Feb. 26, 2002
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
No. 11/11 Kentucky Wildcats (19-7, 9-5)
vs.
Vanderbilt Commodores (15-12, 5-9)
GAME 27
Feb. 27, 2002
8 p.m. ET
Memorial Gym (14,168)
Nashville, Tenn.
RADIO
UK Radio Network (90+ stations): Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, Dave Baker.
TELEVISION
JP Sports: Tom Hammond and Larry Conley.
MATCHUP
Series Record: UK leads 123-35
In Lexington: UK leads 65-13
In Nashville: UK leads 52-19
At Memorial Gym: 32-17
At Neutral Sites: UK leads 6-3
Last Game: Feb. 13, 2002 – UK 67, VU 59
Website: VUCommodores.com
COACHING COMPARISONS
Tubby Smith (High Point '73) Overall (11th) 253-102 (71.3%) at UK (5th) 129-40 (76.3%) SEC Tourney (6) 13-3 (81.3%) NCAA Tourney (8) 18-7 (72.0%) vs. Vanderbilt 11-2
Kevin Stallings (Purdue ’82) Overall (9th) 172-101 (63.0%) at VU (3rd) 49-38 (56.3%) vs. Kentucky 0-5
Probable Starters
WILDCATS No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg Hometown Last Game 21 Tayshaun Prince F 6-9 215 Sr. 16.9 6.3 Compton, Calif. 16 pts, 10 rebs, 3 blks 44 Chuck Hayes F 6-7 237 Fr. 5.4 4.1 Modesto, Calif. 10 pts, 6 rebs, CH 34 mins 40 Jules Camara F-C 6-11 225 Jr. 5.6 3.5 Dakar, Senegal 5 pts, 2 rebs 10 Keith Bogans G 6-5 205 Jr. 11.3 4.7 Alexandria, Va. 10 pts, 9 rebs, 3 assts, 5-9 FG 1 Cliff Hawkins G 6-1 185 So. 7.3 *4.3 Dumfries, Va. 5 pts, 3 rebs, 5 assts
COMMODORES No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg Hometown Last Game 35 Matt Freije F 6-9 210 So. 14.7 5.0 Shawnee Mission, Kan. 18 points, 6 rebs 25 Chuck Moore G 6-3 182 Sr. 12.6 4.0 Plymouth, Pa. 7 pts, 4 rebs, 3 stls 44 Corey Smith G-F 6-5 230 Fr. 3.3 2.7 Houston, Texas 6 pts, 2-2 FG 4 Darius Coulibaly C 7-1 247 Sr. 0.3 0.6 Greensboro, N.C. 0 pts, 2 rebs, 11 mins 11 Russell Lakey G 6-0 173 So. 2.1 *2.3 Los Angeles, Calif. 9 pts, 4 rebs*Assists
Wildcats Face Vanderbilt in Final Road Trip
Kentucky travels to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt in the Cats’ final road trip of the regular season. The Wildcats are looking to sweep the regular-season series with the Commodores for the ninth consecutive season. UK is coming off a 71-58 victory over Arkansas which saw five players score in double figures. VU got a big road win on Saturday at Tennessee, 67-62, to snap a four-game losing streak.
Since the teams last met two weeks ago in Lexington, UK has gone 2-1, with wins over Tennessee and Arkansas following a loss at Georgia. Vanderbilt has gone 1-2, with the win over UT following losses to South Carolina and Mississippi State in Nashville.
Guard Brendan Plavich still leads the SEC in three-point percentage, canning 44.2% of his shots. The Wildcats held him to 1-3 shooting from beyond the arc in the first meeting, including a 1-5 effort overall. Vandy entered the first contest as the top 3FG shooting team in the league, but canned just 7-22 shots (31.8%) against UK’s defense.
20 Wins
Kentucky will attempt to record its 20th win of the season for the 12th consecutive season. It will mark the 47th time UK has recorded 20 wins in its 99 seasons of basketball.
Madness Closing In
Two games remain on the UK regular-season slate. When the Cats travel to Vanderbilt for the ‘Dores’ Senior Night, only eight days remain before the SEC Tournament tips off in Atlanta and 11 days before Selection Sunday… UK returns home for its Senior Day against Florida on Saturday, the third consecutive season the teams have closed out the season against one another… Kentucky is 9-5 in SEC play after a 10-2 non-conference record.
Who’s Hot
In the wacky Southeastern Conference race, Kentucky owns the second-best record over the last 10 games. The Wildcats are 7-3 while Alabama owns an 8-2 mark. Georgia, Ole Miss and Miss. State have 6-4 records in their last 10 games. The Wildcats are tied with both Florida and Georgia for first place in the competitive Eastern Division. The three teams have identical 9-5 records. With its come-from-behind win over Florida on Saturday, Alabama clinched at least a share of the SEC crown this season with a two-game lead with two to play.
Series History
This marks the 159th meeting between the two programs. Kentucky leads the series, 123-35. UK took the first game on Feb. 22, 1912, 28-17. The Wildcats own a 52-19 advantage in Nashville and are 32-17 in Memorial Gym. UK owns an 18-game win streak in the series. Vandy’s last win came on Jan. 13, 1993, a 101-86 victory in Nashville.
Tubby Smith is 11-2 against VU in his coaching career, including an unblemished 9-0 mark at UK.
Kevin Stallings is 0-5 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 at Purdue for six seasons. He moved to Kansas as an assistant in 1989.
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.
TEAM COMPARISONS
cats doresRecord 19-7 15-12SEC Record 9-5 5-9Scoring Offense 77.8 72.1Scoring Defense 66.6 72.7Scoring Margin +11.2 -0.6FG % 45.8 44.8FG % Defense 39.9 45.63FG % 31.4 36.73FG % Defense 31.7 32.5Free Throw % 66.9 73.8Rebound Average 40.7 31.3Opp. Rebound Avg. 35.0 34.6Rebound Margin +5.7 -3.3TO Average 15.0 16.2Opponent TO 17.0 16.3TO Margin +2.0 +0.1Blocks Average 5.0 1.7Steals Average 7.9 6.9
Going for Perfection
Seniors J.P. Blevins and Tayshaun Prince are looking for career sweeps of Vanderbilt. The duo has never lost a game to the Commodores in seven tries.
Common Opponents
Kentucky and Vandy have had 12 common opponents this season, including three non-conference foes. UK owns an 8-6 record against those teams, while VU is 6-9.Opponent UK VUWestern Ky. L, 52-64 W, 80-75Morehead St. W, 94-75 W, 83-73Tulane W, 101-67 L, 77-87Mississippi St. L, 69-74* L, 43-66Georgia L, 84-88 L, 69-82 L, 69-78 W, 86-84South Carolina W, 51-50 W, 60-51 W, 91-74 L, 43-66Ole Miss W, 87-64 L, 61-73Auburn W, 69-62 W, 73-67Alabama L, 61-64 L, 79-92Florida W, 70-68 L, 85-95 L, 54-80Tennessee L, 74-76* L, 65-67 W, 64-61 W, 67-62*overtime
Prince Named SEC POW
Tayshaun Prince earned his second SEC Player of the Week honor of the season on Monday after leading UK to wins over Tennessee and Arkansas last week. He averaged 15.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg and posted his fifth double-double of the season against the Hogs with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
It was the fifth career POW honor for Prince.
Happy Birthday
Birthday wishes go out to Tayshaun Prince, who turns 22 on Thursday.
RPI Polls
The most recent RPI poll released by CollegeRPI.com rated Kentucky No. 7 overall with the nation’s third toughest schedule. The Cats’ schedule ranks fourth in the Sagarin rankings. While there are three SEC teams among the top 15 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.com SagarinKentucky 7th (3rd) 9th (4th)Vanderbilt 48th (16th) 76th (26th)
The Southeastern Conference is rated as the nation’s toughest conference by CollegeRPI.com and Sagarin.
1. SEC
2. ACC
3. Big 12
Road Cats
Kentucky is 5-3 in “away” games this season, 8-4 overall outside of Rupp Arena. The Cats have won five of their last seven road games with the only losses during the stretch coming in overtime at Tennessee, 76-74, on Feb. 6 and at No. 21 Georgia, 78-69.
Starting Spark
Chuck Hayes is enjoying a solid freshman campaign, averaging 5.4 ppg and 4.1 rpg in just 14.5 mpg. However, in his three games as a starter — at Florida and at home against Tennessee and Arkansas — Hayes has shined, averaging 10.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing.
Hayes played a career-high 34 minutes against Arkansas on Saturday, dropping in 10 points and six rebounds in the win.
Milestones
Keith Bogans, currently 27th on UK’s all-time scoring list, has 1,282 career points and with one more can tie Jim Master (1981-84) for 26th.
Tayshaun Prince has made 190 three-pointers in his career, tying him with Travis Ford for third place on the Cats’ all-time list. He’s just one behind Derrick Miller in second place. While he will not catch 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. He has 165 made 3FGs.
Prince and Jules Camara have each cracked UK’s top-10 list for career blocks this season. Prince’s two blocks against Arkansas moved him past Nazr Mohammed and into fifth place, while Jules Camara needs five to catch Reggie Hanson in eighth place.
Fitch’s Numbers
UK has won its last two games without the talents of sophomore Gerald Fitch, who was suspended indefinitely last week after serving a one-game suspension for a separate incident. Over his last five games played, Fitch averaged 13.4 points, 6.4 boards and 2.4 spg while shooting 54.5% from the field and 43.5% from three-point range. In SEC play alone, he’s second on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg), first in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and tied for first in steals (26). The improved numbers of those games coincided with the return of injured point guard J.P. Blevins.
Fitch was solid at Georgia, matching his career high for the second time this season with 17 points. He was 3-for-6 from 3FG range and grabbed five rebounds and three steals in a team-high 36 minutes.
Pride in Defense
Defensive highlights this season include:
Holding the SEC’s top three-point shooting team, Vanderbilt, to 31.8% accuracy.
In the last five games, no team has shot better than 41.9% from the field against the Cats (Georgia) while three of the teams have shot well below 40%.
In SEC play only, UK leads the league in FG percentage defense (40.4%) and blocks (5.6 bpg) and ranks third in scoring defense (66.6 ppg).
Limiting host Florida to a then-season-low 68 points and a season-low 31 rebounds.
In 13 of the 26 games this season, UK opponents have shot less than 40% from the field. The Cats are 12-1 in those outings. Overall, UK opponents have combined to shoot 39.9% 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% – 2/19) are the only teams to shoot better than 50% against the Cats this season.
Entering the final stretch of regular-season play, the Cats’ defense is averaging 7.9 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.
UK’s Offense Due
The Wildcats are shooting 45.8% from the field, the lowest percentage since hitting 42.3% in 2000. While UK has shot 50% or better from the field six times this season, UK has shot under 40.0% in three of the past four games, but managed a 45.3% effort against Arkansas. UK had previous sub-40% shooting efforts against Western and Alabama. A testament to their defense, the Cats are now 2-3 when shooting less than 40% from the field.
Changing Lineups
Against Arkansas, Kentucky started its seventh lineup of the season, reinserting Jules Camara in the middle, while keeping Chuck Hayes in for Gerald Fitch.
In the first eight games of the season, Smith used four different lineups. Only Tayshaun Prince has started every game. Hawkins has started 23 times while running mate J.P. Blevins has three starts. Estill and Jules Camara each have 11 starts. Hayes has started three games, and Erik Daniels also has a start to his credit.
Last 10
Only two 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. So far this season, UK is 6-2 in its final 10 regular-season games.
Cats in the NCAA
In the NCAA statistics released Feb. 18, the Wildcats ranked 17th in scoring margin (+11.4 ppg). UK was 24th in the nation in rebounding margin, outrebounding opponents by 6.2 rpg.Cats in the SEC
In the latest Southeastern Conference rankings for all games played, UK’s Tayshaun Prince is fifth in the league in scoring (16.9 ppg) while Cliff Hawkins ranks fifth in assists (4.3 apg). Jules Camara ranks third in blocked shots (1.5 pg), Prince is fourth (1.4 pg) and Marquis Estill is sixth (1.3 pg). Prince also ranks 10th in rebounding (6.3 rpg).
The Wildcats are second in scoring (77.8 ppg), third in scoring margin (+11.2) and second in rebounding margin (+5.7 rpg). UK is first in rebounding (40.7 rpg) and offensive boards (15.7 orpg). The Cats rank second in blocks (5.0 pg).
In SEC games only, Prince is second in the league in blocked shots with 2.0 bpg. Camara is third with 1.6 pg and Estill ranks fifth with 1.3 bpg. Hawkins is fourth in assists (4.4 apg).
Gerald Fitch is eighth in rebounding in league games with 6.4 rpg, while Prince ranks 10th in FG% (43.7%) and 10th in scoring (16.1 ppg).
Top-10 Assault
Tayshaun Prince joined an elite group of UK basketball players on Feb. 9. With his 18 points in the win over LSU, Prince moved past Louie Dampier (1965-67) and into the top 10 on UK’s all-time scoring list.
His 15 points against UT pushed him past Ed Davender and into ninth on the list. He currently has 1,655 points in his career, just 89 points behind the legendary Alex Groza (1945-49) in eighth. Prince is the first Wildcat to crack the top 10 since Tony Delk in 1996. The ’96 Final Four MVP finished fourth with 1,890 points.
Rupp Arena
With the win over Arkansas on Saturday, Kentucky’s record at Rupp Arena improved to 11-3 this season.
Now in its 26th season in the building, UK has posted a 339-39 (89.7%) record in Rupp.
The Cats 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 five of the top 10 crowds in the nation, including four at home. Kentucky has entertained 10 of the nation’s top-20 crowds as well.
Statistics courtesty of the NCAA and include all games through Feb. 18:
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. Syracuse-Pittsburgh (H) 21,9358. North Carolina-Duke (H) 21,7508. North Carolina-NC State (H) 21,75010. UK-South Carolina (H) 21,731
Big Draw II
Kentucky routinely draws an opponent’s top home crowd each season. In fact, in the eight road games the Cats have played this year, UK matched or exceeded the team’s average crowd.
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 10,346Tennessee 17,260 13,661LSU 8,549 8,305Georgia 10,523 8,799
Double-Doubles
Tayshaun Prince posted his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Arkansas. The senior had three double-doubles in December and one in January.
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 DoublesKeith Bogans 2 Jules Camara 4 Marquis Estill 1 Gerald Fitch 3 Jason Parker 2 Tayshaun Prince 12
Three Mania
Kentucky has hit a three-pointer in 467 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 close out February on the road at Vanderbilt. So far, the Cats are 5-2 this month. The Wildcats own a 582-181 (76.3%) all-time record in the year’s second month.
Next Game
Kentucky closes out the regular-season schedule at Rupp Arena against Florida on Saturday. The game is Senior Day for All-American Tayshaun Prince and J.P. Blevins and could be a determining factor in SEC Tournament pairings.
Last Time Out
Five Wildcats scored in double figures as Kentucky finished off its regular-season slate against Western Division opponents with a 71-58 win over Arkansas. Tayshaun Prince led the way with 16 points and 10 boards for his fifth double-double of the season.
National Polls
After wins over Tennessee and Arkansas last week, the Wildcats climbed one spot to No. 11 in both major polls this week. UK has spent 11 of the 16 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.
National Exposure
The Cats have already appeared on national TV 12 times this season, including a series of five consecutive national broadcasts. All totaled, Kentucky will appear six times on ESPN and an unprecedented seven times on CBS, according to 17-year veteran producer Bob Dekas.
Vs. Ranked Opponents
The Cats are 1-3 against ranked opponents this season. Their lone win against a ranked team 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, dropped a close battle to No. 14 Alabama, 64-61, in Lexington on Jan. 26 and fell to No. 21 Georgia, 78-69, on Feb. 16. Rankings were current at the time of the game.
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 779-211 mark (78.7%). No other team has won more than 646 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 58-20 (74.4%) 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.
Overtime Trials
The Wildcats have yet to earn an overtime win this season in three tries. The Wildcats have fallen 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 played in one season was five — 1978-79.
SEASON NOTES
Bowie’s Jersey Retired
Former All-American Sam Bowie had his Kentucky jersey retired in pregame ceremonies prior to the UK-Arkansas game on Feb. 23. Bowie, a native of Lebanon, Pa., played for the Cats for three seasons (1980-81, ’84) while battling numerous leg injuires which forced him to miss both the 1982 and ’83 seasons. Yet, he still totaled 1,285 points and averaged 13.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game during his career. The 7-1 center led the Cats to the 1984 Final Four and earned second-team All-America honors by The Sporting News.
Bowie played 11 seasons in the NBA and worked from 1998-’01 as the analyst on the UK Radio Network. He currently resides in Lexington and is involved in the standardbred horse industry. In 2000, he became the first African-American to be named to the Kentucky Racing Commission.
He becomes the 42nd Wildcat to earn the prestigious honor.
Prince Named Finalist
On Feb. 12, 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.
On Feb. 6, he 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 53 games, both regular season and exhibition due to injury.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 during the winter. 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 participated in the “KENTUCKY” cheer at the Cats’ 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 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 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 963-296 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 1,217 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 203 games.
Meanwhile, his home court streak is still intact. Wiggins has not missed a home game in 41 years, a streak spanning 589 games. During that period, which dates back to 1960-61, UK has a home record of 523-66.
UK’s NBA Players
To start the 2001-02 NBA season, the following Wildcats were active:
Derek Anderson Portland Tony Delk Boston Walter McCarty Boston Jamaal Magloire Charlotte Jamal Mashburn Charlotte Ron Mercer Indiana 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 —
