In the Lane

UA guards pester UK post players

SCOTT CAIN
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Sounds crazy, but the reason Arkansas charged into halftime with a 14-point lead over 16th-ranked Kentucky was because the guards played superb post defense.
Yes, the little guys helped do the dirty work down low.
Intent on using its height advantage, Kentucky kept pounding the ball inside. Arkansas stationed its undersized big men between UK's big men and the basket and they held their ground.
Then, every time centers Jamaal Magloire and Marvin Stone or forwards Jules Camara and Tayshaun Prince touched the ball in the paint, Arkansas' guards swarmed and stripped them. Several of the Wildcats' passes came in low, and the Hogs' guards often were able to swat the ball away before the UK big men could raise it to chest level.
By halftime, the Wildcats had committed 16 turnovers. Arkansas had 11 steals.

TOPPLING THE KING
To underscore just how significant Arkansas' victory over Kentucky was, consider that the Wildcats had:

Won seven of the last eight SEC Tournament championships.

Played in the last eight championship games.

Not lost their opening game of the tournament since 1989, 77-63 to Vanderbilt (UK was ineligible for the 1990 and '91 tournaments).

Won 22 tournament championships.

A 96-15 record in the tournament.

Never lost a tournament game by more 11 points, that one coming in 1936, 39-28 to Tennessee.

MISSING IN ACTION
Kentucky freshman guard Keith Bogans lost his shoe with about 15 minutes to play after an Arkansas missed shot. While Bogans pulled the shoe back on and retied the laces, his teammates played 4-on-5 on the other end and failed to score.

ROOF PROOF
Playing in a domed arena for the first time didn't bother freshman guard Joe Johnson much.
Johnson scored 15 points in the first-round victory over Georgia and had that many midway through the second half Friday night.
"It wasn't much difference, but I could tell a little difference from our stadium," Johnson said. "It was just more people. It was real fun."

SECOND SHOTS
Kentucky hit just six baskets in the first half and matched that total in the first 3:17 of the second half. ... Rick Schaeffer, who ordinarily handles analysis on the radio broadcast, returned to Fayetteville on Friday to work the NCAA Indoor Track Championships in his role as UA's sports information director. Paul Eells, the voice of the football Razorbacks, filled in.

This article was published on Saturday, March 11, 2000

RETURN to main page

Copyright and permissions
Copyright © 2000, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved.
This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.