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Wildcats wreck Tech 111-75
Kentucky sets record for three-point attempts, proves it's un-Wise to underestimate Pitino style
by TCP associate editor Mike Estep
Tennessee Tech standout Earl Wise was a man heretofore known for his basketball feats. Second on the all-time Tech scoring list with l ,762 points, just 34 short of Stephen Kite's career mark. A 6-foot-7 small forward with All-American credentials and NBA potential.
After his indoctrination to Pitino Ball last Wednesday night, however, Kentuckians will surely remember him for his feet. And it would be hard not to, given that the odds-on choice for OVC Player of the Year honors was last seen slinking out of Rupp Arena with his size 13 Converse wedged solidly between his teeth.
Tech's Wise man, you see, had looked upon the star in the East and predicted a win for the Golden Eagles. A big win.
"Kentucky," Wise told sportswriter Mike Organ in a story that appeared in the Nashville Banner the morning of the UK-Tech non-contest, "does not have the personnel to match up with us."
Final score: Kentucky 111, Tech 75.
And, said UK freshman Jeff Brassow, so much for those words of Wise-dom.
"Well." Brassow, who tossed in a career-high 20 points in just 21 minutes of action, said when told of the prediction, "all I gotta say about that is we won by...how much did we win by...30-something? There's your answer."
You won by 36, Jeff. And, from the time official Don Shea threw up the first jump ball to open the game until Tech reserve Wade Wester drained a 20-footer with 24 seconds left in the game to close the scoring, the point spread was about the only thing that was in doubt in this one.
All of which came as a pleasant surprise to a somewhat bleary-eyed Rick Pitino. UK-coach-turned-insomniac, who was worried that playing three games in five nights would spell trouble for his thin squad.
"1 really thought this was going to be a good, old-fashioned war," Pitino said. "I haven't slept. I mean this, I haven't slept in 36 hours. And I really thought that we were going to have to fight from behind and give every gasp of energy we had to win this game tonight."
Thanks to the in-your-jock pressure defense and three-point-shot-flinging that have made quick starts synonymous with these 1989-90 'Cats, which on this night were combined with a newfound killer instinct, Pitino's fears failed to materialize.
"We ran into a buzzsaw," exasperated Eagle coach Frank Harrell said after watching his team, now 3-2 on the year, fall apart. "Kentucky played the way we'd like to play.They gave us an old-fashioned lesson in how to play running basketball. Pressure defense. They executed all the things they wanted to and we didn't execute in the first half. We got totally out of what we wanted to do."
Off guard Derrick Miller opened the rout with four quick bucketstwo layups and three-pcintersand Reggie Hanson, the 6-7 forward disguised as UK's center, added a 21-footer as the Wildcats, now 3-1, struck for the game's first eight points and led 13-2 at the 16:10 mark of the first half.
Tech used nine of Wise's team-high 21 points to close to within four, at 18-14, six
UK-TECH ITEMS NOT TO GO UNNOTICED
 Kentucky was democratic in setting the new NCAA mark for three-pointers attempted. Of the nine players who played four or more minutes, all but Johnathon Davis launched the rock from behind the 19'9" stripe...and five of them connected at least once.
 Coach Pitino tried to call off the dogs late in the game, inserting a lineup in the final minutes that included walk-ons Junior Braddy, Tony Cooper, Skip McGaw and Michael Parks. So what happened? The 'Cats increased their lead, to as many as 39 points. UK's largest lead was at 111-72, and came when Parks found McGaw for an open 15-footer. Cooper also scored, on a layup, his first UK points.
minutes later, and then whittled the Wildcat advantage to three when Eagle point guard Van Usher whipped the press and found running mate Joey Coe for a layup that made it 21-18 with 9:36 left in the half.
As Tech highlights go, though, that was about it.
Miller started the bleeding with a 19-footer on UK's next possession, then, seven minutes, eight missed shots and one Pitino pep talk later, dropped the knockout punch in the final 2:19 of the half.
Miller buried three straight threesone from the right corner, two from just left of the top of the key, all on assists from point guard Sean Woodsand Tech's upset hopes, on three straight possessions late in the half, then converted a pair of free throws five
seconds before intermission to stretch UK's lead from 41-30 to 54-33.
It might not have happened, however, had Pitino not tongue-lashed Millerget this Eddie Sutton fansfor not shooting.
"In the first half, he started getting down a little bit when he missed a few shots," Pitino said. "I called him over and I said: 'If you stop shooting, I'm taking you out of the game.' I told him that and I called him over. Then he kept on shooting and scoring."
And shooting. And scoring. And shooting, and scoring. Miller finished the first half with 25 points, then tacked on 11 more in the second half to tie his career-high of 36. He's had better shooting nightshe was 13 of 28 for the game, seven of 18 from three-point (Continued on page 26)
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UK-Tennessee Tech play-by-play			
Time	Kentucky	Score	Tennessee Tech
119:39	Miller layup	243	
18:48	Hanson 21 ft.	5-0	
17:52	Miller 20 ft.	8-0	
17:22		8-2	Wise 15 ft.
17:03	Miller layup	10-2	
16:50	Miller 21 ft.	13-2	
16:19		13-4	Wise dunk
15:38 j		13-6	Wise 9 ft.
M 11	Pelphrey 21 ft.	16-6	
14:17		16-8	Wester layup
13:46		16-10	Usher 9 ft.
13:20	Braddy 5 ft.	1840	
12:09		18-11	Hall FT, FTA
11 15		1842	Wise FTA, FT
10:49		1844	Wise 13 ft.
110:41	Brassow 20 ft.	21-14	
Il0:26		2146 j	Wester 17 ft.
j 9:36		2148	Coe layup
| 9:21	Miller 19 ft.	23-18	
j 8:50	Brassow layup	2548	
! 8:10		25-20	Rodgers 4 ft.
7:19	Pelphrey FT, FT	27-20	
7:00		27-22	Wise-dunk
6:45	Hanson 20 ft.	30-22	
; 5:59	Brassow layup	32-22	
I 5:39		32-24	Rodgers FT, FT
5:02	Feldhaus 4 ft., FTA	34-24	
4:50		34-26	Usher 8 ft.
4:43	Brassow 21 ft.	37-26	
4:27	Miller 10 ft. follow	39-26	
3:19	Woods layup	41-26	
3:01		41-28	McWilliams FT, FT
2:35		41-30	Babic 10 ft. follow
j 2:19	Miller 21 ft.	44-30	
| 2:08		44-33	Couples 20 ft.
j 1:48	Miller 21 ft.	47-33	
; 1:28	Miller 22 ft.	50-33	
0:57	Feldhaus layup ' k ,,)),..  CT itt	52-33	
	Mtllrr r I   r 1		
HALF		54-33	
[19:41	Miller 21 ft.	57-33	
19:27	Hanson 20 ft.	60-33	
18:12		60-35	Usher layup
17:42		60-37	Rodgers 4 ft.
17:12		60-39	Rodgers 12 ft.
16:41	Hanson 21 ft.	63-39	
16:17		63-41	Wise layup follow, FTA
15:25		63^13	McWilliams FT, FT
14:58		63-45	Usher layup follow
14:24		63-47	Rodgers 5 ft.
14 1 1	Woods layup	65-47	
14:0(1		65-49	McWilliams FT, FT
13:48		65-50	Wise FT, FTA
13:34	Brassow 21 ft.	68-50	
12:33	Woods layup	70-50	
11:30	Farmer 20 ft.	73-50	
11:24		73-52	Wise FT, FT
11:07	Hanson 4 ft.	75-52	
11:00		75-54	Best layup
10:42		75-56	Wester 12 ft. follow
10:24	Brassow 24 ft.	78-56	
9:23	Brassow dunk	80-56	
8:56		80-57	Wester FT, FTA
8:53		80-59	Wise 14 ft.
8:36	Miller 9 ft.	82-59	
7:43	Hanson layup	84-59	
7:34	Farmer FT, FT, FT, FT	88-59	
7:29	Hanson layup	90-59	
6:51		90-61	Rodgers dunk
6:35	Miller FTA, FT	91-61	
6:10	Pelphrey 21 ft.	94-61	
5:52		94-63	Rodgers layup follow
5:14	Davis FT, FT	96-63	
4:57		96-65	Rodgers FT, FT
4:48	Davis layup	98-65	
4:39		98-66	Wise FT, FTA
4:24	Miller 21 ft.	101-66	
4:07		101-68	Wester 6 ft. follow
3:57	Miller 7 ft.	103-68	
3:33		103-70	Wise FT, FT
3:00	Brassow layup	105-70	
1:46	Cooper layup, FTA	107-70	
1:30		107-72	Wester 8 ft. follow
1:20	Braddy 16 ft.	109-72	
0:37	McGaw 12 ft.	111-72	
1 0:24		111-75	Wester 20 ft.
FINAL		11W5	
			
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