March 14, 2003
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer
NEW ORLEANS – Less than five minutes into the game, coach Tubby Smith decided to send a message as only Kentucky can.
Starters, take a seat. Let’s try a new five.
Showing off their depth and versatility, the No. 2 Wildcats shrugged off an early nine-point deficit and cruised to an 81-63 victory over Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament Friday night.
“We have a lot of guys coming off the bench who could be starting for other programs,” Smith said. “You can plug someone in the game and not have a major dropoff. The group I put in gave us a big lift. That’s a real luxury to have as a coach.”
Kentucky (27-3) extended its winning streak to 21 games after becoming just the second SEC team in 47 years to go through the league schedule with a perfect record (16-0). The Wildcats advanced to meet either Tennessee or Auburn in Saturday’s semifinals.
Keith Bogans had 16 points, leading four players in double figures. Seven others scored as Kentucky cleared its bench and still shot 53 percent from the field.
“The way we’re playing, we’re not going to have any letdown,” Bogans said. “We’re going to keep playing the way we’re playing.”
Unlike most schools, Smith has plenty of options to keep his players on their toes. With 15:28 left in the first half, he sat down all five starters and inserted a new lineup. Not that it mattered much.
The way the Wildcats are playing, they’re competing more with themselves than their opponent.
“I wanted more intensity,” Smith said. “We had a couple of turnovers. That tells me mentally, we weren’t sharp. So I wanted to see a fresh group in there.”
 We have a lot of guys coming off the bench who could be starting for other programs.
Kentucky coach Tubby Smith
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The fresh group included Gerald Fitch, who is usually a starter but began the game on the bench. Smith acknowledged that he was disciplining his point guard, but neither would discuss what happened.
“Gerald and I had a little incident,” the coach said. “We had to get that corrected, but it’s been corrected.”
Cliff Hawkins started in Fitch’s place and doled out a season-high nine assists.
One night after top-ranked Arizona was upset in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament, the next team in line avoided a similar fate with plenty of room to spare.
Not that anyone expected Kentucky to lose after the way it manhandled Vanderbilt (11-18) during the regular season.
On Jan. 14, the Wildcats trailed by eight at the half but outscored the Commodores 46-16 over the final 20 minutes for a 74-52 victory. Last week, Kentucky celebrated Senior Night with a 106-44 romp at Rupp Arena.
“In order for us to beat them we had to have a great shooting night, and their defense dictates that you can’t do that,” Vandy coach Kevin Stallings said. “They’re as good defensively as any team I can remember.”
Keith Bogans scores against Vanderbilt during the first half. |
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Shrugging off the last three halves, Vanderbilt started strong this time. The Big Blue faithful squirmed nervously when Brian Thornton dunked to give the Commodores a 17-8 lead less than eight minutes into the game.
The Wildcats shifted gears and quickly reeled off nine straight points to tie it up. Kentucky finally took its first lead, 28-26, when Jules Camara stole the ball near halfcourt and cruised in for a dunk with 3:58 remaining.
Camara’s basket was part of a 14-2 run that closed the half for the Wildcats, who led 36-28 at the break. And they weren’t done, either.
Kentucky scored 12 of the first 14 points in the second half, sandwiching a 26-4 spurt around that locker room stopover. After sending his early message, Smith spent the rest of the game in or close to his seat, giving the foot stomp a night off.
Mario Moore scored 18 points to pace Vandy, which needed a late spurt just to reach 35 percent shooting (21-of-60).
Vandy’s frustration was epitomized by the final play of the half. Corey Smith was driving for an uncontested layup but lost track of the clock, the buzzer going off before he could release the ball.
Maybe he was better off holding on. The Commodores missed 10 of 11 shots to end the first half, seven of eight to start the second.
| From here on out, every game is important. One loss could end your season.
Kentucky guard Keith Bogans
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Kentucky is seeking its 24th SEC tournament title, already holding more than the other 11 schools combined. By beating Vandy, the Wildcats took care of one of the few blemishes on the tourney blotter.
The Commodores were the only team that didn’t have a losing record to Kentucky, splitting six previous meetings. Now, they’ve joined the rest.
Vanderbilt was coming off an 82-69 upset of Alabama in the opening round. The Commodores snapped a nine-game losing streak and may have knocked the Crimson Tide, a former No. 1, out of the NCAA tournament.
Against Kentucky, which might be the next No. 1, Vanderbilt never had a chance to start a winning streak. The Wildcats don’t plan on letting up.
“From here on out, every game is important,” Bogans said. “One loss could end your season.”
