BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Among things difficult to explain about Kentucky basketball fans was this sight: 15,000 people in Rupp Arena; no game going on.

They came Tuesday night simply to salute the Wildcats. That's devotion not easily explained to outsiders, but it seemed fitting, for the success of this season seemed similarly inexplicable.

''I could give you a lot of reasons why the Untouchables (UK's 1996 squad) won a title,'' UK coach Rick Pitino told the crowd. ''But I could give you no reasons how to explain and define this day today, and that's why these players must be called the Unbelievables.''

A UK team which recovered from the loss of four NBA draftees, the redshirting of Jeff Sheppard and an injury to Derek Anderson forged a stunning 35-5 record and NCAA runner-up finish. This group was feted by a crowd which screamed in support for an hour.

The coaches and players were individually introduced, emerging from the mouth of a wooden wildcat. There were spotlights, music and a long, blue carpet (better than a red carpet in this state).

The players wore ''Unbelievables'' T-shirts, and the four departing players - seniors Derek Anderson, Anthony Epps, Jared Prickett and NBA-bound sophomore Ron Mercer - drew ear-splitting ovations.

Then the NCAA runner-up banner was unfurled in the rafters.

''This response didn't surprise us at all,'' junior Cameron Mills said. ''We've got the greatest fans in the world.''

Pitino met with the media to discuss next season, revealing that he stayed up until 6 a.m. after the finals talking with his assistants about that subject.

''The guys we have are going to really grow and mature,'' he said. ''We'll be an awesome defensive team. On offense, we lose Anderson and Mercer, so we'll have to work to improve there.

''I think we're a preseason top-seven team. I think we've got a great chance to win it all.''

Epps and Prickett will leave today for an NBA pre-draft camp in Portsmouth, Va. Epps is still considering walking on as a UK football receiver if he can't play pro basketball somewhere.

Pitino distributed his team awards. The winners: Mercer, MVP; Prickett, Outstanding Senior and Mr. Hustle; Mills, Three-Point Award and Student-Athlete of the Year; Scott Padgett, Most Improved; Epps, Leadership Award; Anderson, Most Positive and Mr. Deflection; Sheppard, Sacrifice Award; Nazr Mohammed, Best Rebounder; and Jamaal Magloire and Wayne Turner (tie), Best Defensive Player.

Sheppard was named UK's captain for next season in a unanimous vote by his teammates.

Final Four stories

ARIZONA 84, KENTUCKY 79 April 1, 1997
BOX SCORE April 1, 1997
SIMON SAYS NO TO UK REPEAT April 1, 1997
PADGETT PROLONGS SEASON April 1, 1997
UNHAPPY ENDING FOR MERCER April 1, 1997
'CATS CAN'T MAKE IT OVER MOUNTAINTOP April 1, 1997
BIG BLUES IN LEXINGTON April 1, 1997
GREAT BASKETBALL? WHO HAS TIME FOR IT? April 1, 1997
UK CAN FULFILL MERCER'S WISH March 31, 1997
DAUGHERTY COLUMN March 31, 1997
KAISER COLUMN March 31, 1997
KENTUCKY 78, MINNESOTA 69 March 30, 1997
BOX SCORE
March 30, 1997
ANDERSON RETURNS, TECHNICALLY SPEAKING March 30, 1997
DAUGHERTY COLUMN March 30, 1997
KAISER COLUMN March 30 , 1997
'CATS, GOPHERS HUNGRY FOR MORE March 29, 1997
EPPS: FROM WALK-ON TO CO-CAPTAIN March 29, 1997
WILDCATS BOMBING AWAY March 28, 1997
FOND MEMORIES FOR PITINO March 27, 1997
PRICKETT GETS HIS CHANCE March 26, 1997
PITINO MASTER MANIPULATOR March 25, 1997
39 MINUTES? NO PROBLEM FOR MERCER March 24, 1997

NCAA Tournament stories

UK: 'TWO MORE TO HISTORY' March 23, 1997
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WAYNE March 23, 1997
DAUGHERTY COLUMN March 23, 1997
KENTUCKY THE UNDERDOG? March 22, 1997
MILLS BECOMES MR. BIG March 22, 1997
DAUGHERTY COLUMN March 22, 1997
KENTUCKY 83, ST. JOSEPH'S 68 March 21, 1997
WITH ANDERSON OR WITHOUT, UK KEEPS ROLLING Daugherty column, March 21, 1997
ST. JOE'S ASSUMES 'ROCKY' ROLE March 20, 1997
WILDCATS SUDDENLY DEPLETEDMarch 20, 1997
DECISION BELONGED TO ANDERSON Daugherty column, March 20, 1997
UK ROLLS DICE WITH ANDERSON March 19, 1997
ANDERSON RETURNING TO WILDCATS March 18, 1997
BUCKLE UP, UK FANS; ANOTHER TOUGH ONE COMING March 17, 1997
UK 75, IOWA 69 March 16, 1997
UK'S DEPTH NOT JUST PERCEPTION, IT'S REALITY March 16, 1997
PITINO PAINTS SCARY PICTURE March 15, 1997
TURNER, MILLS EMERGING March 15, 1997
UK 92, MONTANA 54 March 14, 1997
PITINO URGES UK TO KEEP FOCUS March 13, 1997
NCAA DROPPED WHOPPER ON MONTANA March 12, 1997
PITINO: SEEDING COMMITTEE 'BLEW IT' March 11, 1997
WILDCATS SIGHT BIGGER GOALS March 10, 1997
MONTANA SHEEP FOR SLAUGHTER March 10, 1997

SEC Tournament stories

UK 95, GEORGIA 68 March 10, 1997
UK 88, MISSISSIPPI 70 March 9, 1997
UK 92, AUBURN 50 March 8, 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