Jan. 25, 2002
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
No. 14/14 Alabama Crimson Tide (16-3, 4-1)
vs.
No. 8/9 Kentucky Wildcats (13-4, 3-2)
GAME 18
Jan. 26, 2002
8:03 p.m. ET
Rupp Arena (23,000)
Lexington, Ky.
RADIO
UK Radio Network (90+ stations): Tom Leach, Mike Pratt and Dave Baker.
Westwood One Radio Network (National): Chuck Cooperstein and Wimp Sanderson.
TELEVISION
ESPN (Live): Brad Nessler and Brad Daugherty.
SERIES
Series Record: UK leads 91-32
In Lexington: UK leads 48-7
At Rupp Arena: UK leads 17-4
In Tuscaloosa: UK leads 24-20
At Neutral Sites: UK leads 19-5
Last Game: Jan. 23, 2001 – UA 70, UK 60
Website: RollTide.com
COACHING COMPARISONS
Tubby Smith (High Point ’73)
Overall (11th) 247-99 (71.4%) at UK (5th) 123-37 (76.9%) SEC Tourney (6) 13-3 (81.3%) NCAA Tourney (8) 18-7 (72.0%) vs. Alabama 5-2
Mark Gottfried (Alabama ’87)
Overall (7th) 139-69 (66.8%) at UA (4th) 71-45 (61.2%) vs. Kentucky 2-1
TEAM COMPARISONS
cats tideRecord 13-4 16-3Scoring Offense 81.6 80.5Scoring Defense 66.9 65.3Scoring Margin +14.6 +15.2FG % 47.2 45.7FG % Defense 39.3 38.83FG % 32.4 32.33FG % Defense 30.3 30.1Free Throw % 65.0 70.7Rebound Average 42.5 40.9Opp. Rebound Average 34.9 35.8Rebound Margin +7.6 +5.1TO Average 15.6 13.9Opponent TO 17.5 16.7TO Margin +1.9 +2.8Blocks Average 4.9 4.1Steals Average 8.2 8.2
PROBABLE STARTERS
WILDCATS No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg Hometown Last Game 21 Tayshaun Prince F 6-9 215 Sr. 16.6 6.5 Compton, Calif. 9 pts, 7 rebs, 2 blks 40 Jules Camara F 6-11 225 Jr. 4.8 3.6 Dakar, Senegal 0 pts, 1 reb, 3 fouls, 8 mins 4 Gerald Fitch G 6-3 185 So. 8.8 5.5 Macon, Ga. 11 pts, 6 rebs, 2 assts, 2 stls 10 Keith Bogans G 6-5 205 Jr. 12.8 5.1 Alexandria, Va. 13 pts, 3 rebs, 4 assts 1 Cliff Hawkins G 6-1 185 So. 8.0 *4.5 Dumfries, Va. 8 pts, 3 assts, 2 stls
CRIMSON TIDE No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg Hometown Last Game 35 Erwin Dudley F-C 6-8 260 Jr. 15.1 8.5 Uniontown, Ala. 24 pts, 10 rebs, 9-of-12 FG 42 Kenny Walker F-C 6-9 230 Jr. 9.9 6.2 Jacksonville, Fla. 16 pts, 7 rebs, 6-of-9 FG 21 Rod Grizzard G-F 6-8 200 Jr. 15.2 5.8 Birmingham, Ala. 22 pts, 8-9 FT, 2 rebs 14 Terrance Meade G 6-2 190 Jr. 11.1 3.8 Scottsboro, Ala. 0 pts, 3 rebs 25 Mo Williams G 6-1 185 Fr. 10.2 *4.6 Jackson, Miss. 15 pts, 6 rebs, 3 assts
*Assists
Kentucky Returns to Face Rollin’ Tide
After winning back-to-back road games against Notre Dame and Auburn, the Wildcats return home to battle No. 14 Alabama, the first ranked opponent to visit Rupp Arena this season. The Crimson Tide enters the game sporting a 16-3 record with two of its losses coming against ranked opponents Missouri and UCLA. Alabama leads the Western Division with a 4-1 record in Southeastern Conference play, its only loss coming at Auburn two weeks ago.
The Crimson Tide has outscored its opponents by an average of 15.2 ppg this season, ranking them 10th nationally in scoring margin, just ahead of UK. Rod Grizzard leads four players in double figures, averaging 15.2 ppg, while Erwin Dudley averages 15.1 ppg and leads the league in field goal percentage, hitting 58.2% of his shots this season.
Kentucky is riding a four-game win streak which includes three consecutive wins in SEC play. The Tide has won two straight and 10 of their last 11.
Series History
This is the 124th meeting between UK and Alabama and the 56th meeting in Lexington, where Kentucky holds a 48-7 advantage. UK has won 11 of the last 13 games played in the series after dropping the last two contests in Tuscaloosa, including a 70-60 loss last season. Alabama’s last win in Lexington came Feb. 18, 1989, a 71-67 victory over Eddie Sutton’s last UK team.
Fourth-year coach Mark Gottfried is 2-1 against Kentucky as a coach. As a student-athlete for the Crimson Tide in the mid-’80s, his Alabama teams were 2-6 against the Wildcats. Tubby Smith is 5-2 against Bama, including a 2-2 mark at UK.
Gottfried spent three years as the head coach of Murray State in Murray, Ky. Gottfried was highly successful in Murray, guiding the Racers to a 68-24 record and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances from 1995-97. The Racers claimed the Ohio Valley Conference Championship every year under Gottfried’s leadership.
Now in his fourth season at his alma mater, Gottfried is 71-45 (61.2%). He’s had two teams advance to the NIT, including last year’s squad that finished as runners-up.
Common Opponents
Kentucky and Alabama have four common opponents. The Cats are 2-2 against the four teams while the Tide is 3-1.
Opponent UK UANotre Dame W, 72-65 W, 79-76Auburn W, 69-62 L, 59-56Georgia L, 88-84 W, 77-72Miss. State L, 74-69 W, 85-73
Time Off
The Alabama game marks the third time in six SEC games this season that UK’s opponent has had a week off to prepare for the game. Mississippi State and South Carolina both had breaks in their schedule that allowed a full week of preparation for the Cats. Bama’s last game was last Saturday, an 85-73 home win over Mississippi State.
Vs. SEC West
Kentucky has won 11 straight games at Rupp Arena against SEC Western Division teams. Ole Miss was the last West Division squad to beat Kentucky in Lexington, earning a 73-64 win on Feb. 14, 1998, the Wildcats’ last loss en route to the 1998 NCAA Championship.
Overall, Kentucky owns a 47-16 (74.6%) record against SEC Western Division teams since the league split in 1992.
Kentucky/Alabama Connections
UK assistant David Hobbs coached Alabama from 1993 to 1998, totaling a 110-76 record (59.1%) in six seasons. His first four seasons were his strongest at Bama, guiding the Tide to two NCAA Tournament berths and two NIT appearances while rolling up a 78-46 (62.9%) mark.
Alabama’s director of basketball operations, Darron Boatright hails from Benton, Ky., and served as a student assistant on Gottfried’s last two squads at Murray State. Assistant coach Philip Pearson also served on all three staffs at Murray. UA trainer John Morr served as an assistant athletic trainer at UK from 1994-96 while pursuing his master’s degree.
Another SkyWalker?
One name on the Alabama roster will be familiar to Kentucky fans — Kenny Walker. Bama’s big man has the same name as UK’s two-time All-American who graduated in 1986. UK’s Walker, who finished as the No. 2 all-time scorer for the Kentucky men, played in the NBA from 1986-95 and last year had his jersey retired to the rafters of Rupp Arena.
Great Walk-On
Marquis Estill, who gave up his scholarship before the season to allow the Wildcats to meet the NCAA limit of 13, had another outstanding performance this week. The 6-9 junior totaled 21 points and five rebounds in 30 minutes of action off the bench. Estill was 8-of-12 from the field, 1-for-1 from 3FG range and canned all four of his free throws. He is shooting a sizzling 67.3% from the field this season which would lead the SEC if he averaged 5.0 made FGs per game. He averages 4.2 made FGs per game.
Estill suffered a terrible loss earlier this month when his father passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 5.
Vs. Ranked Opponents
The Crimson Tide is only the second nationally ranked team the Wildcats have faced this season. Kentucky fell to No. 1 Duke, 95-92, in overtime on Dec. 18 in the Jimmy V Classic. Last season, UK went 8-5 against ranked foes, 10 of which were road games.
Bench Production
The Cats have utilized their deep bench this season and for good reason. The bench has contributed 27.9 ppg and 15.5 rpg.
Against Auburn, the bench added 28 points and 16 boards, led by Marquis Estill’s game-high 21 points. In the 13 wins, UK reserves have averaged 29.8 points and 16.0 rebounds per game. In the four losses, the average is 21.8 ppg and 8.8 rpg. Outstanding bench performances include:
Opponent Pts. Rbs.Marshall 45 25VMI 41 23North Carolina 36 13Kentucky State 46 25Duke 31 9Louisville 27 12Tulane 29 16Georgia 32 13Ole Miss 35 13Auburn 28 16
Mr. Clutch Strikes Again
Tayshaun Prince has a laundry list of clutch performances during his four-year career at Kentucky. Against Auburn on Tuesday, he struck again. Despite shooting 5-for-20 from the field the last two games, Prince canned a three-pointer to curtail Auburn’s 14-4 run and give the Cats’ a 57-50 lead. The shot boosted UK on an 8-0 run that iced the game.
Other clutch performances by Prince include a game-winner against Florida last season, scoring 16 of the Cats’ final 23 to lead a comeback at Vanderbilt, a double-clutch three against St. Bonaventure in the 2000 NCAA Tourney and a runner in the lane with 23 seconds to go that lifted UK to a win at Miami that same season.
Bogans’ Revival
Keith Bogans broke out of a four-game shooting slump when he hit 8-of-12 shots from the field including 5-of-7 three-pointers to total a season-high 23 points in the Wildcats’ win over Notre Dame last Saturday. The junior had hit 11-of-33 from the field the previous four outings. He hadn’t totaled a 20-point effort this season since the Morehead State game on Nov. 24.
He followed the Irish performance with a 13-point game at Auburn, including 10 in the first half. He continued to contribute across the board, totaling three boards and four assists in the win.
Wounded Cats
Reserve point guard Adam Chiles missed both the Notre Dame and Auburn games due to bruised ribs. He’s listed as questionable.
J.P. Blevins, who broke his wrist during the Indiana game on Dec. 22, may return to action next week.
Tone Setter
Gerald Fitch has been referred to more than once by Tubby Smith as the Cats’ heart and soul. Pound-for-pound (6-3, 188), he may be the best rebounder in the nation.
The sophomore guard recorded his second double-double of the season against Ole Miss on Jan. 15, totaling 13 points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. With the injured JP Blevins out of the rotation, Fitch also has seen time at point guard lately, backing up Cliff Hawkins. He totaled 11 points and six boards against Auburn on Tuesday.
For the season, Fitch is fourth on the team in scoring (8.8 ppg), second in rebounding (5.5 rpg) and second in steals (24). In SEC play, he’s second on the team in scoring (11.2 ppg) and leads UK in rebounding (6.0 rpg).
Steals Up
Midway through the season, the Wildcats’ defense is averaging 8.2 spg. That’s up from last year’s 6.7 spg and the best at UK since the ’98 champs averaged 8.7 spg.
Milestones
Tayshaun Prince needs one point to catch Melvin Turpin (1981-84) at 13th on UK’s all-time scoring list. Prince currently has 1,498 points, just 77 short of UK’s top 10 scorers. He needs three points to top 1,500 in his career.
Keith Bogans’ 13 points against Auburn pushed him past the 1,200-point mark. Bogans currently has 1,205 career points and with three more can tie Rodrick Rhodes (1993-95) for 33rd.
Prince and Bogans are high on UK’s list of all-time 3FG attempts. Prince ranks third with 527, while Bogans ranks fourth with 457 attempts. Bogans’ five made threes against the Irish moved him onto UK’s list of made 3FGs. He currently ranks eighth with 152, while Prince is fourth on the list with 173.
Prince and Jules Camara have each cracked UK’s top-10 list for career blocks this season. Prince is eighth on the list with 115 swats while Camara ranks 10th with 104.
Power Polls
Kentucky is ranked among the top teams in the nation in two popular power polls. Strength of schedule ratings are listed in parenthesis:
CollegeRPI.com SagarinKentucky 8th (5th) 7th (6th)Alabama 14th (43rd) 11th (142nd)
The Southeastern Conference is rated as the nation’s toughest conference by CollegeRPI.com and Sagarin. All but one team has a winning record.1. SEC
2. PAC-10
3. ACC
SouleyQuis
Jules Camara and Marquis Estill have become a solid tandem down low for UK. In the five SEC games, the pair has shot 36-of-54 from the field (66.7%), 16-for-18 (88.9%) from the foul line and blocked 22 shots. Camara leads the league in blocks during SEC games, averaging 2.4 pg. Estill is second with 2.2 pg.
Camara scored a career-high 16 points against Georgia with three swats. He had 12 points vs. Miss. State in the Cats’ league opener. His five blocks against Ole Miss matched his career high set against Duke in December.
Estill has hit 31-of-42 from the field over the last eight games. He matched his season high with 21 points against Auburn on 8-of-12 shooting. He continues to lead the team in FG percentage, hitting 67.3%, which would rank second in the nation and lead the SEC if he met the minimum of five FGAs per game. He’s hitting 69.0% of his shots during league games.
Big Draw
This season, the Cats have played in front of seven of the top 10 crowds in the nation, including four at home. Statistics courtesty of the NCAA:
Game (Site) Attendance1. UK-Indiana (N) 29,3792. UK-Louisville (H) 24,3303. UK-North Carolina (H) 23,1534. Missouri-Illinois (N) 22,1535. UK-Georgia (H) 21,7076. UK-Western Ky. (H) 21,1048. UK-Ole Miss (H) 20,54010. UK- Duke (N) 20,029
Cats in the NCAA
In the NCAA statistics released Jan. 21, the Wildcats ranked 11th in scoring (82.4 ppg) and 11th in scoring margin (+15.1 ppg). UK was 13th in the nation in rebounding margin, outrebounding opponents by an average of 8.6 rpg.
Cats in the SEC
In the latest Southeastern Conference rankings for all games played, UK’s Tayshaun Prince is sixth in the league in scoring (16.6 ppg) while Cliff Hawkins ranks seventh in assists (4.5 apg). Jules Camara ranks second in blocked shots (1.8pg) while Marquis Estill follows in third (1.5 pg). Prince also ranks 14th in rebounding (6.4 rpg).
The Wildcats are second in scoring (81.6 ppg) and rebounding margin (+7.6 rpg) and first in rebounding (42.5 rpg) and offensive rebounds (16.4 orpg). The Cats rank third in blocks (4.9 pg).
In SEC games only, Hawkins leads the league in assists (5.2 apg) and is tied for sixth in steals (2.4 spg), while teammate Gerald Fitch is ninth (2.2 spg). Camara leads the league lead in swats with 2.4 bpg, while Estill is second with 2.2 bpg. Estill is seventh in FT shooting (87.5%) and freshman Chuck Hayes is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (3:1).
Defensive Pride
In 10 of the 17 games this season, UK opponents have shot less than 40% from the field. The Cats are 9-1 in those 10 outings. Overall, UK opponents have combined to shoot 39.3% from the field. Indiana and South Carolina both shot 32.1% from the field, the best defensive efforts of the season for the Wildcats. Georgia (54.1%) is the only team to shoot better than 50% against the Cats since Southern Cal (52.8%, 3-22-01) upset the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament last year.
In SEC play only, UK leads the league in FG percentage defense (38.8%) and in blocks (6.4 bpg) while ranking second in FG percentage (48.1%) and scoring defense (67.6 ppg).
More Offense
Despite scoring just 52 points against Western and 51 against South Carolina, the Cats are averaging 81.6 ppg this season, the most since the Cats averaged 82.4 ppg during the 1997 NCAA runner-up season.
SEC Domination
Kentucky is in its 69th season of SEC play. A charter member, the Cats have been the most dominant team in the league through the years, recording a 773-208 mark (78.9%). No other team has won more than 636 games (Alabama) and no other team has a better winning percentage. UK has averaged 11.3 wins and 3.0 losses per season during its SEC tenure.
The Wildcats have won 41 SEC titles and 23 SEC Tournament Championships, more titles than the other teams combined.
Kentucky has won eight of the last 10 SEC Tournament titles.
TUB-BEE, TUB-BEE!
In the past four seasons, since Orlando “Tubby” Smith took the coaching reins at Kentucky, the Wildcats have won three SEC Championships and three SEC Tournament titles. While the tournament success continues a string of titles the past decade, UK’s success in winning the regular-season crown hasn’t been achieved since the Wildcats won three of the four titles between 1983-86.
Smith is 52-17 (75.4%) in SEC regular season play since taking over at Kentucky.
Smith has an amazing 13-3 (81.3%), record in the SEC Tournament which includes his two seasons at Georgia.
Last season, Smith’s Cats captured a share of the SEC Eastern Division crown, his third in the last four years and the second straight.
Depth
Tubby Smith has a deep roster this season which allows him multiple lineups. In the first eight games of the season, Smith used four different lineups. The lineup has remained the same since the Duke game when Camara got the starting nod at center.
Only Tayshaun Prince, Gerald Fitch and Keith Bogans have started all 17 games. Cliff Hawkins has started 14 games at the point while injured running mate J.P. Blevins has three starts. Jules Camara (10), Marquis Estill (5) and former Cat Marvin Stone (2) have all split time inside.
Three Mania
Kentucky has hit a three-pointer in 458 consecutive games. UK trails UNLV, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech, which all have similar streaks. UNLV, Vanderbilt and Princeton have hit a three-pointer in every game since the rule was adopted in 1987, but Princeton has yet to play 450 games.
The Wildcats’ last game without a three-pointer came 13 years ago against Seton Hall on Nov. 26, 1988, a “three-point” loss in the Great Alaska Shootout.
UK in January
The Wildcats hold a 509-175 all-time record in the month of January for a .744 winning percentage. Last season, UK went 7-2 in the year’s first month for a .777 mark.
Next Game
Kentucky gets perhaps its best road test of the season on Tuesday when the Cats head to the hostile Stephen O’Connell Center in Gainesville to take on No. 4 Florida. The Gators suffered a home loss to Georgia last week and play at Arkansas Saturday.
Last Time Out
Marquis Estill shot 8-for-12 from the field to match his season-high with 21 points while leading UK to a 69-62 win over the Auburn Tigers. Kentucky struggled from the charity stripe however, connecting on just 48.5% of its shots (16 of 33), a season low.
National Polls
UK jumped back into the top 10 for the seventh week this season, landing at eighth in the AP and ninth in the Coaches poll. UK began the season ranked fourth in both major polls.
After losing its season opener, UK dropped to a season-low 13th in the AP poll and 14th in the Coaches poll.
Double-Doubles
Gerald Fitch had his second double-double of the year with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Ole Miss after a 16-10 performance against Tulane earlier this month. He has recorded three double-doubles in his career.
Tayshaun Prince posted his third double-double of the season against the Hoosiers with 17 points and 11 rebounds. He had back-to-back double-doubles last month against VMI and North Carolina.
Jules Camara had his best effort of the season against Duke, scoring 10 points while grabbing 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and the fourth of his career.
Current Wildcats who have recorded double-doubles in their career include:
Cat Career Doubles Keith Bogans 2 Jules Camara 4 Marquis Estill 1 Gerald Fitch 3 Jason Parker 2 Tayshaun Prince 10
National Exposure
The Alabama game marks the second of three straight apperances on ESPN by Kentucky. It’s also the Cats’ eighth appearance on national television this season and the third in a series of five consecutive national broadcasts. All totaled, Kentucky will appear six times on ESPN and a record seven times on CBS, according to 17-year veteran producer Bob Dekas.
Overtime Trials
The Wildcats have played two overtime games already this season, losing to Duke, 95-92, and Miss. State, 74-69.
Kentucky has now played 80 overtime games in 99 seasons, and owns a 44-36 record in those contests.
In the Tubby Smith era, the Cats won their first seven overtime games but have lost their last three.
The most OT games UK has ever played in one season was five — 1978-79.
SEASON NOTES
Eight in a Row
Kentucky continued its dominance at the UCA Cheerleading Championships on Jan. 12 when the Wildcats took the title for the eighth consecutive year. It was the 12th title overall for the team. The UK squad is coached by Saleem Habash with advisor T. Lynn Williamson.
Central Florida finished second in the event which was held at MGM Grand Studios in Orlando, Fla.
Kentucky has won the event in 1985, ’87, ’88, ’92, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99, 2000, ’01 and ’02.
Three-Point Show
Kentucky set a school record when nine different Wildcats made a three-point field goal in UK’s win over Tulane on Jan. 2. Since the three-point shot was implemented in 1987, no UK squad had ever had nine different Cats can a three in the same game. The nine different “lives” splashed in 16 total treys against the Green Wave, the most in a game in the Tubby Smith Era at Kentucky. It also marked the most since UK canned 16 against UNC Asheville in Dec. 1996.
Prince Named SEC Player of the Week
The Southeastern Conference named Kentucky senior Tayshaun Prince its Player of the Week for Dec. 24-Jan. 1.
The 6-9 senior was very consistent in late December, tallying 17 points and nine rebounds against Duke, 17 and 11 against the Hoosiers and 18 and nine against the Cardinals. The double-double against Indiana was his third this season and the 10th of his career.
It was his first SEC Player of the Week honor this season and the first by a Cat. Prince won the award once as a sophomore and twice last season.
Blevins Out
Point guard J.P. Blevins broke his right wrist against Indiana and will be out of action for 4-6 weeks. UK physicians successfully inserted a screw in his right wrist Dec. 27.
Blevins suffered the injury during a lay-up attempt in the first half against the Hoosiers.
He has played in seven games this season with three starts, averaging 2.7 points and 1.4 assists per game. He missed the first two games of the season – the NABC Classic – with a severely sprained right ankle that he injured in the Athletes in Action game (exh.) on Nov. 11.
Stone Dismissed
Marvin Stone was dismissed from the Kentucky men’s basketball team on Dec. 27. The 6-10 junior failed to return from the holiday break and became the first player to be dismissed from the Wildcats’ basketball team in Smith’s five seasons.
Stone averaged 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He saw action in all nine contests, starting the first two, and averaged 13.9 minutes per game.
The Huntsville, Ala., native totaled 397 points and 314 rebounds in his career after playing in 75 games with 11 starts.
He transferred to Louisville.
Prince On Wooden List
Tayshaun Prince was among the Top 30 candidates for the Wooden Award in its midseason poll released Dec. 28. Prince was a Wooden All-American last year. This year’s honors will be announced March 26 and include the 10-member All-America team and college basketball’s Most Outstanding Player.
Cawood’s Court
The new floor at Rupp Arena was named “Cawood’s Court” in ceremonies before the Louisville game. The tribute honors Cawood Ledford, who was the beloved “Voice of the Wildcats” for 39 years (1953-92). Ledford passed away in early September following a long battle with cancer.
The ceremony included the unveiling of a logo courtside not far from where he called all the action and a donation by two area businesses to the Cawood Ledford Scholarship Fund at UK. The fund was established in 1992 to assist former student-athletes in completing their degrees.
Hawk’s Shooting Eye
Cliff Hawkins recorded back-to-back career highs in December.
The sophomore tallied 15 points against Duke including nine of the Cats’ first 11 in overtime. He then returned to score 17 points against Indiana four days later. For the week, he averaged 16 ppg and 4.0 apg.
Within the Borders
Kentucky’s 20-point win over Louisville closed out a four-game schedule this season with Kentucky schools. UK finished with a 3-1 record in those games. It was the most games with instate schools since the 1920-21 season.
The Cats fell to Western Kentucky and defeated Morehead State, Kentucky State and Louisville. They faced Kentucky Wesleyan, Cumberland, Georgetown and Centre during the ’21 season, posting a 5-1 record in the meetings.
Carruth Burned Devils
Rashaad Carruth broke out against Duke, taking control of the offensive end during the first half to total 14 points in the period after scoring 12 all season.
He finished the game with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and set or tied career highs in every category.
Carruth missed the first month of the season with a high ankle sprain and played in only three games prior to the Duke contest.
Cats vs. No. 1 Teams
After falling to top-ranked Duke, 95-92, in overtime on Dec. 18, Kentucky fell to 4-9 against No.1-ranked teams in the AP poll since 1949.
The Wildcats played Duke two other times when the Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 in the country. Duke won both games, 80-55 on Nov. 19, 1988 and 104-103 in overtime on March 28, 1992.
Kentucky’s last win over a top-ranked team was an 81-74 victory against UMass at the Meadowlands in the NCAA Semifinals on March 30, 1996.
December to Remember
Kentucky kicked off a highly anticipated December schedule of great rivalries on Dec. 8 with a 79-59 rout of North Carolina. After 118-63 win over Kentucky State, the Wildcats lost a thrilling overtime game to No. 1 Duke, 95-92, in the Jimmy V Classic. After holding Indiana to 32.1% shooting in a 66-52 win in the RCA Dome, the Cats finished off the Rick Pitino-coached Louisville Cards, 82-62.
TREY-Shaun’s Game
Tayshaun Prince’s effort vs. UNC won’t soon be forgotten. Along with his three-point shooting display, Prince totaled 31 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. He matched his career scoring and steals totals. It was his second consecutive double-double, the ninth of his career.
Prince’s streak of five three-pointers on five straight possessions to start the North Carolina game were the first of seven for the game, all coming in the opening half. His fifth, just a few inches inside the “U” at center court, measured nearly 30′.
His seven 3FGs in a half tied Derrick Miller for the most threes scored in a half at Kentucky. Miller also drained seven to start the Kansas game on Dec. 9, 1989 before finishing with eight threes in the game.
Prince’s seven, however, were the most treys recorded by a Wildcat in Rupp Arena as Miller’s came in the Jayhawks’ storied Allen Field House.
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.
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 Supremacy
Kentucky 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 Predictions
Champion – Kentucky (20), Florida (3).
Eastern Division 1. Kentucky (20) 26 2. Florida (3) 43 3. Tennessee 76 4. South Carolina 98 5. Georgia 105 6. Vanderbilt 123
Western Division 1. Alabama (15) 33 2. Arkansas (5) 60 3. Ole Miss (2) 66 4. Auburn (1) 78 5. LSU 121 6. Mississippi State 125
All-SEC First Team G – Brett Nelson, Florida 17 G – Keith Bogans, Kentucky 15 C – Udonis Haslem, Florida 22 F – Tayshaun Prince, Kentucky 22 G/F – Rod Grizzard, Alabama 11
Prince, Bogans on Wooden ListTayshaun 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:
Points 80.6% Rebounds 82.4% Assists 71.4% Blocks 83.4% Steals 72.1%
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
Back In Town
Several former Wildcats have appeared back in the Bluegrass in recent weeks. Heshimu Evans, Kentucky’s spark off the bench in the Cats’ drive to the ’98 title, has been playing this season in Portugal. He was home at the end of January on a one-week break.
Jeff Sheppard, the 1998 Final Four MVP, is back from his professional playing career in Italy. He was spotted updating his resume in CATS a few weeks ago. He’s living in London, Ky., with his wife Stacey, a former star of the women’s team, and their daughter, Madison.
Allen Edwards, a teammate of Sheppard’s, is back in school on the Cawood Ledford Scholarship fund. He’s one of three Wildcats taking advantage of the fund, which allows former student-athletes to return to school after their eligibility has expired to complete their degree requirments. Also enrolled is Derrick Miller (’90) and Dale Brown (’93).
Jared Prickett (’97) returned from his professional career in Argentina due to the South America country’s severe recession. He’s hoping to return to Europe later this season.
Keightley In 41st Season, Works 1,250th Game
Equipment manager Bill Keightley is in his 41st season in the UK program. Against Auburn, the beloved Mr. Wildcat worked his 1,250th UK game, after serving on the Wildcats’ staff since 1961-62. He’s watched the Cats roll to a 957-293 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 Passes 1,200
Big Blue fan Bob Wiggins continues his amazing streak of following the basketball Cats. In all, he’s in his 49th season watching Kentucky play in person and through his own record keeping, has attended 1,208 UK games.
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 194 games.
Meanwhile, his home court streak is still intact. Wiggins has not missed a home game in 41 years, a streak spanning 584 games. During that period, which dates back to 1960-61, UK has a home record of 519-65.
UK’s NBA Players
To start the 2001-02 NBA season, the following Wildcats were active:
Derek Anderson Portland Tony Delk Phoenix Walter McCarty Boston Jamaal Magloire Charlotte Jamal Mashburn Charlotte Ron Mercer Chicago Nazr Mohammed Atlanta Scott Padgett Utah Mark Pope Milwaukee Antoine Walker Boston
In addition, former UK assistant coach Jim O’Brien is the head coach of the Boston Celtics while former UK All-American Pat Riley coaches the Miami Heat.
— Go Cats —
