Feb. 1, 2002
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
South Carolina Gamecocks (13-7, 3-4)
vs.
No. 10/11 Kentucky Wildcats (14-5, 4-3)
GAME 20
Feb. 2, 2002
1:07 p.m. ET
Rupp Arena (23,000)
Lexington, Ky.
RADIO
UK Radio Network (90+ stations): Tom Leach, Mike Pratt and Dave Baker.
TELEVISION
JP Sports (Live): David Steele and Larry Conley.
CATS VS. ‘COCKS
Series Record: UK leads 28-4
In Lexington: UK leads 14-1
At Rupp Arena: UK leads 11-1
In Columbia: UK leads 11-3
At Neutral Sites: UK leads 3-0
Last Game: Jan. 12, 2002 – UK 51, USC 50
Website: USCSports.com
COACHING COMPARISONS
Tubby Smith (High Point '73) Overall (11th) 248-100 (71.3%) at UK (5th) 124-38 (76.5%) SEC Tourney (6) 13-3 (81.3%) NCAA Tourney (8) 18-7 (72.0%) vs. South Carolina 14-2
Dave Odom (Guilford ’65) Overall (16th) 291-181 (61.7%) at USC (1st) 13-7 (65.0%) vs. Kentucky 0-3
TEAM COMPARISONS
cats cocksRecord 14-5 13-7SEC Record 4-3 3-4Scoring Offense 79.9 70.1Scoring Defense 66.8 61.0Scoring Margin +13.1 +9.1FG % 46.5 43.7FG % Defense 39.5 45.03FG % 31.6 36.43FG % Defense 30.9 30.2Free Throw % 65.1 65.2Rebound Average 42.2 33.0Opp. Rebound Average 34.7 33.2Rebound Margin +7.5 -0.2TO Average 15.6 14.8Opponent TO 17.2 19.9TO Margin +1.6 +5.1Blocks Average 4.7 2.8Steals Average 8.1 10.4
PROBABLE STARTERS
WILDCATS No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg Hometown Last Game 14 Erik Daniels F 6-7 205 So. 4.6 3.1 Cincinnati, Ohio 4 pts, 3 rebs 44 Chuck Hayes F 6-7 237 Fr. 4.6 3.6 Modesto, Calif. 10 pts, 7 rebs, 26 mins 50 Marquis Estill F 6-9 240 Jr. 10.1 4.0 Richmond, Ky. 2 pts, 2 rebs, 3 assts 21 Tayshaun Prince G/F 6-9 215 Sr. 16.6 6.5 Compton, Calif. 19 pts, 10 rebs, 3-6 3FGs 1 Cliff Hawkins G 6-1 185 So. 7.6 *4.3 Dumfries, Va. 5 pts, 7 rebs, 2 assts
GAMECOCKS No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg Hometown Last Game 31 Chuck Eidson F 6-7 205 Jr. 8.0 3.6 Summerville, S.C. 17 pts, 3 rebs, 6-8 FG 15 Carlos Powell F 6-7 220 Fr. 5.2 1.9 Florence, S.C. 4 pts, 1 reb 55 Rolando Howell F-C 6-9 220 So. 8.6 6.2 Columbia, S.C. 10 pts, 8 rebs 23 Chris Warren F 6-5 195 Jr. 4.8 2.3 Garland, Texas 5 pts, 3 rebs 10 Jamel Bradley G 6-2 170 Jr. 14.6 2.0 Beckley, W.Va. 22 pts, 5 assts
*Assists
Wildcats, Gamecocks Meet in Lexington for Rematch
Kentucky begins its round-robin schedule against Southeastern Conference Eastern-division foes when South Carolina visits Lexington. Both teams enter the game with wins over ranked opponents. The teams met just three weekends ago in Columbia in a defensive battle that ended when Cliff Hawkins canned a jumper in the lane with 3.4 seconds remaining to give UK a 51-50 victory.
Since the teams last met, South Carolina has gone 3-2 in five league games with a solid 62-60 win at Arkansas, a 94-60 thumping of Tennessee in Knoxville and a home win over No. 16 Georgia, 80-67, on Wednesday. The Gamecocks have dropped games to Vanderbilt, 60-51 in Columbia, and Ole Miss, 71-53 in Oxford.
The Wildcats are 4-1 since last meeting USC, with their only loss coming against SEC-leader Alabama, 64-61 at home. UK owns a home win over Ole Miss and road victories at Notre Dame, Auburn and No. 5 Florida on Tuesday. Overall, the Cats have won five of their last six games.
Series History
This marks the 33rd meeting in the series with Kentucky holding a 28-4 advantage. The Wildcats have won the last 11 meetings, including a narrow 51-50 decision in Columbia earlier this month. USC’s last win came on March 2, 1997, a 72-66 Senior Day victory in Lexington.
The game is the 24th meeting in the series since South Carolina joined the league in 1992. UK owns a 20-3 mark against the Gamecocks since that time.
Dave Odom is in his first year coaching USC, but has played the Wildcats twice while coaching Wake Forest. Overall, he’s 0-3 against UK after losing to the Wildcats in the 1993 NCAA Southeast Regional Semifinals, 103-69, and the Tim Duncan-led Deamon Deacons in the 1996 Midwest Region Finals, 83-63. This will be his second appearance as a head coach in Rupp Arena. His 1994 Wake Forest team played its first- and second- round games in the Southeast Regional at Rupp, beating College of Charleston, 68-58, in the opener, before losing to Kansas, 69-58, in the next round.
Tubby Smith, a former Gamecock assistant coach (1986-89), is 14-2 against South Carolina and hasn’t lost to the ‘Cocks while at UK (11-0).
No current member of the Wildcats squad has lost a game to USC.
Common Opponents
Kentucky and South Carolina have had four common opponents this season. UK owns a 2-2 record in those games, while USC is 1-3.
Opponent UK USCDuke L, 95-92 OT L, 81-56Florida W, 70-68 L, 69-60Ole Miss W, 87-64 L, 71-53Georgia L, 88-84 W, 80-67
Love the Gamecocks
Keith Bogans and Tayshaun Prince have had outstanding averages in games played against South Carolina during their careers. Bogans has averaged 16.6 ppg and 3.6 rpg against the Gamecocks while Prince has averaged 12.0 ppg and 4.1 rpg, including a 29-point performance at USC last February.
In the first meeting this season, the Gamecocks did quite a number on the duo, holding them to a combined 16 points and one rebound as UK escaped with a one-point win.
No. 2 Schedule
Kentucky’s schedule is ranked No. 2 in the nation by CollegeRPI.com. The Wildcats continued to climb toward the top after its game at No. 5 Florida. Arizona owns the No. 1 schedule according to the ranking.
Overall, the Cats are ranked fourth and sixth in the two popular power polls listed below. Strength of schedule ratings are listed in parenthesis:
CollegeRPI.com SagarinKentucky 4th (2nd) 6th (4th)USC 51st(32nd) 42nd (27th)
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
Blevins Return?
J.P. Blevins, who suffered a broken right wrist on Dec. 22 vs. Indiana, may return to action against the Gamecocks. The senior co-captain underwent surgery to have a pin inserted into the break on Dec. 27. He’s missed 10 games due to the injury.
It was not his first injury of the season. He missed the Cats’ first two games of the year with a sprained ankle. He’s played in seven games with three starts, averaging 2.7 ppg and 1.6 rpg while playing 17.3 mpg.
He injured the wrist when he appeared to be knocked to the floor during a layup attempt. No foul was called.
Road Warriors
Kentucky has proved it can win on the road this season. The Wildcats are 4-1 in away games, losing only at Miss. State in overtime, 74-69. In games played away from Rupp Arena (away and neutral games), the Wildcats are 7-2.
Board Game
The Wildcats returned to the glass against Florida, outrebounding the Gators, 45-31, including a 28-13 advantage in the second half alone. Tayshaun Prince led the way with 10 boards, while Chuck Hayes and Cliff Hawkins each added seven.
Kentucky is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 7.5 rebounds per game and has cruised to an 11-2 record when winning the battle of the boards this season. The domination against Florida came on the heels of four consecutive games where the Cats did not outrebound their foe.
Two From 250
Tubby Smith needs two more victories to reach 250 in his career. When he reaches the mark, more than half of those wins will have been earned at Kentucky (126). He ranks among the fastest to reach the 250-win plateau. Other coaches who have tallied the most wins in 11 seasons include:
By Wins1. Roy Williams, Kansas (1989-1999) 305-722. Everett Case, NC State (1947-57) 280-713. Denny Crum, Louisville (1972-82) 263-744. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse (1977-87) 261-845. Nolan Richardson, Tulsa/UA (1981-91) 260-926. Jerry Tarkanian, LBS/UNLV (1969-79) 259-497. Tubby Smith, Tulsa/UG/UK (1992-02) 248-100
Pride in Defense
After Kentucky lost to Georgia, 88-84, Tubby Smith beckoned for the team to take pride in its defense. The Cats have responded. In the six games since, UK has allowed 62.6 ppg with no team scoring more than 68 points in any game during the stretch. Three of the six teams have shot less than 36% from the field and four of the opponents have shot less than 28% from 3FG range. Other highlights this season include:
Holding host Florida to a season-low 68 points and a season-low 31 rebounds.
In 10 of the 19 games this season, UK opponents have shot less than 40% from the field. The Cats are 9-1 in those outings. Overall, UK opponents have combined to shoot 39.5% 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%) was the only team to shoot better than 50% against the Cats this season 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 (39.7%) and blocks (5.6 bpg) while ranking third in scoring defense (67.0 ppg).
Midway through the season, the Wildcats’ defense is averaging 8.1 steals per game. That’s up from last year’s 6.7 spg and the best at UK since the ’98 champs averaged 8.7 spg.
Depth Charge
For the first time since Dec. 18, Tubby Smith altered the starting lineup with three new starters against Florida. Freshman Chuck Hayes and sophomore Erik Daniels made their first career starts while Marquis Estill got the nod for the sixth time this season. Regular starters Cliff Hawkins and Tayshaun Prince rounded out the first five.
In the first eight games of the season, Smith used four different lineups.
Only Tayshaun Prince has started all 18 games. Hawkins has started 16 times while injured running mate J.P. Blevins has three starts. Jules Camara made 11 starts before the Florida game.
Estill made be the Cats’ “good luck charm.” UK is 6-0 with him in the starting lineup.
Vs. Top-Five Teams
The win over the fifth-ranked Gators improved Kentucky’s record to 50-41 all-time against top-five teams, including a 1-1 mark this season. Kentucky dropped an overtime thriller to No. 1 Duke in December.
Under Tubby Smith, UK is 6-6 against the top teams. The list is based on the team’s ranking in The Associated Press poll at the time the game was played.
Against fifth-ranked teams, UK is 16-9 all-time.
Vs. Ranked Opponents
Kentucky earned its first win over a ranked opponent this season when it defeated No. 5 Florida. The Gators were the third nationally ranked team the Wildcats have faced. UK fell to No. 1 Duke, 95-92, in overtime on Dec. 18 in the Jimmy V Classic and dropped a close battle to Alabama, 64-61, in Lexington last Saturday.
Dynamic Duo Returns
The Wildcats used a 1-2 punch in the form of Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans to upend the Gators in Gainesville on Tuesday. Kentucky’s two leading scorers did just that as Prince recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds while Bogans poured in a game-high 20 points, including a key three-pointer with 2:03 remaining to put UK up by four.
It was the seventh time this season that both players scored in double figures. The two are averaging a combined 29.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.
Last 10
Only nine regular-season games remain on the Kentucky slate. The NCAA selection committee utilizes the results of a team’s last 10 outings, including conference tournament play, when making its choices for the “Big Dance.” Kentucky closed out its last 10 regular-season games last year with an 8-2 record, then won the SEC Tournament to earn a No. 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament. After beating Florida, UK is off to a 1-0 start on its final 10 regular-season games.
Milestones
Marquis Estill needs one rebound to top 200 in his two-year career while sophomore Gerald Fitch needs eight points to top 400 in his career.
Tayshaun Prince scored 19 points against Florida, moving him past Ralph Beard (1946-49) and into 12th on UK’s all-time scoring list. Prince currently has 1,531 points, just 44 shy of UK’s top 10. He needs four points to tie Mike Casey (1968-69, 71) for 11th.
Keith Bogans’ 20 points against Florida moved him past Bill Spivey (1950-51) and Derrick Hord (1980-83) and into 31st on the scoring list . Bogans currently has 1,230 career points and with two more can tie Deron Feldhaus (1988-92) for 30th.
Prince and Bogans are high on UK’s list of all-time 3FG attempts. Prince’s six attempts against the Gators bring his total to 542, good enough for second place. Bogans ranks fourth with 471 attempts. Bogans is currently sixth with 156, while Prince is fourth on the list with 177.
Prince and Jules Camara have each cracked UK’s top-10 list for career blocks this season. Prince is eighth on the list with 117 swats while Camara ranks 10th with 105.
Rupp Arena
After its loss to Alabama last Saturday, Kentucky’s record at Rupp Arena fell to 7-3 this season.
Now in its 26th season in the building, UK has posted a 335-39 (89.6%) record in Rupp.
The Wildcats have won 15 national attendance titles in the building, including the last six.
Big Draw I
This season, the Cats have played in front of seven of the top 10 crowds in the nation, including five at home. Statistics courtesty of the NCAA and include all games through Jan. 28:
Game (Site) Attendance1. UK-Indiana (N) 29,3792. UK-Louisville (H) 24,3303. UK-Alabama 23,5444. Syracuse-Virginia Tech (H) 23,2265. UK-North Carolina (H) 23,1536. Missouri-Illinois (N) 22,1537. UK-Georgia (H) 21,7078. UK-Western Ky. (H) 21,1049. St. Louis-Missouri (H) 20,60210. UK-Ole Miss (H) 20,540
Big Draw II
Kentucky routinely draws an opponent’s top home crowd each season. In fact, of the five road games the Cats have played this year, UK matched or exceeded the team’s largest crowd this season.Opponent Attendance Opp. Avg.Miss. State 9,347 4,607S. Carolina 12,097 7,975Notre Dame 11,418 10,984Auburn 10,500 9,500Florida 12,212 10,346
Ahhhh, Maui
Next Nov. 25-27, the Wildcats will compete in the Maui Invitational. It’s UK first return to the islands since Nov. 1997. Other participating teams include Arizona State, Chaminade, Gonzaga, Indiana, UMass, Utah and Virginia.
Cats in the NCAA
In the NCAA statistics released Jan. 28, the Wildcats ranked 27th in scoring (80.4 ppg) and 14th in scoring margin (+13.7 ppg). UK was 21st in the nation in rebounding margin, outrebounding opponents by 7.2 rpg. UK also ranks 29th in FG% defense, holding opponents to 39.4%.
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 (4.3 apg). Jules Camara ranks second in blocked shots (1.6 pg) while Marquis Estill follows in third (1.4 rpg). Prince also ranks 10th in rebounding (6.5 rpg).
The Wildcats are third in scoring (79.9 ppg), second in rebounding margin (+7.6 rpg) and first in rebounding (42.2 rpg) and offensive rebounds (16.4 orpg). The Cats rank third in blocks (4.8 pg).
In SEC games only, Hawkins is third in the league in assists (4.4 apg) and is tied with teammate Gerald Fitch for 10th in steals (2.0 spg). Camara is second in swats with 1.9 bpg, Estill is third with 1.7 bpg and Prince ranks sixth with 1.3 bpg.
More Offense
Despite scoring just 52 points against Western and 51 against South Carolina, the Cats are averaging 79.9 ppg this season, the most since the Cats averaged 82.4 ppg during the 1997 NCAA runner-up season.
Double-Doubles
Tayshaun Prince posted his fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 boards against the Gators. The senior had three double-doubles in the month of December.
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 in early January. He has recorded three double-doubles in his career.
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 11
National Exposure
The Cats have already appeared on national television nine times this season, including 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.
Three Mania
Kentucky has hit a three-pointer in 460 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.
Next Game
The Wildcats return to the road for the fourth time in six games when they travel to Knoxville to take on Tennessee next Wednesday. The Vols are 10-10 overall and 3-4 in SEC play after beating LSU, 61-58. They travel to Nashville to face Vanderbilt on Saturday before playing host to the Cats.
Last Time Out
Tayshaun Prince recorded his fourth double-double and reserve Keith Bogans scored a game-high 20 points as the Wildcats upset No. 5 Florida, 70-68. It was the Cats’ first win in Gainesville since 1998. UK’s defense held Florida to a season-low point total to pull into a tie for second place in the SEC East with the Gators, one-half game behind Georgia.
National Polls
UK fell to 10th in the AP poll and No. 11 in the Coaches poll this week. The Wildcats have spent nine of the 12 weeks in the AP top 10. 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.
Overtime Trials
The Wildcats have played two overtime games 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.
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 774-209 mark (78.7%). No other team has won more than 640 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 53-18 (74.6%) 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.
SEASON NOTES
UK in January
The Wildcats hold a 510-176 all-time record in the month of January for a .743 winning percentage. UK finished the month with a 5-3 mark.
Mr. Clutch Strikes Again
Tayshaun Prince has a laundry list of clutch performances during his four-year career at Kentucky. Against Auburn on Jan. 22, he struck again. 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 on Jan. 19. The junior had hit 11-of-33 from the field the previous four outings. He hadn’t totaled 20 this season since the Morehead State game on Nov. 24.
He followed the Irish performance with a 13-point game at Auburn on Jan. 22, including 10 in the first half. He continued to contribute across the board, totaling three boards and four assists in the win.
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.
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 state 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.
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: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, 22 new “scholarship seats” have displaced some traditional media seating and been installed on press row. The 22 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 three 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 and was spotted participating in the “Y” cheer at UK’s game with Alabama on Jan. 26.
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 958-294 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 1,210 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 196 games.
Meanwhile, his home court streak is still intact. Wiggins has not missed a home game in 41 years, a streak spanning 585 games. During that period, which dates back to 1960-61, UK has a home record of 519-66.
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 —
