Jan. 7, 2003
No. 18/19 Kentucky Wildcats (9-3, 0-0)
vs.
Tennessee Volunteers (7-2, 0-0)
The Tennessee Game
Thompson-Boling Arena (24,535)
Knoxville, Tenn.
Jan. 8, 2003
8 p.m. ET
RADIO
UK Radio Network (80+ stations): Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, Dave Baker.
Listen Live
TELEVISION
JP Sports (Live): Tom Hammond and Larry Conley.
Wildcats Open SEC-ond Season in Knoxville
The Wildcats open their 70th season of Southeastern Conference competition when they travel to Knoxville’s Thompson-Boling Arena to take on Tennessee. UK is 53-16 all-time in SEC openers and has won 14 of its last 15.
Last season, seventh-ranked UK dropped an exciting overtime game to the Vols in Knoxville, 76-74. The Cats owned a nine-point advantage at the half, but fell behind 70-64 with just 30.4 seconds remaining in regulation. Gerald Fitch hit back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game at 70 and send it to OT. Marcus Haislip tipped in his own miss with 18.3 seconds in the extra period for the win. In the rematch in Lexington, Kentucky rallied from a 16-point deficit to secure the 64-61 win despite Vincent Yarbrough tying the Rupp Arena opponent record with seven made three-pointers.
Kentucky enters league play with a 9-3 record and having played only four pre-conference home games. UK has one non-SEC opponent remaining. The Wildcats will battle Notre Dame, Jan. 18 in Rupp Arena. Among the Cats’ early schedule was three road games, four ranked opponents and five neutral-site games.
This marks the second straight season that UK has opened its SEC slate on the road.
Probable Starters
Kentucky
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg Hometown '03 Note44 Chuck Hayes F 6-6 247 So. 9.2 6.0 Modesto, Calif. Last 4 - 12.5 ppg, 59.3% FG14 Erik Daniels F 6-8 214 Jr. 9.9 6.1 Cincinnati, Ohio Last 3 - 13.3 ppg, 7 rpg50 Marquis Estill C 6-9 236 Sr. 11.1 5.4 Richmond, Ky. From high school, almost a Vol10 Keith Bogans G 6-5 213 Sr. 18.2 2.5 Alexandria, Va. SEC's third leading scorer 4 Gerald Fitch G 6-3 188 Jr. 11.6 3.1 Macon, Ga. Started every game at point
Tennessee
21 Derek Stribling F 6-6 185 So. 5.2 2.4 Tallahassee, Fla. Averaging 14.0 mpg35 Ron Slay F 6-8 240 Sr. 22.6 9.0 Nashville, Tenn. SEC’s leading scorer 4 Brandon Crump F 6-10 235 So. 12.3 6.8 Houston, Texas Third-year sophomore42 Jon Higgins G 6-3 200 Sr. 8.7 3.6 Shaker Heights, Ohio 3FG threat — 44.2%32 C.J. Watson G 6-1 165 Fr. 8.4 4.2 Las Vegas, Nev. Averaging 6.0 apg
Series Information
Kentucky has played Tennessee more than any other team in college basketball. This marks the 193rd meeting between the two squads, which first met on the hardwood on Feb. 16, 1910, a 26-5 UK win. UK owns a 130-62 advantage in the series. It was the first future SEC team that Wildcats ever played.
The Wildcats hold a narrow 44-43 advantage over the Vols in Knoxville. Overall, the Cats are 8-7 vs. UT in Thompson-Boling Arena since it opened for the 1988 season.
Tubby Smith is 10-5 all-time against the Vols, including a 6-4 mark while at UK. Buzz Peterson, in his second season at UT, is 1-1 against UK after splitting the series last year. Peterson also served as the associate head coach at Vanderbilt from 1993-96. The Commodores were 1-7 against Kentucky during that time.
Smith and Peterson share ties as head coaches. Both have served as head coach of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane – Smith from 1992-95 and Peterson in 2001. Smith led the Hurricane to a 79-43 record, two Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles and two NCAA Final 16 appearances. Peterson’s Tulsa squad claimed the 2001 NIT title, finishing with a 26-11 record.
Peterson was recruited to play basketball at Kentucky by Joe B. Hall. After a difficult decision, the Asheville, N.C. native chose to stay home and play for North Carolina. The high school All-American was a member of the 1982 National Champions and served as team co-captain as a senior in 1985. Peterson later served as best man in his roommate Michael Jordan’s wedding.
SEC Openers
Kentucky is 53-16 all-time in SEC openers and has won 14 of its last 15 league debuts. Its only loss during the stretch came last year at Mississippi State, a 74-69 decision in overtime.
SEC Domination
UK is a charter member of the SEC and since the league’s inception in 1932-33, the Cats have been the most dominant team in the league, recording a 780-212 mark (78.6%). No other team has won more than 647 regular-season SEC games (Alabama) and no other team has a better winning percentage. UK has averaged 11.3 wins and 3.1 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 11 SEC Tournament titles.
Tubby Smith has coached seven seasons in the SEC, two at Georgia and five at Kentucky. In SEC regular-season play, he’s 78-34 (69.6%). He’s captured three SEC Championships and four SEC Eastern Division crowns in five seasons in the Bluegrass. He also owns a 13-4 record in seven SEC Tournament appearances, winning three titles.
Orange Crush
Keith Bogans has had tremendous success during his career against Tennessee. The senior has averaged 15.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game against the Vols in six previous meetings. Three times he topped the 20-point mark against UT, including a 25-point effort in his first game in the series as a freshman.
Oak Hill Connection
Kentucky’s Cliff Hawkins played high school ball at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia with Tennessee big man Ron Slay in 1999. That year, Hawkins was a junior and Slay was a senior. The two helped guide Oak Hill to a 31-0 record and a final No. 1 national ranking.
Other members of that team included Maryland’s Steve Blake and Virginia’s Travis Watson.
Inside the Numbers
The Wildcats are 9-3 but have played just four home games entering the new calendar year… Ten Wildcats average 10 minutes or more per game and Keith Bogans leads all Cats with 30.5 mpg… UK’s 49.1% FG shooting is the highest since the 1986 season, the last without the three-pointer… The Cats are shooting 69.2% from the foul line, the best since the ’96 champs… Kentucky has topped 50% shooting seven times this season, after achieving the mark only six times all of last season… UK has used just three starting lineups… Cliff Hawkins is third on the team in assists despite missing the first seven games.
Road Cats
The Tennessee game marks Kentucky’s fourth road game of the season. The Cats had road wins at #12 North Carolina and Tulane before falling at Louisville on Dec. 28.
ESPN Classic Announces UK Day
In honor of the Wildcats’ 100 years of basketball, ESPN Classic has scheduled replays of five Kentucky basketball games back-to-back on the network on Sunday, Feb. 2. Cable or dish subscribers should check with their local cable companies to subscribe to ESPN Classic. The lineup includes:
10 a.m. – UK at LSU (2-15-94)
UK rallied from 31 points down with 15 minutes to play for the 99-95 victory.
Noon – UK vs. Duke – ’78 NCAA Final
UK captured its fifth NCAA crown behind Jack Givens’ 41 points.
2 p.m. – UK vs. Arkansas – ’95 SECs
UK was down 19 in the first half, 12 in the second half, and nine in overtime before rallying for the 95-93 win.
4 p.m. – UK vs. Syracuse – ’96 NCAA Final
The Cats captured their first title in 18 years, their sixth overall.
6 p.m. – UK vs. Utah – ’98 NCAA Final
Down 10 points at the half, the “Comeback Cats” rallied for the 78-69 victory, their second in three years.
New Year’s Cats
Throughout the 100-year history of the basketball program, Kentucky has enjoyed success in the month of January. UK owns a 512-176 overall record in the year’s first month for a .744 winning percentage.
UK is 2-0 to start the month in 2003. Last year the Cats were 6-3 in January with all three losses coming at the hands of ranked SEC opponents.
Looking Good!
UK assistant coach Reggie Hanson aims to dress for success, and apparently, people are taking notice. Collegeinsider.com’s Angela Lento annually tracks the nation’s best dressed head and assistant coaches. In the most recent Fashion Power Index (FPI), Hanson is ranked the top dresser among assistants this season.
Lento’s Runway to the Fashionable Four is in its sixth year.
ASSISTance
Cliff Hawkins, who returned to the court on Dec. 21 after missing the fall semester with academic troubles, has made a solid return as a reserve point guard.
In the five games since, the junior has totaled 26 assists, a career-best 5.2 apg, with just seven turnovers. “The Hawk” averaged 4.3 assists per game in 2002, starting 29 of 32 games at the point.
Milestones
Keith Bogans’ 21 points against Ohio moved him past Louie Dampier into 11th place on UK’s all-time scoring list. He has 1,577 points and needs 50 more to crack the top 10.
Bogans’ four made 3FGs against Ohio pushed his past Tayshaun Prince and into second place on the all-time list for made threes at UK. He now has 205 career threes. Tony Delk is the school leader with 283.
After recording a season-high four blocks against Alcorn State, Jules Camara advanced to sixth place on the Wildcats’ all-time blocked-shots list, trailing No. 5 Tayshaun Prince by five blocks. He has 139 rejections in his career.
Swat Team
Marquis Estill and Jules Camara, the Wildcats’ tandem at center, have totaled 46 blocked shots this season. Against Ohio on Saturday, Estill had four rejections while Camara added two. Estill is fourth and Camara ranks sixth in the SEC in blocked shots.
Cats in Stats
In the updated SEC stats, Keith Bogans ranks third in scoring, second in threes made per game and 10th in 3FG percentage.
Marquis Estill ranks fourth in blocks, while teammate Jules Camara is sixth.
As a team, UK is second in the league in scoring and FG percentage, fourth in 3FG percentage, second in blocks and third in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Estill Holds Record Mark
Senior Marquis Estill owns the minimum 200 made field goals in his UK career to take the all-time lead in FG percentage. So far this year, he’s 56-of-90 from the field (62.2%). For his career he’s shooting 61.1%.
Estill ranks ahead of the school’s previous record holder, Charles Hurt (1980-83), who shot 59.3 percent. Estill will own the school record should he maintain the pace throughout the season. The 6-9 center can earn a fourth year of eligibility should he graduate by the fall semester of 2003.
Career FG Percentage (Min. 200 made)
61.1 Marquis Estill (252-409) – 2001-03
59.3 Charles Hurt (303-511) – 1980-83
59.1 M. Turpin (626-1059) – 1981-84
58.1 Rick Robey (533-917) – 1975-78
57.1 Kenny Walker (765-1339) – 1983-86
Vs. Ranked Opponents
The Wildcats own a 3-1 record this season against ranked opponents with wins over No. 20 Gonzaga in the Maui Invitational, No. 12 North Carolina in Chapel Hill and No. 6 Indiana. The Cats’ only loss to a ranked opponent was a 71-67 drop to No. 21 Michigan State on Dec. 14.
Later this month, UK will battle another top-10 team in Notre Dame and this week’s No. 1 team, Alabama. The SEC is loaded, with three other ranked opponents in this week’s polls — Florida, Mississippi State and LSU.
Double-Doubles
Kentucky got its third double-double performance of the season after a 11-point, 12-rebound performance by Chuck Hayes in the win over Ohio. It was his second career double-double. Last week, Marquis Estill had a 15-point, 11-rebound effort against Tennessee State. It also was Estill’s second career double-double.
Earlier this year, Jules Camara totaled 12 points and 10 rebounds in relief against Virginia, his fifth career double-double.
Cats in the Polls
The Wildcats were ranked 17th in both preseason polls. They rose to No. 12 in both polls following their win at North Carolina, their highest ranking of the season.
UK is currently 18th in the AP poll and 19th in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25.
Next Opponent
UK will play host to its first SEC game of the year on Saturday when South Carolina visits Rupp Arena.
The game will be broadcast on SEC-TV.
Last Time Out
In Cincinnati, the Wildcats watched Ohio use a 21-9 run to chip away a 19-point lead late in the second half, cutting the deficit to three with just two minutes remaining. An Erik Daniels’ putback with 34 seconds to go put the Cats back up by five and Keith Bogans sealed the win with a bucket and a free throw. UK shot 51.6% from the field, topping the 50.0% mark for the seventh time this year.
Three Mania
Kentucky ranks third nationally in consecutive games with a made three-pointer. The Wildcats have hit a three-pointer in 485 consecutive games, which trails UNLV and Vanderbilt.
The Wildcats’ last game without a three-pointer came 14 seasons ago against Seton Hall on Nov. 26, 1988, a “three-point” loss in the Great Alaska Shootout.
Rupp Arena
Kentucky is in its 27th season at Rupp Arena, where the Wildcats own a 343-40 (89.6%) record.
The Cats have won the national attendance title the past seven seasons. Overall, the Wildcats have won 15 national attendance titles in the building.
Once again this season, the arena debuts new upgrades, including all blue seats in the lower level, a new concourse, a standing-room only “eRUPP-tion Zone” for the student body and a media press box, all totaling $5.1 million. The new purple concourse is two levels, replacing the old one-level boxed concession stand. It features greater concession stand access and more restrooms. The “eRUPPtion Zone” moved 400 season ticket holders to other seats in lower arena and moves the band and nearly 700 students into the end zone nearest UK’s bench. It also gives students access to floor-level seating, er, standing. Shockingly, a UK junior from Lincolnton, N.C., Andy Acker, named the area in a contest among the student body. His entry was picked from nearly 200 submissions.
National Exposure
Kentucky has already appeared on national television in eight of the 11 games this season. The Cats will appear on national TV 16 times during the 2002-03 regular season, including 10 ESPN appearances and six games on CBS.
SEASON NOTES
100th Season
The Cats are playing their 100th season of basketball this year. The Cats have a number of events planned throughout the season, including fan balloting, which concluded at the end of December, for the program’s greatest players, games and moments. The celebration includes replays of the top 10 games on radio, a 25-year reunion of the 1978 NCAA Champs, and four special-edition bobble-head dolls that fans can collect. The celebration concludes with an all-letterman reunion on Feb. 23 at the MSU game.
Kentucky celebrates unparalleled tradition, including seven NCAA titles, the most wins in college basketball, the best winning percentage in college hoops, the most consensus All-Americans, the most AP top-10 finishes, the most SEC Championships and tournament crowns and 15 national attendance titles.
Its first bobble-head promotion was held at the home opener when 500 lucky students received a Kyle Macy bobble-head. The second bobble-head was Adolph Rupp, which debuted against Michigan State. A third made its way out of the bag before the Indiana game — Tubby Smith. The last of the series will be unveiled for the Notre Dame game on Jan. 18.
GOOD-bye 2002!
Kentucky ended the 2002 calender year with a bang, earning a 115-87 win over Tennessee State on Monday. The victory included many season highs, including: points (115), three-pointers (11), rebounds (52), rebounding margin (+31), steals (12) and margin of victory (+32).
The Wildcats were 21-11 overall in 2002.
December Embers
The Wildcats completed a rugged December schedule, which included three road games and games against three ranked opponents, with a 5-2 record .
All-time, UK holds a 431-103 mark (.807) in the month of December. Last season, the Cats went 5-1 in the year’s final month with their only loss coming at the hands of then-No. 1 Duke in the Jimmy V Classic.
The Hawk Returns
Point guard Cliff Hawkins returned to the court against IU on Dec. 21 after missing the Cats’ first seven games. The junior was ineligible for the fall semester after academic troubles.
Hawkins showed he hadn’t missed a beat when he entered the game mid-way through the first half. The Dumfries, Va., native totaled four points, five rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes.
The highlight of his return came late in the game when he timed an alley-oop pass to Jules Camara for a dunk.
Fitch Named SEC and TSN’s POW
Gerald Fitch recorded back-to-back career highs – 18 points against High Point, 25 against No. 12 North Carolina – in early December to lead the Wildcats to consecutive wins, earning SEC Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. He also was recognized nationally as The Sporting News’ Player of the Week.
Fitch shot 68.2% from the field for the week and 75.0% from three-point range against the two teams. Against High Point, he totaled a career-high six assists as well. Against UNC, he scored 16 of his 25 in the decisive second half as UK rallied from a 43-40 halftime deficit. Fitch, normally a two-guard, was playing at point guard in the absence of 2002 starter Cliff Hawkins. He averaged 21.5 ppg and 4.0 apg for the week.
Triple Trouble
Three Wildcats topped the 20-point mark in UK’s win over UNC on Dec. 7, making it the first time in 13 seasons that three players scored 20 points in the same game. Gerald Fitch led the team with a career-high 25 points, while Keith Bogans and Marquis Estill each added 20. All of Estill’s points came in the decisive second half.
The last group to accomplish the feat included current UK assistant coach Reggie Hanson. With Tubby Smith on the sidelines as an assistant coach, Hanson combined his 20 points with 21 by Deron Feldhaus and a 40-point burst from Derrick Miller for a 100-73 win over Vanderbilt on Feb. 7, 1990.
Long-Range Love
UK was 10-of-16 from treyville against UNC, connecting on 62.5% of its shots, which would be a school record had the Cats made the minimum 20 threes needed.
It was the highest three-point percentage since UK hit 63.6% of its shots against Wake Forest during its 1996 march to the national title. UK was 7-of-11 from outside in that game.
Daniels’ Solid Return
Junior Erik Daniels, who was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating NCAA rules governing summer league play, had a stellar return against North Carolina on Dec. 7. Daniels shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including 1-of-1 from three-point land, for 9 points, while grabbing five rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes.
His productive start was reminiscent of his freshman season when the Cincinnati native missed the opener after having his knee scoped in the preseason. He returned against UCLA and over the course of the next three games was a perfect 9-for-9 from the field.
Home Openers
With the win over High Point, Kentucky is now 85-15 all-time in home openers. Nine of those losses occurred before Adolph Rupp began coaching in 1930. The Cats are 66-6 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 last season to Western Kentucky.
UK now stands at 24-3 in home openers at Rupp Arena.
Maui Invitational Results
Kentucky finished in third place at the 19th annual Maui Invitational. Kentucky beat Arizona State in the first round before getting upset by Virginia in the semifinals. The Wildcats then beat No. 20 Gonzaga in the consolation game. It was the third appearance for UK in the Maui Invitational. The Cats are now 7-2 all-time in the tournament, earning a championship in 1993 and a third-place finish in 1997 in their two previous appearances.
Keith Bogans averaged 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game to earn All-Tournament team honors. UK rival Indiana beat Virginia to claim the 2002 title.
Well more than 500 Kentucky fans made the trip to the Maui Invitational to cheer on the Wildcats. UK chartered an L1011, and along with an official traveling party of 55 team and school personnel, an additional 300 fans were aboard the plane. Also, another 150 fans purchased the trip through Commonwealth Travel in Lexington and flew commercially. Others made the trip via additional travel agencies or on their own to help give the Wildcats the largest cheering section among the eight participating teams.
PRESEASON NOTES
Returning Production
UK lost just one starter off its 2002 Sweet 16 team (Tayshaun Prince), but returned just 67.1% of its scoring from a year ago. Here’s the complete breakdown:
Points 67.1%
Rebounds 76.6%
Assists 81.7%
Blocks 67.3%
Steals 77.4%
SEC Preseason Poll
The Wildcats were picked to finish third in the SEC Eastern Division in a preseason poll of media members. UK, which has not finished lower than second since the league split into divisions in 1992, was also predicted to finish fourth in the race for the SEC regular-season crown.
Keith Bogans was the only Wildcat picked as either first- or second-team preseason All-SEC poll. The first team included Erwin Dudley (Alabama), Mario Austin (Miss. State), Jarvis Hayes (Georgia), Maurice Williams (Alabama), and Brett Nelson (Florida). The second team included Bogans, Ronald Dupree (LSU), Matt Bonner (Florida), Ezra Williams (Georgia) and Derrick Zimmerman (Miss. State).
BIG BLUE MANIA
Keightley’s Seen Half of UK’s Games Incredible.
Bill Keightley is in his 42nd season as equipment manager of the UK basketball team. The beloved “Mr. Wildcat” began assisting in the equipment room during the 1961-62 season and since then, UK has played 1,273 games, owning a 972-301 record.
The Wildcats, who are celebrating their 100th season of basketball, have played 2,395 games, meaning Keightley has played a role in 53.2% of the games.
The Lawrenceburg, Ky., native, 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. The current cats have a modern nickname for the 75-year-old Keightley — “Smooth.”
Wiggins In 50th Season
Big Blue fan Bob Wiggins continued his amazing streak of following the basketball Cats. He’s starting his 50th season watching Kentucky play in person and through his own record-keeping, has attended 1,231 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 longest record is the late Steve Reardon’s 626 games.
The illness forced Wiggins to miss four games, but he has since returned to see every contest in person, a streak of 217 games.
Meanwhile, his home court streak is still intact. Wiggins has not missed a home game in 42 years, a streak spanning 591 games. During that period, which dates back to 1960-61, UK has a home record of 524-67.
UK’s NBA Players
To start the 2002-03 NBA season, the following Wildcats were active:
Derek Anderson – Portland
Tony Delk – Boston
Jamaal Magloire – New Orleans
Jamal Mashburn – New Orleans
Walter McCarty – Boston
Ron Mercer – Indiana
Nazr Mohammed – Atlanta
Scott Padgett – Utah
Mark Pope – New York
Tayshaun Prince – Detroit
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.
Other Wildcats participating in professional basketball include Heshimu Evans, Jared Prickett, Andre Riddick and Wayne Turner, who are all playing overseas, and Saul Smith, who plays for Columbus of the NBDL.
UKathletics com 100-Year Catalog and Online Store
UK Athletics has released an official catalog and online store with products celebrating the 100 years of UK hoops. The product line includes memorabilia, Tubby Smith autographed items, videos, DVDs and the full-line of Nike apparel. The catalog is a special 100-year basketball that features UK’s national champions, All-Americans, great coaches and 100-year logo. Fans may call 888-234-9350 or log on to ukauthentic.com to purchase items.
— Go Cats —
