebounds per game over the last six outings. In the last three contests, UK grabbed 64 offensive boards to average 21.3 orpg.
More Magloire Notes
Jamaal Magloire’s five double-doubles in the last seven games has raised his season rebound average to 8.8 rpg. It’s the highest season average by a Wildcat since SEC Player of the Year Kenny Walker in 1984-85 (10.2 rpg).
Magloire leads the SEC in double-doubles this season with 13, nine of which have come in SEC play.
Games Played
UK
| 1. Wayne Turner (1996-99) | *151 |
| 2. Jared Prickett (1993-97) | 143 |
| 3. Anthony Epps (1994-97) | 141 |
| 4. Jamaal Magloire (1997-00) | 140 |
| 5. Ralph Beard (1946-49) | 139 |
*Also NCAA record
NCAA
| 1. Wayne Turner (Kentucky ’99) | 151 |
| 2. Christian Laettner (Duke ’92) | 148 |
| 3. Danny Manning (Kansas ’88) | 147 |
| 4. Stacey Augmon (UNLV ’91) | 145 |
| 5. Patrick Ewing (G-town ’85) | 143 |
| 5. Danny Ferry (Duke ’89) | 143 |
| 5. Derrick Coleman (Duke ’90) | 143 |
| 5. Jared Prickett (Kentucky ’97) | 143 |
| 9. Brian Davis (Duke ’92) | 141 |
| 9. Anthony Epps (Kentucky ’97) | 141 |
| 11. Jamaal Magloire (UK ’00) | 140 |
Consecutive Threes
The Cats have hit three-pointers in 402 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.
Good, er, Tough Losses?
Kentucky’s eight losses this season have come to teams who have performed well throughout the year. The teams — Arizona, Dayton, Indiana, Maryland, Auburn, Florida, LSU and Tennessee — have a combined record of 172-43 heading into this weekend. Also, each team has won at least 19 games.
In this week’s ESPN poll, seven of the eight teams were ranked in the top 19.
Fewer Turnovers
The Wildcats recorded a season-low six turnovers vs. Alabama two weeks ago. 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 13.8 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. Strength | |
| CollegeRPI.com | 2nd | 1st | |
| CBN RPI | 2nd | 1st | |
| Sagarin | 17th | 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. He’s likely to wear the protective device through the remainder of the season.
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 | 69.9 | |
| Scoring Def. | 60.4 | 65.4 | |
| Scoring Margin | +5.6 | +4.5 | |
| FG% | 40.2 | 41.9 | |
| Def. FG% | 41.3 | 40.0 | |
| 3FG% | 25.2 | 28.9 | |
| Reb. Avg. | 38.6 | 39.0 | |
| Opp. Reb. Avg. | 33.9 | 34.5 | |
| Reb. Margin | +4.8 | +5.5 | |
| TO Avg. | 18.0 | 13.8 |
Bogans SEC’s Best Freshman?
Keith Bogans is third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.7 ppg and second on the team in SEC play with 13.7 ppg. He leads the team in steals with 44.
Bogans tallied a UK season-high 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 also scored 22 against Arkansas last Saturday, his fourth 20-point effort this season, all in February.
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…
SEC-leading 13 double-doubles this season, including three straight on three occasions,
Scored in double figures in 23 of the 28 games, including three 20-point games,
The school-record holder in blocks leads the team in scoring (13.1 ppg), rebounding (8.8 rpg) and swats (52),
Vs. league competition, averaging nearly a double-double — 14.3 ppg and 9.8 rpg. Ranks 9th in the league in scoring and first in rebounding, fourth in the SEC in FG percentage (53.8%) and third in blocks (1.7 bpg),
Has played in 140 games in his UK career, 11 shy of the NCAA record held by UK’s Wayne Turner, a mark he could tie if the Cats advance to the SEC and NCAA title games. His total ranks fourth at Kentucky, 11th nationally,
Needs five points to become the 47th member of the Wildcats’ 1,000-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 six teams have scored more than 70 points against the Wildcats.
UK is 13-0 when holding opponents under 60 points.
Tubby Smith’s “ball-line defense” has held 15 opponents below 40 percent shooting this season, including Arkansas last Saturday (39.6%). 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, the third straight year UK opponents have shot 40 percent or less from the field.
The Wildcats have allowed 61.6 ppg this season, which ranks first in the SEC, 22nd in the NCAA.
The Wildcats are averaging 5.7 bpg this season and three Wildcats — Jamaal Magloire (1.9 bpg), Jules Camara (1.4) and Tayshaun Prince (1.2) — rank in the SEC top 10 this season in blocks per game.
UK vs. Top 25
Kentucky is 5-7 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this season, and 2-3 vs. top-10 teams. Rankings were current on the date the game was played. 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 |
|||
| Arizona | 8th | N | |
| Indiana | 23rd | N | |
| Maryland | 21st | A | |
| Auburn | 4th | A | |
| Florida | 12th | A | |
| LSU | 25th | A | |
| Tennessee | 7th | A |
SEC Marks
UK has won 64 of its last 78 (82.1%) 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 756-202 (.789) 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 20 of 21 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 17-1 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 16 of its last 20 games.
Fifteen 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.
Top 25 Rankings
The Wildcats were 18th in last week’s AP poll, 18th in this week’s USA Today/ESPN poll.
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
Five 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.
Vs. Georgia on Feb. 19, Allison, Bogans and Prince were held out of the starting lineup while Marvin Stone earned his first start along with Camara and Blevins.
For matchup reasons, Smith started Jules Camara for the second straight game against Tennessee (2/23/00), bringing Desmond Allison off the bench. He reverted to his favorite lineup — Prince and Allison at forwards, Magloire at center and Smith and Bogans at guard — in the last outing vs. Arkansas. That lineup is 14-3 this season.
’99-2000 Trends
| 16-1 | When leading at halftime | |
| 1-0 | When tied at halftime | |
| 3-7 | When trailing at halftime | |
| 17-3 | When UK scores first | |
| 3-5 | When opponent scores first | |
| 20-1 | When leading with 5 minutes to play | |
| 0-6 | When trailing with 5 minutes to play | |
| 0-1 | When score tied with 5 minutes to play | |
| 19-0 | When leading with 2 minutes to play | |
| 0-7 | 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 | |
| 7-3 | 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 | |
| 18-8 | When UK shoots less than 50% FG | |
| 5-5 | When UK shoots less than 40% FG | |
| 5-3 | When UK makes more 3FG | |
| 12-3 | When opponent makes more 3FG | |
| 3-2 | When 3FG made are the same | |
| 15-6 | When UK outrebounds opponent | |
| 5-2 | When opponent outrebounds UK | |
| 0-0 | When rebounds are the same | |
| 10-6 | When playing on national TV | |
| 7-2 | When playing on regional TV | |
| 8-3 | When playing on the weekend | |
| 12-5 | When playing on a weekday | |
| 0-0 | When starting after 10 p.m. ET | |
| 2-4 | When starting after 9 p.m. ET | |
| 10-2 | When game starts between 7-9 p.m. | |
| 8-2 | With an afternoon start | |
| 1-0 | In overtime games | |
| 3-2 | In November | |
| 5-2 | In December | |
| 7-1 | In January | |
| 5-3 | In February | |
| 0-0 | In March | |
| 16-2 | In home white uniforms | |
| 4-6 | 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 | |
| 10-4 | vs. SEC |
Record vs. Lineup
| 4-3 | Prince, Camara, Magloire, Smith, Allison | |
| 0-1 | Prince, Knight, Magloire, Smith, Allison | |
| 14-3 | Prince, Allison, Magloire, Smith, Bogans | |
| 1-0 | Prince, Allison, Magloire, Blevins, Bogans | |
| 1-0 | Camara, Stone, Magloire, Blevins, Smith | |
| 0-1 | Camara, Prince, Magloire, Smith, Bogans |
SEASON REVIEW
Smith’s Highlights
Saul Smith was named the “SEC Good Works Player of the Week” on Feb. 14. During his three-year career, 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 (2/19/00). The junior point guard leads the team in assists this season.
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.
Blevins Two Starts
With Keith Bogans not starting against Georgia (2/19/00), 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.
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. 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.
