March 29, 2003
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS – Keith Bogans’ sprained ankle dominated talk on the eve ofthe Midwest Regional final.
Bogans, top-seeded Kentucky’s senior leader, top scorer and power plant of apoint guard, was questionable Saturday against Marquette after spraining hisleft ankle Thursday night.
Third-seeded Marquette expects Bogans to play.
“Every time we’ve been in a situation that there was a question mark on aplayer who can break the game open like Keith Bogans can, you prepare like he’sgoing to be there,” coach Tom Crean said.
“He’s as efficient a guard as there is country right now, when it comes todoing the little things – coming off screens, reading screens, being ready toshoot, attacking the rim, pressuring the ball and passing lanes, runningtransition offense and defense.
“Even if he’s not at 100 percent, he’ll still be pretty good.”
With a Final Four spot and 26-game winning streak at stake, Wildcats coachTubby Smith is ready to start defensive specialist Cliff Hawkins in Bogans’place.
Bogans, the Southeastern Conference’s player of the year, has had the ankleunder constant care, relying on the old remedies of rest, ice, compression andelevation.
“I won’t know until I get out there and run on it,” Bogans said. “I don’twant to get out there and hurt my team if I can’t go. If it’s up to me, I’mgoing to gut it out and play. I’m not going to sit. It hurt to watchyesterday.”
Bogans is the one player who can consistently knock down the criticaloutside shot for the Wildcats. Marquis Estill had 28 points in the semifinalsagainst undersized Wisconsin, but the Wildcats will need someone on theperimeter to draw the Marquette defense away from Estill in the paint.
Guard Gerald Fitch sounded resigned to Bogans’ absence.
“Keith brought a lot of scoring,” Fitch said. “Guys are going to have tostep up, myself included. I’m going to have to take my game to another level,especially offensively. We don’t have that many shooters on the perimeternow.”
It’d be a clear advantage for Marquette if Bogans doesn’t play, or even ifhe suits up less than 100 percent. But a few of the Golden Eagles said they’dbe disappointed if he didn’t play.
“I’m quite sure he’ll suck it up,” forward Robert Jackson said. “I justwant them to be full force when they play us. I’m a great player, and I likeplaying against great players. We don’t want no easy road to the Final Four.”
Said guard Travis Diener: “We want their team to be at their best, and wewant our team to be at our best.”
The best Bogans, a senior, could do on Thursday was offer encouragement. Hemight have to do that again Saturday, knowing he could be back at full strengthif the Wildcats (32-3) advance to New Orleans next weekend.
“I know my teammates needed me,” Bogans said. “It would help them seeingme out on the sidelines cheering for them. I was just trying to do whatever Icould.”
Either way, Kentucky’s pursuit of its eighth national championship is in fora stiff test against this well-balanced, sharp-shooting Marquette team led byone of the best all-around guards in the country in Dwyane Wade.
After back-to-back 20-win seasons, Marquette’s confidence is brimming. Andunlike Wisconsin, the Golden Eagles (26-5) have the size in a pair of 6-foot-10players, Scott Merritt and Robert Jackson, to go against Estill.
The Wildcats, if Bogans can’t play, will find plenty of motivation.
“It’s sad for him for this injury to happen so late in his career,”forward Chuck Hayes said. “It’s also sad for us because he has dedicatedhimself to this game. We still have to get the job done with or without him.”
