Friday, March 12, 1999
UK NOTEBOOK
Turner tries to become Final fourth
BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEW ORLEANS — When Wayne Turner takes the court tonight for Kentucky, he'll tie the NCAA record for most career games played. If he wins and plays Saturday, the record is his.
Turner has played in 147 games in his career, one shy of the record of 148 set by Duke's Christian Laettner (1988-92). Turner has played in 112 consecutive games, missing just one game in his career: the 1996 NCAA finals, when Anthony Epps played the entire 40 minutes at point guard.
“I think it shows I'm a winner,” Turner said, asked about the record. “That's the way I'd like to be remembered.”
Turner also hopes to become the first non-Blue Devil to play in four Final Fours. Duke's Greg Koubek (1988-91), Brian Davis (1989-92) and Laettner are the only players to have accomplished that feat.
Dome sweet dome
UK had hoped to be sent here because the school has won 14 straight games played in domes, 19 of the last 20 and 22 of 24 in Turner's four seasons.
“When you put us in domes, I think we have an advantage,” Turner said. “Because we have so many fans that don't get a chance to come to Rupp Arena, but they can come to other places.”
Top 10 again
UK's run to win the Southeastern Conference Tournament helped vault it to eighth place in the season's final Associated Press poll. It had ranked 14th the week before.
It's the 34th top-10 finish for UK, a national record. UK and Cincinnati are the only schools to finish in the top 10 the past four seasons.
Utah sick of UK
Utah wouldn't face UK until the third round, but already the Utes are getting blistered with questions about the possible matchup.
“I'm really tired of seeing Kentucky in the same bracket,” Utah senior guard Andre Miller said. “If we run into Kentucky, I hope it won't be like last year.”
UK has knocked Utah out of this tournament four of the past six seasons, including the last three.
Utah coach Rick Majerus scoffed at the media's obsession with a possible rematch. “Unless you know the next two opponents we're facing and they're facing are forfeiting, it's almost a moot point,” he said.
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