Saturday, February 20, 1999
Wildcats shop for a road win
The Associated Press
LEXINGTON, Ky. — It's the last place any team would want to try to shake off its road blues: Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
That's the difficult assignment No.6 Kentucky faces today, when the Wildcats visit an Arkansas team on the bubble for an NCAA berth.
“It's a different atmosphere and a different level of intensity when you go into Bud Wal ton Arena against Arkansas. Our players have to understand that we're going to have to muster our best effort to compete,” Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said Friday.
In losing both ends of a swing through Florida and Alabama two weeks ago, Smith said, his players did not respond well to loud, hostile crowds.
“That's why we've got to develop that type of toughness, road toughness, especially if we want to play well,” Smith said.
Before their 75-68 loss to the Gators on Feb.4, the Wildcats had won 15 consecutive conference games on the road, a run that stretched two years. But you have to go back to their Jan. 9 game at Vanderbilt to find the last time Kentucky won easily away from Rupp Arena.
Subsequent visits to Mississippi and Georgia were struggles for Kentucky, as the Wildcats rallied in the second half to beat the Rebels and went to overtime to beat the Bulldogs.
Smith emphasized poise as the key to a win at Fayetteville.
“You need to take care of the basketball,” Smith said. “Offensively, you can't panic. We've got a fairly young team and going into those type of hostile arenas, you've got to be able to execute to perfection.”
At 18-8 overall, 7-6 in the Southeastern Conference, coach Nolan Richardson said his team is only borderline for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“We have the two giants of our league coming here back- to-back,” Richardson said, referring to Kentucky and No.3 Auburn, which visits Fayetteville Wednesday. “We can bust the bubble if we take care of business at home. We can decide our own destiny.”
Kentucky (21-6, 10-3) is playing primarily for NCAA Tournament seeding and comes in having won six straight over the Razorbacks. The most recent Kentucky win — a 99-74 blowout in last year's SEC tournament semifinals — could provide extra motivation for Arkansas' all-senior backcourt of Kareem Reid and Pat Bradley, according to Kentucky point guard Wayne Turner.
“I know Kareem and Pat are thinking, "They blew us out last year,'” Turner said.
Richardson said the Wildcats won't be lacking for motivation.
“We have more to gain, but Kentucky is playing for higher seeding and still has a chance to tie for the conference championship,” he said.
Still, he added, “We have our back to the wall. We're just trying to get there. Kentucky is there.”
Asked whether he wanted his players to try to match the Razorbacks' expected intensity, Smith said no.
“I'd much rather have our guys' emotions under control,” Smith said. “I'd much rather have us playing with confidence.
“We've got to play our game,” he added. “We've got to concern ourselves with our game and our focus, our execution.”
Kentucky forward Scott Padgett said the key for the Wildcats will be to get into their transition game and “try to make the simple play rather than the home-run play.”
“We've just got to try to fight through everything they throw at us,” Turner said.
UK at ARKANSAS
• When: 1 p.m. today
• Where: Bud Walton Arena (19,200), Fayetteville, Ark.
• Records: UK 21-6 (10-3 SEC), Arkansas 18-8 (7-6)
• TV: Ch. 12
• Radio: WSAI-AM (1530); WNKR-FM (106.5)
BY THE NUMBERS
• 2-1: Arkansas' lead in this series in games played in Fayetteville (UK leads the overall series 12-4)
• 8.2: Three-pointers per game made by Arkansas, the 14th-highest average in the nation
• 141: Games played by UK senior Wayne Turner, tied with Anthony Epps for second-most at UK; Jared Prickett holds the school record of 143
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