Friday, March 05, 1999
March restores UK's confidence
Wildcats ready for 1st SEC game
Louisville Courier-Journal
ATLANTA — The stretch of Interstate-75 between Knoxville, Tenn., and Lexington, Ky., can provide a scenic, relaxing drive on a pleasant day.
But when you've just lost a basketball game and a division title, it can be one long, gloomy three-hour bus trip home.
That's where the University of Kentucky players found themselves last Sunday after dropping a 68-61 decision to Tennessee. It was the fourth loss in the last seven games for the Wildcats.
It was three hours to ponder a very un-Kentucky-like, late-season collapse. And this is what senior forward Scott Padgett hastily concluded:
“God, we're horrible.”
It's funny how much one day, a videotape session and a new month can change an opinion.
Kentucky (22-8) opens defense of its SEC Tournament title tonight at 7:30 against Mississippi. The Cats might not be playing as well as they were at this time last year, but now that March has arrived they're capable of playing much better than they did in February, said Padgett.
“You go back and look at the film and there's no major mistakes,” Padgett said. “Offensively, it's a lot of little things, like not waiting on screens or not making enough screens or not setting your man up for the screen. Things like that.
“If we just do the little things, we'll improve this team.”
That the season is 30 games old and the Cats still struggle to do those little things gives coach Tubby Smith cause for consternation. The calendar gives him hope.
No school owns the SEC tournament like UK does. The Cats' 21 tournament titles is more than the that of the other 11 teams combined. UK has won six of the last seven tournaments, winning 20 of 21 games in that span.
Last year, UK won its three SEC tournament games by an average of 22 points, then started its drive for the national championship with a pair of easy NCAA Tournament wins in the same facility.
Smith is hoping the familiar surroundings help bring that winning feeling back.
“I think the experience of having played in the SEC tournament and winning it should be a big plus for us,” Smith said.
Wayne Turner, the MVP of last year's SEC Tournament, said March brings out the best in this team.
“We just feel like we can win the tournament,” Turner said.
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