ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Four months ago, it was an imperfect lot.
Jeff Sheppard, an unsung ''team player.'' Nazr Mohammed, former 315-pound stiff. Allen Edwards, he of the nearly four-year funk. Former flunkee Scott Padgett. Wayne Turner, the quiet, quirky point guard.
Heshimu Evans, formerly of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Unpolished giant Jamaal Magloire. Former walk-on Cameron Mills. Four fragile freshmen.
Slowly, though, Kentucky's players have melded into something else. A team.
One 40 minutes from immortality.
''All year, it's been said we weren't gonna do anything,'' Padgett said. ''We're not as good as the UK teams of the past. We couldn't do it without coach (Rick) Pitino or any marquee players.
''If we reach the Final Four or our ultimate goal - winning it all - it'll be sweet.''
Sweet 16
SATURDAY'S GAMES
West Regional
Utah 76,
Arizona 51
East Regional
North Carolina 75,
Connecticut 64
TODAY'S GAMES
Midwest Regional
Rhode Island (25-8) vs.
Stanford (29-4), 2:40 p.m.
Duke (32-3) vs.
Kentucky (32-4), 5 p.m.
Men's bracket
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A victory would deliver UK's third consecutive Final Four appearance, the longest such stretch of success in school history. Only six schools have turned that trick, including just two - Houston (1982-84) and Duke (1988-92) - in the past 23 years.
A UK team built from modest means - just one player, Turner, was a high-profile recruit - might appear a long shot against the blue-blooded Blue Devils, they of the eight high school All-Americans and the winningest active coach in NCAA Tournament history.
But Duke is the one shaking in its shoes.
''I think we're playing the hottest team in the country,'' Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. ''They've had an amazing season, but what they've done lately is phenomenal. They've been destroying people.''
UK enters having won 10 straight games, by an average of 20.7 points. The last five victories, three against ranked teams, have come by 24.6 points per game.
''We're going to have to play a perfect game to win,'' Duke junior guard Trajan Langdon said.
UK suffered its last loss on Feb. 14, a 73-64 defeat to visiting Mississippi. The Wildcats didn't play badly, falling victim to a hot opponent, but UK coach Tubby Smith saw the calendar and figured it was time for action.
The next day, 6 a.m. practices and nightly curfews were instituted. Smith turned up the heat on his players, and they noticed their newfound focus.
A tight team pulled tighter.
''It has been coming all year long,'' Smith said. ''The leadership is there. Our defense has been excellent. We've been very unselfish offensively. Everything is falling into place.''
Duke freshman Elton Brand
(AP photo)
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Today's matchup is a matter of judgment. Both teams are deep, as no player on either roster averages more than 28.5 minutes per game. It's the cast-of-thousands approach Rick Pitino used in coaching UK to the 1996 national championship.
But Duke, which hasn't made the Final Four in four years, is a team relying largely on three freshmen. Starting center Elton Brand (13.6 ppg, 7.6 rebounds), forward Shane Battier (7.5 ppg, 6.3 rebounds) and guard William Avery (8.6 ppg) were Duke's three leading scorers in its 80-67 regional semifinal victory Friday over Syracuse.
UK, however, is a veteran crew.
''We've got juniors and seniors coming off the bench, and they've got sophomores and freshmen,'' Edwards said.
Said Krzyzewski: ''We're both deep, but Kentucky has experienced depth. They have guys on the bench that have played in a national championship game.''
UK's other advantage is defense. In the last 10 games, no UK opponent has shot better than 39 percent against it.
For the season, the Wildcats are holding opponents to 38.1-percent shooting, the best defensive effort by a UK team in 36 years. They have set school and Southeastern Conference records for blocked shots in a season with 226.
''We're playing about as well defensively as we can,'' Smith said. ''Guys are in the right place, pressuring the ball, challenging shots and passes and cuts. Guys are learning when to trap.
''We play a lot of multiple defenses. In order to be a championship team, the defense has got to be what leads you.''
Want an intangible? Duke is 11-2 in regional finals, including 7-0 under Krzyzewski.
''He's been here a lot and been successful,'' Duke senior guard Steve Wojciechowski said. ''You can draw confidence from that.''
Here's another: It's Wayne Turner's 22nd birthday. Last year on his birthday, he totaled 12 points, five steals, four assists, three rebounds and no turnovers in leading UK to a 72-59 victory over Utah in the West Region final.
This is Smith's first time coaching a regional final, but UK intends for that to be an advantage.
''People said when coach Pitino left, 'You'll never be the team you used to be,' '' Mohammed said. ''We want to prove to people how good Coach Smith is.''
Only the true Big Blue understand Paul Daugherty column
The Game of the Century
