March 15, 2003
2003 Southeastern Conference Tournament
No. 2/2 Kentucky Wildcats (28-3, 16-0 1st East)
vs.
Mississippi State (21-8, 9-7 1st West)
Finals * March 16, 2003 * 1:07 p.m. ET
Louisiana Superdome (27,000)
Complete Release in PDF Format
Radio
Tom Leach, Mike Pratt and Dave Baker.
Television
CBS Sports: Verne Lundquist and Dan Bonner
Coaching Comparisons
Tubby Smith (High Point ’73)
Overall: 284-108 (.724) (12th)
At UK: 160-46 (.777) (6th)
In SECs: 15-4 (.779) (8th)
In NCAAs: 20-8 (.714) (11)
vs. Mississippi State: 5-3
Rick Stansbury (Campbellsville ’82)
Overall: 90-58 (.608) (5th)
At MSU: Same
vs. Kentucky: 1-4
Team Comparison
cats dogsRecord 28-3 21-8Scoring Offense 78.0 70.6Scoring Defense 63.4 60.0Scoring Margin +14.6 +10.6FG % 48.7 47.6FG % Defense 41.4 39.83FG % 35.8 34.53FG % Defense 32.9 33.0Free Throw % 70.7 67.8Rebound Average 37.1 37.4Opp. Rebb. Avg. 30.7 30.9Rebound Margin +6.4 +6.5TO Average 13.9 15.7Opponent TO Avg.16.4 16.0TO Margin +2.5 +0.3Blocks Average 5.0 3.8Steals Average 7.8 8.7
Kentucky Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Ppg Rpg Hometown Cat Scratch44 Chuck Hayes F 6-6 247 So. 8.9 6.7 Modesto, Calif. 10 rebs vs. Auburn14 Erik Daniels F 6-8 214 Jr. 10.1 5.1 Cincinnati, Ohio In SECs, UK's 2nd top ppg50 Marquis Estill C 6-9 236 Sr. 10.8 5.7 Richmond, Ky. 10 blocks last three games10 Keith Bogans G 6-5 213 Sr. 15.8 3.9 Alexandria, Va. 5th in career scoring at UK 4 Gerald Fitch G 6-3 188 Jr. 12.5 3.2 Macon, Ga. Missed first start vs. VU (3/14)
Key Reserves
40 Jules Camara F-C 6-11 220 Sr. 6.9 3.5 Dakar, Senegal 7-of-11 FGs in SECs 1 Cliff Hawkins G 6-1 187 Jr. 5.9 *3.8 Dumfries, Va. 11 tourney assists33 Antwain Barbour G-F 6-5 195 Jr. 3.7 1.7 Elizabethtown, Ky. 13.0 mpg in SECs24 Kelenna Azubuike G-F 6-5 208 Fr. 4.0 1.3 Tulsa, Okla. Avg 4.5 ppg in SECs* Assists per game
Wildcats Aim For Historic SEC Sweep
Not since 1952 has a Southeastern Conference basketball team swept the regular-season slate and captured the league tournament title, but the 2003 Wildcats are poised to accomplish the feat when they battle Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament Championship game before a nationally televised audience on Sunday.
Kentucky advanced to the title game for the 10th time in 12 years after defeating both Vanderbilt and Auburn in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. The Cats and Dogs will battle for the second time this season. UK beat MSU 70-62 in Rupp Arena on Feb. 23. MSU advanced to the championship game by defeating both Ole Miss and LSU the past two days.
The Wildcats are 11-4 in championship games and are attempting to capture their 24th SEC Tournament title. UK has won 27 of its last 30 SEC Tournament games but one of the defeats came to the Bulldogs in the SEC Tournament title game seven years ago in the Louisiana Superdome. Under its previous coach, UK entered that contest with a 27-game win streak and ranked No. 1 nationally. With Coach Tubby Smith at the helm today, UK enters this contest with a 22-game win streak and, with the loss by Arizona in the Pac-10 Tournament this weekend, the Cats are poised to assume the top spot in the final AP poll when it’s released Monday night.
The winner of the SEC Tournament earns the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament which begins next week.
Tournament Notables
Kentucky enters the title bout with the nation’s longest win streak — 22 games, which equals UK’s seventh-longest win streak. It’s also the ninth-longest win streak all-time by an SEC team. UK owns seven of the SEC’s top-10 streaks. The Cats assumed the title of the nation’s longest win streak prior to the Cats’ 14th consecutive win, which occured against LSU on Feb. 15. UK also owns more wins (16) away from Rupp Arena, both road and neutral site games, than any other team in the country.
The Wildcats are 3-0 in the Big Easy this season, which includes a 76-60 victory over Tulane at New Orleans Arena on Dec. 10 and the win over Vandy in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Cats are 6-2 all-time in the Louisiana Superdome, including a 4-1 record in SEC Tournament games. Kentucky has won its last four games in the dome.
With a Kentucky victory, the Wildcats would be in position to finish the 2003 season ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll. Not since 1978 has UK finished No. 1 in the AP poll. The feat would match UCLA’s eight final No. 1 finishes, which leads the nation.
Tournament Stats
Kentucky is the top scoring team in the SEC Tournament (79.5 ppg), the top defensive team (60.5) and the top squad in scoring margin (+19.0). UK also ranks first among bench points (28.0 ppg), points in the paint (12.0 ppg), defensive rebounds (30.0 drg), blocks (6.5 bpg) and assists (15.5 apg).
Individually, Bogans’ ranks 13th in scoring (14.5 ppg) while Erik Daniels ranks 17th at 13.5 ppg. Jules Camara is eighth in FG percentage (63.6%), Cliff Hawkins ranks third in assists (5.5 apg) and Marquis Estill leads all tournament participants in blocks (3.5 bpg).
Cats’ Tourney Highlights
Erik Daniels had a terrific semifinal game vs. Auburn, totaling a team-high 17 points. While the Tigers led for most of the first half, Daniels ignited the crowd with 11 points in the first half, capped by a frightening dunk where Daniels ended up landing hard beneath the basket. His left wrist was bruised and he returned to action before the first half ended. The junior forward is second on the team in scoring during the SEC Tournament, averaging 13.5 ppg.
Cliff Hawkins tallied a season-high nine assists vs. Vanderbilt on Friday when he earned his first start of the season. His previous assist total topped out at eight vs. Florida on Feb. 4. His career high is 10 vs. Miss. State during the 2002 season.
Chuck Hayes grabbed 10 rebounds vs. Auburn, the eighth time he’s totaled double-figure rebounds this season. He leads the team in rebounding this season, averaging 6.7 rpg, but has averaged 7.5 rpg in the SEC Tournament.
Inside the SEC Numbers
UK has won more league tournament titles than all the other teams combined, and since the SEC switched to its expanded tournament format in 1992, the Wildcats have won eight of the 11 crowns… In the previous five years of the Tubby Smith era, UK has captured the SEC Tournament Championship three times – 1998, 1999 and 2001…Smith is 3-1 in SEC Tournament Championship games: 3-0 at UK, 0-1 at UGA (a loss ot UK in ’97)… UK has 101 wins in SEC Tournament play. Next among tournament wins are Alabama and Tennessee, which both have totaled 53 victories… Kentucky is 101-17 (85.6%) overall in SEC Tournament action, 44-11 since the tournament was renewed in 1979… This is the 44th SEC Tournament, and UK has won more than half (23) the titles despite playing in just 41 previous events.
Series Information
This marks the 97th meeting between Kentucky and Mississippi State. Kentucky has won six of the last seven meetings in the series, including a 70-62 decision in Lexington on Feb. 23. UK leasds the series, 79-17, including a 10-2 record at neutral sites.
The teams last met in the SEC Tournament in the 1996 championship game, an 84-73 MSU win. Both teams advanced to the NCAA Final Four that year with UK winning the national title. The teams have met only twice in the tournament since it was renewed in 1979.
MSU’s only win since the 1996 tourney was a 74-69 overtime victory in the SEC opener in Starkville on Jan. 5, 2002.
Coach Tubby Smith is 5-3 all-time against the Bulldogs, including a 4-1 record at UK. Rick Stansbury is 1-4 against the Cats in his five season at State.
Rick Stansbury hails from Louisville, Ky. He graduated from Meade County High School in 1977. Stansbury played college basketball at Campbellsville, where he led the Tigers to the 1981 NAIA District 32 Championship.
Vs. SEC West
UK swept the SEC West with six victories during the regular season to extend its win streak over Western Division opponents to nine games.
Overall, UK is 56-17 (76.7%) against SEC West teams since the league split in 1992. The last team from the West to defeat UK was Alabama last season.
The Last Outing
Auburn dominated much of the first half that saw the teams swap leads six times. The Tigers led by as many as five with 2:12 remaining, 34-29, before UK used a 7-2 run to tie the game at 36.
UK opened the second half with a 32-11 run en route to a 22-point lead.
Daniels scored 11 of his team-high 17 points in the first half while Bogans became one of UK’s all-time top five scorer’s with 13 points.
Auburn was the 15th opponent to shoot less than 40% vs. UK’s defense this season, hitting 36.2% of its shots.
Milestones
Keith Bogans had 13 points against Auburn, moving him into fifth place on UK’s all-time scoring list. The senior has 1,850 career points and tie Tony Delk in fourth place with 40 more.
Bogans has 711 three-point attempts in his career, which ranks second. He can own the school record for career attempts with just two more. Tony Delk has the record with 712. He also owns the school record and leads Bogans in made threes by 40.
“Tubbyball”
Kentucky is enjoying its best start in the Tubby Smith era with a 28-3 record entering post-season play. The current record is Smith’s best start in 12 seasons as a head coach and he’s never had a team go undefeated in league play until this season.
During the Tubby Smith era at Kentucky, the Wildcats have won 77.7% of their games, including one national championship, four SEC Championships, three SEC Tournament titles and five of six Eastern Division crowns. Including this season’s win total, Smith has averaged 26.7 wins per season in his six years.
Tubby Smith owns an impressive 30-7 record in March (81.1%) since taking over at UK. He’s 11-2 in the SEC Tournament, 14-4 in the NCAA Tournament and owns a 5-1 advantage in regular-season SEC contests.
He also owns a 15-4 record in seven SEC Tournament appearances, winning three titles.
Bogans’ SEC Tournaments
Keith Bogans has performed well in the SEC Tournament during his career. In sevem games, the senior has averaged 18.8 ppg and 5.1 rpg.
His tournament-high point total came as a freshman when he scored 25 points in a quarterfinal loss to Arkansas. As a sophomore, he led all scorers in tournament play, averaging 21.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg, but teammate Tayshaun Prince won the 2001 SEC Tournament MVP honor.
Win Streak
UK has won 22 straight games, the longest win streak in Tubby Smith’s 12-year career. Smith’s 1998 champs won 13 straight en route to the title, then won the first four of the 1999 season to extend that streak to 17 games. The Cats ran the table in 2003 league play with a 16-0 record, marking the longest SEC win streak under Tubby Smith and the longest since UK swept the SEC slate in 1996 (16-0).
Other highlights of the current streak include:
Kentucky earned the title of the nation’s longest win streak prior to its 14th straight win over LSU on Feb. 15.
The 28 wins this season are the most since the 1999 season when UK advanced to the final eight with a 28-9 record.
The Cats have beaten eight ranked opponents during the run and won 11 of their last 16 games by 15 points or more.
UK has held 12 of its last 18 opponents below 40% shooting and has beat its last 17 opponents by an average of 19.2 ppg.
During the 22-game stretch, opponents have averaged 14.0 turnovers per game and topped 40% shooting only eight times.
In the streak, eight Cats have averaged 10 minutes or more per game led by Keith Bogans’ 28.7 mpg.
Offensively in the last 22, UK has shot 49.1% FG and averaged 79.0 ppg while holding opponents to 40.3% FG shooting and 60.6 ppg.
At Home in the Dome
Kentucky is 6-2 all-time in the Louisiana Superdome, which includes the Cats’ 1996 SEC Tournament appearance. UK’s two losses in the dome came against Michigan in the 1993 Final Four and to Mississippi State in the finals of the SEC Tournament in 1996.
Date Opponent Result4-3-93 Michigan L, 78-81*3-8-96 Florida W, 100-763-9-96 Arkansas W, 95-753-10-96 Miss. St. L, 73-843-12-99 New Mexico St. W, 82-603-14-99 Kansas W, 92-88*3-14-03 Vanderbilt W, 81-633-15-03 Auburn W, 78-58*overtime
UK All-Time Win Streaks
The 2003 Cats own the program’s seventh-longest win streak at 22 games. (See p. 233 of the UK media guide for a more detailed listing.)
Games Began Ended 32 12/5/53 1/8/55 27 12/2/95 3/10/96 26 1/28/46 12/30/46 25 2/27/65 3/5/66 24 2/6/33 2/24/34 23 1/2/52 3/2/52 22 12/30/02 -- 21 1/11/49 3/31/49 21 12/30/50 3/3/51 18 2/5/48 3/31/48
Away from Rupp ’03
Though post-season action is just underway, UK has accumulated a 16-2 record away from Rupp Arena. It’s the most neutral-site and road wins for the Wildcats prior to post-season play since UK had 17 victories in 1998. The Cats went on to record 26 wins away from Rupp en route to the NCAA title that season.Inside the Numbers
In the 31 games this season, six different players have led the team in scoring, six in rebounding and eight in assists… UK is shooting 70.7% from the foul line and 48.7% from the field, the best since the 1996 season… UK has topped 50% shooting 14 times this season, after achieving the mark only six times all of last season… SEC opponents shot 41.1% FG and 28.3% from 3FG range vs. the UK defense… UK has won the opening tip in 27 of the 31 games… The Cats are 23-1 since Cliff Hawkins returned to the lineup… The Cats have won 27 games when leading with five minutes to play… UK has used just five starting lineups… The Cats are 24-0 when scoring 68 points or more.
Three Mania
Kentucky ranks third nationally in consecutive games with a made three-pointer. The Wildcats have hit a three-pointer in 504 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.
UNLV and Vanderbilt have hit a three-pointer in every game since the three-point rule was adopted to start the 1986-87 season.
March Madness
UK now owns a 253-94 (.729) all-time record in March. Last season, UK went 3-2 in the month with wins over Florida on Senior Day and Valpo and Tulsa in NCAA Tournament play.
In regular-season play, UK is 63-26 in the month of March, including 54-14 record since March regular-season games resumed in 1954.
Estill Holds Record Mark
Senior Marquis Estill owns the school record for FG percentage and ranks sixth in career FG percentage in the SEC. This year, he’s 133-for-232 from the field (57.3%), and for his career, he’s shooting 59.7%.
Estill ranks ahead of UK’s previous record holder, Charles Hurt (1980-83), who shot 59.3 percent. Estill captured the record once he surpassed the minimum 200 made during the Maui Invitational.
The 6-9 center can earn a fourth year of eligibility should he graduate by the start of the fall semester of 2003.Career FG Percentage (Min. 200 made)
59.7 Marquis Estill (329-551) 2001-03
59.3 Charles Hurt (303-511) 1980-83
59.1 Melvin Turpin (626-1059) 1981-84
58.1 Rick Robey (533-917) 1975-78
57.1 Kenny Walker (765-1339) 1983-86
SEC Career FG Percentage (Min. 500 atts.)
64.1 Dwayne Davis, UF (572-892) 1987-91
62.6 Charles Barkley, AU (467-746) 1982-84
60.9 Aaron Swinson, AU (574-943) 1992-94
60.6 Willie Jones, VU (367-606) 1980-82
60.6 Will Perdue, VU (519-856) 1984-88
59.7 Marquis Estill, UK (329-551) 2001-03
Did You Know?
Did you know that in the decade of the ’90s, the Wildcats lost only one SEC Tournament game in 24 tries.
From 1992-99, UK went 23-1, winning seven SEC Tournament Championships. The one loss came in the Superdome to Miss. State in the tournament final in 1996.
National Coach of the Year
Orlando “Tubby” Smith was named the National Coach of the Year Friday by ESPN/ESPN.com. It is Smith’s second national award this season. He received the same honor by FoxSports.com Thursday. Earlier in the week he swept the SEC Coach of the Year by both The Associated Press and the league coaches.
Three-Point Percentage
Against the ‘Dores on Friday, UK hit 40% from beyond the arc, the 13th time this season UK has hit 40% or better from 3FG arc this season.
