Virginia pines for Smith
The courtship undoubtedly has commenced. Perhaps contact was
direct, as in, "Hey, wanna grab dinner and a movie sometime?" Or maybe the first
step was straight out of junior high, as in, "I have this friend who thinks
you're cute but is too scared to call."
No rush for U.Va. with SmithThe University of Virginia may still plan to pursue Tubby
Smith, but Athletic Director Craig Littlepage apparently is in no hurry to do
so.
Smith
talks like he's staying
Though he didn't flat-out dismiss the notion, Kentucky coach
Tubby Smith strongly suggested Tuesday that he is not a candidate for the
University of Virginia job.
Carter says he hopes to decide by mid-AprilWILLIAMS SET TO JOIN CATS THIS SUMMER
Scott County center Jared Carter plans to root for North Carolina in the
Final Four. Whether he will sign with the Tar Heels later this spring remained
in doubt yesterday.
Smith happy to be back on the fieldChuck Smith's first practice at the University of
Kentucky was like those he had during his coaching career at Boyle
County in one way.
Brooks finds his locker-room leaderCOOK LOOKS TO KEEP YOUNG CATS IN
LINE There's nobody happier than Rich
Brooks to see Tommy Cook back in the locker room. Cook adds another
threat to what should be a deep corp of Wildcat receivers this fall.
But it's the leadership he brings that could turn out to be the most
valuable asset.
Brooks sends message with suspensionsRich Brooks knows he needs to win more
games at Kentucky this year. Yet he also knows that he has to teach
more than just football at Kentucky
Cats will have new look on defenseKentucky will definitely have a new look
on defense next season as well as a different look on offense at
times.
Joker has Cats smiling Amid all the
shouting from gravelly voiced coaches came a calm delivery from
Joker Phillips
Baseball
Kentucky Travels to No. 7 FloridaThe Kentucky baseball team looks to
continue its winning ways when it travels to No. 7 Florida this
weekend for a three-game series at McKethan Stadium beginning Friday
at 6:30 p.m.
Cats hold on to top Cards Through
eight innings, the University of Louisville and Kentucky baseball
teams had combined for 17 extra-base hits and 23 runs last night at
Cardinal Stadium.
(3-30-05)
Basketball
Men
Just wait till next yearWith big names back, Cats can be special
Everything will be fine. No need to worry. No need to fret. Jim
Calhoun lost three regional finals before he finally broke through and took
Connecticut to the Final Four and two national titles.
2005-06 Wildcats Not taking into consideration
any unexpected defections or potential additions, here is how the Kentucky men's
basketball roster will look next season:
Smith quells Virginia rumor Kentucky Coach Tubby
Smith apparently believes it takes repeated denials to kill the persistent rumor
of his candidacy for the job at Virginia.
Tubby reiterates he's planning to stay at UK
University of Kentucky men's basketball coach Tubby Smith met with athletic
director Mitch Barnhart yesterday morning and said he's staying at UK
Tubby to Va.? Don't bet on itUniversity of Kentucky fans worried about the status of head
coach Tubby Smith can take a cue from UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart and
relax for now.
Football
Kentucky Holds First Spring Football Practice
The University of Kentucky football team held its first spring
football practice Wednesday morning, a two-hour, 15-minute workout
at Commonwealth Stadium.
Brooks: Woodson starting QBAndré Woodson enters spring football practice as the
University of Kentucky's No. 1 quarterback.
Brooks knows the pressure's on this yearIMPROVEMENT A MUST
Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks spent a good deal of yesterday's
pre-spring practice press conference talking about accountability.
Not only is preaching accountability among his players, he also
knows he will be held accountable for how the team performs this
fall off of 4-8 and 2-9 records his first two seasons.
5 Cats will miss spring football The
University of Kentucky football team will start spring practice
today without five players, including four prominent freshmen from
the Wildcats' 2004 recruiting class.
UK suspends four because of academics
Four University of Kentucky football players have been suspended
from spring practice to take care of academic concerns, UK Coach
Rich Brooks announced yesterday.
UK baseball team ends skid with 6-4 victory
Junior Shaun Lehmann went 3 for 3 with a home run to lead the
University of Kentucky baseball team to a 6-4 victory over
Georgetown College last night at Cliff Hagan Stadium, snapping a
seven-game losing streak
Plenty left to build around
Kentucky coach Tubby Smith and his players said Saturday's Elite
Eight double-overtime loss to Michigan State will go down as one of the most
exciting games in NCAA Tournament history.
City police prepared Sunday for UK winLexington Police were preparing Sunday night for
crowds celebrating a UK win over Michigan State University, sending about 100
extra officers out to patrol the streets.
Remember to breathe during UK Hell Week OK,
breathe. Inhale deeply. Now, exhale. In the long, eventful history of University
of Kentucky basketball, never has the massive UK fan base faced a more grating
week than the one ahead.
Lack of seasoning hurt UKBUT RETURNING CATS SAY 'SKY'S LIMIT' NEXT SEASON
Assistant Coach Reggie Hanson needed six words to sum up Kentucky's
double-overtime exit from the 2005 NCAA Tournament. "The difference between
experience and inexperience," he said barely an hour after the Cats' 94-88 loss
to Michigan State in the Austin Region finals Sunday.
Hayes didn't want career to end like thisAt first, Chuck Hayes didn't want to leave
the Kentucky bench. Once he finally did, he was in no hurry to take
off his UK uniform for the last time.
Wildcats' future appears secure Somewhere
along the way, their limp bodies and blank faces will recover, their
sick stomachs will calm and they'll be able to think about
basketball again without cursing it.
Cats stake claim as '06 favoriteThe Kentucky Wildcats entered the basketball
season a mystery of sorts, with three new starters, including two
freshmen. They finished as one of the favorites for national honors
next season.
UK has plenty of potential, some questionsThe emotion and energy from Sunday's
extreme heartbreak for the University of Kentucky were still
lingering Monday. It might take awhile to get over this one,
although the Cats will be urged to do so quickly.
Smith not dwelling on Elite Eight loss
to SpartansAfter Sunday's disappointing loss to
Michigan State to deny them a chance to the Final Four, it didn't
take the Kentucky Wildcats long to start looking ahead to next
season.
Women
West Virginia Ends UK’s WNIT Run in Double OT
Meg Bulger had 31 points and 11 rebounds and West Virginia extended
its longest postseason run ever, holding off Kentucky 70-65 in
double overtime in the semifinals of the Women's NIT on Monday
night.
More double (OT) trouble for CatsUK comes from 22 down only to
suffer men's fate While her exhausted
Kentucky teammates sobbed at midcourt of Memorial Coliseum, Sara
Potts stood there stoically. While her teammates cried in the locker
room, the senior addressed the media with that same straight face.
UK's big rally all for naught in 2-OT loss
Meg Bulger had 31 points and 11 rebounds to help West Virginia edge
the University of Kentucky 70-65 in double overtime last night in
the semifinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
Sparks' late 3-pointer had the makings of a classicIf the Cats would have won yesterday's Regional Finals
thriller with Michigan State, Patrick Sparks' 3-pointer at the end of regulation
might have been remembered as one of the greatest shots in UK history.
Spartans rule in marathon duelThe only span of uncertainty that lasted longer than Patrick
Sparks' 3-point attempt bouncing around on the rim was a lengthy, surreal huddle
by referees to determine whether Sparks' right foot was touching the 3-point
circle. Kentucky faithful chanted "Three! Three! Three!"
Memory bank deposit
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo remembered his first trip to the
Final Four in 1999 as being "like a first kiss," he said.
Final touches
It was a hard-fought win that was as much for Flint, Mich., as it
was for East Lansing.
In spite of miracle 3, Sparks can only delay UK flameout Patrick Sparks sat slumped in front of his locker, his
red eyes evidence of the crushing disappointment he was experiencing after
Kentucky's 94-88 double-overtime loss to Michigan State in the Austin Regional
final yesterday. A loss that sent Michigan State and not the Wildcats to next
weekend's Final Four.
Heartbreaking loss for UK's Gym Pat The kid they call Gym Pat lived a thousand practice days
Sunday. Patrick Sparks is the skinny, burr-headed kid from the unapologetic coal
town of Central City, deep in the heart of the heart of Kentucky. He's so white,
he's practically transparent. The only color Sparks gets is from the wattage of
the gym lights.
Truly one for the ages
The only span of uncertainty that lasted longer than Patrick
Sparks' three-point attempt bouncing around on the rim was a lengthy, surreal
huddle by the officials to determine whether Sparks' right foot had touched the
three-point arc.
Wildcats Fall in Double Overtime to Michigan State
Patrick Sparks hit a double clutch three-pointer as time expired in regulation
to force overtime but it was Michigan State who outlasted the Wildcats, 94-88,
in double overtime in the Austin Regional Final Sunday evening.
Cats committed three costly blundersJust when it seemed like one team had the
game won, the other team would either make a great play or the team
with the lead would make a blunder.
Azubuike unsure of future The
University of Kentucky's leading scorer, junior Kelenna Azubuike,
was non-committal last night about his return to the team for next
season.
Loss ends a shot at dream matchupWe were that close, the length of Patrick
Sparks' toe to the 3-point line, from waking up this morning in the
great commonwealth of basketball nirvana.
IN ... THEN OUTSparks' three forces first
overtime, but Spartans prevail They do things
big in Texas. Kentucky and Michigan State affirmed that Old West
credo last night in an NCAA Tournament region final for the ages.
ELITE ACHEHayes, Cats came agonizingly close
So close, yet so far away. So thrilling, yet so cruel. So
exciting, yet in the end so empty. When all chances were exhausted
and four-tenths of a second were left on the clock just overhead,
and Michigan State was dancing its way to the other end of the floor
to put the finishing touches on its epic 94-88 double overtime win
over Kentucky in the Austin Region final, Chuck Hayes couldn't look.
Kentuckians feeling blue
Bear in mind, it doesn't always end this way for the University of
Kentucky. There have been, after all, seven NCAA championships. And
yet, on the most ironically Christian occasion of the season, how
many in the commonwealth had their Easter spoiled by an unwelcome
visit from the ghost of Laettner -- the Dukie of doom, the dispenser
of gloom, the anti-Wildcat himself .
Two breakdowns fans won't forgetCATS' FAILURES IN FIRST OVERTIME WILL
HAUNT It was almost cruel. For the Kentucky
Wildcats, it was there — the Final Four dream — to be seized.
History will long record that Michigan State ended the season of the
2004-05 Kentucky Wildcats with a heart-pounding 94-88
double-overtime defeat.
Wildcats fall in a classic Look
beyond the University of Kentucky's tear-filled locker room, beyond
the theatrics of Patrick Sparks' tying three-pointer and the ensuing
interminable review by the officials, beyond the heartfelt wishes
for senior Chuck Hayes
UK fouls spell defeat
As Chuck
Hayes trudged from one end of the court to the bench where his
equally despondent teammates were waiting, one step felt like a
mile. One second felt like an eternity. There were 0.4 seconds on
the clock when University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith took
out Hayes, the reality of UK's 94-88 double-overtime loss to
Michigan State was starting to sink in for Hayes, one of two UK
seniors.
UK doesn't execute during the clutchThe most critical possession of the game
for Kentucky wasn't Patrick Sparks nailing the game-tying 3-pointer
to force overtime, Kelenna Azubuike failing to get off a shot at the
end of the first overtime or any time Michigan State had the ball in
the second overtime.
Sparks appears to blast Packer
Arguably no player experienced higher highs or lower lows in
yesterday's exhausting Austin Regional finals than Kentucky guard
Patrick Sparks.
Spartans one win away from an elite trifectaWITH DUKE AND UK
VANQUISHED, MICH. ST. FINDS TAR HEELS NEXT IN THEIR WAY
When Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo eyes the college
basketball landscape, he sees three programs towering above the rest
-- Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina -- and he says he wishes his
Spartans could stand tall with them.
Sparks' shots put UK guard, coach on emotional ride
It will go down as one of the most memorable shots in NCAA
Tournament history. University of Kentucky fans likely would
remember Patrick Sparks' controversial three-pointer at the end of
regulation more fondly if the Wildcats had won.
Time stood still on Sparks' trey
Redemption for University of Kentucky junior Patrick Sparks turned
out to be fleeting, but the moment seemed like it lasted 35 minutes
to Michigan State senior Chris Hill.
Students' loyalty goes a long wayIT'S A ONCE-IN-LIFETIME THRILL FOR 7
IN AUSTIN For most of the second overtime
against Michigan State University, the University of Kentucky's
student section stood perfectly still.
UK roller coaster takes last, wild ride
When it ended, they were spent. They simply stared
back expectantly at the seven big-screen televisions and the 32
smaller screens at the Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar at 6801
Dixie Highway, as if the University of Kentucky's basketball season
could not possibly have just ended in a double-overtime loss to
Michigan State.
Cats bow out to SpartansTom Izzo wasn't going to wait. He figured
Kentucky's rim-dancing 3-pointer would be ruled a basket, so he
grabbed his clipboard and started getting Michigan State ready for
overtime.
Women
Potts' post-season amazes even herHER 30-PLUS PERFORMANCES HAVE
PROPELLED UK TO WNIT FINAL FOUR Even Sara
Potts doesn't know what's gotten into Sara Potts. The Kentucky
senior has scored 63 points in the last two games. She's hitting
three-pointers. She's knocking down mid-range jumpers.
(3-27-05)
Basketball
Men
MS
94 --
UK 88 (OT #2)
Tubby advances year in advanceGreat coaching puts young Cats at
the brink early Tubby Smith is a year
ahead of schedule. At Kentucky, they always think you're a year
behind. Yesterday is a complaint, tomorrow too long to wait.
Expectations are a tattoo. You are the Yankees, without a
Steinbrenner. At Kentucky, there are a million Steinbrenners, all
radio-friendly and Internet-aware.
Spartans overcame battered past
Their styles of play are virtually identical, but their
personalities couldn't be more different.
BROTHERLY LOVE LIFTS HAYES No one has anything but high praise for
Chuck Hayes, the senior forward who today leads Kentucky into its
Elite Eight game against Michigan State. And Hayes doesn't have a
bad word to say about anyone — especially when it comes to his
little brother, Thaddeus.
Smith in league of own with his benchWHILE MANY SHORTEN THEIR ROTATION,
TUBBY IS PLAYING 13 CATS Tom Izzo has
identified the key man. As Michigan State prepares its bid to deny
Kentucky a Final Four trip, the Spartans coach said the heat to
produce falls squarely on Kevin Pagua.
UK's 'servant,' Hayes hopes to deliver title
The thought suddenly hit Chuck Hayes like a sharp elbow to the gut.
The University of Kentucky forward snatched up his phone and
immediately called fellow senior Josh Carrier -- at 1 in the
morning.
Michigan State Is Deep, Kentucky Deeper
Tom Izzo can look down the Michigan State bench and smile. Even when
his five starters are on the court, he still has four guys he's
comfortable using.
Crawford happy to be blue, not greenWith Michigan State standing in the way of
the Final Four, Kentucky freshman Joe Crawford will be competing
against his intended transfer destination less than three months
ago.
After reaching low point, Davis flying high Michigan State junior center Paul Davis
will never forget Dec. 3, 2003, the day Duke trounced the Spartans
72-50 on national television.
Mirror, mirror on the wall Kentucky has a deep bench of talented
players, a balanced offense and a potent defense that has troubled
most of its opponents.
In quest of the ArchAmong many similarities, Cats,
Spartans both want Final Four berth No
one quoted cartoonist Walt Kelly here yesterday. But either team --
or both teams -- could have. "We have met the enemy ... and he is
us," Kelly famously noted in his Pogo comic strip.
Rondo gets helping hand from Bibby
Mike Bibby, a point guard with the Sacramento Kings, unwittingly has
become the inspiration for University of Kentucky point guard Rajon
Rondo.
Spartans, Wildcats driven by different views of historyMinutes before the NCAA Tournament
brackets were announced March 13, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo
convened his Spartans in the theater room of their basketball
complex.
Kentucky has a North Carolina fanBobby Perry grew up in Durham, attending
North Carolina's basketball camps. He's always liked the Tar Heels
and will pull for them on Sunday against Wisconsin. If North
Carolina wins and Perry's Kentucky Wildcats win, they'll play
Saturday in a Final Four semifinal.
Men's Basketball Pre-Game Press Conference Quotes - Michigan StateHead Coach Tubby Smith
Opening statement: "First we're just excited to be moving on. We're
coming off a good win for us against a very good Utah team. We have
to play a better game against a very tough and athletic Michigan
State team."
Crawford is happy nowTwo months after he was on the verge of
transferring to Michigan State, Joe Crawford of Kentucky will play
against the Spartans today with a trip to the Final Four at stake.
Cats borrow ideas for practice facility
Texas hardly got star treatment during its advance to the 2003 Final
Four. If point guard T.J. Ford, who would be national player of the
year, wanted to get in extra practice, he went to a public park in
East Austin.
Davis another big concern for UK's centers
The University of Kentucky's three-headed center will get to put its
15 potential fouls to use again in today's final of the NCAA
Tournament's Austin Regional.
Freshmen key for Kentucky, Mich. StateFrom the national championship ring on the
fingers of the respective coaches to the number of players that are
used off the respective benches, Kentucky and Michigan State take
many similarities into today's NCAA tournament regional final at the
Erwin Center.
Izzo's toolbox offers inspiration Tom Izzo had had it. After Michigan State
dropped a 71-69 decision to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament
quarterfinals March 11, he was too frustrated to go through the
postgame tape.
Cats' Easter game trumps niece's baptism
Ashley Judd, UK's most famous basketball fan, is an
eighth-generation Eastern Kentuckian and the global ambassador for
YouthAids. AUSTIN, Texas -- Well, I never take anything for granted,
but I do prepare well. I brought a real pretty Easter dress to
Austin. And today, I'll wear it, choosing some nice-sounding church
(liberal, thank you very much) from the yellow pages, because even
though Dario and I lived here a short spell whilst shooting Where
the Heart Is, I only went to church once and can't...
Time for Tubby to answer that final question
Nobody can question Tubby Smith's ability to squash the Southeastern
Conference, race atop the polls and earn a top NCAA Tournament seed.
But this is University of Kentucky basketball. Some questions always
nag.
Michigan State, Kentucky are deep and deeper Tom Izzo can look down the Michigan State
bench and smile. Even when his five starters are on the court, he
still has four guys he's comfortable using.
No Formal Wear, Just Blue CollarsNot a single first-team all-American was
still standing after three rounds of the NCAA men's basketball
tournament winnowed the field of 64 to eight. They fell in
succession, swept out by the tide of upsets and slugfests that tends
to mark early-round play: Hakim Warrick of Syracuse, Wayne Simien of
Kansas, Chris Paul of Wake Forest, Duke's J.J. Redick and Utah's
Andrew Bogut.
Hayes always giving of self Long before he prepared to play in his
final Elite Eight, Kentucky senior Chuck Hayes spent his nights at a
Salvation Army in Modesto, Calif.
UK vs. MSU should be entertaining It might not be the dream matchup that a
lot of people were expecting, but Kentucky still faces a difficult
task if it wants to reach the Final Four.
UK triple threat tall order for Spartans' DavisCENTER'S PLAY HAD DROPPED OFF UNTIL
THE TOURNAMENT The last thing Paul Davis and his
Michigan State teammates did before they went to bed late Friday
night was watch videotape of Kentucky.
If only it were the Blue DevilsToday's game between the University of
Kentucky and Michigan State University is expected to be an
intensely physical game with live-or-die results that will take one
team to the Final Four in St. Louis.
SPART GUYS
In a meeting prior to sending his team out to face
Duke in a Sweet 16 game of the NCAA Tournament, Tom Izzo gathered
his Michigan State players and apologized.
Hayes exemplifies what it's all about
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you a
column that has nothing to do with steroids, agents, salary caps,
defense attorneys or recruiting.
Will Tubby jump?
The notion baffles most seasoned college basketball
observers. Tubby Smith leaving Kentucky, one of sport's most
prestigious coaching positions, for Virginia? Yeah, right, and
President Bush is vacating 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., and moving to 10
Downing St.
THE MATCHUPS Here's a rarity --
freshmen point guards facing off in a region final. Rondo has been
terrific in three NCAA games (38 points, 64 percent shooting, 13
assists, nine steals). Neitzel, who moved into the starting lineup
last month, doesn't have the eye-catching talent of Rondo, but he
gets the ball to the right people at the right time (seven assists
against Vermont). The Spartans are 10-2 with Neitzel as a starter.
Kentucky vs Michigan State PreviewKentucky and Michigan State sure have a
lot in common. Two programs bringing back memories of past
glory, the Wildcats and Spartans square off to decide which one
emerges from the Austin Regional to make a return trip to the Final
Four.
St. Louis one game away A towering Aussie was all that stood between the
University of Kentucky and its second trip to the Elite Eight in
three years.
Izzo quite aware of Hayes' abilityAll Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo needs to
know about Kentucky is what he already knows about Wildcats senior F
Chuck Hayes. Izzo coached Hayes on the U.S. Pan-American Games team.
How MSU and Kentucky match upPerhaps the matchup of the game will be
between two "undersized" power forwards - MSU's 6-foot-6, 220-pound
Alan Anderson and Kentucky's 6-6, 242-pound Chuck Hayes. Both are
seniors. Only one will play in a Final Four in his career.
Baseball
Sunday Baseball Game Against Georgia Cancelled
Persistent rain in the Lexington area has forced the cancellation of
Kentucky’s baseball game against Georgia, originally scheduled for
Sunday at 1 p.m. at Applebee’s Park.
(3-26-05)
Basketball
Men
Kentucky to Face Michigan State in 28th NCAA Elite Eight Appearance
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.
Free
throws keep coach's theory validGood thing the Kentucky Wildcats made a
couple of free throws in the final minute to seal their 62-52
victory over the Utes in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at the
Erwin Center on Friday night.
Andew Bogut's Performance: Big man suffers cold shootingIt was all but certain to be his last
college game, and Utah's Andrew Bogut was upset with himself for not
doing more to help the Utes avoid a 62-52 loss to Kentucky in the
Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at the Erwin Center on Friday night.
Bogut has his worst game of seasonThe Utes were successful in getting to the
free-throw line but didn't take advantage of their opportunities
Wildcats oust Utes - againBlue blood. Bluegrass. And a bunch of
blue, red-clad Utah Utes. The Kentucky Wildcats, a basketball
program steeped in history and tradition, continued its tradition of
tormenting Utah in the NCAA Tournament, beating the
ambitious-but-overmatched Utes 62-52 Friday night in the Austin
Regional semifinals.
Bogut can't win it solo In the end, Andrew Bogut was not enough. What
remains to be seen is whether he has had enough.
WILDCATS TAME RUNNIN' UTES It is one of those strange quirks of
happenstance that shouldn't work this way but almost always does.
For some reason, come NCAA Tournament time Kentucky and Utah are
like magnets that attract.
Wildcats
tower over Utah's 7-foot BogutKentucky proved two sophomore 7-footers
are better than one last night in a 62-52 victory over Utah in the
Austin Regional semifinals.
Wildcats send Utah reelingHe was a singular talent -- arguably the
best player on the floor of The Erwin Center in last night's matchup
between sixth-seeded Utah and second-seeded Kentucky in the
semifinals of the NCAA Tournament's Austin Regional.
Size, speed, depth power UKSize matters. But speed kills. So
does a roster that is deeper than the middle of the ocean.
Utah's loss, UK's gain Bring on the Spartans. Super center Andrew Bogut
couldn't stop a relentless Kentucky team effort Friday, and the No.
2 seed Cats thumped sixth-seed Utah 62-52 Friday in the Sweet 16 at
the Frank Erwin Center.
Travis Ford takes over as coach at UMassTravis Ford took over as coach of the Massachusetts
basketball team Friday, promising to restore the team's glory and
standing -- both with its competitors and fans.
It
takes a bench to beat a Bogut Kentucky went deep to beat the Utah Boguts
Friday night. You thought the Wildcats might be in trouble when
starting center Randolph Morris picked up two fouls in the game's
first 90 seconds. You knew so 90 seconds later when Andrew Bogut,
the all-everything big man for Utah, rebounded his own miss once,
twice, three times over Morris' replacement, Lukasz Obrzut, before
scoring.
Travis Ford hired as UMass coach Travis Ford took over as coach of the
Massachusetts basketball team Friday, promising to restore the
team's glory and standing - both with its competitors and fans
Reserve 7-footers loom large in Kentucky's team win No
superstar? No kidding. Twelve's company, 13 is the usual crowd of
Kentucky contributors. Ten players average at least 9.3 minutes. The
alphabet soup of Shagari Alleyne and Lukasz Obrzut are not even
among those.
Kentucky Drops Utah 62-52 in Austin Semis
Regardless of whether Kentucky goes on to win the national
championship, the Wildcats accomplished something Friday night no
team has done all season: stymie Utah's Andrew Bogut. Primarily
using two 7-foot backups and lots of help from smaller guys, the
Wildcats harassed Bogut into the poorest shooting game of his
All-American season and showed off their depth, spreading their
scoring in a 62-52 victory in the Austin Regional semifinals.
Utes dispatched; Michigan state awaits
Last year Michigan St. and UK set an attendance
record with 78,000 fans, and said the rivalry was on hold for a
year. What could they do for an encore? Thanks for asking. The
rivalry is back in bright lights.
UTES, THEY DID IT AGAINBogut gets his double-double,
but Cats get the win As former Utah
Coach Rick Majerus suggested earlier in the week, Kentucky may have
lacked the best player on the floor. But UK had more than enough
contributors to beat Utah 62-52 victory in the Austin Region
semifinals last night.
Kentucky rolls into regional finalsRegardless of whether Kentucky goes on to
win the national championship, the Wildcats accomplished something
Friday night no team has done all season: stymie Utah's Andrew Bogut.
Cats
boot Utes – as usual
Utah's All-America center, Andrew Bogut, predicted early this week
that he would punish any University of Kentucky center who came into
the game unprepared.
It was an inside job by UK's Big 3CATS KEEP BOGUT FROM DOMINATING,
RETURN TO ELITE 8 Kentucky's Texas-style
Easter-egg hunt encountered quite a surprise last night.
Cats march on into Elite Eight
A year after the two schools set an attendance record by stuffing
more than 78,000 fans into a football stadium to watch a basketball
game, they decided to put the rivalry on hold. What could these two
programs do for an encore? Thanks for asking. The rivalry is not on
hold any more. It's in bright lights
Bogut not so big against Alleyne, WooUK'S BACKUPS HAVE BREAKOUT DEFENSIVE
GAME JUST IN TIME Shagari Alleyne was
offended. On Thursday, a reporter asked the Sears Tower of Kentucky
about the luxury of having 15 fouls -- five each from starting
Wildcats center Randolph Morris and backups Lukasz Obrzut and
Alleyne -- to throw at 7-foot Utah All-American Andrew Bogut.
UK's depth overcomes Utes' Bogut
The Utah
players weren't about to sit idly by in their locker room, unable to
rid their minds of the nastiest word in all the land of Latter-Day
Saints. Rather than remain there to dwell on Kentucky -- the ender
of their seasons, the dasher of their dreams -- Utes upon Utes
gathered at the leading edge of the tunnel taking them to the
playing floor of the Frank Erwin Center, where, in the first game of
Friday night, hope was having its way. They watched, unable to
suppress their Mountain West smiles, as Michigan State brought down
Duke.
Cats' bench play no surprise to Bradley
Ramel Bradley wasn't a bit surprised by the strong showing of
Kentucky's shock troops in the Cats' 62-52 victory over Utah last
night.
St. Louis one game away
A
towering Aussie was all that stood between the University of
Kentucky and its second trip to the Elite Eight in three years. To
beat No. 6 seeded Utah in the Sweet 16, the No. 2-seeded Wildcats
needed to find a way to contain Utes All-American center Andrew
Bogut. A Pole and a New Yorker got the job done just fine.
UK band plays noteworthy roleSTUDENT MUSICIANS ENJOY FAME, FANDOM
AT NCAA TOURNEY There's some celebrity,
however small, with being in the band. Not a band, some fly-by-night
rock sensation that could disappear tomorrow.
Underachievers are riding high
The underachievers are now overachieving. Fifth-seeded
Michigan State advanced to the Elite Eight showdown with Kentucky on
Sunday by defeating top-seeded Duke 78-68 Friday night.
Women
UK women will play host to W. Virginia in WNIT semi
The University of Kentucky women's
basketball team will play host to West Virginia at 7 p.m. Monday in
the semifinals of the Sportsview.tv Women's National Invitation
Tournament.
Baseball
Kentucky Loses Heartbreaker to Georgia, 14-11
The Kentucky baseball team overcame a nine-run deficit to take the
lead going into the ninth inning, but Georgia responded with four
runs to steal a 14-11 victory from the Wildcats on Saturday at
Applebee’s Park.
(3-25-05)
Basketball
Men
UK 62 -- Utah 52 (Final)
UK advances to Elite 8
Kentucky
knocks out Utah to advance to Elite 8Regardless of whether Kentucky goes on to
win the national championship, the Wildcats accomplished something
Friday night no team has done all season: stymie Utah’s Andrew Bogut.
Cats March on to Elite Eight
It was a complete team effort by Kentucky Friday night as they took
down the Utah Utes, 62-52, to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA
Tournament Sunday in Austin, Texas. Ten Wildcats scored in the
victory, led by senior Chuck Hayes with 12.
Kentucky 62, Utah 52
Regardless of whether Kentucky goes on to win the national
championship, the Wildcats accomplished something Friday night no
team has done all season: slow Utah's Andrew Bogut.
Source: UMass hiring Ford Eastern Kentucky's Travis Ford has been
chosen as the next coach of Massachusetts, a university source told
The Associated Press.
plane or car, fans go farIn addition to the sleepless nights,
expansive ESPN cable packages and the label of "psycho" from
non-Wildcats, the monetary cost of being a University of Kentucky
basketball fan can take its toll.
World awaits Devils-'Cats -- pending a couple of loose ends Tubby
Smith pulled out the DVD just last year. Kentucky was about to play
Florida on senior night. A big game to be sure, but the Wildcats'
coach needed a hook, something special to get the players'
attention.
Guarding Bogut a job for all Andrew Bogut can shoot, block and pass
like no other center Kentucky players have seen this season.
Morris eyes a challenge The eyes of Texas -- and the rest of the nation
-- are upon the University of Kentucky's Randolph Morris.
Bull's-eyes on Rondo, Sparks Much ado has been made about Utah
do-it-all center Andrew Bogut, who has as many Player of the Year
nominations as his team has postseason wins.
Tough, talented Bogut leads Utah into latest Kentucky gameRay Giacoletti had been Utah's coach for a
few months when he finally got to see his star player in action for
the first time. And it wasn't exactly under the best of
circumstances.
UTES HAVE BIG WEAPON IN BOGUT Not long after he was hired as the head
coach at Utah, Ray Giacoletti found himself at an immediate
crossroads: Rick Majerus was gone and the program was teetering on
the edge of turmoil. Andrew Bogut, the 7-foot center, returned home
to Australia — likely never to return.
Utah's Bogut can do it all with easeMaybe it speaks about the dearth of
talented young big men in the American game today. Or perhaps it
merely shouts about the true ability of the 7-foot Australian who
has led the University of Utah to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA
Tournament.
Bogut makes Utes' trip worth it Utah's Ray Giacoletti is the only coach at
the Austin Regional without an NCAA championship to his credit.
Giacoletti has one thing, however, that Duke's Mike Krzyzewski,
Michigan State's Tom Izzo and Kentucky's Tubby Smith don't have.
Curse or not, Utes ready After a week full of talk about Utah's
past failures against Kentucky, the Ute basketball team is ready to
show what it can do — this year.
Kentucky curse still haunts ex-UtesTime does not heal wounds like this. The
pain, almost certainly, will last forever. Years removed from their
personal battles against Kentucky, former University of Utah players
still recoil at the memory of losing to the Wildcats in the NCAA
Tournament. Yet, they also believe this year's team may finally be
the one that can achieve what eluded them.
Kragthorpe: Utes showing well in '98 comparisonsSo here they are, back in Texas, seven
years later. Remember the Alamodome? Utah and Kentucky are playing
basketball tonight in Austin, with an hour's drive on Interstate 35,
different casts of players and one new coaching staff distancing
them from that NCAA championship contest in San Antonio.
Unspectacular Hayes keeps winningEven when he was trying to recruit
Kentucky's Chuck Hayes to UC Santa Barbara a few years ago, Utah
assistant coach Marty Wilson remembers doubting that the former
California prep phenom could survive with the Wildcats.
Kentucky has schemeto bag BogutThe Kentucky Wildcats have been musing the
question all week, ever since they learned they would be meeting
All-American Andrew Bogut and the Utah Utes in the Sweet 16 of the
NCAA Tournament tonight at the Erwin Center:
NCAA Tournament: Could the Utes be next?Not many people expected them to make it
even this far, yet here the Utah Utes are in the Sweet 16 of the
NCAA Tournament, with a chance to exorcise all of their postseason
demons against the Kentucky Wildcats tonight at the Erwin Center.
Cats' mission: Contain BogutCenter not concerned by Utes'
history vs. UK Utah's All-America
center, Andrew Bogut, has heard all about how Kentucky wins these
seemingly annual NCAA Tournament matchups. He's not overly
impressed.
It's never too early to think UK-Duke
While there is no way Kentucky can look ahead to a possible Austin
Regional title game against Duke, there's no reason the rest of us
can't.
Morris eyes a challenge The eyes of
Texas -- and the rest of the nation -- are upon the University of
Kentucky's Randolph Morris. The big freshman center is well aware of
it. In fact, he kind of likes it.
No curse on Utes; UK has been better
You have Wile E. Coyote vs. Road Runner. You have the Buffalo Bills
vs. anybody. And you have the Boston Red Sox vs. The Curse. Ooops.
Scratch that one. Sometimes The Curse can be reversed. At least
that's what I'm hearing in the Utah basketball locker room
Utes aiming to end streak
It's been 28 years since Utah has beaten the University of Kentucky,
not nearly as long as the amount of time Boston Red Sox fans had to
wait for their team to win the World Series, but that hasn't stopped
Utes fans from calling their team's recent ineptitude against the
Wildcats a curse.
Wonder from Down Under Andrew Bogut
should feel right at home here. Austin shares more with Bogut's home
country of Australia than just the first three letters. There are
cowboys and cattle here, ranches and roundups, wide-open spaces.
Smith not surprised Cats in Sweet 16While some might be surprised that
Kentucky has played so well this season and is in the Sweet Sixteen,
coach Tubby Smith is not one.
In Austin, a summit meeting of top coaches
It isn't
quite the same without the oversized sweater -- the only kind Rick
Majerus could possibly wear -- but there's a nationally televised
coaching clinic going on here this weekend, featuring a full 30
percent of the active gentlemen who have won NCAA championships.
After returning to Utes, Jackson leads the charge
Marc Jackson walked away from the University of Utah basketball
program thinking he might never play in college again. Jackson quit
the Utes after the 2002-03 season because he no longer wanted to
play for former coach Rick Majerus.
Ute fans desperate to beat THEM
Some 2,233,169 alarm clocks -- enough for every person in the state
-- roll over to 6 a.m. Sonny and Cher come on the clock, day after
day after day, singing I Got You Babe.
Alleyne, Obrzut could be the keysSeven-foot sophomores Shagari Alleyne and
Lukasz Obrzut could be valuable reserves for Kentucky when the
Wildcats try to beat Utah and All-American center Andrew Bogut.
Bogut's in for a battle
The Loch
Ness Monster is a fabled creature that lurks in Northern Scotland's
Loch Ness. The University of Kentucky's "three-headed monster" of
centers Randolph Morris, Shagari Alleyne and Lukasz Obrzut patrols
the paint for the No. 2 seeded Wildcats.
More UK games, more chances to savor the passSPARKS TO RONDO A DIVINE EXPERIENCEThis is so exciting, I can't get over it.
And, I don't want to get over it, because this is as good as it
gets. And, it's good for me!
Azubuike no longer 'like Jane'
The smile and nonchalance gave Kelenna Azubuike away. He'd thought
about dunking on Utah center Andrew Bogut; he just didn't want to
admit it.
UK Hoops Takes On West Virginia in WNIT SemifinalsThe Kentucky women’s basketball team will
play host to the Mountaineers of West Virginia Monday, March 28 at 7
p.m. EST in Memorial Coliseum in the semifinal round of the 2005
Sportsview.tv Women's National Invitation Tournament.
Kentucky vs. Xavier - Post-Game QuotesKentucky Head Coach Mickie DeMoss
On the win… “Wow. What a game. I thought we had a great
comeback. We were down most of the game. The thing I liked about
what I saw tonight was the fact that we never quit. We kept
believing that we could win the game. Our seniors, I could see it in
their eyes. They weren’t ready for the season to be over. Our
seniors stepped up big. The whole team (stepped up big), but I saw
that will in the three seniors, (Sara) Potts and (Danyelle) Payne
and (Keiko) Tate. I’m very proud of this win. It’s a huge win for
this program.”
Potts keeps Cats aliveSENIOR SCORES 19 OF UK'S LAST 22
AS CATS RALLY FROM 9 DOWN LATE Sara Potts
simply refuses to let her season end. The senior scored the game's
last 11 points, and 19 of Kentucky's last 22, as the Wildcats
stormed back to defeat Xavier 67-62 in the quarterfinals of last
night's Women's National Invitation Tournament.
Baseball
Georgia Downs Kentucky in SEC Home Opener
Georgia pounded out 15 hits and held Kentucky to four en route to a
6-2 victory in the Wildcats Southeastern Conference home opener
Friday night at Applebee’s Park.
(3-24-05)
Basketball
Men
Ford interviews with UMass Eastern Kentucky coach Travis Ford, a
protege of UMass graduate Rick Pitino, was in Amherst yesterday to
interview for the coaching job at Massachusetts.
Utes know 'Cats strengths
By now, the Utah basketball team has learned a lot about Kentucky,
the team it plays in an NCAA third-round game at 7:40 p.m. Friday at
the Frank Erwin Center.
Ute madness en masseUniversity of Utah basketball fans in Utah
County? Total blasphemy. Yes, it's true, smack dab in the heart of
Cougar country. Ever daring, the Ute faithful even venture outside
in public.
Utes preparing for Wildcats' pressure D Led by a freshman point guard
who's a thieving machine, the Kentucky Wildcats and their pressure
defense led the Southeastern Conference in steals and turnover
margin this season, and no doubt have watched film of the Utah Utes
committing a season-high 21 turnovers in a second-round victory over
Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament.
Men's Basketball Pre-Game Press Conference Quotes - UtahKentucky Head Coach Tubby Smith
“We’re very excited about advancing in the NCAA Tournament, even
though we’ve got our work cut out with a good Utah team. We’re very
happy to have beaten two good teams in Eastern Kentucky – with
(coach) Travis (Ford), who did a good job with Eastern – and a good
win against a very tough and athletic Cincinnati team.”
Wildcats Back in Sweet 16; Prepare to Meet Familiar UtesKentucky returns to the Sweet 16 for the
41st time in school history and ninth time in the last 11 years to
face Mountain West champion Utah Friday. It is sixth NCAA Tournament
matchup in the last 13 years between the Wildcats and Utes.
Hayes seeks last piece of puzzleFINAL FOUR OUTING WOULD CEMENT
SENIOR'S CAREER With victory assured late in the
game against Cincinnati, Kentucky freshman Rajon Rondo had a message
for team leader Chuck Hayes.
Bluegrass finds itself in basketball bliss
For sporting moments in the Bluegrass, this is just about as good as
it gets. Louisville and Kentucky, making power moves across the NCAA
Tournament bracket, crackling into the Sweet Sixteen, playing as if
they were demanding four more games
UK freshmen through with orientation
The longer UK's season lasts, the more we discover about this
heralded class of freshmen -- especially the two starters, Rajon
Rondo and center Randolph Morris.
Majerus picks old team with new coach
Rick Majerus likes Utah to knock off the University of Kentucky
tomorrow night in the NCAA Tournament in part because he's no longer
coaching the Utes.
Cats given 2 days to 'get their legs back'
The University of Kentucky basketball team has played 32 games and
practiced since mid-October, so coach Tubby Smith is trying to
preserve the players' legs at this point in the season.
Women
Potts Clutch Again: Cats Advance to WNIT Semifinals
Senior Sara Potts once again proved that she was not ready for her
UK career to be over as she scored 29 of her game-high 31 points in
the second half helping Kentucky (18-15) overcome a 10 point
halftime deficit to defeat Xavier 67-62 in the quarterfinals of the
Sportsview.tv WNIT Thursday night in Memorial Coliseum.
Cats seek to avenge loss to Xavier with WNIT final 4 berth at stake
A bid to the Women's National Invitation
Tournament has provided a much-needed boost for the Kentucky
basketball program. Coming off home-floor wins over Eastern Michigan
(79-68) and Tennessee-Chattanooga (91-54), the Wildcats play host to
Xavier tonight. Tipoff in Memorial Coliseum is set for 7 p.m.
Wildcats Meet Xavier in WNIT Quarterfinals
The Kentucky women’s basketball team will play host to the Xavier
Musketeers in the quarterfinal round of the Sportsview.tv Women’s
National Invitation Tournament. Action will tip off Thursday, March
24 at 7 p.m. EST in Memorial Coliseum.
(3-23-05)
Basketball
Men
Kentucky's tandem is key to the Cats' chancesIn a reversal of recent history, the
2004-05 college basketball season has been all about the
upperclassmen. The best players on the best teams have been juniors
and seniors, to the betterment of a sport that has seen so much of
its talent siphoned off by the NBA.
Bogut: All the pressure is on UK Utah center Andrew Bogut says all the
pressure is on Kentucky going into Friday's Austin Regional
semifinal game
Cats serve up subsKentucky basketball Coach Tubby Smith has a
theory about why the Wildcats do so well in tournaments.
Cats-Utes a common NCAA clash As Kentucky prepares to face Utah in a
sixth NCAA Tournament, coach Tubby Smith said it's easy to reminisce
about the Wildcats' 1998 national championship.
Coach Giacoletti & Co. have Utah on the upswing again Utah
enters the Sweet 16 as the team that almost wasn't. The Utes would
have had a program, sure, but it has taken a certain magic from a
new coach, a 7-foot center and a malleable supporting cast to land
the team in its first regional semifinal since 1998.
Freshmen prosper in Kentucky's run
The first hint this wouldn't be the typical Kentucky basketball team
came in the preseason when coach Tubby Smith put an "off limits"
sign on his heralded freshman class.
Stock Is Rising for Wildcats' Pair of Blue-Chip FreshmenWhen Tubby Smith replaced Rick Pitino as
Kentucky's basketball coach, he changed the way the Wildcats
recruited. Instead of going after big-time prospects who were apt to
leave school after only two or three seasons, Smith recruited
less-talented players and meshed them into a team.
Kentucky has Utah's number
For 15
years, college basketball fans have associated Utah with former
sweater-wearing head coach Rick Majerus. During that span the Utes
have had some talented players, most recently Andre Miller, Keith
Van Horn and Michael Doleac, but none more recognizable than Majerus,
who resigned a year ago because of health concerns.
Not too late to say sorry It takes a
big man to admit he's wrong, and although I'm not a big man, I can
do a darn fine impersonation. When it comes to the NCAA Tournament,
I was wrong.
Utah's Bogut tops All-America votesAndrew Bogut was just another
international player when the college basketball season started, not
even meriting an honorable mention in the preseason All-America
balloting.
Bogut a super-size challenge for CatsUK TRIO WILL TRY TO LIMIT HIM
Kentucky will hardly be a bunch of Lilliputians trying to tie
down Andrew Bogut. The Cats have several of their own Gullivers to
go nose to nose against Utah's 7-foot All-American.
Utes don't suffer need for celebrity fans Billy Crystal, Adam Sandler and Dustin
Hoffman. Tom Hanks and Drew Carey are Cleveland Indians guys.
Spike Lee is all New York Knicks. Mike Myers loves his Toronto
Maple Leafs. Jerry Seinfeld is rabid about the New York Mets.
Jimmy Buffett once got tossed out of the arena by a referee during
a Miami Heat game. Tommy Lee Jones and George Strait are hard-core
supporters of the San Antonio Spurs. Matt Damon lives and dies with
the Boston Celtics.
Rondo enlarges repertoire
Like others have in the past, the University of Cincinnati guards
left Rajon Rondo alone in the corner of the right baseline, daring
him to take a 3-pointer.
Bogut's return was key for Utes
Ray Giacoletti worked overtime to keep Andrew Bogut at the
University of Utah, but, really, it came down to 40 hours.
Giacoletti not intimidated by Smith's success While first-year Utah coach Ray Giacoletti
is a relative newcomer to NCAA Tournament play, his counterpart at
Kentucky, Tubby Smith, has won an NCAA title. When Kentucky's Tubby
Smith walks out on the court to meet Utah in the NCAA Tournament on
Friday, everybody will know him as the sagacious and smooth veteran
coach who has taken three teams to eight previous Sweet 16s and won
a national championship with the Wildcats - against the Utes, no
less.
Women
Cats get rematch with Xavier The
Kentucky women's basketball team will look to avenge a loss earlier
this season when it hosts Xavier Thursday in the quarterfinals of
the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
Baseball
UK Baseball vs. Eastern Kentucky Cancelled
Kentucky’s baseball game with Eastern Kentucky scheduled for
Wednesday at Richmond, Ky., has been cancelled due to inclement
weather.
(3-22-05)
Basketball
Men
Past disappointments drive Kentucky senior Chuck Hayes The
"servant" of the University of Kentucky men's basketball team sat in
front of his locker at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, a mixture of
relief and joy finally taking hold.
Utes say history is bunk Just back from their excellent adventure
in Arizona, the Utah coaches and players are slowly turning their
eyes toward Texas. No, not Kentucky, but Texas, where they'll
play their next NCAA tournament game Friday at the Frank Erwin
Center in Austin at 7:40 p.m. MST. They'll be matched up with
Kentucky, after Duke and Michigan State play at 5:10 p.m.
That's pretty heady company to be keeping this weekend with three
schools that have combined for 212 NCAA victories and 12 national
titles, including six in the past 15 years.
Can The Cats Go Six-For-Six Against Utah? Utah's history against Kentucky in the
NCAA tournament can't be much worse. There've been five meetings in
the last 12 years and every result has been the same - a Kentucky
victory.
Bogut will be big test for UK
His name might not be one most college basketball
fans would recognize, but Kentucky is going to face perhaps the
nation's best collegiate player Friday when it goes against Utah.
May I have your attention,
please. If we can call a brief respite to March mania for one
shining moment, I propose a day of thanksgiving.
Cats, Cards on Final Four journeyNow that the early bracket-busting in the
NCAA Tournament is finished, one thing should be clear to everyone.
Moss grew into one tough Cat
The
locker room was crowded and loud. On the left side, 7-foot-3 Shagari
Alleyne had begun to rap — his own song, a rhyming shout-out to his
University of Kentucky teammates.
Hayes' intensity infectious
The
"servant" of the University of Kentucky men's basketball team sat in
front of his locker at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, a mixture of
relief and joy finally taking hold.
UK's depth key for its title run
Most reserves are freshmen or sophomores
Kentucky basketball coach Tubby Smith has a
theory about why the Wildcats do so well in tournaments.
Utah gets one more chance at Wildcats
Utes hope to end 0-5 tournament drought
Utah's history against Kentucky in the NCAA
tournament can't be much worse.
Cats, Utes to collide again
Kentucky's run to an eighth national
championship will start to feel a little familiar.
Women
Wildcats Meet Xavier in WNIT Quarterfinals
The Kentucky women’s basketball team will play host to the Xavier
Musketeers in the quarterfinal round of the Sportsview.tv Women’s
National Invitation Tournament. Action will tip off Thursday, March
24 at 7 p.m. EST in Memorial Coliseum.
Boothe's 30 points propel Xavier into meeting with Kentucky
Tara Boothe scored 23 points in the second half
and the Xavier Musketeers staved off an Indiana State comeback for a
79-70 victory last night in the Women's National Invitation
Tournament.
Baseball
Baseball Travels to Eastern Kentucky
The Kentucky baseball team plays its ninth straight
road game Wednesday afternoon when it travels the short distance to
Eastern Kentucky for a 3 p.m. start against the Colonels.
(3-21-05)
Basketball
Men
Cats can say they are tough enough after victory
Concentrated
energy oozed from the floor of the RCA Dome. Players exchanged nasty
looks. Fans who had waited 15 years for the University of Kentucky
and Cincinnati basketball teams to play exalted in the kind of
atmosphere that only the NCAA Tournament creates.
At Tickets sports bar, located
in an abandoned firehouse on Covington's Sixth Street, the buildup
to Saturday night's Kentucky-Cincinnati game began with UK fans
chanting "Blue! White!" over the heads of outnumbered Bearcats
fans.
This time, Majerus likes Utah's chancesEX-COACH OF PERENNIAL UK
VICTIM SIDES WITH UTES' VETERANS, BOGUT It's
Charlie Brown falling to the ground after Lucy pulls away the
football. It's Martin Scorcese going home empty-handed from the
Oscars. It's Gatewood Galbraith conceding on Election Night.
Again.
UC-UK leaves us wanting more
We gotta do this again sometime. Fourteen
years is too long between civil wars. Especially when the basketball
produced leaves you breathless and begging for more. It's tempting
to say this was such good stuff that the outcome didn't matter.
Compared to this, reality TV is old men on a park bench. It's
reasonable to suggest we judge Kentucky 69, Cincinnati 60 as if it
were a painting or a photograph. Reasonable, yeah. But it ain't
gonna happen.
4-year deal history by now A copy of Cincinnati's contract with
Kentucky used to hang on a wall in coach Bob Huggins' restaurant.
UC fans ready for a rematch At Uncle Woody's Bar near the University
of Cincinnati campus, fans began to arrive at 4:30 p.m. to watch the
Bearcats play the Kentucky Wildcats in what they affectionately
refer to as "The Pit," a sunken viewing area in front of a giant TV
screen.
Huggins miffed by guards' play Cincinnati's perimeter players infuriated
Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins Saturday. And then they didn't. And
then they did. And then they didn't.
Slow UC start had Huggins snarling Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins ripped into
his players with a profanity-laced tirade after the Bearcats fell
behind 9-0 to Kentucky in a second-round NCAA Tournament game
Saturday night at the RCA Dome.
'Madness' offers new holy daysHas it ever occurred to you that the men's
Final Four is a battle between the apoplectic forces of good and
evil?
Judd not next Mark Twain Actress Ashley Judd, Kentucky's most
celebrated backer, is writing a guest column for the Lexington
Herald Leader during the tournament. Saturday she revealed she's
day-to-day with the flu, "the nasty one that has closed whole county
school systems," along with "a totally gross sinus infection to make
me even more miserable."
Freshman Rondo does it all in Kentucky's win over Cincy
Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins had a handshake for everyone on the
Kentucky team. Coach Tubby Smith and his assistants. Power forward
Chuck Hayes and his teammates. Huggins had a handshake for everyone
but the last Wildcat in line, Rajon Rondo.
One Shining MomentFor those who have watched the often ugly, often
frustrating growing pains of the baby-blue 2004-05 Kentucky
Wildcats, it was a play that encapsulated their entire season.
Cats get physical on defense,
allowing 1 point in last 5:04 It was
worth the wait. Neighborly non-rivals Kentucky and Cincinnati hadn't
played against each other since 1990. When the matchup came last
night, it proved memorable.
The Cats are back The stat sheet
showed 12 rebounds and 11 points, a double-double. It was the first
of the season for a 6-foot-10 freshman center who plays a position
in which talent is judged by double-double frequency.
Cats, fans turn it upRondo and Morris carry the load
And a child shall lead them. Two children, in fact. Back
to the Sweet 16. Yes, put on your 10-gallon hat. Pull on your boots
and spurs. Kick up a little dust with a Texas two-step, or the Lone
Star shuffle. When it comes to the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky is back
in the Sweet 16 saddle.
Memory of 2004 does trick for Hayes
Chuck Hayes had plenty of motivation in last night's 69-60 victory
over Cincinnati. The University of Kentucky senior forward vividly
remembers the anguish on the faces of teammates Cliff Hawkins,
Gerald Fitch, Erik Daniels and Antwain Barbour -- all seniors last
year -- after a second-round NCAA Tournament upset loss to Alabama
Birmingham.
Kentucky shows it possesses toughnessKentucky is tough enough after all. The
Wildcats used a near perfect start against Cincinnati to get the
lead and then mustered more than enough courage to hold off the
Bearcats 69-60 here Saturday.
Morris proves to be one tough guy when Kentucky needs one most
All season long, the whispers kept getting louder. The skeptics had
already composed The Book on Randolph Morris. Kentucky's freshman
big man -- he of the impassive court demeanor and uneven court
performance -- was softer than tulip petals.
Cats' kittens 'come of age'
University of Kentucky men's basketball coach Tubby Smith said his
first-year players no longer should be considered freshmen, and last
night Randolph Morris and Rajon Rondo shed the label themselves.
Morris comes up huge in Kentucky victoryThe more freshman center Randolph Morris
heard the Kentucky coaching staff talk about Cincinnati, the more he
knew he had to play well for the Wildcats to win.
'We actually went and got the ball' Before
the game, Kentucky players heard a lot of talk about a supposed lack
of toughness. So after a 69-60 victory over Cincinnati last night,
the Cats flexed their muscles.
Regional rivalry intense in the stands
When Chris Collins returned to his Cincinnati home late Friday
night, he found his car rolled in toilet paper and "Go UC" and "UC
Rocks" scribbled across his windshield.
UK beats Bearcats in paintCincinnati still is playing the little brother to
neighboring Kentucky. The Wildcats just keep beating them up.
Kentucky vs. Utah Cincinnati went
0-for-13 from the field over the final 5:04 last night. How the
final 5:04 unfolded after Jihad Muhammad's layup with 5:05 to go
pulled Cincinnati within 60-59:
Any similarity is purely coincidentalWELTLICH SAYS RUPP NOT SUBJECT OF
BOOK ON REFS; CBS REGRETS OMISSION OF THE SEC
Former Ole Miss Coach Bob Weltlich has written a book titled Crooked
Zebra. And, no, it's not an expose of how games are officiated at
Rupp Arena.
Women
Potts Named AP All-SEC
For the second consecutive
season, Kentucky women’s basketball senior Sara Potts was named to
the All-Southeastern Conference second team announced by The
Associated Press. She also was named to the All-SEC second team by
the league coaches.
Kentucky is hoping to capture
the energy it had in its first-round game of the Women's National
Invitation Tournament and bottle it for this afternoon.
UK, Chattanooga to meet in WNIT
The University of Kentucky will host Chattanooga at 2 p.m. EST today
in Memorial Coliseum in the second round of the Women's National
Invitation Tournament.
Baseball
Late Rally Lifts Alabama Past Kentucky
Allen Rice blooped an RBI single to left field to break a
seventh-inning tie and lead Alabama to a 5-3 victory over Kentucky
on Saturday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
(3-20-05)
Basketball
Men
UK fans waste no time starting party
At Tickets sports bar, located
in an abandoned firehouse on Covington's Sixth Street, the buildup
to Saturday night's Kentucky-Cincinnati game began with UK fans
chanting "Blue! White!" over the heads of outnumbered Bearcats
fans.
UC-UK leaves us wanting more We gotta do this again sometime. Fourteen
years is too long between civil wars. Especially when the basketball
produced leaves you breathless and begging for more. It's tempting
to say this was such good stuff that the outcome didn't matter.
Compared to this, reality TV is old men on a park bench. It's
reasonable to suggest we judge Kentucky 69, Cincinnati 60 as if it
were a painting or a photograph. Reasonable, yeah. But it ain't
gonna happen.
4-year deal history by now A copy of Cincinnati's contract with
Kentucky used to hang on a wall in coach Bob Huggins' restaurant.
UC fans ready for a rematch At Uncle Woody's Bar near the University
of Cincinnati campus, fans began to arrive at 4:30 p.m. to watch the
Bearcats play the Kentucky Wildcats in what they affectionately
refer to as "The Pit," a sunken viewing area in front of a giant TV
screen.
Huggins miffed by guards' play Cincinnati's perimeter players infuriated
Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins Saturday. And then they didn't. And
then they did. And then they didn't.
Slow UC start had Huggins snarling Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins ripped into
his players with a profanity-laced tirade after the Bearcats fell
behind 9-0 to Kentucky in a second-round NCAA Tournament game
Saturday night at the RCA Dome.
'Madness' offers new holy daysHas it ever occurred to you that the men's
Final Four is a battle between the apoplectic forces of good and
evil?
Judd not next Mark Twain Actress Ashley Judd, Kentucky's most
celebrated backer, is writing a guest column for the Lexington
Herald Leader during the tournament. Saturday she revealed she's
day-to-day with the flu, "the nasty one that has closed whole county
school systems," along with "a totally gross sinus infection to make
me even more miserable."
Freshman Rondo does it all in Kentucky's win over Cincy
Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins had a handshake for everyone on the
Kentucky team. Coach Tubby Smith and his assistants. Power forward
Chuck Hayes and his teammates. Huggins had a handshake for everyone
but the last Wildcat in line, Rajon Rondo.
One Shining MomentFor those who have watched the often ugly, often
frustrating growing pains of the baby-blue 2004-05 Kentucky
Wildcats, it was a play that encapsulated their entire season.
Cats get physical on defense,
allowing 1 point in last 5:04 It was
worth the wait. Neighborly non-rivals Kentucky and Cincinnati hadn't
played against each other since 1990. When the matchup came last
night, it proved memorable.
The Cats are back The stat sheet
showed 12 rebounds and 11 points, a double-double. It was the first
of the season for a 6-foot-10 freshman center who plays a position
in which talent is judged by double-double frequency.
Cats, fans turn it upRondo and Morris carry the load
And a child shall lead them. Two children, in fact. Back
to the Sweet 16. Yes, put on your 10-gallon hat. Pull on your boots
and spurs. Kick up a little dust with a Texas two-step, or the Lone
Star shuffle. When it comes to the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky is back
in the Sweet 16 saddle.
Memory of 2004 does trick for Hayes
Chuck Hayes had plenty of motivation in last night's 69-60 victory
over Cincinnati. The University of Kentucky senior forward vividly
remembers the anguish on the faces of teammates Cliff Hawkins,
Gerald Fitch, Erik Daniels and Antwain Barbour -- all seniors last
year -- after a second-round NCAA Tournament upset loss to Alabama
Birmingham.
Kentucky shows it possesses toughnessKentucky is tough enough after all. The
Wildcats used a near perfect start against Cincinnati to get the
lead and then mustered more than enough courage to hold off the
Bearcats 69-60 here Saturday.
Morris proves to be one tough guy when Kentucky needs one most
All season long, the whispers kept getting louder. The skeptics had
already composed The Book on Randolph Morris. Kentucky's freshman
big man -- he of the impassive court demeanor and uneven court
performance -- was softer than tulip petals.
Cats' kittens 'come of age'
University of Kentucky men's basketball coach Tubby Smith said his
first-year players no longer should be considered freshmen, and last
night Randolph Morris and Rajon Rondo shed the label themselves.
Morris comes up huge in Kentucky victoryThe more freshman center Randolph Morris
heard the Kentucky coaching staff talk about Cincinnati, the more he
knew he had to play well for the Wildcats to win.
'We actually went and got the ball' Before
the game, Kentucky players heard a lot of talk about a supposed lack
of toughness. So after a 69-60 victory over Cincinnati last night,
the Cats flexed their muscles.
Regional rivalry intense in the stands
When Chris Collins returned to his Cincinnati home late Friday
night, he found his car rolled in toilet paper and "Go UC" and "UC
Rocks" scribbled across his windshield.
UK beats Bearcats in paintCincinnati still is playing the little brother to
neighboring Kentucky. The Wildcats just keep beating them up.
Kentucky vs. Utah Cincinnati went
0-for-13 from the field over the final 5:04 last night. How the
final 5:04 unfolded after Jihad Muhammad's layup with 5:05 to go
pulled Cincinnati within 60-59:
Any similarity is purely coincidentalWELTLICH SAYS RUPP NOT SUBJECT OF
BOOK ON REFS; CBS REGRETS OMISSION OF THE SEC
Former Ole Miss Coach Bob Weltlich has written a book titled Crooked
Zebra. And, no, it's not an expose of how games are officiated at
Rupp Arena.
Women
Cats tap energy reserve for MocsDEMOSS COUNTING ON
INTERIOR DEFENSE AGAINST SIZE-CHALLENGED CHATTANOOGA
Kentucky is hoping to capture
the energy it had in its first-round game of the Women's National
Invitation Tournament and bottle it for this afternoon.
UK, Chattanooga to meet in WNIT
The University of Kentucky will host Chattanooga at 2 p.m. EST today
in Memorial Coliseum in the second round of the Women's National
Invitation Tournament.
Baseball
Late Rally Lifts Alabama Past Kentucky
Allen Rice blooped an RBI single to left field to break a
seventh-inning tie and lead Alabama to a 5-3 victory over Kentucky
on Saturday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
(3-19-05)
Basketball
Men
UK 69 -- UC 60
(Final)
Wildcats Advance to Sweet 16
All five
Kentucky starters scored in double figures led by Kelenna Azubuike
with 19 as the Wildcats held off the Cincinnati Bearcats, 69-60, in
the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday in Indianapolis.
Border war
Led by Kelenna Azubuike's 19 points, No. 2 seed Kentucky knocks out
Cincinnati 69-60. It is the first matchup since 1990 for the two,
who are separated by roughly 85 miles.
Cats break away from Cincy lateIt was worth the wait. Kentucky and
Cincinnati, neighborly non-rivals, hadn't played against each other
since 1990. When the matchup came, it proved memorable.
Cincinnati
forward Eric Hicks stood in the locker room holding a sandwich that
probably needed to be in his mouth.
UC relishes rare chance to take aim at Kentucky Imagine crossing the Scioto River and
entering Michigan. Also imagine the hated Wolverines and your
beloved Ohio State Buckeyes never played in football, so there was
no game your team’s superiority.
They don't want it to end It isn't about you and your neighbor in Fort
Thomas who puts on the black hat with the paw-print C to take out
the trash. It isn't about you and the guy next to you on the Batavia
production line, the one you have to cover for on days after
Kentucky loses because he just doesn't have it in him to crank out
his share of machine tools.
Blue state vs. Red state faceoff on the home front Forget
last year's presidential race. The real blue state vs. red state
faceoff is at 8:10 p.m. today when UK and UC tip off. Nowhere is the
battle more smokin' than right here where the Kentucky and Ohio
borders touch.
One thing sure: It'll be physical After watching the University of
Cincinnati's front line of Jason Maxiell, Eric Hicks and Roy Bright
punish their opponents inside, University of Kentucky forward Sheray
Thomas figures he and his teammates have two options.
Bragging rights, or last rites Once again, University of Cincinnati coach
Bob Huggins was asked about his players and how much they were
looking forward to finally getting to play against the University of
Kentucky. He looked out as his players leaving for Friday's
practice and didn't see anyone who grew up in the Bluegrass State
and only three from Ohio -- none of whom was recruited to play at UC.
Max almost a different cat Imagine Jason Maxiell in a Kentucky
uniform playing for Tubby Smith. That might make University of
Cincinnati fans cringe, but it could have happened.
Wildcat store fills blue voidWhen the University of Kentucky store
opened early Thursday morning at the tony Indianapolis Circle Centre
mall, fans were clamoring to get in, get merchandise and get to the
noon game at the nearby RCA Dome.
Cat fight in Hoosier land
For area basketball fans, it's a dream match-up that brings with it
a year's worth of bragging rights. Today in Indianapolis, the
Kentucky Wildcats and the Cincinnati Bearcats will meet in the
second round of the NCAA tournament with the winner advancing to the
prestigious Sweet 16.
At long last, Cincy is taking aim at UK
The matchup everyone wanted is finally here. Well, almost. The
University of Cincinnati and the University of Kentucky meet today
in men's basketball for the first time in nearly 15 years. UK
defeated Eastern Kentucky 72-64 in Thursday's first game, and UC
beat Iowa 76-64 in the second game. Now the two will meet for the
right to move onto the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA's Austin Regional.
The two teams haven't met since Nov. 28, 1990. UC hasn't beaten UK
since Dec. 20, 1939.
Game could hinge on rebounding battleOne knock on Kentucky is that when the
Wildcats struggle, it's due to a lack of rebounding. That's an area
of emphasis for Cincinnati, Kentucky's second-round foe in today's
NCAA Tournament game at the RCA Dome. The Bearcats aren't the
tallest team and struggle from the perimeter, but coach Bob Huggins
again has his share of leapers.
Kentucky, Cincy face first meeting in 15 years Kentucky and Cincinnati haven't played
each other in basketball for 15 years, but that hardly matters. The
Rivalry That Isn't does not need actual games to keep it alive.
Wildcat fans just know how to annoy you Actual e-mail from an honest-to-bluegrass
University of Tubby basketball fan, sent moments after Cincinnati
beat Iowa Thursday, cementing its made-for-Armageddon match with
Kentucky: "Whipping UC means nothing to our RPI,
seeding or recruiting. That Big Blue train is coming down the track
and there ain't nothing UC fans can do to stop it. Just close your
eyes and it will be over before you know it. UC has as much chance
of beating us in a one-and-done matchup as Dick Vitale does scoring
with Ashley Judd."
UK braces for physical matchup Kentucky's practice was so physical
Friday, senior forward Chuck Hayes left with an ice bag on his left
shoulder.
Long-separated rivals to get dose of own 'D' Here we go. Fourteen years after the
University of Cincinnati and Kentucky last played each other in
basketball, they're ready to have at it again.
'Never count a bearcat out' So if a Wildcat and a Bearcat met in the
woods - and just happened to get in a fight over, say, a basketball
- the winner would be...
On eve of showdown, the insults were flying The long wait is over. Cincinnati fans
get their chance tonight to see if their beloved Bearcats can knock
big, bad Kentucky out of the NCAA Tournament.
Following a
72-64 win over nearby Eastern Kentucky in Thursday’s first round of
the NCAA Tournament, No. 2-seeded Kentucky takes on another regional
opponent, No. 7-seeded Cincinnati, in Saturday’s second round.
Cats know their toughness will be testedRandolph Morris expects Cincinnati to try
to intimidate him, and Kentucky's other young players, early in
Saturday's second round NCAA Tournament game here.
Cats' four freshmen say they'll be back next season
The four University of Kentucky freshmen who
made up what some considered the nation's top basketball recruiting
class last year say they'll return for their sophomore seasons.
NCAA tough-man contestBold Bearcats to test Cats' mettle
Kentucky not only won the first game of this NCAA
Tournament. The Cats were targets of the first taunts. Leaving the
RCA Dome court after beating Eastern Kentucky on Thursday afternoon,
the Cats heard a warning from Cincinnati fans:
Alleyne, Obrzut say they're staying at UKNeither one has played as much as he hoped
this year, but Shagari Alleyne and Lukasz Obrzut once again insist
rumors that they will leave Kentucky when this season ends are
nothing more than rumors.
UK-UC rivalry burns off court You
can't really call them rivals. Rivals play. Rivals tee it up, tip it
off, take the diamond. Rivals compete regularly on the same stage at
the same time. Rivals form their feud between the lines.
Tubby dashes rumors of move to Virginia
Like Easter eggs and dogwoods in blossom, Kentucky basketball has
its own rite of spring. That would be its coach being rumored as a
candidate for another job.
UK-UC 'going to be man's game' When
the University of Kentucky men's basketball team meets Cincinnati
tonight at the RCA Dome in the second round of the NCAA Tournament,
the mantra will be, Bring it.
Kentucky vs. Cincinnati Overall:
Kentucky leads 26-10 At Lexington: Kentucky leads 18-3 At
Cincinnati: Kentucky leads 8-7
Cats vs. Cats a rivalry only in fans' minds
Rivalry? What rivalry? The teams have played only five times in the
past 57 years. Kentucky has won 14 consecutive times in the series.
The Bearcats haven't beaten the Wildcats since Dec. 16, 1939.
Women
Cats Play Host to Chattanooga in Sportsview.tv WNIT Second RoundThe Kentucky women’s basketball team will
play host to the Chattanooga Lady Mocs Sunday, March 20 at 2 p.m.
EST in Memorial Coliseum in the second round of the 2005
Sportsview.tv Women's National Invitation Tournament. The Cats
defeated Eastern Michigan 79-68 in their opening round game while
Chattanooga took a 50-40 win over Villanova in its first game.
(3-18-05)
Basketball
Men
Cats advance to play Kentucky
For 14 years Bearcat fans
have waited for a meeting with the Kentucky Wildcats. Saturday, they
will get their wish, as UC defeated Iowa Thursday, 76-64, in the
first round of the NCAA tournament to earn a showdown with the No. 2
seed Wildcats.
Area fans get dream game Jason Maxiell wants all those Kentucky
fans living in Greater Cincinnati to know there's a reason the
Bearcats play with the word "Cincinnati" stitched across their
jerseys.
UC-UK: Game on
The matchup that Greater Cincinnati has been waiting
for since 1990 will take place Saturday at the RCA Dome.
'Cat fight coming
We like to think that this UC-UK thing beats only in
the hearts of blue- and redbloods locally: It's a Greater
Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky thing. You wouldn't understand.
UK fans in their element with blue beer, bluster Kirk Music and Pat Ayers feel at home now,
among their fellow Kentucky basketball fans. It's here, at Willie's
Sports Café, that they can whoop and holler, drink blue beer and get
blue tongues.
Wildcats need to be chairmen of boards Saturday, when Kentucky takes the floor
against Cincinnati, there are a couple things freshman Rajon Rondo
wants the Cats to do.
What's wrong with Sparks?In the final minutes of UK's 72-64 win
over Eastern Kentucky Thursday, there must have been one question on
the collective mind of Wildcat fans watching the game on
television.
Rondo delivers in clutchAs Eastern Kentucky rattled UK with
physical play and clutch shooting, Rajon Rondo stayed calm.
Can't get no motivation In the end, No. 7 Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky
were separated by eight points, making it the closest game in series
history.
Wildcats take intrastate matchupKentucky's close call against in-state
upstart Eastern Kentucky almost got too close for the Commonwealth
kings.
Bearcats vs. Wildcats For the Tri-state, it's a matchup made in heaven.
The University of Cincinnati will take on the University of
Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA men's basketball
tournament.
Not counting self-inflicted
wounds, Kentucky lacks a killer's instinct. That was the message the
Cats took from an opening-round 72-64 victory over Eastern Kentucky
in the NCAA Tournament yesterday.
Nervous? Not these freshmen
The lead
shrank to five, the noose tightened and University of Kentucky
freshman point guard Rajon Rondo threw the ball into the stands with
3:50 remaining. All was forgiven and forgotten two minutes and 22
seconds later when Rondo intercepted a pass and streaked up the
court in the other direction for one of his five steals.
Cats had better find some fire
Approximately four minutes remained of halftime yesterday when Tubby
Smith stepped onto the floor of the RCA Dome just in time to find
his Kentucky basketball team loping through the layup line.
Cats haven't learned lesson from last yearEastern didn't come close to playing
perfect here today in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament. Yet
the Colonels still came close to beating Kentucky.
Scrappy Colonels had win in sight
One fan seated in an end zone seat displayed on his body the
sentiments many in central Kentucky felt in their hearts: half of
his body was painted blue for the University of Kentucky, the other
half maroon for Eastern Kentucky.
Travis Ford's bunch manages to win while losing
The first 60 years of the NCAA Tournament? They were OK. Rupp and
The Fabulous Five; North Carolina's triple-overtime slaying of Wilt;
Wooden's dynasty; David Thompson; Indiana's perfection; Jordan's
jumper; Jimmy V's hug; Villanova; "Now, here's a long pass to
Laettner ..."; The Comeback Cats; Carmelo.
Rondo, Morris make clutch plays for CatsWith Eastern Kentucky positioning itself
to pull off a historic upset over Kentucky to open NCAA Tournament
play, the Wildcats turned to two freshmen for key plays to pull out
a 72-64 win here today.
Wildcats survive ColonelsNot counting self-inflicted wounds, the
University of Kentucky basketball team lacks a killer's instinct.
A crisis of faithfulTournament game splits allegiances of
UK, EKU fans Ralph Coldiron was trying
to leave his home in Lexington early Wednesday morning when his
13-year-old daughter stopped him. "I want to know right now, Who are
you going to root for on Thursday? Eastern Kentucky University or
University of Kentucky?"
EKU earns respect EKU may have lost
72-64 in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but they made a
strong showing. Even the fans in Blue cheered on the Colonels as
they pulled within Five points of the Cats lead.
Maxiell's maximum effort sets up matchup with UK
Cincinnati expects blocked shots and rebounds from Jason Maxiell.
But three-pointers? The 6-foot-7 senior had 22 points, nine
rebounds, six blocked shots, a pair of steals and the first two
three-point baskets of his college career yesterday in a 76-64
first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Iowa.
'It's a dream story – almost'
Senior forward Michael Haney had hoped to etch Eastern Kentucky's
name into the history books alongside Hampton in 2001, Coppin State
in 1997, Santa Clara in 1993 and Richmond in 1991.
Sparks goes scoreless on his 22nd birthday
No happy birthday for Patrick Sparks. And whatever you do, don't
wish him many more like yesterday. The Kentucky guard went scoreless
for only the third time in his college career as UK outlasted
Eastern Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament first round. Sparks, who was
born on St. Patrick's Day and named after the Irish saint, did not
take a shot in the first half. When he finally did take a shot two
minutes into the second half, he launched a three-point air ball.
Heartache in Richmond
Eastern Kentucky University freshman Mario Anderson said his heart
was "beating pretty fast" as he watched his team get within five
points of upsetting the heavily favored University of Kentucky
Wildcats.
Despite win, Wildcats still have flaws
Whew.
That can describe how the Kentucky Wildcats felt Thursday afternoon
after pulling away for a 72-64 victory over the Eastern Kentucky
Colonels in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the RCA Dome
in Indianapolis.
Glass slipper eludes Eastern As the
three-pointers rained down inside the RCA Dome and his team inched
closer and closer, Eastern Kentucky's Alonzo Hird knew Kentucky was
feeling the stress.
Cats win, Colonels grin The time for talk
has passed. And if the University of Kentucky basketball team
doesn't start putting words into action, this could be another short
trip in the NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky Fends Off Eastern Kentucky
They slowed Kentucky's fast break, shut down the Wildcats on the
perimeter and even stole some of their state rival's fans. But the
Eastern Kentucky Colonels couldn't stop the second-seeded Wildcats'
powerful inside game.
Nick Lachey challenges Judd to duelA CINCINNATI FAN, POP STAR TRASH
TALKS UK In Saturday's NCAA Tournament
collision of college basketball's Montagues and Capulets, the
University of Cincinnati believes it can match the University of
Kentucky in star play and star power.
Dream match is a day away
The
matchup everyone wanted is finally here. Well, almost. The game
isn't until Saturday, but the University of Cincinnati and the
University of Kentucky will meet in men's basketball for the first
time in nearly 15 years. Both the Bearcats and Wildcats won here at
the RCA Dome Thursday, creating Saturday's second-round NCAA
tournament showdown.
Women
UK Hoops Advances Past Eastern Michigan in WNIT
Samantha Mahoney and Sara Potts scored 19 points apiece as they led
Kentucky to a 79-68 victory over Eastern Michigan in the first round
of the Sportsview.tv WNIT Friday in Memorial Coliseum.
Cats wary of 23-7 EaglesDEMOSS HOPES RUGGED SEC SCHEDULE
WILL HAVE HER TEAM READY FOR POST-SEASON
Like an artist from the motivational movement, Eastern Michigan
Coach Suzy Merchant paints a picture of an underdog in broad
green-and-white strokes.
(3-17-05)
Basketball
Men
UK 72 -- EKU 64
(Final)
Wildcats advance to second roundEKU GETS TO WITHIN FIVE POINTS
LATE, BUT NO CLOSER
Kentucky breathed life into the
unofficial slogan of the NCAA Tournament: Survive and advance. The
Cats beat Eastern Kentucky 72-64 today in the neighborly first-round
matchup despite a reoccurence of familiar problems this season, most
glaringly a loss in the rebounding battle.
Kentucky
survives scare from Eastern Kentucky
Kelenna Azubuike and Chuck Hayes both scored 16 points to lead
Kentucky past Eastern Kentucky, 72-64, in the first round of the
NCAA Tournament from the RCA Dome.
Kentucky demotes Colonels with inside job
Kentucky didn't have to rely on its 3-point shooting Thursday.
Instead, the Wildcats took advantage of their powerful inside game.
Chuck
Hayes and Kelenna Azubuike scored 16 points apiece as Kentucky held
off a second-half rally by Eastern Kentucky to defeat the Colonels
72-64 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday in
Indianapolis.
Thankfully,
they picked a neutral state in which to play these games. Indiana --
who would have thought? -- has become the Switzerland of college
basketball.
Wildcats in good spirits Moments after Kentucky lost to Florida in
Sunday's Southeastern Conference Tournament final, a dejected Chuck
Hayes said each player needed to "look in the mirror and do some
soul-searching."
Neighborly rivalry spills over borderWouldn't you know it? A school like
Eastern Kentucky earns its initial bid to the national championship
tournament in 26 years and its reward is a first-round game against
a neighbor. And not just any neighbor, but the University of
Kentucky, which has won seven more NCAA Division I men's titles and
93 more tournament games than the Colonels (zero and zero)
Big Maroon vs. Big BlueThursday has been a long time coming for
Eastern Kentucky University. More than a quarter-century, actually.
Are Cats set up for NCAA fall?Let me tell you what kind of friends I
have. One called from Lexington last week and asked, "How deep do
you think this Kentucky team will advance in the NCAA?"
Against royalty, overlooked
Colonels hope to earn attention It's one
thing to be overlooked as an opponent in the NCAA Tournament. It's
quite another to be overlooked on Selection Sunday. That's the low
profile Eastern Kentucky brings into today's first-round game
against Kentucky.
Divided loyalties Gus Benson buried
his face in his hands as he recalled learning that his beloved
Eastern Kentucky University would play his other favorite basketball
team, the University of Kentucky, during March Madness.
Youngsters make point
Tubby
Smith is a master of non-verbal communication. As soon as the
University of Kentucky head coach flashes one of his sharp, angry
looks his players know exactly what he is trying to say. "When I see
that look, I'm like, oh God, please let me make this up the next
play because Coach is crazy," UK freshman point guard Ramel Bradley
said, laughing.
Old friends, foes for a daySmith, Ford bonded during season
under Pitino The two were together one year.
Travis Ford was in his first year at Kentucky; Tubby Smith was in
his last, as an assistant coach, anyway. Travis had transferred in
from Missouri; Tubby was on his way out, to Tulsa.
UK, EKU hold a Bluegrass festival
Right there in the middle of Eastern Kentucky University's party
last Sunday, an Eastern student went on television and professed his
love for University of Kentucky basketball.
1st-year leaders
Freshman point guards who have led their team to the Final Four and
beyond in the past 25 years.
What could tear Judd from Cats?TRIP TO SOUTH AFRICA WILL KEEP HER
AWAY FOR 1ST, 2ND ROUNDS Actress Ashley
Judd, UK's most famous basketball fan, will write periodic columns
on the Cats for the Herald-Leader during the NCAA Tournament.
Two UK fans to get good look at their idols
Eastern Kentucky University guard Ben Rushing, who will face the
University of Kentucky today in the NCAA Tournament, admits to
growing up as a huge Wildcats fan in Clinton Ky.
UK players enjoy wide open spaces
One obvious difference between a No. 2 seed and a No. 15 seed in the
NCAA tournament is the size of the locker room assigned to each
team.
Colonels have lines memorizedBUT EACH MUST NAIL HIS ROLE ON THE
BIG STAGE TO BEAT UK Alonzo Hird looked
around the Eastern Kentucky locker room and said: "I've never gotten
nervous with this team. From the starting five to the last guy on
the bench, we can all make good plays. We just play our role."
Eastern may try to snap McLeish on Rondo's collar
When Travis Ford scoured the junior-college ranks for the missing
pieces in his rebuilding project at Eastern Kentucky University, one
of his key finds was Jason McLeish.
Wildcats ready for EKU
Eastern Kentucky forward Michael Haney heard his
friends' subtle message early this week.
Wimp to UK fans: don't worry Kentucky's
run in the Southeastern Conference Tournament was a familiar sight
to former Alabama Coach Wimp Sanderson. His Alabama team traveled
the same road in 1992: epic semifinal victory followed by hitting
the proverbial wall in the finals in 1992.
Colonels and Cats: 2 sides of one coin How
One Side Lives, Part I: Eastern Kentucky University basketball coach
Travis Ford stepped onto the podium to relieve his players of their
news-conference duties. They stood up, then paused.
HOW BIG OF A FAN ARE YOU? We are all
Kentucky fans: the University of Kentucky blue variety and the
Eastern maroon variety. Only the NCAA selection committee could make
us adversaries today -- and they can only succeed in doing that for,
oh, about two hours.
OK, Big, uh, Two, it's time to make a run
Lionel Chalmers blasting free for another layup. The no-look,
backward, do-you-believe-that Alabama Birmingham pass. Indiana
sitting home waiting till next year. Ask me for my 2004 NCAA
Tournament memories, and that is the list.
Expectations of greatnessFans torn between two 'hometown'
schools Someone's going to lose. It
might as well be ... Around Richmond, that's a tough sentence to
finish right now. Thursday's NCAA Tournament matchup between the
University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University has the
community torn.
UK Hoops Meet Eastern Michigan in Sportsview.tv WNITThe Kentucky women’s basketball team
will play host to Mid-American Conference member Eastern Michigan in
the first round of the Sportsview.tv Women’s National Invitational
Tournament. The teams will square off Friday, March 18 at 7 p.m. EST
in Memorial Coliseum. The game will be carried live on WLXG 1300 AM.
(3-16-05)
Basketball
Men
Cats Take On Colonels to Open NCAA Tournament
The SEC Champion Kentucky
Wildcats were given a No. 2 seed in the 2005 NCAA Tournament and
faces in-state rival Eastern Kentucky in opening-round action in
Indianapolis Thursday afternoon.
Laughing away the bluesRavi Moss and Kelenna Azubuike
laughed as they walked on to the court. Ramel Bradley lay on his
stomach and cracked jokes with teammates as he stretched before
practice. Chuck Hayes and assistant coach Reggie Hanson traded high
fives and smiles Wednesday before UK had its first RCA Dome run
through in preparation for the NCAA Tournament.
A blueprint for UK's success
Since everyone claims to have
the formula for deciphering the NCAA Tournament, here's a blueprint
for UK's success in the next few weeks.
As he was walking down the
hallway for his press conference, Travis Ford was recalling various
stories from his playing days at the University of Kentucky.
Sparks is the key for UK
The smallest player on the court could hold the
biggest key to Kentucky's chances for making the Final Four.
Same area, different game for Ford, SparksBoth are undersized guards from western
Kentucky who grew up dreaming of playing for the Kentucky Wildcats
but had to go to another school first before the opportunity to
transfer to UK arose.
Cats try to find answersRather than heading into the NCAA Tournament
brimming with confidence, the University of Kentucky is
soul-searching, hoping to find some answers after a loss at the
hands of Florida on Sunday.
Crawford turned to Rigot for helpOnce he returned to the Kentucky
basketball team and was trying to readjust to his role with the
Wildcats, freshman Joe Crawford found help from an unexpected source
-- assistant coach Scott Rigot.
After Kentucky lost to Florida
on Sunday, Tubby Smith emphasized the need to present an upbeat,
encouraging message. Even a rushed entry into the NCAA Tournament
did not deter the UK coach from accentuating the positive.
Call this UK team the rally Cats
Tubby Smith recently has gotten into the habit of saying that the
most insignificant score in a basketball game is the halftime score.
There's good reason for the University of Kentucky coach to adopt
that approach
Seniors' last chanceIt
didn't take long for the slender teenager from Modesto, Calif., to
realize just how much University of Kentucky fans love their
Wildcats. The summer before his freshman year, UK senior Chuck Hayes
was buying supplies for his room with former UK guard and current
Charlotte Bobcats player Keith Bogans when he was mobbed by
autograph seekers.
Fans plot creative ways to follow UK-EKU
On Thursdays, Travis Ford holds a weekly luncheon at
the Madison Garden restaurant in Richmond. The coach won't be there
this Thursday, however. He'll be up in Indianapolis with his Eastern
Kentucky Colonels playing Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA
Tournament.
Young Wildcats could have some growing pains
Should've listened. Sean May knew the route because he walked it
once, even broke his foot while doing so. The University of North
Carolina big man was as qualified as anyone to warn of potential
University of Kentucky pratfalls.
Dialls hopes to dial up upsetFreshman excited about facing
hometown UK In his first college game,
Darnell Dialls played 25 minutes in Eastern Kentucky's upset victory
at Dayton. In the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament semifinals, he
had six blocks in 11 minutes. Eastern defeated Southeast Missouri,
then ousted Austin Peay in the title game.
Cats-EKU game to be on CBS-32
Two
teams whose campuses are 25 miles apart -- Kentucky and Eastern
Kentucky -- will tip off in the men's NCAA basketball tournament
tomorrow afternoon on CBS-32.
(3-15-05)
Basketball
Men
Collision course not deliberately planned for
If Cincinnati and Kentucky should happen to play each other in the
second round of the NCAA Tournament, it wouldn't be by design, said
NCAA Tournament chairman Bob Bowlsby.
Winning formula
We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all
NCAA Tournament teams are not created equal. That national champions
are endowed with certain inalienable attributes, such as talent,
experience and the pursuit of loose balls.
Cats start NCAA play against Ford's Colonels As soon as Eastern Kentucky earned at
automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky coach Tubby Smith
knew a matchup with his Wildcats could be a possibility.
Shall we dance? Oh, yes, and madly so March Madness may be a bit subdued in our
area this year, with Xavier, Miami and Indiana failing to make the
Big Dance - otherwise known as the 2005 NCAA men's basketball
tournament, which starts Thursday.
Big hearts trump EKU's bad knees You hear the creaks inside Eastern
Kentucky University's vintage basketball gymnasium and wonder: . Did
those sounds emanate from aging McBrayer Arena or the collective
knees of Michael Haney and Ben Rushing?
Nothing satisfying about UK-EKU Kentucky coach Tubby Smith and Eastern
Kentucky coach Travis Ford are excited about playing in the NCAA
Tournament two days from now. They'd just rather not play each
other.
Colonels get rare taste of Madness Alonzo Hird and Jason McLeish went
shopping at Wal-Mart last week and were greeted by much more than
blue-vested store employees. The Eastern Kentucky University
basketball teammates found themselves surrounded by well-wishers and
autograph-seekers.
taking notes, cats?By roughing up Kentucky -- twice --
Florida sheds label as soft team
In winning the Southeastern
Conference Tournament, Florida reaffirmed its newfound identity as a
tough team. Now the team Florida beat in the finals, Kentucky, hopes
to do the same.
Uneven play has Wildcats perplexed Chuck
Hayes can't figure it out. One game, the University of Kentucky
basketball team appears to be downright unbeatable. The Wildcats
hound the opponent mercilessly on defense, bury three-point jumpers
and move with urgency.
Rebounding could be Wildcats' Achilles' heel
If this
were the NBA, Tubby Smith would have probably tried to trade for a
tenacious rebounder or sign one through free agency. But this being
college basketball, the University of Kentucky head coach will have
to find another way to remedy the team's rebounding deficiencies as
the No. 2 seed Wildcats prepare to play No. 15 Eastern Kentucky in
the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at the RCA Dome
in Indianapolis.
Women
UK Hoops Ready for Postseason Play
Head coach Mickie DeMoss and senior forward Sara
Potts spoke to the media Tuesday about the upcoming WNIT game versus
Eastern Michigan. Click to read their quotes.
Baseball
Rally Falls Short as Baseball Falls to MiamiKentucky
spotted Miami (Ohio) five runs in the first and was unable to
complete the rally in a 6-5 loss on Tuesday night at Randy C. Wynn
Field.
Too close for comfort: Clash with Cats stuns EKUMichael Haney and Zach Ingles are amateur
bracketologists, and they spent the past week wondering who they and
their Eastern Kentucky teammates would play in the NCAA Tournament.
Colonels Excited to Face Kentucky in First RoundCoach Travis Ford's Eastern Kentucky
University Colonels will meet the University of Kentucky Wildcats
Thursday (Mar. 17) in the Opening Round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament
in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, IN. Game time for the Thursday
matchup will 12:20 pm.
UK, UC going to dance Lurking
less than a week away is what University of Cincinnati senior
forward Jason Maxiell has already labeled "the cross-state
shootout." The Iowa Hawkeyes and Eastern Kentucky
University stand in the way of the first meeting between UC and the
University of Kentucky in more than 14 years.
Potential UC-UK matchup has us licking our chops Let's get ahead of ourselves. Let's take
it two games at a time. Let's overlook. Iowa-Shmiowa. We aren't
playing. We aren't coaching. We don't have to worry about players'
heads being elsewhere. All we have to do is watch. So let's get too
high about Saturday, shall we?
Wildcats not lacking motivation Long-faced Kentucky players spoke in low
tones Sunday after losing to Florida in the SEC Tournament final,
yet they waxed hopeful about their chances in the NCAA Tournament.
Cats net zeroWalsh makes it Florida's time to
wear twine
Kentucky graciously indulged
questions the past week about whether to break from recent custom
and cut down the nets after the Southeastern Conference Tournament
championship game.
A hair-raising defeat For all the fun
University of Kentucky fans have had at Matt Walsh's expense, Walsh
got the last laugh yesterday in the final of the Southeastern
Conference men's basketball tournament
Loss to Florida costs Wildcats No.1 seed
Losing
to Florida, 70-53, in the championship game of the Southeastern
Conference tournament in the Georgia Dome on Sunday afternoon cost
the University of Kentucky a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. After
awarding the Wildcats the No. 1 seed the last two seasons, the NCAA
Tournament selection committee deemed UK (25-4) the No. 2 seed in
the Austin regional, where Duke is the No. 1 seed. This is the sixth
time the Wildcats will be a No. 2 seed.
UK has holes, and not much time to fix them
So much for the idea of this UK team feeling spunky about itself as
it moves into the three-week portion of the season that makes
everything that has transpired since November a footnote.
Wildcats, Bearcats on collision courseWith
just more than five hours left of Sunday, it remained a wretched
weekend for college basketball hereabouts. We've become accustomed
to (spoiled rotten by?) seeing our teams take care of their
conference business, but to our round disillusionment -- if it were
to be all or nothing, a better guess would have been four tournament
titles out of four -- there was none of that this time.
Brawl in the familyTubby, Travis go toe to toe in Indy
The we're-living-a-dream Eastern Kentucky Colonels are
tickled pink over their first trip to the Big Dance in 26 years. The
tournament staple Kentucky Wildcats, reduced to deep blue yesterday,
are a second seed looking for a second chance.
Loss cost Wildcats a No. 1 seeding
Tournament Selection chairman told CBS that UK would have been a No.
1 seed if it had won the Southeastern Conference Tournament final.
[STAYING
THE COURSE] The buzz of
anticipation for the next Kentucky basketball season -- always
operating at gale-force levels -- amped up considerably May 6 when
Atlanta area big man Randolph Morris turned down his hometown
school, Georgia Tech, and cast his lot with Tubby Smith.
UK Hoops Meet Eastern Michigan in Sportsview.tv WNIT
The Kentucky women’s basketball team
will play host to Mid-American Conference member Eastern Michigan in
the first round of the Sportsview.tv Women’s National Invitational
Tournament. The teams will square off Friday, March 18 at 7 p.m. EST
in Memorial Coliseum. The game will be carried live on WLXG 1300 AM.
Cats punch ticket to post-season For
the first time in six years, the Kentucky women's basketball season
will extend past the first week of March. The Cats' post-season will
start Friday night in Memorial Coliseum in the Women's National
Invitational Tournament against Eastern Michigan of the Mid-American
Conference.
(3-13-05)
Basketball
Men
Wildcats To Face Eastern Kentucky In NCAA First Round Game
The Kentucky men’s basketball
team (25-5) earned a No. 2 seed and will face No. 15 seed Eastern
Kentucky (22-8) in the opening round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats and Colonels will face off at the RCA Dome on Thursday,
March 17, in Indianapolis, Ind.
Kentucky, a 2 seed, faces Eastern KentuckyKentucky received a No. 2 seed and will
face its neighbor No. 15 seed Eastern Kentucky (22-8) on Thursday in
Indianapolis. Time to be determined later.
Kentucky's hopes of a third straight
SEC title were dashed by the Florida Gators in a 70-53 loss Sunday
at the Georgia Dome. It's the first SEC Tournament Championship in
school history for Florida. Kelenna Azubuike scored a team-high 17
points in the defeat.
Unranked Florida surprises Kentucky for title
Led by Matt Walsh's 26 points, the Gators snap an 0-for-39 string by
claiming its first SEC
Tournament crown with a 70-53 drubbing of the No. 4
Wildcats.
Gators slam CatsFLORIDA WINS FIRST SEC TOURNAMENT
To cut down the nets or not. That was Kentucky's dilemma
should it win the SEC Tournament. Florida ended the debate by
handing the Wildcats their worst whipping of the year, 70-53, to win
its first conference tournament Sunday in Atlanta
Kentucky
even beats the buzzer better than its Southeastern Conference
counterparts.
Rematch vs. WildcatsHistory is again within reach. For the
second straight year, Florida is in the finals of the Southeastern
Conference Tournament, with a chance to do what no Florida team has
done before.
Big shot wasn't that big for LSULSU forward Brandon Bass thought he had
made the biggest shot of his career when he drained a 17-foot jumper
as the final horn sounded against Kentucky on Saturday.
LSU leaves lasting impression at SEC TournamentLSU blew a game it easily could have won
on Saturday, but it avoided playing two ranked teams in two days,
gained an off day and clearly left its mark on the Southeastern
Conference men's basketball tournament.
Tigers fall to Wildcats in OTLSU lost a heartbreaker to No. 4 Kentucky
on Saturday in easily the most exciting game of the SEC basketball
tournament.
Effort there in LSU's loss to UK Heroes were plenty. Drama was milkshake
thick and ever-present. The only thing missing for LSU was the happy
ending.
Pleasure, pain mark defeat for Tigers March brings both pain and pleasure in
college basketball. On a glorious Saturday afternoon under glass,
the LSU Tigers experienced both against the Kentucky Wildcats.
Bass thought shot was winner Upon further review in the LSU-Arkansas
game in Baton Rouge, officials looked at the video and ruled that
Mike Jones made a 2-pointer instead of a 3, sending the game into
overtime that the Tigers won 66-63 instead of sending the Razorbacks
home with a win.
Cats win tug-of-war A thousand times before, Tack Minor had made this
same exact play. Dribble down the floor faster than anybody else,
get to the rim and drop in a layup against a slack-jawed defender.
He'd done it so much, it just felt like the right thing to do.
Kentucky slips past LSU in OTBrandon Bass thought he had won it in
regulation, and Tack Minor thought he was going to win it in
overtime.
Cats emerge from unfamiliar territoryThe state of the Big Blue Nation was
scared. In the Georgia Dome, UK fans stood in disbelief as their
Cats trailed Louisiana State by five points with less than two
minutes left in overtime.
Once Blue, forever BlueNO MATTER HOW FAR FROM HOME, FAN KEEPS UP
WITH HER CATS As the faithful so often do, Connie
Gustafsson felt called to leave home on a spiritual quest.
SEC title tussle pits Gators and 'Cats Talk about your contrasts. Kentucky could
fill up several trophy cases with its gaudy collection of SEC
Tournament championships.
Crawford seizes his opportunity Kentucky freshman Joe Crawford never
expected Tubby Smith to bench his starters two minutes into the
second half of Saturday's SEC Tournament semifinal.
Kentucky ekes into title gameThe offensive play that Chuck Hayes
botched miserably last week against Florida worked to perfection
against LSU Saturday afternoon.
'Cats find a way - againThe reasons Kentucky was an astonishing
33-1 in SEC Tournament semifinals coming into Saturday were too
numerous to count
Do UKats have 9 lives? When Kentucky needed a basket in overtime,
trailing by a point to LSU in its SEC tournament semifinal game, the
Wildcats turned to senior Chuck Hayes.
Hayes is Mr. Last-Second Shot If you believe basketball is all about
stats and SportsCenter moments, Chuck Hayes isn't your man.
'Cats claw their way into finalsAt the end of regulation, his stat line
read like this: 2-for-9 shooting, six points, five rebounds, four
fouls. Pretty mediocre stuff.
UK's Hayes gets the job done The clock read 16.4 seconds, LSU led by
one point in overtime and Kentucky coach Tubby Smith was about to
call one last play.
Kentucky vs. LSU Post-Game QuotesKentucky Head Coach Tubby Smith
On Kentucky's bench play... "I was so proud of our bench. Those
guys work just as hard, and I have the same standards for them as I
do for the starters. They got their chance to perform today. They
know I believe in them. I thought we were flat at the beginning of
the second half, and I put in the bench to make a statement to the
starters. Joe (Crawford) had some clutch baskets, and our bench
outscored them (LSU) 23-7. It doesn't matter who is in the game
because I can plug guys into almost any position."
No. 4 Kentucky edges LSU 79-78 in OT Too much Kentucky. Too much history. Chuck
Hayes spun into the lane to hit the winning shot with 7.9 seconds
left in overtime, sending the No. 4 Wildcats to the championship
game of the Southeastern Conference tournament with a 79-78 victory
over LSU on Saturday.
Wildcats Move into SEC Final Chuck Hayes threw his arms in the air and
let out a scream. Tubby Smith pumped his fist furiously as he ran
along the sideline. Kentucky usually takes the Southeastern
Conference tournament in stride, but the Wildcats couldn't contain
themselves.
UK SENIOR'S FIELD GOAL LIFTS CATS
OVER LSU IN OT Chuck Hayes spun in the lane and
scored on a left-handed layup to lift Kentucky to a 79-78 victory
over LSU in overtime Saturday in the semifinals of the SEC
Tournament in Atlanta
Hayes saves Cats in overtime, 79-78
After botching a last-second play in a loss at Florida last week,
the University of Kentucky forward scored the game-winning basket
yesterday in a 79-78 overtime victory over Louisiana State
'Chuck's eyes lit up'Hayes redeems himself on same play
he botched at Florida His team trailing by
one point with only 16.4 seconds left in overtime, Kentucky Coach
Tubby Smith wasn't sure what play to run. "I looked at Chuck," he
said, meaning senior leader Chuck Hayes, and thought of Kentucky's
mangled execution at the end of the loss at Florida last weekend.
This win might translate into more for UK
Kentucky outlasts Louisiana State 79-78 in overtime in the
semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament to earn the
right to play Florida for the title today at the Georgia Dome.
Bravo, Cats: Now for an encoreDID CLASSIC LEAVE KENTUCKY TOO
DRAINED TO GIG GATORS? How do they top
yesterday? Come on, at the final timeout of the most epic, most
thrilling, most amazing SEC Tournament game in a decade, this 79-78
Kentucky Wildcats overtime win over LSU at the Georgia Dome, not
even Tubby Smith knew which way to go.
Crawford has his March momentFRESHMAN COMES OFF THE BENCH TO SPARK
THE CATS' COMEBACK WITH 14 POINTS Joe Crawford
finally showed what all the hype was about. Up until yesterday, all
we really knew about Crawford was potential. You'd see it in brief
flashes, but never in bunches.
Cats need no reminder; it's all about revenge
Florida point guard Anthony Roberson had a message for his Kentucky
counterpart as the teams crossed paths between semifinal games
yesterday.
Faraway fan goes extra mile to tune in UKFROM SHORT WAVE TO SATELLITE,
FORMER E-TOWN RESIDENT FINDS WAY TO CATCH BELOVED CATS
Kentucky fan Ron Daniel has seemingly been everywhere and
done everything to keep informed about his beloved Wildcats. As a
member of the United States Agency for International Development,
he's helped improve agricultural production in such countries as
Tanzania, Zaire, Mali, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Haiti and,
presently, Egypt.
Baseball
Kentucky Splits Doubleheader With Rhode Island
The Kentucky baseball team split a twin bill with Rhode Island,
winning 8-5 in the opener before falling 7-5 in the nightcap, on
Sunday at Randy C. Wynn Field
Albers Silences Illinois State in Kentucky Victory
Kentucky scored six runs in the first two innings and Andrew Albers
made the lead stand up with his fourth straight quality start as the
Wildcats beat Illinois State, 7-1, on Saturday at Randy C. Wynn
Field.
(3-12-05)
Basketball
Men
UK 79 -- LSU 78
(OT)
Cats Survive!!!
Chuck Hayes' driving layup with
under 10 second remaining in overtime gave the Cats a one-point win
over upset-minded LSU in the SEC Tournament semifinals Saturday.
Kelenna Azubuike led the Kentucky with 19 points in the 79-78
victory over the Tigers.
HAYES SAVESUK SENIOR'S FIELD GOAL LIFTS CATS
OVER LSU IN OT Chuck Hayes spun in the lane
and scored on a left-handed layup to lift Kentucky to a 79-78
victory over LSU in overtime Saturday in the semifinals of the SEC
Tournament in Atlanta.
You won't find LSU listed among the
Associated Press or USA Today/ESPN Top 25s. The last AP men's Top 25
that included the Tigers was a football poll. The men's basketball
Bayou Bengals haven't been ranked in more than a year.
Sources Believe Vols' Peterson Has Coached Last GameAfter Tennessee lost to Kentucky, 76-62,
in the SEC men's basketball tournament Friday night, sources close
to the Vols' athletic department continued to insist that coach Buzz
Peterson will be fired.
Vols not emotional after loss Buzz Peterson wasn't saying his goodbyes
last night in the Tennessee locker room following the Vols'
season-ending 76-62 loss to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament.
Buzz's last stand?It was only appropriate. A frustrating
season came to a frustrating conclusion for the Tennessee men's
basketball team.
Emotional Cats regain swaggerAfter the Florida loss on Sunday, the Cats
came together and made a decision - they weren't going to play like
that anymore.
Morris savors homecoming winRandolph Morris wasn't about to feel any
pressure in his first trip back to his old neighborhood.
Bradley brings 'emotion' to the Cats Emotion is a part of Ramel Bradley's game.
It was when he grew up playing basketball in New York City and has
been since he arrived at Kentucky.
Wildcats jump on TennesseeKentucky and Tennessee didn't wait for the
opening tipoff to go at each other Friday night: Players on the two
teams took part in a verbal joust as they headed for the Georgia
Dome court before the game. No winner was declared in the exchange.
Cats blitz Volunteers with first-half flurryIt was a sight that was repeated over and
over again last night. Tennessee's Scooter McFadgon got trapped in
the corner. UK's Chuck Hayes knocked the ball to teammate Rajon
Rondo. Rondo dribbled down the court and got the ball back to Hayes,
who finished with a layup as he drew a foul from UT forward Andre
Patterson.
On the list of no-nos, it was closer
to don't tug on Superman's cape than don't spit in the wind. Yet
Tennessee reserve Jemere Hendrix talked trash, to borrow a players'
term, before last night's game against Kentucky.
Cats strike fast in UKIT SouthBIG BLUE FANS MAKE DOME SWEET HOME
Here in the second round of the UKIT last night, it did not
take long for the home team to advance. About 107 seconds, in fact.
Cat quick.
Crawford promises he'll be back
After Kentucky beat Tennessee last night, prodigal freshman Joe
Crawford said he would not transfer at the end of the semester. "I'm
committed," he said. "I'm staying here."
Wildcats walk the walk as Vols talk
Their temperatures started to rise Wednesday night with a
players-only meeting, during which University of Kentucky senior
Chuck Hayes implored his teammates to play with passion.
Crawford says he's at UK for long haul
University of Kentucky freshman guard Joe Crawford, speaking
publicly for the first time since he left the team for a week in
January, said he's committed to staying with the Wildcats after this
season.
For the zillionth time, Wildcats are the life of this party
Kentucky comes out playing as if it has
been told a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed is riding on the result.
Tennessee comes out playing as if it wants to catch the first bus
back for spring football practice.
Wildcats get back on track
The
University of Kentucky had four days to reflect on its one-point
loss at Florida that ended the Southeastern Conference regular
season. One night, seniors Chuck Hayes and Josh Carrier called a
players only meeting to remind their teammates what is at stake now
that March is here.
Crawford: 'I'm staying here'
Kelenna Azubuike's 18 points were nice. So were Chuck Hayes' 14
points and 11 rebounds, his ninth double-double of the season.
But after Kentucky beat Tennessee 76-62 in the quarterfinals of the
Southeastern Conference tournament, most eyes and microphones were
directed at two of UK's most intriguing players, freshmen Joe
Crawford and Ramel Bradley.
Baseball
Bats Come Alive as Kentucky Routs Northern Iowa
Sophomore Billy Grace went 4-for-5 with a career-high five RBI and
scored two runs to pace a Kentucky offense that feasted on Northern
Iowa pitching en route to a 17-5 victory on Friday evening at Robert
C. Wynn Field.
(3-11-05)
Basketball
Men
UK 76 -- UT 62 (Final)
Kentucky Holds Off Tennessee to Advance to SEC Semifinals
No. 4/4 Kentucky held off a second-half push by the Tennessee
Volunteers to capture a 76-62 victory and advance to the semifinals
of the SEC Tournament Friday night in Atlanta, Ga. Kelenna Azubuike
led the Cats with 18 points while Patrick Sparks added 16.
Cat Chat with Larry Vaught It's time for a little Q & A with
Advocate-Messenger Sports Editor Larry Vaught concerning University
of Kentucky basketball.
Painting the town BLUETheir beloved Cats hadn't even stepped off
the team plane yet, but that didn't keep UK fans from leaving their
footprints all over Atlanta yesterday afternoon.
Tennessee (14-16) vs. (4) Kentucky (23-4) Nobody has won more Southeastern
Conference tournament titles than Kentucky. The top-seeded and
fourth-ranked Wildcats are hoping another championship will get them
a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament as they begin their quest
against Tennessee (14-16) in the SEC quarterfinals at the Georgia
Dome on Friday.
Cats can't go deep without playing deepSMITH: BENCH KEY TO WINNING SEC
Days before the 1998 Southeastern Conference Tournament, the
mother of key reserve Allen Edwards died. Former walk-on Cameron
Mills stepped up, to use the sporting vernacular, and Kentucky won
the championship.
Healthy Vols look like a rival again
Kentucky rather easily beat a short-handed Tennessee twice in the
regular season. Today in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, UK
faces a fully loaded Tennessee.
'Do or die' time for Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats enter the SEC
Tournament in a different position than their usual one.
Vols have two stars back vs. Wildcats
The University of Kentucky basketball team won't be facing the same
Tennessee squad tonight that it beat twice during the regular season
McFadgon sends Vols into match against Cats
Scooter McFadgon scored 22 points and Tennessee gave embattled coach
Buzz Peterson a much-needed victory, routing Arkansas 65-46 last
night in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Sparks eager to take big shots
Patrick Sparks is no stranger to the big shot. Without him, the
University of Kentucky's basketball team probably wouldn't have
pulled out dramatic comeback wins against the University of
Louisville and Alabama.
Vols looking for another upset
Familiarity is a reason University of Kentucky guard Patrick Sparks
said he would rather play Tennessee than Arkansas in the
quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament in the
Georgia Dome tonight at 7:30.
Volleyball
PRP's Pierce commits to UK volleyball team
New University of Kentucky volleyball coach Craig Skinner has his
first in-state recruit, and she's a top player from Louisville --
Pleasure Ridge Park High School's Alisa Pierce.
Wildcats are set to add to resume Former Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall mulled
it over, consulted with friends, ticked off a handful of potential
men's Division I basketball programs and came up empty-handed.
Beating the Wildcats is easier said than doneThe other SEC coaches all say and do the
right things. They talk about the SEC tournament being "wide open."
They talk about this being a new season and everybody being 0-0 and
about everything being possible.
SEC looking up at WildcatsWelcome to the Southeastern Conference
men's basketball tournament, also known as the Kentucky Wildcats
Show.
Wildcats still top dogs in SEC tourneyWelcome to the 2005 Southeastern
Conference Men's Basketball Tournament. Or, as it is more
appropriately called, the Kentucky Invitational.
SEC tournament: Kentucky vs. Everyone ElseThe Southeastern Conference tournament can
be divided into two distinct groups. There's Kentucky, the perennial
favorite. Then there's Everyone Else.
Will cats cut it?Barnhart wants more revelry if
success-spoiled UK wins SEC When
Kentucky clinched its 43rd Southeastern Conference regular-season
championship late last month, Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart
cautioned against becoming blasé about success. Relish the moment
and salute those responsible, beginning with Coach Tubby Smith, he
said.
Nothing new: UK 'the team to beat'
It might seem like a formality, but the Southeastern Conference is
going to conduct its men's basketball tournament over the next four
days in Atlanta.
SEC Tournament features a mountain of youthSIX TEAMS WILL CONTINUE TO RELY
HEAVILY ON FRESHMEN As the post-season
axiom dictates, teams figure to dance with the ones that brought
them to the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Smith, Hayes picked for honors by coaches
The University of Kentucky's collection of awards continued
yesterday, with coach Tubby Smith being named the Southeastern
Conference Coach of the Year for the second time in two days.
Coaches vote Hayes league's best defender
Southeastern Conference coaches voted Kentucky forward Chuck Hayes
as defensive player of the year, the league announced yesterday.
Look at entire season, Tubby says
Their
record speaks for itself. Twenty-three victories. Another
Southeastern Conference regular-season championship. An 8-2 record
over the last 10 games. Those are some things University of Kentucky
head coach Tubby Smith hopes the NCAA Tournament selection committee
will recognize when deciding whether or not the Wildcats deserve a
No. 1 seed when the 10-person committee begins meeting in
Indianapolis today.
Women
UK Hoops To Host WNIT First Round
It’s official. The Kentucky women’s basketball team will
play host to the first round of the 2005 Women's National
Invitational Tournament in Memorial Coliseum, as announced
by WNIT officials Wednesday.
Wildcats get WNIT game in Memorial
The University of Kentucky women's basketball team will host
a first-round game in the 32-team Women's National
Invitational Tournament.
Baseball
Kentucky Falls to Morehead, Takes to Road
Kentucky dropped a 12-5 decision to Morehead State on Thursday
afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium as the Wildcats had their
eight-game win streak snapped.
(3-09-05)
Basketball
Men
Thomas Named Finalist for Comeback AwardThe V Foundation for Cancer Research
announced the finalists for the fifth annual V Foundation Comeback
Award on Tuesday. The award is presented in partnership with ESPN
and will be announced during ESPN’s basketball Final Four/NIT
weekend coverage.
UK Hoops NotebookThe last time former UK point guard Travis Ford
was part of an NCAA Tournament team, he walked off the court in
disappointment.
UK Notebook: Felton says Cats team to beat Georgia coach Dennis Felton says Florida
can match Kentucky's depth and talent. He says LSU and Alabama can
easily match UK's talent in the starting lineup.
Five SEC teams locks for NCAA, Vandy on bubble The Southeastern Conference men's
basketball regular season finished with a flourish for LSU and
Alabama and a Sunday afternoon upset that left the perennial
postseason tournament favorite on a little shakier ground than
normal.
It's a great March, and fans are mad with worry It looks like a rare March around
here. Now, if only it would feel like it, too. Ever gazed out a
window, noticed sunshine and serenity, anticipated good weather and
then been slapped by chilly air? That must be the fear.
Men's Basketball Pre-Game Press Conference Quotes - SEC TournamentHead Coach Tubby Smith
On the Associated Press All-SEC honors awarded to the
team… “That’s quite an honor for our players and our team. When we
receive awards, it’s all because of the team and how they work
together. I know Chuck (Hayes), Kelenna (Azubuike) and Patrick
(Sparks) will all tell you the same. We couldn’t do it without
everybody on the team. I thank the AP and everyone else involved
with the selections.”
AP picks Smith top coach in SEC
Several new faces yield the same old results. Such a formula for
winning makes perfectly good sense to University of Kentucky senior
forward Chuck Hayes
SEC honor gives Smith a Tub-fulUK COACH'S THREE LEAGUE AWARDS
TRAIL RUPP BY TWO Mark Gottfried likes to call
Tubby Smith "the most under-appreciated great coach" in college
basketball. The shelf life on that term dwindled yesterday.
Wildcats sport deep bench
Conference tournaments are all about survival. If a team is
fortunate enough to make the finals, it could mean playing four
games in four days. The University of Kentucky Wildcats, the
Southeastern Conference regular-season champion, earned the East No.
1 seed, making it one of four teams with a first-round bye in the
SEC tournament that starts Thursday in Atlanta.
SEC COACH OF YEAR Since 1973, Kentucky has
won or shared the overall regular-season SEC championship 16 times.
Over the same period, UK coaches have been named the league's AP
Coach of the Year seven times. The winners:
Three Wildcats named all-SEC
Three University of Kentucky Wildcats were named to the
All-Southeastern Conference team by the Associated Press.
CATS, COACH STILL CONFIDENT IN HIM
Kentucky guard Patrick Sparks has been like the girl immortalized by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: When she was good she was very very
good/And when she was bad she was horrid.
All-SEC teams The Associated Press
All-Southeastern Conference second and third teams as voted by the
media: Second team Ronnie Brewer Arkansas G 6-7 So.
Kentucky Wraps Up Homestand Against Morehead
The Kentucky baseball team wraps up its eight-game homestand
Thursday afternoon when it hosts Morehead State at 1 p.m. at Cliff
Hagan Stadium.
Fans regard Smith, Pitino highly Nice job, Coach, but ... University of
Kentucky coach Tubby Smith and University of Louisville coach Rick
Pitino are among the biggest names in men's college basketball. Both
have top-10 teams that have won regular-season conference titles.
Who will win the SEC tournament?The AJC's Chip Towers breaks down each of
the 12 teams 1. Kentucky if . . . The Wildcats don't get lost on
their way to Atlanta. UK has won 25 of the 43 SEC tournaments in
which it has competed, including five of nine in Atlanta. That's a
.556 winning percentage for those keeping count, and Big Blue fans
certainly are. No wonder they call it "Catlanta."
Kentucky's road to title may be perilous A No.1 NCAA Tournament seed may be out of
Kentucky's grasp now, thanks to Florida. But one ritual of March is
well within reach.
Florida postmortem: bad finish or good loss?CATS MIGHT HAVE RECEIVED LESSON
IN HUMILITY A one-point loss at Florida on
Senior Day dented Kentucky's self-esteem, if not the Cats' status as
Southeastern Conference Tournament favorite.
Donovan found key to locking up Cats
To Florida men's basketball coach Billy Donovan, the key to stopping
the University of Kentucky's offense was obvious: Slow point guard
Rajon Rondo's penetration to handicap the Wildcats' ability to
score.
March must be maddening to the coachesSOME ARE FIGHTING FOR THEIR JOBS,
0THERS FOR REPUTATIONS For you and me,
March may be all (sing it, Carly) annnnn-tici-pation. Of
buzzer-beaters and one-and-done fun yet to come. But for the
well-heeled mercenaries who coach big-time NCAA basketball, the
month must be torturous.
Defeat forces 'Cats to refocus
Losing
to Florida in the regular-season finale wasn't what the No. 4
University of Kentucky wanted leading up to the Southeastern
Conference tournament that starts Thursday in Atlanta, the same day
the NCAA Tournament selection committee begins meeting in
Indianapolis.
Gators get Cats off their backON SENIOR DAY, FLORIDA FINALLY
KNOCKS DOWN DOOR You and only you know what
it's like to own an eight-game losing streak to your fiercest rival.
You and only you have to hear that number over and over and over.
Baseball
Grace Named SEC Player of the Week
Sophomore Billy Grace was named the Southeastern Conference Player
of the Week, it was announced Monday by the league office.
Baseball Announces Radio Schedule
The Kentucky baseball team, off to its best start in
five years at 9-1, will have 33 of its final 39 games broadcast on
the radio, the university athletic department announced Tuesday.
(3-07-05)
Basketball
Men
No late magic for UK
The heartbreakers of the Southeastern Conference finally got
stood up on prom night. The comeback kings of the SEC couldn't overcome an
epic change in momentum that lasted one minute and nine seconds.
How to avoid a March mishapAs the Cats have rolled off victories and secured
another Southeastern Conference championship, a cloud hangs over it all.
Cats take home advantage southWhen I was a wee tot, my parents brought me to Lexington
every year for the UK Invitational Tournament.
Bracketology fuels fans' hoops feverLeave it to ESPN to add to our ever-expanding
English language. Although Webster's has yet to officially publish its name,
everyone's hearing amplifies when someone says the word "Bracketology."
Gators surprise WildcatsHow big was this game? Florida assistant coach Donnie
Jones had done the scouting report for the Gators' past three contests, so
Anthony Grant could focus on putting together the game plan for Sunday's
53-52 win against No. 3 Kentucky.
Gators end a long drought against KentuckyMatt Walsh started the celebration by taking the
rebound he had grabbed and throwing the basketball high into the stands that
held a record crowd at the O'Connell Center.
March in like a lion
Billy Donovan felt the loss coming. So did Matt Walsh and
most of the Florida Gators.
UF beats Kentucky with 5-0 run in final minute Florida committed turnovers on four consecutive
second-half possessions, missed a series of wide-open shots and took only
two free throws in the last 10 minutes against Kentucky on Senior Day. So
much for the fallacy that it takes a perfect game to beat the Wildcats.
O'Dome erupts with UF victoryJust seconds away from a 53-52 victory against No.
3 Kentucky, the Gators had done their part.
Gators give a game to savorThe ball headed for the stands, the jerseys for
the floor and the players for the press table. Matt Walsh even parted with
his headband, tossing it into the the student section. This was after he had
a Jim Valvano moment.
How Kentucky came undoneTubby Smith drew the play up more than a week ago. He
pulled it out during a Kentucky timeout with 11 seconds left and his team
down 53-52 against Florida on Sunday in the O'Connell Center.
African-American fans warming to Wildcats Lifelong Louisville resident Charlotte Thornton of
Okolona remembers a time when it was very difficult to find a University of
Kentucky sports fan among African Americans in the city.
Eight is Gator baitFlorida stops eight-game skid against UK
As Kelenna Azubuike released the game-deciding shot, Florida
Coach Billy Donovan felt the chill of that old dŽja Blue. He'd seen Kentucky
snatch too many victories from his grasp.
Cats, Gators put brakes on the fast break
Kentucky and Florida used to mean fast-break basketball filled with
highlight-film material. Not yesterday. Florida's 53 points were the fewest
by a winner in this series since 1942.
Gators end losing skid to CatsThough meaningless in the standings, Kentucky and
Florida staged a memorable basketball game in the season's finale yesterday.
Gators finally bite back vs. CatsUniversity of Kentucky forward Kelenna Azubuike
launched a last-second three-point try for the win, and familiar feelings of
angst filled Florida's O'Connell Center.
(3-06-05)
Basketball
Men
UF 53 -- UK 52 (Final)
Wildcats Lose Heartbreaker to Gators
Anthony Roberson scored 21 points, including two free throws with 15 seconds
remaining, and Florida upset No. 3 Kentucky 53-52 on Sunday. Chuck Hayes led
the Wildcats with 11 points.
UK @ Florida Preview
Kentucky considers Florida its major rival in the
Southeastern Conference. It hasn't been much of a rivalry lately.
Roberson has look of a leaderThere was a time, actually about this time last
season, when Anthony Roberson may have been thinking just a little bit more
about himself than why he was the starting point guard at the University of
Florida.
Peep's intentions purely to play ballAnthony Roberson has heard the criticism. The
talented Florida guard knows there are those who believe he's a selfish
player, a guy who shoots too much and only worries about himself.
Lee Gets Another Shot at Wildcats
David Lee was supposed to be long gone by now. A consensus
All-American out of high school and widely considered the most polished
freshman in the country in 2001, Lee was expected to have a brief stay at
Florida.
UF's Lee wants to tame WildcatsIf University of Florida power forward David Lee
is ever going to end Kentucky's hold on him, this could be his last chance.
Gators seeking answers for when tempo slowsThe encouraging part of Florida's current
three-game winning steak is the Gators have finished strong in each of the
last three games.
UK president: Practice facility OK with him Citing University of Kentucky basketball as the
glue for a entire alumni base, UK President Lee Todd said last week that he
supports the efforts of UK's athletic department to build a $28 million
basketball practice facility.
Kentucky's formula is different Only
two of their starting five were in the same position a year ago.
Their physical and emotional leader averages
barely 10 points. In the victory in which they clinched an unprecedented
43rd conference championship, they employed 13 players … in the first half
alone.
Stakes not as high for Cats, UFBUT GATORS SENSE END OF RIVALRY SKID IS
NEAR For the sixth straight year, Kentucky and
Florida conclude their regular seasons against each other. And for the sixth
straight year, CBS will televise the action.
Cats hope to keep momentum going Maybe
the reason the University of Kentucky's basketball team owns a 23-3 record
is that UK's coach usually finds his team's weakness before the opponent
does
Tubby, Pitino in dead heat after 8 yearsSTATS TELL TALE OF DOMINANCE NO MATTER WHO'S
ON SIDELINE Tubby Smith is in his eighth year as
the Kentucky basketball coach. Rick Pitino was the Kentucky basketball coach
for eight seasons.
Wildcats
have incentiveWith
one game left in the regular season, the University of Kentucky, like other
elite college basketball programs, finds itself in an enviable position.
There is no bubble talk around here.
Cats avoid surprises with Captain VideoNine TVs, 26 VCRs, 1,400 games chronicle
possible foes in home library Al Robinson, a
letterman on Kentucky's 1958-59 team, now serves as the program's Captain
Video. He's got nine televisions and 26 VCRs in his Lexington home. He's got
cable hookup (ho-hum), DirecTV, sports packages such as ESPNPlus and a
satellite dish.
Football
Cats awaiting word on moving Louisville gameUK TAKES ISSUE WITH REMARKS THAT
IT IS HOLDING UP PROCESS University of
Kentucky officials vehemently deny any suggestions by the University
of Louisville that they are unwilling to cooperate with ESPN for a
potential Sunday night telecast of the teams' season opener on Labor
Day weekend.
UK wins Billy Grace
homered, scored five runs and drove in four as the host Wildcats
(8-1) beat the Rockets (1-4) for their seventh straight victory.
(3-05-05)
Basketball
Men
Freshmen speak
Randolph Morris is learning he can't dominate opponents as he
did in high school. Rajon Rondo is glad that his coach now trusts him to run
the offense.
Much at stake for UF in Kentucky battleYou can call it what you want. Maybe it's a
statement game. Maybe it's a momentum builder. It's also a rivalry game and
a regular-season finale rolled into one.
Transition defense a priority for CatsUK HAS MADE IMPROVEMENTS SINCE LOSS TO TAR
HEELS On the bright side, Kentucky's transition
defense has improved greatly since Sean May and company lit up the
scoreboard with points and marred the court with skid marks.
Defensive 'slippage' worries UK's Smith
While the University of Kentucky men's basketball team has hit its offensive
stride the past three games -- shooting a combined 54.1 percent from the
field -- coach Tubby Smith has growing concerns about the defense
Men's Basketball Pre-Game Press Conference Quotes - FloridaHead Coach Tubby Smith On
Florida… “Florida’s playing well right now. They’ve really stepped it up
this year, especially over the last few weeks. They’ve been playing
extremely hard and extremely aggressive. I know when we go to the O’Connell
Center, it’s always tough there. We had a tough time here getting a win
against Florida. They have some good balanced scoring and I know Roberson
had a very good game. I remember that. Coming off our win the other night
against Tennessee, at this time of year, everybody’s playing as tough as
they can play and I was really impressed, after watching the tape, just how
hard Tennessee played because they’re a team that has struggled. When you
look at the tape, you always wonder if you were that bad or if the team you
were playing was pretty good and I thought in that situation, UT played hard
and played well. “
Wildcats Prepare to Close Regular Season in the SwampAfter sending seniors Chuck Hayes and Josh Carrier
out of Rupp Arena with a 73-61 Senior Night victory over Tennessee, Kentucky
travels to Gainesville’s hostile Stephen O’Connell Center to face the
Florida Gators in the final regular-season game of the year.
Football
Cats-Cards set for a Saturday, for nowPETRINO SAYS UK SHOULD OK CHANGE
Louisville and Kentucky will start the football season with
an in-state showdown for the 12th straight year in September. U of
L's 2005 schedule, released yesterday, has the UK game set for
Saturday, Sept. 3, at Commonwealth Stadium.
Baseball
UK
15 - Toledo 4
(3-04-05)
Basketball
Men
Wildcats Prepare to Close Regular Season in the Swamp
After sending seniors Chuck Hayes and Josh Carrier out of Rupp Arena with a
73-61 Senior Night victory over Tennessee, Kentucky travels to Gainesville’s
hostile Stephen O’Connell Center to face the Florida Gators in the final
regular-season game of the year.
Morris sees his game improving Because he was a McDonald's All-American and Kentucky had
a need for a center, Randolph Morris knew UK fans expected him to be a
dominant force all season.
Rondo just makes things happen After letting his play do his talking for four months,
Kentucky freshman point guard Rajon Rondo finally got to talk about his
play.
A perfect end for Hayes, Carrier If Tubby Smith had been writing the script for a
near perfect ending in the final home game for seniors Chuck Hayes and Josh
Carrier, he would not have made many changes to what happened here Wednesday
night.
Morris' savvy starting to match his sizeFRESHMAN CENTER ADJUSTS TO GAME, REFS IN
COLLEGE When it comes to expectations heaped on
heralded freshman basketball players, size matters. Kentucky's freshman
center, Randolph Morris, acknowledged how he sensed his dominating size
translated into expectations of on-court domination. From Day One.
Even a moron should know 'Cats own SECIt is like those recurring nightmares of being
naked in public, forgetting to study for your final exam or running in slow
motion from a monster -- unable to hide, incapable of screaming for help.
FRESHMAN: RESPONSIBILITY SPURS CONFIDENCE We won't
need to confer with Dr. Phil. Not on this one. Anyone with a smidgen of
common sense can tell you that lasting relationships share a common
foundation:
With Tubby's trust, Rondo takes charge of Cats on offense
Rajon Rondo took a quick survey of the court during the University of
Kentucky basketball team's victory over Tennessee and shouted, "3-2, 3-2,"
to get his teammates into a play
Let's hear
it for the freshmenFew
knew what to expect from the Southeastern Conference this season. Although
many teams that lost upperclassmen replaced them with freshmen, it was hard
to predict how long it would take for the teams to adjust to the transition.
Now we know.
Women
UK Hoops Rally Comes Up Short in SEC Tourney
Auburn guard Nicole Louden tied her career high with 23 points and
the Tigers handed Kentucky a 62-57 loss at the Southeastern
Conference women's tournament Thursday.
Auburn tops UK in SEC tourney Nicole
Louden tied her career high with 23 points and Auburn held off a
late University of Kentucky charge for a 62-57 victory at the
Southeastern Conference women's basketball tournament yesterday in
Greenville, S.C
Cats claw but fall
UK gets as close as 3 after going down 15 It was exactly the way Coach
Mickie DeMoss wanted to see her Kentucky team finish a game,
scratching and fighting. But it wasn't exactly the way she'd hoped
the Cats would end the season -- a 62-57 loss to Auburn in the first
round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament yesterday.
14 POINT HEAD LINE GOES THIS SPACE OH YEAH
The Southeastern Conference Tournament might not be the end of the
road for the Kentucky women this year. In her post-game news
conference, Coach Mickie DeMoss confirmed that Kentucky
administrators have been contacted by the Women's NIT about playing
in the post-season event.
Kentucky Blanks Toledo for Sixth Straight WinTrue freshman Andrew Albers hurled
eight shutout innings to lead Kentucky to a 7-0 victory over Toledo
on Friday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
The University of Kentucky intends
to establish an athletic Hall of Fame and formalize a procedure for
honoring its athletes. The first group set for induction next fall
will be the 89 athletes who have had either a basketball jersey
retired or their names placed in the football Ring of Honor at
Commonwealth Stadium.
Carrier
writes his own perfect endingAfter four years, the cheers finally came. When
Josh Carrier walked onto the floor for the Senior Night ceremony, Rupp Arena
gave him a welcome he had waited for since coming to UK.
Seniors earn salute, win
As he swayed between his parents to a 24,205-person serenade
of "My Old Kentucky Home," senior forward Chuck Hayes tried to keep his eyes
on the court.
Steady warrior Hayes earns fond farewell The next time you're tempted to join the crowd
that hyperventilates about recruiting news, remember to calm yourself with
these two words:
Hayes' father grateful to Smith While he wanted his son to go to a successful basketball
program, Charles Hayes had one other major concern about his son's college
choice.
5 years since eRUPPtion
Does anyone remember what University of Kentucky home
basketball games were like just five years ago? To be more specific, before
the eRUPPtion Zone?
At last, freshmen meet the press For the first time during the regular season,
Kentucky coach Tubby Smith let his freshman starters talk to the media.
Seniority rulesHayes kicks off 2nd-half charge
From the sentimental Senior Night ceremony to a bittersweet
rendition of My Old Kentucky Home more than two hours later, Kentucky staged
about as fond a farewell as Rupp Arena has seen.
A smashing Senior Night Chuck Hayes swayed
with his teammates to the tune of "My Old Kentucky Home," tears on his
cheeks, game ball under his arm and another victory in hand.
Numbers don't tell Hayes' story Numbers are
easy. Numbers are quantifiable. Numbers you can understand. Numbers can show
you the top scorer, the top rebounder, the top assist man.
UK won't lead in hoops attendance For the
first time since 1995, the University of Kentucky will not lead college
basketball in attendance.
Lofton scores 19, but UK's defense takes its toll
Maybe no visiting player has enjoyed a Kentucky Senior Night more than
Tennessee freshman Chris Lofton did last night. Lofton, the former Mason
County star, heard cheers when his name was announced as a UT starter. "I
was surprised by that," he said. "I thought I might get some boos."
Kentucky's seniors go out in style
It seemed only
fitting that on the University of Kentucky's Senior Night honoring UK
forward Chuck Hayes and guard Josh Carrier, one of them made his mark early
in the team's 73-61 victory over Tennessee and the other finished the job.
Women
Auburn 62 -- UK 57
(Final)
Old friends off court, new foes on A
little vacation home on a secluded beach near Destin, Fla., survived
Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. Except for minor cosmetic damage, the
Florida hurricanes left it unharmed.
Cats looking for some redemption at SEC tourney
Even Kentucky's players aren't sure what team is going to show up at
the Southeastern Conference Tournament, which starts today in
Greenville, S.C.
Baseball
Baseball Returns to Action Against Toledo
The Kentucky baseball team returns to action on Friday at 3 p.m.
when it hosts Toledo in the first game of a three-game series.
Football
Petri to Coach Kentucky Defensive LineRick Petri, who has spent 12 years in
the Southeastern Conference and coached several highly accomplished
players, has joined the Kentucky staff as defensive line coach, Rich
Brooks has announced.
Kentucky hires new defensive line coach
University of Kentucky football coach Rich Brooks has hired a new
defensive line coach -- Rick Petri from the University of
Mississippi.
(3-02-05)
Basketball
Men
UK 73 -- UT 61 (final)
Hayes and Carrier Honored in Senior Night Victory Over Vols
Senior Chuck Hayes scored 13 points and fellow senior Josh Carrier added
nine as Kentucky used a big second half run to take down the Tennessee
Volunteers, 73-61. Carrier and Hayes were honored on UK's Senior Night as
they played their final games at Rupp Arena as Wildcats.
Hayes, Carrier shoot down Vols It was Senior Night Wednesday and UK's two seniors, Chuck
Hayes and Josh Carrier, gave the home crowd something to cheer about
3) Kentucky 73, Tennessee 61 Senior forward Chuck Hayes, playing his last home game
for Kentucky, scored nine of his 13 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes as the
third-ranked Wildcats held off upset-minded Tennessee 73-61 on Wednesday
night.
Kentucky vs. Tennessee Post-Game QuotesKentucky Head Coach Tubby Smith
“First, I want to commend Tennessee. I thought Buzz Peterson had his
team ready to play. They were focused. In some areas, they sort of outworked
us. Trying to keep Chris Lofton – the ball out of his hands – was a real
challenge. I thought they really came ready to play.
Kentucky turns attention to No. 1 seedBobby Perry has no problem acknowledging what
seems obvious but mostly goes unspoken at Kentucky -- the Wildcats are
thinking about a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament
Hayes
stays humble amidst stardom - #44 Chuck HayesIt would have been easy for Chuck Hayes to get
caught up in the hype. The UK senior traveled the 2,400 miles from Modesto,
Calif., to Lexington four years ago, and has since become one of the most
recognizable Wildcat players in recent memory
Silent
senior carried role as leader - #5 Josh CarrierJosh Carrier doesn't have the numbers. Don't look
for Carrier, who will probably start but see only limited minutes, to make
any significant dents in the box score at the end of the night.
Closing statements
Favorite UK memory: On a visit to classmate Josh Carrier's
home in Bowling Green, Carrier tried to show Hayes how to shoot bottles with
a gun. On the gun's recoil "I hit my nose," Hayes says. "Then I pointed the
gun at Josh. I was like, 'How do you hold this again?' But I hit a bottle."
SEC Champions Host Tennessee on Senior Night
After claiming its 43rd Southeastern Conference championship, third-ranked
Kentucky begins the final week of regular-season play by facing Tennessee on
Senior Night. UK pays tribute to Chuck Hayes and Josh Carrier in pregame
ceremonies leading up to the 198th meeting between the Wildcats and
Volunteers.
Final Four haunts forwardRESPECTED, REVERED WILDCAT LOOKS TO FILL
VOID ON HIS NCAA RESUME Life can unleash the most
vexing ironies. As he prepares to enter Rupp Arena for the final time with
"Kentucky" across his chest, few college athletes have ever won bigger and
in more ways than Charles Edward Hayes Jr.
UK says
goodbye to Hayes
He sounded more like one of the many coaches who wished they had University
of Kentucky senior Chuck Hayes on their team than an opposing player whose
squad just lost to the Wildcats.
Senior momentHayes, Carrier share spotlight in Rupp
farewell Kentucky Coach Tubby Smith took a bow
yesterday. Tonight, seniors Chuck Hayes and Josh Carrier will take theirs.
With the school's 43rd Southeastern Conference championship secured last
weekend, UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart used yesterday's customary
day-before-the-game news conference to salute Smith.
Lofty stats put Lofton in elite company
Kentuckian Chris Lofton comes to Rupp Arena hotter than Million Dollar Baby
on Oscar Night. Making 14 of 27 three-point attempts, Lofton twice scored
career high points for Tennessee last week. He had 25 against South
Carolina, then 30 at Arkansas.
Women
UK's Potts named to second team
Kentucky women's basketball senior Sara Potts was selected to the
All-Southeastern Conference second team yesterday for the second
time.
(3-01-05)
Basketball
Men
Hayes 'rose to the top' with Cats Before he had even taken his first class at
Kentucky, Chuck Hayes got an idea of what life as a UK basketball player
would be like.
UK's Carrier has no regrets Despite growing up a Louisville fan and not getting to
play nearly as much as he hoped at the University of Kentucky, senior Josh
Carrier has no regrets about his collegiate career as he prepares for his
final game in Rupp Arena Wednesday.
Men's Basketball Pre-Game Press Conference Quotes - TennesseeHead Coach Tubby Smith On the
Alabama game… “There were some adjustments the staff and team had to make to
come back and beat a very good Alabama team that I believe can win it all.
They have that type of talent. We played an unbelievable game down the
stretch to pull that game out. Patrick (Sparks) is to be commended on being
SEC Player of the Week. Certainly, without him, we couldn’t have pulled out
that win. He got hot and was really on fire shooting the ball. It was a
great team effort, too. We had a lot of guys that stepped up coming off of
the bench making some plays. Lukasz (Obrzut) gave us a key lift. We had
Ramel Bradley, Ravi Moss, Josh Carrier…right on down the line.
Sparks Earns SEC Player of the Week Honors
Kentucky junior guard Patrick Sparks has been named the Southeastern
Conference Player of the Week after his 26-point performance on the road at
Alabama. Sparks nailed a career-high seven three-pointers, the third most in
school history, to help Kentucky secure a 78-71 comeback victory and clinch
its 43rd SEC regular-season title.
Hayes' legacy: He helped calm rough blue sea
Chuck Hayes is dead wrong. He says he's worried about his legacy at the
University of Kentucky, that if the Wildcats don't make it to the Final Four
this season, those who follow the basketball team will think less of him,
that he didn't win enough. All Hayes has done in four seasons at UK is win.
Josh carrierEX-MR. BASKETBALL, SON OF ABA STAR, WILL
GRADUATE ON TIME WITH 3.2 GPA Mel Brooks was only
partially correct when he said it was good to be king. It's also good to be
in the company of kings. Like his more celebrated Kentucky basketball
teammates, Josh Carrier has had access to the same degree programs, tutors,
Nike representatives, trainers, doctors, manservants ("managers," in
basketball jargon), lawyers, priests and rabbis.
Sparks
SEC player of week
University of
Kentucky guard Patrick Sparks has been named the Southeastern Conference's
basketball player of the week. Sparks, a junior from Central City, Ky., made
a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 26 points to lead the Wildcats
past then-No. 16 Alabama, 78-71, on Saturday, a win that clinched Kentucky's
43rd league title.
Basketball team falls short of NCAA academic goals
Kentucky's men's basketball team compiled the second-worst classroom record
among Southeastern Conference schools in 2003-2004, according to
academic-oriented statistics released yesterday by the NCAA.
UK, U of L not making grade The University
of Louisville and University of Kentucky men's basketball teams could face
the loss of scholarships next year if they don't improve their academic
performances.
Senate's budget bid for UK's practice facility likely DOAGOVERNOR NOR HOUSE ASKED FOR $15 MILLION
INCLUSION The Kentucky Senate yesterday stuck $15
million into its state budget proposal to build a practice facility for the
University of Kentucky basketball team.
For Sparks, accolades follow SEC title The
coaching adage that team accomplishment brings individual glory received
supporting evidence yesterday. Kentucky clinched the Southeastern
Conference's regular-season championship on Saturday. Two days later, the
SEC named Patrick Sparks, who shot UK to the clinching victory at Alabama,
its Player of the Week for Feb. 20-27.
Women
Cats Prepare For SEC TournamentThe Kentucky women’s basketball team
received the No. 10 seed and is preparing to square off with
seventh-seeded Auburn in Thursday’s first round of the Southeastern
Conference Tournament. Game time is slated for 3:15 p.m. ET at the
Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, S.C.
Football
Player dissension just latest problem for Cats' Brooks
UPPERCLASSMEN MUST EARN PLAYING TIME, COACH SAYS
University of Kentucky coach Rich Brooks returned from an
Aruba vacation last Friday with a boatload of issues staring him in
the face.
Baseball
Kentucky's Cancels Both Mid-Week Games
Tuesday and Wednesday’s baseball games between Kentucky and East
Tennessee State have been cancelled due to projected inclement
weather. No make up dates have been scheduled.
Our Privacy statement can be read here...
Disclaimer: This site solely owned by
WildcatZone.Com
and is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Kentucky, the
Southeastern Conference, or the NCAA
copyright (c) 1997-2006, WildcatZone.Com (except where otherwise indicated)
Basketball 
Football