UK's Scott Padgett, top, vies for a rebound with teammate Jared Prickett, left, and Mississippi's Jon Cantre
(AP photo).
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. - No rematch. No matter.
The Kentucky Wildcats won't get a chance today to atone for South Carolina's twin killings. But since their agenda had been about regrouping, not revenge, they're plenty happy to have a chance for a championship.
''Everybody gave up their egos this week,'' senior guard Anthony Epps said Saturday, after UK beat Mississippi 88-70 in a Southeastern Conference tournament semifinal. ''This team is putting up a fight.''
A week removed from a crushing home loss to South Carolina, the sixth-ranked Wildcats are retooled and ready for redemption. A victory against No. 24 Georgia at 2 p.m. today in the SEC finals would likely lock up a top seed for its defense of the NCAA Championship.
''This team hasn't been angry; it's been motivated, because this is what basketball is all about in March,'' UK coach Rick Pitino said. ''You have to pick up your level psychologically, physically, and in every aspect of the game.''
In the span of 20 hours, UK (29-4) handed Auburn its worst loss of the season and Ole Miss its second-worst. Recent lineup changes have resulted in a scoring surge and better balance. And today it faces a team it beat by 21 and 25 points in the regular season.
''This is a good pressure to have,'' UK senior forward Jared Prickett said. ''Needing a win for a No. 1 seed, this team will accept that challenge.''
The buildup for a possible rematch against No. 4 South Carolina, which swept UK in two meetings this winter, fizzled as the Gamecocks fell to Georgia 78-63 in the second semifinal. Georgia (24-7), coached by former Pitino assistant Tubby Smith, handed South Carolina its only two SEC losses this season.
But UK was able to avenge one of its defeats Saturday: Ole Miss had claimed a 73-69 victory Jan. 11 in Oxford, Miss. In Pitino's
eight-year tenure, UK is now 15-1 when facing a team which beat it earlier in the season.
Pitino had preached the importance of outrebounding opponents. UK was beaten on the boards in four of its final five regular-season games, and Pitino noted UK's best performances - against Syracuse, Indiana, Louisville and Villanova - coincided with its best rebounding nights.
Friday, UK set an SEC tournament record with 56 rebounds against Auburn, and the Wildcats outrebounded Ole Miss 37-28 Saturday.
''When we're attacking inside, that's when we play great basketball,'' Pitino said.
Saturday, it led the way to
55.9-percent shooting, the best percentage UK has shot against an SEC team this season and the highest mark Ole Miss (20-8) has allowed all winter. The 88 points were the most the Rebels have allowed this season.
Pitino's midweek lineup switch, inserting sophomore Wayne Turner at point guard and senior Jared Prickett at center, continued to pay dividends. Prickett scored 16 points, the most since his season-high
17 Dec. 3 against Purdue, and Turner scored 13.
UK already had five double-figure scorers with 9:15 left in the game, including junior guard Cameron Mills, who totaled a
career-high 14 points a half-minute into the second half. Epps tied a career high with 18 points.
Junior forward Allen Edwards started his 15th consecutive game Saturday, but that streak figures to end today. Having strained his back Friday against Auburn, Edwards was deemed fit to start Saturday, but played just two minutes before leaving the lineup.
''I felt great, and then boom, it came back just like that,'' he said. ''It wouldn't be out of the question for me to play (today). I'm trying to get ready.''
But Pitino insisted on rest: ''We won't play him (today), so we can rest him up for the NCAAs,'' Pitino said.
The intangibles favor UK today. It is appearing in its 28th SEC Tournament final, having won 19 titles, and is 16-1 in SEC tourney games under Pitino. UK is 6-0 against Georgia the SEC tourney.
''It's going to take a lot (today),'' Smith said. ''Our team has learned a lot the last month or two. I think we'll be ready for Kentucky this time.''
SULLIVAN COLUMN
KENTUCKY (88)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Edwards 2 0-0 0-0 0-1 1 0 0
Padgett 24 1-3 1-4 3-7 3 1 3
Prickett 30 8-10 0-1 1-6 3 4 16
Turner 28 5-11 3-6 1-2 3 4 13
Mercer 34 7-13 4-4 2-7 0 3 19
Epps 34 5-10 7-7 1-2 5 1 18
Magloire 10 1-2 0-0 2-4 0 3 2
Mills 21 5-8 0-0 0-1 1 2 14
Mohammed 17 1-2 1-2 1-6 1 3 3
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 200 33-59 16-24 11-36 17 21 88
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.559, FT-.667. 3-Point Goals:
6-14, .429 (Padgett 0-2, Mercer 1-2, Epps 1-4,
Mills 4-6). Team rebounds: 1. Blocked shots: 5
(Prickett 2, Mohammed 2, Padgett). Turnovers: 18
(Turner 4, Epps 3, Mercer 3, Prickett 3, Padgett
2, Magloire, Mills, Mohammed). Steals: 8 (Padgett
4, Epps 2, Mercer, Turner).
MISSISSIPPI (70)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Smith 32 6-10 1-4 2-3 2 2 13
Sesay 35 5-10 6-6 3-9 3 4 18
A Boone 17 2-4 0-2 1-1 0 0 4
White 34 0-3 2-6 0-1 4 3 2
Carter 30 4-10 3-4 0-4 3 4 11
Darby 21 3-8 3-3 0-3 1 4 11
Rogers 10 2-3 3-4 0-1 2 0 7
Oney 6 0-1 0-0 1-1 0 1 0
Cantrell 15 2-6 0-0 1-1 0 2 4
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 200 24-55 18-29 8-24 15 20 70
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.436, FT-.621. 3-Point Goals:
4-18, .222 (Sesay 2-3, White 0-1, Carter 0-5,
Darby 2-7, Cantrell 0-2). Team rebounds: 4.
Blocked shots: 2 (Rogers, Oney). Turnovers: 18
(Carter 5, Sesay 3, Smith 3, A Boone 2, Darby 2,
White 2, Rogers). Steals: 6 (Darby 2, White 2,
Rogers, Sesay).
__________________________________
Kentucky 45 43 - 88
Mississippi 34 36 - 70
__________________________________
Technical fouls: None. Officials: Donald
Rutledge, Ed Herron, Dave Dodge.
Tournament stories
UK 92, AUBURN 50 March 7, 1997
PITINO SEEKS BETTER SHOOTING, FEWER FOULS March 7, 1997
CATS START TOURNEY AS PAPER TIGERS March 6, 1997
CATS HAVE NINE LINEUPS March 5, 1997
SEC FINAL: UK-CAROLINA? March 3, 1997
