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NCAA Tournament Results: | |
No. 7/5 Kentucky Wildcats (28-5, 14-2 SEC)
vs.
No. 15/15 Michigan State Spartans (25-6, 13-3 Big Ten)
2005 NCAA Tournament – Austin Regional Final
March 27, 2005 – 5:05 p.m. ET
Austin, Texas ? Frank Erwin Center (16,755)
Kentucky has played its way into the NCAA Elite Eight for the second time in the last three years after earning a 62-52 victory over Utah in Friday?s Austin Regional semifinal game. The Wildcats now face a solid Michigan State squad, which advanced after a 10-point win over No. 1 seed Duke. Kentucky has appeared in regional final in nine of the last 14 seasons and last made the round of eight in 2003.
The Wildcats shot a season-best 62 percent against the Utes in the regional semifinals, guiding UK to a 62-52 victory. Senior Chuck Hayes had 12 points and three steals in the win, while the Kentucky bench came on strong, totaling 26 points. Michigan native Joe Crawford had seven points, while Ravi Moss and Ramel Bradley added six apiece. Big men Shagari Alleyne and Lukasz Obrzut played a combined 35 minutes against Ute All-American Andrew Bogut.
UK is the only team in the 2005 NCAA Tournament to have shot over 50 percent in all three of its games.
NCAA Cat Scratches
Kentucky earned an at-large bid to the 2005 NCAA Tournament … The Cats are appearing in their 46th NCAA Tournament and own a 96-40 (.706) record … The Wildcats own NCAA records for most appearances (46), most games (136) and most wins (96) … Kentucky is 9-4 against the 2005 tournament field and 1- 1 against teams playing in the regional finals … The Wildcats earned a No. 2 seed for the sixth time since seeding began in 1979 … UK was also a No. 2 in 1981, 1988, 1992, 1998 and 2001 … UK is 16-4 as a No. 2 seed, winning the title from that spot in 1998 … Kentucky has been a No. 1 seed nine times, including 2003 and 2004 … This is UK?s 14th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, which is the third-longest current streak (Arizona, 21, and Kansas, 16) … Kentucky has appeared in 13 Final Fours, 28 Elite Eights and 41 Sweet 16s … UK has advanced to nine of the last 11 Sweet 16s and nine of the last 14 Elite Eights.
Tourney Report
Since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, Kentucky will be appearing in its 10th regional final and owns a 4-5 record. The Cats last appeared in the Elite Eight in 2003, falling to Marquette, 83-69. Kentucky lost in 1999 regional final to Michigan State.
Kentucky?s nine regional final apperances over the last 14 years is more than any other school. UK played in seven of eight regional finals between 1992-1999, winning four of them.
UK is 37-9 in tournament openers and has won its last 14 first-round games. Kentucky has earned a 11-3 record in the second round since 1992. The Cats are 10-3 in regional semifinal action since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Since seeding began in 1979, UK is 6- 0 against No. 5 seeds.
Since 1992, UK is 77-15 (.837) in postseason play (SEC and NCAA).
Tubby Smith is 27-10 in NCAA Tournament play, 21-6 at Kentucky. As the higher-seeded coach in the tourney, he?s 21-4.
Scouting Michigan State ….
Michigan State advanced to the regional final after defeating Duke, 78-68 for the first time since 1957.
The Spartans, 25-6 and 13-3 in Big 10 play, have won 11 of their last 13 games, including wins over Old Dominion and Vermont in the tournament?s opening weekend.
Alan Anderson leads the team in scoring with 13.7 points, while Maurice Ager adds 13.5 points. Davis is averaging 12.1 ppg and 7.7 rpg, while Shannon Brown adds 10 points adn three rebounds a game for MSU.
Coach Tom Izzo is in his 10th season at Michigan State, holding a 232-96 career record.
Series History
In the 21 previous meetings between the squads, Kentucky owns a 12-9 advantage in a series which dates back 69 years. The teams first met on Dec. 13, 1935, with a 32-26 MSU win.
UK has won four of the last seven meetings in the series, including a 79-74 decision on Dec. 13, 2003, at Detroit?s Ford Field before a world-record basketball crowd of 78,129.
The schools have met in three previous regional finals, with the Spartans holding a 2-1 advantage. Perhaps the most memorable UK win in the series came on March 18, 1978, a 52-49 victory in the NCAA Mideast Regional final en route to winning the NCAA title a week later in St. Louis.
MSU earned an 80-68 win over Kentucky in the 1957 regional final and a 73-66 win over Kentucky in the 1999 regional final.
Tubby Smith is 2-3 all-time against the Spartans, with all five games coming at UK. Tom Izzo holds a 3-2 record vs. UK.
Probable Starters
KENTUCKY Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG Notes F 44 Chuck Hayes 6-6 242 Sr. 10.8 7.8 F 24 Kelenna Azubuike 6-5 208 Jr. 14.8 4.7 C 33 Randolph Morris 6-10 266 Fr. 8.4 4.2 G 4 Rajon Rondo 6-1 171 Fr. 8.1 *3.5 Shooting 64.3% FG in NCAA play G 22 Patrick Sparks 6-0 180 Jr. 10.9 *3.7 *assists per game
