Dec. 7, 2001
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
North Carolina Tar Heels (1-3, 1-0 ACC)vs.No. 11/12 Kentucky Wildcats (4-1)
GAME #6Dec. 8, 20014:05 p.m.Rupp Arena (23,000)Lexington, Ky.
UK RADIO NETWORK90+ stations: Tom Leach, Mike Pratt and Dave Baker.
TELEVISIONCBS Sports: Craig Bolerjack and Bill Raftery.
UKathletics.comOfficial site carries live audio from the UK Radio Network for each game. Enhanced coverage includes live statistics for all home games. Also adds the latest on the 2001-02 Wildcats including season statistics, photos and records.
vs. North CarolinaSeries Record: UNC leads 16-7In Lexington: UNC leads 4-2In Chapel Hill: Series is tied at 1At Neutral Sites: UNC leads 11-4Last Game: Dec. 2, 2000 – UK 93, UNC 76Website: tarheelblue.com
Nation’s Finest Battle as Kentucky Goes for Win #1,800
The two college programs that have combined to win 3,581 basketball games and stand as the two winningest teams of all time will meet for the 24th time when Kentucky plays host to North Carolina. The Wildcats will attempt to win their 1,800th game and become the first college basketball team to reach that milestone.Kentucky has long owned the title as the nation’s all-time winningest team. But following a 13-19 season in 1989, the Tar Heels overtook Kentucky on Jan. 3, 1990 with a 90-78 win over Old Dominion. Kentucky reclaimed the lead during its 1996 championship run with an 83-63 victory over Wake Forest in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship on March 23.The game is the second of a four-year, home-and-home contract between the two schools and the first meeting in Rupp Arena. The last time North Carolina played in Lexington, Richard Nixon was just beginning his first term in office, UK All-American Pat Riley was a rookie in the NBA and Dean Smith would still need 755 wins before he could pass Adolph Rupp and become college basketball’s all-time winningest coach. The game was played 33 years ago — Dec. 7, 1968, an 87-77 Tar Heels’ win in Memorial Coliseum.
Milestone Approaches
A victory against the Tar Heels would give Kentucky 1,800 wins in its 99th year of basketball, making it the first program to reach the milestone. Other milestone wins include:
* * 1st * *
2-18-03 – UK 11, Lex YMCA 10
* * 100th * *1-26-21 – UK 26, Cincinnati 19
* * 500th * *12-28-46 – UK 96, Wabash 24
* * 1,000th * *1-18-69 – UK 69, Tennessee 66
* * 1,500th * *2-26-91 – UK 79, Alabama 73
* * 1,799 * *12-5-01 – UK 99, VMI 57
Tickets Available
Tickets to the North Carolina game are sold out. Only a few tickets remain for the Kentucky State game on Dec. 15. In addition, tickets can be ordered for the Indiana game played in the RCA Dome at Indianapolis on Dec. 22.Seats for Kentucky State are $17 each while the IU tickets are priced at $30 apiece. Tickets to both games can be purchased at the Memorial Coliseum ticket office (M-F, 9-4 p.m.), via phone with a Visa or MasterCard (800-928-CATS) or on the web at ukathletics.com.Tulane tickets for Jan. 2 at Freedom Hall are $22 each and available by mail only. Make check or money order payable to UKAA, c/o Memorial Coliseum Ticket Office, Rm. 111, Lexington, KY 40506-0019 and add $2 to each order for postage and handling.
Series History
This will be the 24th meeting between the nation’s two winningest programs. The Tar Heels lead the series, which dates back to the 1924 season, 16-7. UNC is the only program that holds a substantial advantage in its series with Kentucky.North Carolina had won six consecutive games in the series before UK shocked the Heels in Chapel Hill last December, 93-76, for the second worst defeat in Dean Dome history. Had it not been for eight late Joe Forte points, the loss would have gone down as the worst in arena history as the Cats led by as many as 24.
Deja Vu
When the two teams met last season, host North Carolina was 4-1 and ranked sixth nationally following a loss at Michigan State. UK entered the contest 1-3 hoping to avoid a 1-4 start, its worst in 16 years.This season, No. 11 Kentucky is 4-1 with four consecutive victories while UNC is 1-3 following its 83-77 win over Georgia Tech last Sunday.
UK vs. ACC
The Wildcats own a 112-51 record against ACC opponents, highlighted by a 56-15 record against Georgia Tech.Last season, the Cats were 1-1 against ACC opponents with a win over the Heels and a 68-66 loss to the Ramblin’ Wreck.
History and Tradition Clash
Kentucky and North Carolina rank among the elite in college basketball. Examples include:
NCAA Championships1. UCLA112. Kentucky73. Indiana54. North Carolina3
NCAA Final Fours1. North Carolina152. UCLA143. Kentucky13
All-Time Victories1. Kentucky1,7992. North Carolina1,782
All-Time Winning Percentage1. Kentucky76.3% (1,799-559-1)2. North Carolina73.8% (1,782-633)
NCAA Tournament Appearances1. Kentucky422. UCLA363. North Carolina35
NCAA Tournament Games1. Kentucky 1242. North Carolina116
NCAA Tournament Wins1. Kentucky872. North Carolina81
Final Four Wins1. UCLA242. Kentucky173. Duke144. Indiana114. North Carolina11
All-Time Winningest Coaches1. Dean Smith, UNC 879-254 (77.6%)2. Adolph Rupp, UK 876-190 (82.2%)
Carolina Connections
* Tubby Smith was an all-conference performer at High Point College (N.C.) and later coached basketball at Hoke County High School in Raeford, N.C., from 1977-79. His son Saul was born at the Pinehurst Hospital during his second year coaching at Hoke County.
* Assistant Coach Mike Sutton is a ’78 graduate of East Carolina. Sutton grew up in Greenville and began his coaching career at his alma mater, D.H. Conley High School. He later earned his master’s degree at Appalachian State while coaching at Lees-McRae Junior College and also served on Smith’s staff at Hoke County High School.
* Assistant Coach Reggie Hanson was born in Charlotte, N.C. and lived there until he was 11 years old. The family then moved to Somerset, Ky.
* North Carolina guard/quarterback Ronald Curry was the ’98 High School Player of the Year as a senior in Hampton, Va. During the semifinals of the Virginia state tournament in ’98, UK sophomore Cliff Hawkins, then a sophomore at Potomac High, held Curry to six points while leading his team to victory with a game-high 31 points.
National Exposure
The CBS game with North Carolina marks UK’s first appearance on national television this season. The Cats will appear on national television 13 times this season, including three of the next four games.Kentucky will appear on CBS seven times while its other six appearances will be on ESPN. According to highly acclaimed CBS Sports producer Bob Dekas, its the most any school has ever been on the March Madness network in a single regular season.
UK in December
The Wildcats hold a 423-100 record in the month of December for a stellar .809 winning percentage. The mark is the best of any month for the Cats. Last season, UK was 4-2 during December. At home, the Cats are 274-37 (88.1%) all-time during the year’s 12th month.
Walk-on Wonder
After relinquishing his scholarship in June to keep the Cats compliant with the NCAA limit of 13 scholarships, Marquis Estill grabbed national attention.Once he moved into the starting role at power forward against Morehead State, Estill again earned notice. Of the school’s listed in this week’s AP Top 25, Estill is the ONLY walk-on starter. He’s averaging 12.4 ppg and 4.4 rpg.
Defense Improving
Coach Tubby Smith has always made solid defense his top priority and this year is no different. In the first five games, no team has shot better than 43.6% from the field (Western Ky.) and three teams have failed to top 40% shooting. In his four previous years at Kentucky, opponents have combined to shoot less than 40% from the field three seasons.
Next Game
Kentucky takes off next week for final exams before resuming play on Saturday against Division II Kentucky State in Rupp Arena. Former UK letterman Winston Bennett brings his Thoroughbreds into Rupp Arena as the teams meet on the hardwood for the first time. The game was scheduled after Georgia Tech decided not to renew its series with Kentucky early last summer.
December to Remember?
A December stretch of what could be great games begins with the Kentucky-North Carolina showdown on Dec. 8. After a matchup with Kentucky State next Saturday, the Wildcats will battle No. 1 Duke in the Meadowlands, Indiana in the RCA Dome and Louisville in Lexington within a 12-day period. The Duke game is a double-header at the Jimmy V Classic where Alabama faces Temple in the opener while the Indiana game will be played in front of nearly 40,000 fans, half dressed in IU red, the other half in UK blue. The U of L game marks the naming of the Rupp Arena playing court after UK’s national basketball hall of fame announcer Cawood Ledford, who passed away after a long battle with cancer in September.
Cats on the Glass
Kentucky has hit the boards thus far this season, outrebounding opponents by an average of 11.6 rpg, which ranks first in the SEC. UK has averaged 45.0 rpg, while opponents have grabbed 33.4 rpg. UK has led the league in offensive rebounds, averaging 17.8 per game.Not bad for a squad that’s led in rebounding by 6-5 guard Keith Bogans, who plays mostly small forward. After grabbing as many rebounds as the UK band (none) in the exhibition game against Athletes in Action, he accepted Coach Tubby Smith’s challenge to make rebounding a top priority and is now averaging 6.0 rpg. Last year he averaged 4.6 per contest.
Records Watch
Tayshaun Prince’s two three-pointers against Kent State moved him into a tie with Jamal Mashburn for eighth place on UK’s all-time made 3FG list. He needs four more to capture seventh place.Both Prince and Keith Bogans continue to climb UK’s list of all-time scoring leaders. Prince is 24th with 1,297 points, while Bogans is tied for 41st with 1,073.For the updated lists, see page 4.
Last Time Out
Kentucky shot a season-best 55.7% from the field including 50.0% from three-point land to secure a 99-57 win over the outmanned VMI Keydets.Tayshaun Prince recorded his eighth career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Keith Bogans added 16 points. Marvin Stone went 6-for-9 from the field to total 13 points in the game, 12 of which came in the first half.
National Polls
UK began the season ranked fourth in both major polls.After dropping in the polls two consecutive weeks following its season-opening loss to Western Kentucky, UK climbed two spots in each ranking this week — climbing to 11th in the AP, 12th in the Coaches rankings.
Three Mania
Kentucky’s streak of hitting a three in consecutive games has reached 446 games, the nation’s fourth-longest streak, trailing UNLV, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech. UNLV, Vanderbilt and Princeton have hit a three-pointer in every game since the rule was adopted in 1987.The Wildcats’ last game without a three-pointer came against Seton Hall on Nov. 26, 1988, a “three-point” loss in the Great Alaska Shootout.
Double-Doubles
Tayshaun Prince earned his eighth career double-double of the season when he tallied 21 points and 10 boards against VMI. It was the first double-double recorded by a Cat this season.Other current Wildcats who have recorded double-doubles in their career include:CatCareer DoublesKeith Bogans2Jules Camara3Marquis Estill1Gerald Fitch1Jason Parker2Marvin Stone1
SEASON NOTES
Queen City Mark
In November, Kentucky played its fifth consecutive season at the Firstar Center in Cincinnati, defeating Kent State, 82-68. The Wildcats are now 6-1 all-time in the arena.
Season Openers
Kentucky is 81-18 in season openers after its loss to Western Kentucky in the NABC Classic. Last season, the Cats were upset in New York by St. John’s, 62-61. Tubby Smith is 8-3 in season openers during his head coaching career.
Home Openers
Kentucky is 84-15 all-time in home openers after the loss to WKU. Nine of those losses occurred before Adolph Rupp began coaching in 1930. The Cats are 65-6 since 1930, losing the home opener in 1955 to Temple, 1962 to Va. Tech, 1972 to Iowa, 1988 to Northwestern State, 2000 to Penn State and this season to Western Kentucky.UK now stands at 23-3 in home openers at Rupp Arena.
Within the Borders
UK plays four Kentucky colleges during the 2001-02 season, the most since the 1920-21 season.The Cats have already played Western Kentucky and Morehead State, and will battle Kentucky State and Louisville in December. They faced Kentucky Wesleyan, Cumberland, Georgetown and Centre during the ’21 season, posting a 5-1 record in the meetings.
PRESEASON NOTES
AP Names Prince All-American
Forward Tayshaun Prince added yet another honor to his resume in November as he was named to the The Associated Press Preseason All-America team, the only senior on the list.Prince joined Duke’s Jason Williams, Stanford’s Casey Jacobsen, Missouri’s Kareem Rush and Illinois’ Frank Williams.Prince is just the second Wildcat to earn the preseason honor from the AP since the national news organization began naming a preseason team in 1985. Jamal Mashburn was a preseason All-American prior to the 1992-93 season.Prince also was named first-team Preseason All-America by collegeinsider.com, Athlon Sports, Blue Ribbon Basketball, The Sporting News and Basketball News.He was a second-team selection by AP at the end of last season.Conference SupremacyKentucky was picked to finish first in the SEC by a media vote at the conference’s annual media day on Nov. 1.Tayshaun Prince also was predicted to repeat as SEC Player of the Year, while he and Bogans both were named first-team Preseason All-SEC.Men’s Basketball PredictionsChampion – Kentucky (20), Florida (3).Eastern Division1. Kentucky (20)262. Florida (3)433. Tennessee764. South Carolina985. Georgia1056. Vanderbilt123Western Division1. Alabama (15)332. Arkansas (5)603. Ole Miss (2)664. Auburn (1)785. LSU1216. Mississippi State125
All-SEC First TeamG – Brett Nelson, Florida17G – Keith Bogans, Kentucky15C – Udonis Haslem, Florida22F – Tayshaun Prince, Kentucky22G/F – Rod Grizzard, Alabama11
Prince, Bogans on Wooden List
Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans were both named to the preseason Wooden Award Candidate list for 2001-02.Only 50 college basketball players make the prestigious list, which culminates in the presentation of the Wooden Award for the nation’s best collegiate basketball player each April.The award was started in 1976 and has seen past winners that include Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Tim Duncan. No Kentucky Wildcat has ever claimed the honor.
Parker Injury
Jason Parker underwent his second ACL surgery on his right knee in four months when he had a patella tendon autograft performed by team physicians Darren Johnson and Scott Mair on Nov. 1. Parker injured the knee June 24 in a pickup basketball game and had his initial surgery July 2. He retore the ligament prior to introductions for Big Blue Madness on Oct. 12.Parker will miss the 2001-02 season as a redshirt. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Production Return
Kentucky lost one senior from last year, returning 12 lettermen and four starters from a team that finished as co-champions of the Southeastern Conference and won the league tournament. With the loss of Jason Parker for the season, the numbers change to three returning starters. The statistics below reflect the returning production, excluding Parker:Points80.6%Rebounds82.4%Assists71.4%Blocks83.4%Steals72.1%Their Old Kentucky Home
This season’s roster boasts six products from the Bluegrass State, the most since the 1991 season.J.P. Blevins (Edmonton), Marquis Estill (Richmond), Cory Sears (Corbin), Matt Heissenbuttel (Lexington), Josh Carrier (Bowling Green) and Adam Chiles (Louisville) all hail from within the state’s borders.In ’91, Reggie Hanson, Richie Farmer, John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus, Michael Parks and Todd Bearup all came from Kentucky. Much like Sears and Heissenbuttel, Parks and Bearup were both walk-ons 11 seasons ago.
Face Lift
Fans attending UK home games will recognize changes at floor level. In addition to the new floor that was purchased last summer, courtside fan seating has been added as well. Currently, 20 new “scholarship seats” have displaced some traditional media seating and been installed on press row. The 20 seats were sold for $313,000 a pair and the revenue generated will go to endow all 13 men’s basketball scholarships. There are still four pairs remaining to be sold.Kentucky celebrated its 25th season in the first built-for-basketball arena last year, playing for a quarter of a century on the original floor. Pieces of the original floor were auctioned off prior to the charity game, “A Night of True Champions,” on Aug. 11, raising more than $38,000. The money was split between the UK Basketball Museum, the KHSAA and the Lexington Civic Center for the purchase of the new floor.The new floor was designed by UK in conjunction with Lexington Civic Center officials. It was constructed by Robbins, Inc., in Cincinnati, Ohio at a cost of $125,000.
BIG BLUE MANIA
Chapman Makes Dunk List
Former Wildcat Rex Chapman made the list of Slam Magazine’s top-50 dunkers of all-time. Chapman, who played two seasons (1987-88) before becoming a first-round draft pick of the Charlotte Hornets, was No. 35 on the list.The top five were Vince Carter, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Julius Erving and Jackie Jackson. Not on the list was former Cat Kenny Walker, who won the NBA’s slam dunk contest in 1993.
Keightley In 41st Season
Kentucky equipment manager Bill Keightley is in his 41st season in the UK program. The beloved Mr. Wildcat has served UK since 1961-62, watching the Cats roll to a 948-290 record during that era.Keightley, who has a jersey retired in the rafters of Rupp Arena, has worked under five different head coaches at UK — Rupp, Hall, Sutton, Pitino and Smith.
Wiggins Keeps on Coming
Big Blue fan Bob Wiggins continues his amazing streak of following the basketball Cats. Wiggins, who is retired and lives in Falmouth, Ky., saw 615 consecutive games — home and away — from 1977 until he suffered a heart attack just before the 1996 Great Alaska Shootout. It’s the second-longest streak on record at UK.The illness forced him to miss four games, but he has since returned to see every contest in person, a streak of 182 games.Meanwhile, his home court streak is still intact. Wiggins has not missed a home game in 41 years, a streak spanning 579 games. During that period, which dates back to 1960-61, UK has a home record of 515-64.In all, he’s in his 49th season watching the Cats in person and through his own record keeping, has attended 1,196 UK games.
UK No. 2 with Most NBA Players
To start the 2001-02 NBA season, the following Wildcats were active:Derek AndersonPortlandTony DelkPhoenixWalter McCartyBostonJamaal MagloireCharlotteJamal MashburnCharlotteRon MercerChicagoNazr MohammedAtlantaScott PadgettUtahMark PopeMilwaukeeAntoine WalkerBostonIn addition, former UK assistant coach Jim O’Brien is the head coach of the Boston Celtics while the Cats’ all-time leading scorer Dan Issel coaches the Denver Nuggets and former UK All-American Pat Riley coaches the Miami Heat.
— Go Cats —
