No. 8/8 Kentucky Wildcats (13-2, 4-0 SEC)
vs.
LSU Tigers (9-5, 2-1 SEC)

Sat., Jan. 220, 2005 – 1:30 p.m.
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Ky.
TV: CBS

Two teams that barely escaped conference losses this week meet up at Rupp Arena Saturday as Kentucky returns home to face LSU in a CBS showdown. The Wildcats are coming off a 53-50 comeback win at Ole Miss, while LSU and Arkansas went to overtime after a late Razorback shot was ruled a two-pointer and not a three. The Tigers sealed the 66-63 victory in the extra period.

Kentucky overcame a dismal shooting performance in Oxford, which saw the Cats shoot just 21 percent from the field in the first half and 13 percent from threepoint range for the game. However, the Wildcats outrebounded the Rebels 15-0 (including eight offensive boards) in the final 13 minutes, powered by an impressive effort from senior Chuck Hayes. Hayes finished the game with 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. It was his seventh double-double of the season. Rajon Rondo led UK with 13 points while Kelenna Azubuike added 11.

Scouting the Tigers

LSU visits Lexington on a three-game win streak, with two of those victories coming in overtime. The Tigers held off Arkansas at home Wednesday night to move to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The Bayou Bengals also claimed a home conference victory over South Carolina. This is LSU?s first SEC road game of the year.

Sophomore Brandon Bass leads the Tigers with 17.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg. He?s shooting 59 percent from the floor and 89 percent from the charity stripe. Freshman Glen Davis had a breakout game against Arkansas Wednesday, tallying 26 points and 18 rebounds in the 66-63 win. Sophomore guard Tack Minor is leading the SEC in assists with 6.0 per game.

John Brady is in his eighth season in Baton Rouge, holding a 129-97 record there. Prior to his tenure at LSU, Brady spent six seasons at Samford, compiling an 89-77 record to bring his career totals to 218-174.

Probable Starters

 Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG Notes F 44 Chuck Hayes 6-6 242 Sr. 11.7 9.6 Double-doubles in 3 of last 5 games F 24 Kelenna Azubuike 6-5 208 Jr. 14.1 4.7 11 pts, 0 rebs, 5 to?s at Ole Miss C 33 Randolph Morris 6-10 266 Fr. 8.7 4.0 Season-low 6 mins. at Ole Miss G 4 Rajon Rondo 6-1 171 Fr. 8.0 *2.7 29-of-47 FGs (.617) in last 7 games G 22 Patrick Sparks 6-0 180 Jr. 11.2 *4.9 1-for-7 3FGs at Ole Miss 

LSU Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG Notes F 30 Brandon Bass 6-8 252 So. 17.1 8.4 15 pts, 8 rebs vs. Arkansas F 34 Glen Davis 6-9 310 Fr. 14.1 8.4 26 pts, 18 rebs vs. Arkansas G 2 Darrel Mitchell 5-11 176 Jr. 13.4 2.1 Team-high 28 steals this year G 3 Tack Minor 5-11 200 So. 11.9 *6.0 Leads SEC in assists per game G 42 Antonio Hudson 6-6 214 Sr. 13.6 3.2 Hitting 43.0% from 3FG range *assists per game

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