xt76t14tj74z https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt76t14tj74z/data/mets.xml Wildcat News Company 1988 Volume 12 -- Number 30 athletic publications  English Wildcat News Company Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. The Cats' Pause UKAW University of Kentucky Men's Basketball (1987-1988) coaches Sutton, Eddie Farmer, Richie players Bennett, Winston Hagan, Cliff hook shots Givens, Jack (Goose) University of Kentucky Baseball (1988) statistics schedules recruiting Cats' Pause Combs, Oscar The Cats' Pause,  April 2, 1988 text The Cats' Pause,  April 2, 1988 1988 2012 true xt76t14tj74z section xt76t14tj74z Nova Ends 'Cats' KC Dreams With 80-74 Upset. . .
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TAKE ME OUT OF THE BALLPARK
That's what UK sophomore right fielder Sam Taylor did Sunday, as he touched up Alabama reliever Gary Hollingsworth for a solo homer, his second of the year, in the Bat Cats' 9-5 win over the Tide. The win evened UK's record at 11-11 on the season, 5-4 in SEC play. For a complete wrap-up of the game, please see page 21. photo by David sterling
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After Loss In Birmingham, Recruiting Heats Up Again
All you had to do was to take a peek inside the UK locker room after the game. Tears flowed freely. Bennett and Chapman couldn't hold back their emotions, even 10 minutes after the final horn. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
They should take pride in a very successful season, one which produced a record of 27 victories and only six losses. Along the way, UK defeated such arch-rivals as Indiana, Louisville, Notre Dame, LSU three times and national power Syracuse.
It will be a while before the Wildcats get over the loss. They'll feel the pain this weekend when Oklahoma, Duke, Kansas and Arizona meet in Kansas City for the Final Four.
The players, as well as the coaching staff, will replay the game a thousand times, but the final outcome will be the same. Sure, this team probably should have beaten Villanova, but even if the UK had been successful against Villanova, they still would have been an underdog against Oklahoma.
Perhaps a loss to Oklahoma would have, been easier to accept, but that's why the games are played. It wasn't the greatest season in UK history, but it certainly wasn't the worst. In fact, it was a fine season which included a regular-season Southeastern Conference championship, an SEC Tournament title and two NCAA victories enabling UK to join the field of the Sweet Sixteen. Thanks fellas, for some fond memories.
? ? ?
Back to the Kentucky connection in Kansas City.
Let's start with East Regional representative Duke. The Blue Devils have a senior Ail-American by the name of Danny Ferry who once was interested in being recruiting by Kentucky.
At the time (prior to the Sutton era), Ferry and his DeMatha Catholic High team first played in Lexington's Hillbrook Festival when Ferry was a sophomore. There were some on the UK staff who thought Ferry was too slow and not big enough to play hoops on the big-time level. By the time the UK staff realized they had made a serious miscalcuation in Ferry's abilities, it was too late to get back in the recruiting. He didn't even make an official visit.
To the Southeast where the Sooners are on a roll. There making a big contribution is senior Harvey Grant, who found his way to Norman by the junior college route. Most everyone around here knows he once signed a letter of intent with Kentucky out of junior college but the UK staff asked Grant to look elsewhere after he had a run-in with the law after a petty larcery incident in Kansas. The decision came right at the time of the controversial investigation of UK by the NCAA.
In the Midwest you have the Kansas Jayhawks and would you believe that one of the main ingredients is a youngster by the name of Kevin Pritchard, who might
While there's definitely a Big Blue flavor in the 50th NCAA Final Four this weekend in Kansas City, none of the current Kentucky Wildcats will be on the hardwoods as Kentucky's quest for a berth in the Final Four fell at the hands of Villanova last week.
Coach Eddie Sutton and his Wildcats appeared to be on the right track to take a shot at the high-and-mighty Oklahoma Sooners only to get upset by another brand of Wildcats which put on a dazzling offensive show.
Villanova itself had aspirations of 1985-revisited when the 'Cats surprised everyone by emerging as the national champions at Rupp Arena after winning the Southeast Region in, of all places, Birmingham.
Kentucky, which had earlier dispatched Southern University and Maryland from the field, met the challenge early, but fell behind when senior Winston Bennett got in foul trouble twice. He first left the game with the score tied at 29-29 in the first half after a very questionable call. Villanova took advantage of Bennett's absence and soared to an 11-point halftime lead.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Bennett picked up his fourth foul and Kentucky never caught up. Oh, the 'Cats made a couple runs at the Big East entry, but without Bennett, the 'Cats just couldn't get over the jump. When he returned to the lineup with just over six minutes remaining, it was too late.
And, thus, a end to the Final Four dreams of the 1987 Wildcats, especially seniors Rob Lock, Ed Davender, Bennett, Cedric Jenkins and Richard Madison.
Villanova ended the UK's season with an 80-74 decision. In the second game of the regional, Oklahoma raced by Louisville by a score of 108-98, eliminating both Kentucky's entries from the race.
The loss overshadowed a great 30-point exhibition by sophomore Rex Chapman who kept the 'Cats in the game almost single-handedly.
The lack of a consistent inside game, much the problem for UK throughout the season, against spelled doom for the 'Cats. Lock had a tough time the first half, but came alive early in the second half to give the Big Blue a new life. But he and Chapman were not enough to hold off Villanova.
Scoring was the big problem. Bennett was hitting well when he was in the game, but he logged only 22 minutes with his foul problems. But the shooting eye abandoned both Ed Davender and Eric Manuel. The two combined for only five of 22 from the field.
Meanwhile, Villanova was hitting just about everything it launched at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center. From the free throw line, for instance, Villanova canned a perfect 17 of 17. It was that kind of a night.
But give the UK Wildcats credit, they never gave up, right to the very end. And the end it was.
It was disappointing to say the least.
MacLean, Left, Farmer, Right, And Brittain Top Three On UK's List
have been headed to UK at the same time as one Rex Chapman and one Harvey Grant. Pritchard is from Tulsa, Okla., was was being recruited as a junior by Sutton when he was at Arkansas. When Sutton arrived in Kentucky, Pritchard (who already had an interest in UK) became even more interested. There are some who say he lost interest in UK after the Wildcats signed Chapman. Pritchard, some say, would have signed early with UK had Chapman not signed in November of that year. Kevin did keep UK on his list for another couple months before finally deciding on Kansas.
And from the West you have Arizona, the school which operates under the watchful eye of one Lute Olson. Lute was Kentucky's first choice to replace the retiring Joe B. Hall back in 1985. There are those who say Lute really was never interested in the UK job, that his appearance before the UK selection committee was just a public gesture to use as leverage to iron out some problems in Tucson. He, nevertheless, was led around Wildcat Lodge the day before the 1985 NCAA championship game in Lexington and was being introduced to some players as "most likely" the new coach of UK. At least two unnamed UK officials insist he was offered the UK job and even verbally accepted before the deal was called off by Olson later than afternoon. Less than 24 hours later, UK officials interviewed and hired Eddie Sutton.
So, when you flick on the television screen this Saturday for the Final Four semifinals, you can take a little special interest in each of the four teams, knowing they've all got a little Kentucky connection.
? ? ?
Recruiting.
That's the top priority on coach Eddie Sutton's list between now and the middle of May.
The three names you'll expect to hear a lot are Don MacLean, Maurice Brittain and Richie Farmer. Don't be surprised if Sutton signs all three.
MacLean enjoyed a super year at Simi Valley and upclose observers believe five schoolsKentucky, Georgia Tech, UNLV, UCLA and Syracuseremain. The more
knowledgable sources who have a good track record believe it will come down to UK and Georgia Tech.
MacLean reportedly wants to wait until after the all-star games before making his selection. Look for an announcement and signing near the end of April.
Brittain, the 6-9 center out of Hutchinson Junior College, is called the nation's finest junior college center by super scout Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports. He's being sought by a host of big-time schools, including DePaul, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Minnesota, Kansas, and of course, UK.
Gibbons said Brittain first signed with Mississippi State out of high school, but encountered grade problems and then changed his name from Maurice Ezzard after enrolling at Hutchinson. Gibbons said he dominated the recent junior college tournament in Kansas and says he'll be an impact player the first game he suits up next season on the Division I scene.
Gibbons also told us last week that one report swirling around the junior college tournament two weeks ago that Brittain is headed to Kentucky and that UK signee Shawn Kemp will go to Hutchinson if he doesn't predict for UK.
Kemp is the 6-11 senior from Elkhart, Ind., who signed with UK last November. More about him later.
The story, according to Gibbons, is that UK may have gotten an inside tract with the Hutchinson coach (former Western assistant Dave Farrar) for Brittain's services, if the story of Kemp going to Hutchinson is true.
The third prospect is Clay County's Farmer, who tore up the record books of the recent Kentucky State High School Basketball Tournament.
Farmer scored a record 51 points in the title game in an 88-79 loss to Louisville Ballard. He hit 20 of 32 field goals, including nine of 14 from behind the three-point circle while winning MVP honors in the tourney for the second straight year.
Although he had been courted only by Western Kentucky most of his senior year, several schools took notice of the state tournament and the fact that state university (UK) apparently had little or no in-[Continued On Page 26] 4
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End Of The Line
Chapman's Career-High 30 Points, Edge In Statistics Not Enough For Kentucky As Villanova, Birmingham Jinx Drop 'Cats From Tourney 80-74
By TCP Editor/Publisher Oscar Combs
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.  And the clock struck midnight. No more tomorrow, no more hoops, no more Final Four dreams. The End!
It was a bitter shock as the members of this 1987 Kentucky team deeply rooted with five seniors walked off the floor for the final time in Wildcat uniforms.
It wasn't a pleasant sight. But then, more often than not, that's the way past Wildcat teams have left this particular basketball arena in recent years.
When the scoreboard clock reached 0:00, the score read VILLANOVA 80, KENTUCKY 74.
Heads dropped. Their weary legs carried their tired bodies toward a sweaty locker room for one last postgame reunion. There would be no more pep talks about the next game, no more rallies about the rewards of a trip to Kansas City. Life in the fast lane came to an abrupt halt.
'Other' Wildcats Played Almost To Perfection
No one hurt more than Kentucky coach Eddie Sutton. And what did he have to say?
"I gave a little philosophy like I do in the last game of the year," Sutton told reporters minutes after the game. "I told them that throughout their lives you're gonna have days when you meet adversity and many times it depends on how you react to that. And they need to react very positively in games past that we lost and I hope that they learned a lot of valuable lessons."
It certainly was one of those nights when nothing went right for Kentucky. The opposite held true for Villanova, being tagged by some as a team of destiny.
A game of mismatches.
An event where the Wildcats were forced to play almost half a game without their mainstayWinston Bennetton a team which sorely lacked a consistent inside game.
It was a game in which a team (UK) was one of the nation's top 10 free throw shooting clubs, only to be outgunned by a team of lesser accuracy on the season when the opponent failed to miss a single try in 17 attempts.
It was a game in which two (Eric Manuel and Ed Davender) of UK's finest shooters of the past three weeks failed to hit 25 percent of their field goals.
It was a game in which the winner figured to have more rebounds and more field goal attempts. UK won both statistical battles but still lost the war.
It just wan't meant to be.
Birmingham-Jefferson Claims Another Victim
The Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center has been unkind to the 'Cats for more than a decade.
It all started back in 1979 during the postseason SEC tournament. The Wildcats reeled off three straight victories only to be defeated by Tennessee in overtime of the championship game.
A year later, UK lost to LSU in the championship contest. The following season, Vanderbilt shocked the 'Cats 60-55 in the first round. After a one-year break, the SEC tourney returned and saw the 'Cats get upset in the first game by Alabama, 69-64.
It was another two years before the tourney went back to the Alabama city and again UK lost in the first round, this time to Florida by a score of 58-55.
The only break of luck over the past 10 years came in 1984 when the 'Cats earned a first-round bye in the NCAA and then defeated Brigham Young in Birmingham to advance to the regional semis in Knoxville. That could have been a disaster had not homestan-ding UAB been upset by BYU in the first round.
If you've guessed that Birmingham has not been among UK's favorite arenas, you're not wrong.
Thursday night, the Birmingham facility continued its jinx on the Wildcats and extended its bad luck to the Wildcats' sister institutionthe Louisville Cardinals as they were beaten 108-98 by Oklahoma.
Chapman's Career-High 30 Points Kept It Close
Thanks to Rex Chapman's career-high 30 points, the Wildcats made a game of it most of the way, especially in the first half before UK lost Bennett at 4:42 when he picked up his third person foul.
At the time, the two clubs were knotted at 29-29 in game that had see-sawed the first 16 minutes. After that, Villanova went on a 14-3 tear to take command of a 43-32 lead at the halfway mark and UK never caught up.
Kentucky came storming out of the gate as Chapman was scoring from all over the floor to offset the balanced scoring of Tom Greis, Doug West and Mark Plansky. Chapman hit four of his first
five shots (two three-pointers), but the 'Cats still trailed 17-15 at the 14:23 mark because 7-2 Greis was scoring at will with short jump hooks inside the paint and West was hitting long-range bombs.
Villanova left its zone temporarily to cover Chapman and Bennett went to work inside, picking up 10 quick points before being charged with his third foul at 4:42.
It was the beginning of the end.
With Bennett On Bench, 'Cats Went Under
Villanova rattled off seven straight points as Plansky hit a three-pointer, Kenny Wilson canned a couple free throws and West canned a 12-footer after Taylor drew a charging foul on Rob Lock for a 36-29 lead.
Chapman, who had gone scoreless since 14:05 mark and had taken only one shot, canned a three-pointer from the top of the key to close the gap to 36-31, but Villanova then retaliated with another seven-point run on a three-pointer by Plansky, a seven-footer by West and a pair of free throws by Gary Massey.
In the second half, Lock returned with fire in his eyes. He immediately ignited the 'Cats with baseline jumper at 19:32, but Bennett committed his fourth personal foul at 19:18 and went to the pine. It would prove to be a very critical mistake for the 'Cats.
Although UK came at Villanova hard, the Big East 'Cats refused to wilt, withstanding each Wildcat surge.
Kentucky closed the gap to seven (53-46) at 15:42 on a Lock slam, but 'Nova went back on top by nine on Greis' turnaround jumper.
With 8:54 left, Chapman tickled the nets for a three-pointer and narrowed the deficit to four (63-59), but again 'Nova pulled back out, this time on a three-pointer by Wilson from 21 feet out.
Bennett finally got back in at 6:53 and UK trailing 68-61, but 'Nova kept hitting the free throws and took time off the shot clock each trip down the floor.
UK made one last run at Villanova at 2:04 as LeRon Ellis hit a free throw and Bennett canned a pair to narrow the score to 74-70.
Late Kentucky Run Was Too Little, Too Late
But just as they had all night, the 'Nova Cats responded with four free throws from West and Plansky to put Villanova up again by eight (78-70). Bennett hit a shot jumper off a missed shot before Wilson hit another pair of free throws and Chapman slammed home an uncontested dunk at 0:06 to make the final score of 80-74.
Villanova, which didn't score a field goal the last 2:23 of the game, sealed the victory with six straight free tosses.
West paced the Villanova attack with 20 points followed by Plan-sky's 16 and Wilson's 15. Also in double-figure scoring were Taylor with 11 and Greis with 10.
Chapman's 30 spearheaded the UK attack followed by Bennett with 16 and Lock with 11 points. Kentucky won the battle of the boards 31-27, with Manuel tying Taylor and Plansky for game honors with eight each.
Villanova shot 56.9 percent from the field on 29 of 51 while UK hit 45.8 percent on 27 of 59. That basically told the story. UK had
11 turnovers to nine for Villanova.
The victory improved Villanova's record to 24-12 and UK bowed out of 1987 action with a 27-6 mark. Villanova went on to lose to Oklahoma in the regional finals by 19.
To 'Nova coach Rollie Massimino, it was more of 'Nova playing great than UK playing poorly.
"I felt that Kentucky played a superb game," said Massimino. "It's the best defensive effort this team (Villanova) has ever seen. They (UK) changed up defenses tremendously well."
Concerning Chapman's career-high 30 points, the 'Nova coach said, "It doesn't seem like we did a very good job on him, but he's a great, great basketball player and we did everything we could."
The key? "We did a good job in stopping their inside game," said Massimino. "I have to give our kids a tremendous amount of credit."
UK's Eddie Sutton pointed to the final seven minutes of the first half as the reason for the loss.
"We got ourselves in a jam during those last seven or eight minutes of the first half," said Sutton. "We made some mistakes on the offensive end and took a couple bad shots. We hurt ourselves.
"Anything you get behind a club like Villanova you're asking for problems," continued Sutton. "They (Villanova) shot the ball extremely well. It seemed like in the second half every time we tried to make a run, someone on their club would answer it. We just never could quite get over the jump and we played catchup basketball all evening."
One of the puzzling stats was in the rebounding department where UK won the battle 31-27, but in a strange way. The 'Cats had only
12 defensive rebounds but 17 on the offensive end while Villanova gathered in 17 defensive rebounds but only nine offensive boards. The difference, of course, was that UK missed fired on 32 field goal attempts while Villanova failed to connect on only 22 shots.
UK-Villanova Play-By-Play
Time	Kentucky	Score	Villanova
19:42	Chapman 21 ft.	3-0	
19:07		3-2	West 12 ft.
18:38		3-4	Wilson 18 ft.
18:21	Chapman 21 ft.	6-4	
17:55		6-6	Greis 8 ft.
17:29		6-8	Greis 4 ft..
16:53		6-10	Taylor putback
16:36	Bennett 16 ft.,FT	9-10	
15:40		9-12	Greis 6 ft. hook
15:25	Lock dunk	11-12	
15:08		11-14	Taylor FT, FT
14:55	Chapman 12 ft.	13-14	
14:23		13-17	West 20 ft.
14:05	Chapman 17 ft.	15-17	
13:04		15-20	Taylor lay-in, FT
12:44	Bennett tip-in	17-20	
10:52	Bennett 13 feet	19-20	
9:45	Davender FT, FT	21-20	
B:07		21-23	West 21 ft.
7:44	Manuel 20 ft.	24-23	
7:27		24-25	West 11 ft.
6:55		24-27	Massey lay-in
6:36	Bennett tip-in,FT	27-27	
5:56		27-29	Plansky FT, FT
5:13	Davender lay-in	29-29	
4:29		29-32	PLansky 20 ft.
3:50		29-34	Wilson FT, FT
3:09		29-36	West 12 ft.
2:16	Chapman 25 ft.	32-36	
1:59 '		32-39	Plansky 22 ft
1:05		32-41                 West 7 ft	
:49		32-431         Massey FT, FT	
HALF		32-43	
19:32	Lock 8 ft.	34-431	
19:06		34-45	West 15 ft.
18:46	Lock putback	36-45	
18:32		36-47	Massey lay-in
18:04		36-49	Plansky 12 ft.
17:44	Lock FT, FTA	38-49	
17:14	Chapman 14 ft.	39-49	
17:02		39-51	Massey lay-in
16:43	Davender 5 ft.	41-51	
16:23		41-53	Taylor tip-in
16:05	Chapman 21 ft.	44-53	
15:42	Lock dunk	46-53	
15:06		46-55	Greis 7 ft.
13:54	Chapman 8 ft.	48-55	
13:21		48-57	Wilson 17 ft.
12:58	Manuet 23 ft.	51-57	
11:59		51-59	Wilson FT, FT
11:31	Chapman FT, FT	53-59	
10:16		53-61	Plansky 15 ft.
10:00	Manuel 24 ft.	56-61	
9:16		56-63	Wilson 13 ft.
8:54	Chapman 20 ft.	59-63	
B:32		59-66	Wilson 21 ft.
8:15	Lock 4 ft.	61-66	
6:53		61-68	Greis 12 ft.
5:28	Ellis FT, FTA	62-68	
5:09		62-70	Taylor FT, FT
3:47,		62-72	West 8 ft
3:26	Bennett 14 ft.	64-72	
3:07	Chapman lay-in	66-72	
2:24		67-74	Plansky 12 ft.
2:04	Ellis FT, FTA	68-74	
2:04	Bennett FT, FT	70-74	
1:09		70-76	West 12 ft.
:33		70-78	Plansky FT, FT
:23	Bennett i ft.	72-78	
:11		72-80	Wilson FT, FT
:06	Chapman dunk	74-80	
FINAL		74-80	
Cats' Pause chart 2, /pc?C?		
		
Here's Why 'Cats Were Among Sweet 16. . .
Maturity Played Big Role In UK's Improvement
VERSATILITY.
Eleven letters that spell out why the University of Kentucky Wildcats were amongthe last 16 teams still playing when regional semifinal and final action kicked into gear last week.
Dan Brandenburg
Cats' Pause Columnist
Coach Eddie Sutton's squad has matured into a team that will do whatever it takes to win and that is a big change from its first few efforts in December.
At the start of the year, the Cats played only as well as super sophomore Rex Chapman did, for the most part. If Rex was in high gear, so was UK If Rex couldn't find the hole, the entire team struggled.
But now, especially after the Wildcats' showing in Cincinnati, that is definitely not the case.
Kentucky has even shown that it can beat a quality opponent without Chapman, a feat that few believed, when they dethroned Big East "power" Syracuse in Rupp Arena before a national television audience in one of their last regular season games.
MATURITY HAS MADE the difference. The 1987-88 edition of the Cats have perhaps come farther over the course of the season that any other in recent memory.
Back in December, practically everything about the team was questionable. Will Rex be able to withstand the pressure that UK fans place on him for another season?
Can Winston Bennett return to his former status after knee surgery?
Will Rob Lock finally prove to more than a liability in the post?
Can two of the nation's best freshmen, LeRon Ellis and Eric Manuel, make a contribution this season?
Will Ed Davender be able to successfully take over Roger Hardin's slot at point guard?
Can either Richard Madison or Cedric Jenkins finally, in their senior seasons, live up to their press clippings? LETS TAKE THEM one at a time.
1. Chapman can handle practically anything that is dished out at him by anyone, and that includes the UK coaching staff, the plethora of Kentucky fanactics and the sometimes overzealous media.
He survived the overblown "scandal" of his and Sutton's differences about Chapman's shot selection. He came through his back injury in flying colors. He, in my humble opinion, is playing better now than he ever has.
It is beyond me how he was passed over for all three Associated Press All-America teams. It was also a total surprise to see Vanderbilt's Will Perdue mentioned on the third team. I agree that Perdue was the Southeastern Conference's premiere post man, but he isn't in the same league as Rex.
AND NO, I didn't get to vote on the teams so I plead innocence. I also beg sympathy for my overwrought brethren who had ballots without "Chapman" penciled on them.
2. If there is any doubt that Bennett is just as mean a beater and banger now as he was two seasons ago, ask any frontline in the SEC. He is one of the league's top rebounders and has proven that jump shot is effective outside the paint. This is an even better Winston Bennett than we would have seen last season.
3. Rob Lock is at the top of my "Biggest Surprises of the Season" list. I, too, had almost entirely written off the Reedley, Calif., product, but he is going out with a bang. If there is an SEC "Most Improved Player" award, Lock should get it hands down.
YOU'VE ALL HEARD about his incredible increase in free throw proficiency, but he's also made some marked improvements in rebounding and is playing the post with much more authority and confidence. He's great at faking, er, taking the charge and he has almost quit trying to dribble in the paint.
Lock also leads the team in off-the-wall humor (he is from California, you know). In my book, there are all pluses beside his name.
4. Ellis and Manuel have been both a surprise and a disappointment. Ellis started off like gangbusters, wowing one of the Blue-White scrimmage crowds with a pair of rim-rattling alley-oop dunks, but he never made it any farther.
Sure, we were probably expecting too much and his illnesses and ankle injury surely didn't help matters. Perhaps it's just a case of trying too hard more than anything else. But let's not scratch his name off the 1990 or '91 All-American lists just yet.
MANUEL IS THE other side of the coin. He started out like many freshmen  timid, uncertain and overwhelmed. However, he has gotten better
with almost every game and will probably continue to do so.
He has quietly made the difference in several of UKs recent wins. His 13 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists against Southern University in the opening round of the NCAA tourney barely received a mention. Likewise for his 13
points and 5 assists against Maryland.
5. Surely no one still has any doubts about whether Ed "The most underrated player in America" Davender can play the point. True, he hasn't turned into the greatest assist man in school history, but Ed has been carrying too much of the scoring load to be dishing out double-digit assists every game.
HE HAD 53 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in the two games in Cincinnati, including a career-high 30-point effort against Southern. Who could ask for anything more?
6. See Eric Manuel, answer No. 4., above. Madison and Jenkins combined for 25 minutes of playing time in Cincinnati. Manuel accounted for 74. "Nuff said.
While in the River City, the Cats showed they can run-and-gun with the best of them by simply outscoring Southern, plus also bang the boards with one of the better rebounding teams around in Maryland.
Incidentally, UK shot 62 percent in those two wins. I will be very surprised if Kentucky is not playing in Kansas City this weekend. Like I said, whatever it takes.
NCAA TOURNEY NOTES:
There only two coaches in this year's NCAA field that have coached in the tourney more than UK's Eddie Sutton  Lou Carnesecca of St. John's (15 times) and North Carolina's Dean Smith (18 times). Sutton is coaching in his 13th tourney, along with Jerry Tarkanian, UNLV; Lou Henson, Illinois; Denny Crum, Louisville; and Digger Phelps, Notre Dame.
I'm fairly pleased with the results of my tournament predictions that appeared last issue. While I hit on only 22 of the 32 first-round games, I got 10 of the final 16 teams right. But then, everyone missed on Richmond and Rhode Island, right? And what about Kansas State, Villanova and Vandy? Kansas was the only one I missed that was not a real big surprise to me; I just simply blew an upset pick on Xavier.
And don't forget my Final Four picks for this weekend: Kentucky over Arizona and Purdue over Duke in the semifinals, with Purdue edging UK in the finals.
How good is Kentucky? Let's let Southern coach Ben Jobe explain.
"I see no reason they can't go to the Final Four and win it all. They're the best club we've played in the two years I've been at Southern.
"Their depth is fantastic and that's what would hurt a team like (No. 1) Temple. If it comes downs to No. 1 and Kentucky, I'd put my money on Kentucky."
OTHER STUFF:
Rex Chapman also didn't make the Ail-American teams selected by the United States Basketball Writers Association, but he and Winston Bennett did make the group's all-district team.
That squad, picked from teams in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, also included Duane Ferrell and Tom Hammonds of Georgia Tech, Pervis Ellison of Louisville, Chris Morris of Auburn, Dyron Nix of Tennessee, Will Perdue of Vanderbilt, Willie Anderson of Georgia and Vernon Maxwell of Florida.
Perdue was player of the year for the district and his mentor, CM. Newton, was voted coach of the year.
Speaking of Vanderbilt, can you picture Clay County's Richie Farmer wearing a Commodore uniform next season? I can.
Speaking of Richie Farmer, the 1988 selections for Mr. and Miss Basketball in Kentucky will be announced April 16 at a meeting of the Kentucky Associated Press Sports Editors Association in Lexington.
For those of you who have had it up to here with basketball, things are looking up. The first spring football media guides of the season crossed my desk last week. However, I had to file them away until I can get used to a ball that doesn't bounce straight, again.
 VIEWPOINT
Letters To The Editor
Mail All Letters To: VIEWPOINT, The Cats' Pause, P.u. Box 7297, Lexington, KY 40522
And The Winner Is...
Dear Sir:
I'm writing so I can express my feelings about Rob Lock. I have enjoyed watching him play the last four years. It has been interesting to say the least. I admire Rob for the way he held his head up and kept going when he was booed. Most players would have given up, maybe even transferred to another school. But not Rob Lock, he went on to become one of the most improved players in college hoops. I would hate to think of the kind of seasons we would have had the last two years without Rob Lock. And from interviews I've seen with Rob Lock, I would have to think that he is one of the most personable players ever at Kentucky, and this guy is very funny. So thanks Rob Lock, you're a winner.
Don Wildcat Young Louisville, Kentucky
P.S.~Go 'Cats Go! 1988 NCAA champs. Sounds good to me.
Congrats, 'Cats
Dear Sir:
I wish to congratulate the players, coach (Eddie) Sutton and his staff on a very fine year. They won the SEC regular season, the SEC (tournament) championship and had a very impressive non-conference schedule. Some nay-sayers might say they were lucky and could very eas