Feb. 12, 2002
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
Vanderbilt Commodores (14-9, 4-6)
vs.
No. 10/9 Kentucky Wildcats (16-6, 6-4)
Feb. 13, 2002
7:08 p.m. ET
Rupp Arena (23,000)
Lexington, Ky.
RADIO
UK Radio Network (90+ stations): Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, Dave Baker.
TELEVISION
JP Sports (Live): David Steele, Joe Dean, Jr.
UKathletics.com
Official 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.
Wildcats Face Commodores for First Time
Kentucky will meet its final Eastern Division foe for the first time when Vanderbilt visits Rupp Arena. With three weeks remaining in the regular-season, the UK-VU game begins a final drive for the Wildcats that features four of their last six games at home. Kentucky entered the week third in the East, trailing Florida by one game and Georgia by one-half game. With Florida visiting Georgia in a Super Tuesday showdown on ESPN this week, and the Cats visiting Georgia on Saturday, UK has an opportunity over the next four days to improve its league standing prior to the SEC Tournament. In the competitive SEC East, only three games separate the division’s top team from the last-place team.
The Wildcats beat LSU, 68-56, on Saturday while the Commordores split their last two contests, falling to Florida, 80-54, on Saturday after beating LSU, 68-63, in Nashville one week ago. The ‘Dores are currently tied with South Carolina for fifth place in the East. Vanderbilt is shooting a sizzling 38.7% from three-point range which ranks first in the SEC. Sophomore guard Brendan Plavich leads the SEC, hitting 46.5% of his three-pointers. It’s the Commodores’ best 3FG percentage since 1994. Meanwhile, UK ranks fifth in the league in three-point shooting defense, allowing 31.2% accuracy.
Three Weeks Remain
Just six games remain on the UK slate over the last three weeks of the regular season. When the Cats take on Vandy, just 22 days remain before the SEC Tournament tips off in Atlanta… While UK has four home games remaining, the Cats must still travel to Georgia on Saturday and Vanderbilt for a rematch with the ‘Dores in two weeks, Vandy’s Senior Night… The Wildcats have remained in the AP poll’s top 10 all season with the exception of three weeks, while playing the nation’s toughest schedule, according to CollegeRPI.com.
Series History
This marks the 158th meeting between the two programs. Kentucky leads the series 122-35. UK took the first meeting, Feb. 22, 1912, 28-17. The Wildcats own a 64-13 record in Lexington, but hold a perfect 24-0 mark against the Commodores in Rupp Arena. UK owns a 17-game win streak in the series. Vandy’s last win came on Jan. 13, 1993, a 101-86 victory in Nashville. VU claimed its last win in Lexington on Jan. 28, 1974, an 82-65 decision in Memorial Coliseum.
Tubby Smith is 10-2 against Vanderbilt in his coaching career, including an unblemished 8-0 mark at UK.
Kevin Stallings is 0-4 coaching against the Wildcats. Stallings was 0-1 against the Cats as a player at Purdue, losing to UK in the 1979 UKIT, his sophomore season. Stallings went on to serve as an assistant coach at Purdue for six seasons, going 1-1 against UK. He moved to Kansas as an assistant in 1989, compiling a 1-1 record against the Cats in his four years.
UK/VU Connections
Two Commodores hail from the Bluegrass State – Scott Hundley and Brian Thornton. Hundley, a sophomore from Georgetown, was the 2000 Kentucky Mr. Basketball and helped guide Scott County High to a runner-up finish in the Sweet 16 during his junior season. Thornton hails from Louisville and was named second-team All-State by the Courier-Journal. A freshman at VU, he led dupont Manual to two regional runner-up finishes.
Common Opponents
Kentucky and Vandy have had 10 common opponents this season, including non-conference opponents Western Kentucky, Tulane and Morehead State. UK owns a 7-4 record against those teams, while VU is 6-7.
OpponentUKVUWKUL, 52-64W, 80-75Morehead St.W, 94-75W, 83-73TulaneW, 101-67L, 77-87GeorgiaL, 84-88L, 69-82W, 86-84South CarolinaW, 51-50W, 60-51W, 91-74Ole MissW, 87-64L, 61-73AlabamaL, 61-64L, 79-92FloridaW, 70-68L, 85-95L, 54-80TennesseeL, 74-76*L, 65-67LSUW, 68-56W, 68-63*overtime
Milestone Win
Tubby Smith joined a prestigious group of head coaches on Saturday with the Cats’ win over LSU. Smith became just the seventh coach to reach the 250-win mark in 11 seasons or less as a head coach. UK’s top Cat is now 250-101 (71.2%) at Tulsa, Georgia and Kentucky.
He joins Roy Williams (Kansas), Everett Case (NC State), Denny Crum (Louisville), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Nolan Richardson (Tulsa/Arkansas) and Jerry Tarkanian (LBS/UNLV) in accomplishing the feat in such a short amount of time.
Top 10
Tayshaun Prince joined an elite group of UK basketball players on Saturday. With his 18 points in the win over LSU, Prince’s career total increased to 1,587 points, moving him past Louie Dampier (1965-67) and into the top 10 on UK’s all-time scoring list.
The senior sits just 50 points behind Ed Davender (1985-88) in ninth place. He’s the first Wildcat to crack the top 10 since Tony Delk in 1996. The ’96 Final Four MVP finished fourth with 1,890 points.
Prince Named Naismith Finalist
On Tuesday, Tayshaun Prince was named one of the 20 finalists for the Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award which is presented annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Prince was the only SEC player among the finalists. The preseason list was narrowed by the Naismith Board of Selectors, which includes basketball coaches, journalists and administrators.
Former winners include Larry Byrd, Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan. Last year’s award went to Duke’s Shane Battier.
Fitch-tastic
Sophomore Gerald Fitch, the Cats’ utility man, has been outstanding the last three games. Against USC, UT and LSU, the 6-3, 188-pound guard has averaged 13.3 points, 8.0 boards and 2.3 spg while shooting 57.7% from the field and 46.7% from three-point range. In SEC play, he’s second on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg), first in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and first in steals (21). Ironically, the improved numbers of the last three games coincided with the return of injured point guard J.P. Blevins.
Fitch’s 6.8 rpg in SEC play ranks eighth in a tie with Miss. State big man Mario Austin. In fact, of the 21 players listed as the SEC’s top rebounders thus far in league play, Fitch is the smallest at 6-3. The next smallest are the Mississippi State tandem of Michael Gholar and Marckell Patterson who are both 6-5 and average 5.9 rpg and 5.6 rpg, respectively.
Against the Gamecocks, Fitch, arguably the nation’s best rebounder pound-for-pound, narrowly missed his third double-double of the season, finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds. Against LSU, he finished with 11 points and eight boards, after no rebounds in the first half.
Frosh Powered
With increased playing time over the last four outings (23.0 mpg), Chuck Hayes’ stats have taken a dramatic turn. He’s reached double-figure scoring in two of the four games, totaling a career-high 15 points vs. Tennessee on Feb. 6. He’s also grabbed 24 rebounds, including 13 offensive boards, during the stretch.
The outstanding play began with his first career start on Jan. 29 at Florida. He had averaged 10.6 mpg prior to the last four games.
Big Cat Night
Tubby Smith will appear on the Discovery Channel’s weekly show, Nigel’s Wild, Wild World, on March 9. The introduction of the show was taped in Memorial Coliseum this week featuring ‘Big Cats’ on Discovery’s March Madness programming. Smith appeared with Nigel and a real live wildcat.
It’s one of two shows by Nigel with ties to March Madness. Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators will be featured March 2.
No. 1 Schedule
The week’s RPI released by CollegeRPI.com rated Kentucky No. 7 overall with the nation’s toughest schedule. The Cats’ schedule ranks fourth by the Sagarin rankings. And while there are three SEC teams among the top 10 in the national voter polls, UK has the highest RPI ranking according to both power polls.
Strength of schedule ratings are listed in parenthesis:
CollegeRPI.comSagarinKentucky7th (1st)8th (4th)Vanderbilt43rd (21st)69th (45th)
The Southeastern Conference is rated as the nation’s toughest conference by CollegeRPI.com and Sagarin. All but one team (Auburn) has a winning overall record.
1. SEC2. ACC3. PAC-10
Pride in Defense
After Kentucky lost to Georgia, 88-84, on Jan. 9, Tubby Smith beckoned for the team to take pride in its defense. The Cats have responded. In the nine games since, UK has allowed 64.3 ppg with no team scoring more than 76 points in any game during the stretch (Tennessee in overtime). Four of the nine teams have shot less than 36% from the field and five of the opponents have shot less than 29% from 3FG range. Other defensive highlights this season include:
Holding host Florida to a season-low 68 points and a season-low 31 rebounds.
In 11 of the 22 games this season, UK opponents have shot less than 40% from the field. The Cats are 10-1 in those outings. Overall, UK opponents have combined to shoot 40.1% from the field. Indiana and South Carolina both shot 32.1% from the field, the best defensive efforts by the ’02 Wildcats.
Georgia (54.1%) and Tennessee (53.4%) are the only teams to shoot better than 50% against the Cats this season.
In SEC play only, UK leads the league in FG percentage defense (40.9%), is second in blocks (5.3 bpg) and ranks second in scoring defense (67.6 ppg).
Entering the final stretch of regular-season play, the Wildcats’ defense is averaging 8.0 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 at Florida, starting Chuck Hayes and Erik Daniels for the first time while Marquis Estill got back into the lineup. Cliff Hawkins and Tayshaun Prince rounded out the first five. Against South Carolina, Gerald Fitch and Keith Bogans returned to their starting roles, while Prince, Estill and Hawkins completed the lineup, which has remained intact since.
In the first eight games of the season, Smith used four different lineups.
Only Tayshaun Prince has started all 22 games. Hawkins has started 19 times while running mate J.P. Blevins has three starts. Jules Camara made 11 starts before the Florida game.
Last 10
Only six 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. UK is off to a 3-1 start on its final 10 regular-season games.
Milestones
Keith Bogans’ eight points against the Tigers moved him past Scott Padgett (1995-99) and into 28th on the scoring list. Bogans currently has 1,253 career points and with four more can tie John Pelphrey (1989-92) for 27th.
Tayshaun Prince has made 185 three-pointers in his career, just five shy of third place held by Travis Ford and six behind Derrick Miller in second place. While he will not catch the school-record holder, Tony Delk (283), he can become the highest ranking three-point shooter in UK history in the post-Pitino Era. Meanwhile, Bogans moved past John Pelphrey and into fifth place with 161 made 3FGs.
Prince and Jules Camara have each cracked UK’s top-10 list for career blocks this season. Prince’s six blocks against the Tigers gave him 126 swats, good for sixth, while Camara ranks 10th with 106.
Rupp Arena
With the win over South Carolina on Feb. 2, Kentucky’s record at Rupp Arena improved to 8-3 this season.
Now in its 26th season in the building, UK has posted a 336-39 (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 six of the top 10 crowds in the nation, including five at home. Statistics courtesty of the NCAA and include all games through Feb. 4:
Game (Site)Attendance1. UK-Indiana (N)29,3792. UK-Louisville (H)24,3303. UK-Alabama23,5444. Syracuse-Virginia Tech (H)23,2265. UK-North Carolina (H)23,1536. Missouri-Illinois (N)22,1537. North Carolina-NC State (H)21,7508. UK-South Carolina (H)21,7319. UK-Georgia (H)21,70710. UNC-Wake Forest (H)21,293
Big Draw II
Kentucky routinely draws an opponent’s top home crowd each season. In fact, in the seven road games the Cats have played this year, UK matched or exceeded the team’s average crowd.
OpponentAttendanceOpp. Avg.Miss. State9,3474,607S. Carolina12,0977,975Notre Dame11,41810,984Auburn10,5009,500Florida12,21210,346Tennessee17,26013,661LSU8,5498,305
Cats in the NCAA
In the NCAA statistics released Feb. 4, the Wildcats ranked 25th in scoring (80.5 ppg) and 16th in scoring margin (+13.3 ppg). UK was 15th in the nation in rebounding margin, outrebounding opponents by 7.8 rpg. UK also ranks 30th in FG% defense, holding opponents to 39.8%.
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 (16.9 ppg) while Cliff Hawkins ranks fourth in assists (4.5 apg). Jules Camara ranks second in blocked shots (1.5 pg) while Marquis Estill is fourth (1.3 bpg). Prince also ranks 12th in rebounding (6.3 rpg).
The Wildcats are second in scoring (79.6 ppg), third in scoring margin (+12.5), first in rebounding margin (+7.0 rpg), rebounding (41.4 rpg) and offensive boards (16.1 orpg). The Cats rank third in blocks (4.8 pg).
In SEC games only, Hawkins is third in the league in assists (4.7 apg). Prince ranks second in blocked shots with 1.8 bpg. Camara is tied with Estill for fifth with 1.4 bpg.
Gerald Fitch is tied for eighth in rebounding in league games with 6.8 rpg and ranks sixth in 3FG%, connecting on 42.1% of his shots in SEC play.
Scoring Punch
Despite scoring just 52 points against Western and 51 against South Carolina, the Cats are averaging 79.6 ppg this season, the most since the Cats averaged 82.4 ppg during the 1998 National Championship 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:
CatCareer DoublesKeith Bogans2Jules Camara4Marquis Estill1Gerald Fitch3Jason Parker2Tayshaun Prince11
Vs. Ranked Opponents
Kentucky is 1-2 vs. ranked teams this season. Its first win came Jan. 29 at No. 5 Florida. UK lost to No. 1 Duke, 95-92, in overtime on Dec. 18 in the Jimmy V Classic and dropped a close battle to No. 14 Alabama, 64-61, in Lexington on Jan. 26. Rankings were current at the time of the game.
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 463 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 hasn’t played as many 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 February
The Wildcats own a 579-180 (76.3%) all-time record in the year’s second month. Last season, UK went 7-1 in February, with its only loss coming on the road at Arkansas. So far this month, the Cats are 2-1.
Next Game
Kentucky takes to the road for the third time in the last four games to face Georgia. The Cats are looking to avenge a home loss to the Bulldogs in January and improve their chances of earning a first-round bye in the conference tournament next month. The game will be a split national broadcast on CBS, UK’s fifth appearance on the network this season, its 10th overall national televised appearance.
Last Time Out
Tayshaun Prince took control again, dropping in 18 points and a career-high six blocks to lead the Cats to a 68-56 win over LSU. UK held the Tigers to just 33.3% shooting and was led in rebounding by Gerald Fitch, who grabbed all eight of his boards in the second half.
National Polls
UK fell to 10th in the AP poll after losing to host Tennessee in overtime last week, but held its standing at ninth in the Coaches poll this week. The Wildcats have spent 11 of the 14 weeks this season 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.
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 776-210 mark (78.7%). No other team has won more than 643 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 55-19 (74.3%) 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.
Overtime Trials
The Wildcats have yet to earn an overtime win this season in three tries. The Wildcats fell to Duke, 95-92, Miss. State, 74-69, and Tennessee, 76-74.
Kentucky has now played 81 overtime games in 99 seasons, and owns a 44-37 record in those contests.
In the Tubby Smith era, the Cats won their first seven overtime games but have lost their last four over the past two seasons.
The most OT games UK has ever played in one season was five — 1978-79.
SEASON NOTES
True Glue
Gerald Fitch earned national attention in early February by Sports Illustrated as a “Glue Guy” – ‘someone who’s versatile, tough, smart, unselfish, but not a star.’ The magazine started the list three years ago, and writer Seth Davis dubbed Fitch the leader of the third annual squad.
“When Keith Bogans was mired in a shooting slump, Fitch helped Kentucky by tossing in points. When Bogans had it going against Florida, Fitch was content to score just two points and contribute six boards, two assists and two steals. That’s called stickin’ it to ’em.”
Also making the team were Duke’s Dahntay Jones, UCLA’s Billy Knight, Maryland’s Byron Mouton, Indiana’s Jarrad Odle and Alabama’s Antoine Pettway.
CLASS Act
On Feb. 6, Tayshaun Prince was named one of the 10 finalists for the inaugural Senior CLASS Award presented by the Kansas City Club.
The CLASS award, an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, will be presented during the Final Four.
Joining Prince as finalists were Maurice Baker (Okla. St.), Lonny Baxter and Juan Dixon (Maryland), Sam Clancy (USC), Dan Dickau (Gonzaga), Lynn Greer (Temple), Udonis Haslem (Florida), Steve Logan (Cincinnati) and Preston Shumpert (Syracuse).
Healthy at Last
The Wildcats have had their share of injuries this season. The return of J.P. Blevins and Adam Chiles to action on Feb. 2 marked the healthiest the squad has been since mid-December.
Blevins, who suffered a broken right wrist on Dec. 22 vs. Indiana, underwent surgery to have a screw inserted into the break on Dec. 27. He 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 eight games with three starts, averaging 2.9 ppg and 1.4 rpg while playing 17.5 mpg.
Chiles suffered bruised ribs prior to the Notre Dame game. He missed four games before reappearing against South Carolina on Feb. 2.
Jason Parker suffered two torn ACLs in the same knee prior to the season. After undergoing his second surgery Nov. 1, he’ll miss the entire year. Marquis Estill pulled a back muscle late in the preseason and missed both exhibition games but did return in time to play in the Cats’ first game vs. Western Kentucky.
Rashaad Carruth suffered a high ankle sprain/bone bruise and missed both exhibition games and the Cats’ first four regular-season contests. Gerald Fitch also broke his nose in UK’s first exhibition game against Nike Elite but failed to miss any action.
In all, five Wildcats have missed a total of 46 games, both regular season and exhibition.
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.
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.
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.
The domination against Florida came on the heels of four consecutive games where the Cats did not outrebound their foe.
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.
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 in-state 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.
Vs. Top-Five Teams
The win over No. 5 Florida 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-five 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.
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-America
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:
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, 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 in January. 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 requirements. 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 now playing in Europe.
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 960-295 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 1,213 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 199 games.
Meanwhile, his home court streak is still intact. Wiggins has not missed a home game in 41 years, a streak spanning 586 games. During that period, which dates back to 1960-61, UK has a home record of 520-66.
UK’s NBA Players
To start the 2001-02 NBA season, the following Wildcats were active:
Derek AndersonPortlandTony DelkPhoenixWalter McCartyBostonJamaal MagloireCharlotteJamal MashburnCharlotteRon MercerChicagoNazr MohammedAtlantaScott PadgettUtahMark PopeMilwaukeeAntoine WalkerBoston
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.
