Defense Stops Rop-Ranked Hoosiers 69-58
An NCAA record crowd of 23,798 chanted "We're No. 1; we're No. 1." On this particular Saturday night, the Kentucky  Wildcats  were just that.
In a game in which one could feel the intensity in the air, the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the unbeaten and top ranked Indiana Hoosiers 69-58 in Rupp Arena.
' 'This will be one that we'll drag our grandchildren up on our knees and talk about years from now," said Kentucky coach Joe Hall, whose team has now won seven straight after an opening season loss to Duke.
It was a defensive, physical war: like only   these   two   teams   can play.
Consider that:
Indiana made but 17 field goals the entire game, hitting only 34.7 percent of their shots. The Hoosiers made only-seven shots from the field in the second half and were outscored 15-0 in one spurt. In two different cold streaks in the second half, Indiana went 4:47 and   7:21   without   a   single point.
-Only one Indiana player hit more than 50 percent of his shots, and 13 different Hoosiers played. Star forward Mike Woodson could hit only four of 18 shots.
-Indiana's defense was also outstanding. Kentucky hit 35 percent the first half and had only eight points nine minutes into the game. Kentucky hit 42.6 percent for the game and their highest scorer netted only 12 points.
Listen to the coaches talk about the defense.
"Defense was the big difference in the game." said Hall. "We had to back up poor shooting with good defense."
"Kentucky plays good, physical defense.'' Bobby Knight told the press after the game. "Our offense didn't generate the type of scoring opportunities we need, but that has a lot to do with the Kentucky plays defense."
Earlv in the game, it looked as though the Hoosier defense were going to take the Kentucky offense completely out of the game.
UK scored first when Sam Bowie tapped one in. Kentucky's fourth shot on their first trip down the court. Kyle Macy made it 4-0 before Isiah Thomas scored for Indiana three minutes into the game.
The Hoosiers scored the next four points, before Dwight Anderson tied the score at 6-6. LaVon Williams dunked one, but Ray Tolbert tied it for Indiana.
Behind eight free throws and the quick defense of Thomas, the Hoosiers then outscored UK 12-2 to take a 20-10 lead with 10:22 in the half. Kentucky could not get into their offense and Indiana foiled both a man-to-man and zone defense put up by  the Cats.
"It may have been the excitement of the night, plus we were rushing and not being patient," Hall said of the early drought. "Once we got more disciplined in our offense, our defense got better."
Derrick Hord hit a layup for UK, but Indiana continued to hit its foul shots and stretched the lead to 28-15 with 6' 10 left- in The" halT: "Wood-son: "who" scored all 16 of his points in the first
By GENE ABELL
half, pushed Indiana's lead to 32-20 with 5:13 in the half.
Hall then decided to go to a quicker lineup, moving Dwight Anderson to forward with Derrick Hord and bringing in Charles Hurt at center. Jay Shidler and Dirk Minniefield were the guards, as UK began to play full-court defense in an attempt to get back into the game.
The Firehouse Five', as Hall has labeled the group, ignited a fire under the crowd and team.
Anderson hit a driving dunk and completed the three-point play to make it 32-23. At 4:16, Hurt made a steal and brought everyone to their feet with a crushing dunk, making it 32-25.
"I thought the turning point was Charles Hurt's dunk," Hall later said. "His steal and drive down the floor ignited the crowd. Before that, they didn't have a lot to cheer about."
As the enormous crowd roared Kentuckv began to pick up its pace and the Hoosiers, with Thomas on the bench with three fouls, began to lose their composure.
After Hurt's dunk. UK stole the '.lbounds pass and worked the back to Hurt, who drove the baseline for a
bucket, bringing the Cats to within five. Minniefield hit the front end of a bonus to make it 32-28, but Butch Carter hit two foul shots for Indiana.
Hord hit a pair of foul shots, but UK failed to cut the lead to two, when it was 34-30. Randy Whittman hit one foul shot and Jay Shidler hit from 20 feet to slice the Indiana lead to 35-31 with 1:55 in the half.
Four points by Woodson countered two Anderson foul shots and a Shidler jumper to keep Indiana ahead 39-36 at intermission.
Hail credited the 'Firehouse Five' with getting his team in contention.
"They've done this before," Hall said. "I'm awful proud of them the way thev came back after being 13 down. They are a group of young players.''
Woodson led all first-half scorers with 16 (eight at the foul line), while Tolbert had 10. Indiana hit 45.6 percent from the field the first half on 10 of 22. Almost half of the Hoosiers points came at the foul stripe, where they hit 19 of 21.
Anderson and Shidler had seven points each for UK, while Sam Bowie had six. UK hit only 12 of 34 shots. Bowie collected six first-half rebounds. "We shot only 35 percent the first
INDIANA -				58				
PLAYER	FG	FT	REB	PF	TPS	A	TO	MIN
Glen Grunwald	0-0	0-0	0	4	0	0	2	1 1
Mike Woodson	4-lr	8-9	7	2	16	1	3	33
Ray Tolbert	7-11	2-3	7	4	16	0	2	35
Isiah Thomas	4-8	6-10	2	5	14	5	3	26
Randy W i t tman	0-2	1-2	1	1	1	6	0	22
James Thomas	1-2	1-2	4	0	3	0	1	8
Chuck Franz	0-0	0-0	0		0		0	1
Ted Kitchel	o-i	0-0	~*^0*"	0	0	o	0	3
Tony Brown	0-0	2-2	1	2	2	0	0	3 1 1
Landon Turner	T-4	o-n	2	1	2	o	1	
Steve Risley	0-0	o-o	0	2	0	0	1	6
Butch Carter	0-1	4-4	2	2	4	1	1	25
Ph i1   1 senbarger	0-2	0-0	1	2	0	2	0	16
Team Rebounds			2					
TOTALS	17-43	24-32	2	25	58	q	14	200
KENTUCKY				-69				
PLAYER	FG	FT	REB	PF TPS		A	TO	MIN
Freddie Cowan	1-6	1-2	1 1	4	3 1 1	0	3	23
LaVon Williams	5-9	1-1	8	4		0	0	26
Sam Bowie	1-3	4-4	8	3	6	1	4	22
Kyle Macy	6-16	0-1	0	3	12	4	3	32
Dwight Anderson	2-6	3-3	1	4 .	7	0	0	22
Dirk Minniefield	2-4	2-4	3	3	6	5	1	19
Jay Shidler	5-7	1-2	1	1	11	1	0	16
Derrick yord	1-4	h-h	2	2	6 .	a	o	ii
Chuck Verderber"	- o1or	o-o -	"  '	o-:	0'	0	2.'~	 TP
Charles Hurt	3-6	1-2	3	i	7	0	1	13
Team Rebounds			4					
TOTALS	26-61	17-23	42	25	69	i	14	200
INDIANA UNIVERSITY			39	19				58
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY			36	33		--		69
OFFICIALS: P. Galvan, W.		Tanner S A		. White				
TECHNICALS: Cowan	.(Grabbling. fUmll^			-} *>3 - -U   Ull  11	*4 i	. #.	7 ,4J A	- -    i" * j * * j i
'attendance:" 23,798	(Rupp	Arena	Record)					
half and still only trailed by three points," said Hall. "We felt confident of our  chances   because   of that."
Shidler hit a long bomb to open the second half and UK was within one. At 18:03. Williams hit an eight-footer and UK led 40-39. It was almost three minutes later before either defense would yield a basket. Macy finally hit from 10 feet out and UK led 42-39 with 15:46 left to play.
Thomas, who was playing with four fouls, hit a pair of free throws at 15:13 for Indiana's first second-half points. Cowan hit one free throw but Tolbert tied the score 43-43 with a jumper.
Thomas hit a jumper and Cowan matched that. Tolbert hit a layup. but Shidler traded with a 22-foot jumper. Williams put UK ahead again 49-47 with a tip-in, but Tolbert got inside to tie the score.
The veteran Williams then crashed the boards again with a follow shot, but Thomas hit a 10-footer to make it 51-51 with 9:29 left. Landon Turner put Indiana ahead 53-51 with 9:05 left.
Over the next seven minutes and 21 seconds, the Kentucky defense did not allow Indiana a single point, while the Wildcats   notched    15 themselves.
It started when Kyle Macy warmed up his cool shooting arm with a driving jumper. Macy followed with another jumper. Hurt hit a iavup following a precision Minniefield pass and Williams followed with a three-point play at 5:49, making it 60-53.
Minniefield hit a 15-foot jumper and Hord stretched the lead to 11 with two foul shots. The Wildcats were in their slowdown offense before Macy broke open for a layup. making it 66-51 with 1:44 left, before Indiana finally scored.
"Indiana went over seven minutes without scoring and that was a great effort," said Hall. "The players drew a lot of applause from the crowd and that is very gratifying. That's a sign you are on the right way when you wake up your crowd with defense."
Knight credited Shidler and Macy with being the difference.
"I thought the two outstanding individual things for Kentucky were Shidler's outside shooting and the way Macy took over the game when the score was in the 40's." said Knight. "Shidler is a great outside shooter. Macy is alwavs a great guard in any game he plays." .
Ten Kentucky players played more than 10 minutes and of those, nine scored. Macy was high with 12 points, while Shidler and Williams had 11 apiece. Cowan led UK to a commanding 42-29 edge on the boards with 11 rebounds. Bowie and Williams--' each had eight.
Hall felt his team may have wore the Hoosiers down and Knight also thought  UK  depth  was important.
"Depth   is   a   factor  that makes Kentuckv a good team." s?ir Kr Cowan and Hord lire it ev: Tv'ot to no points the seconn halt; as missed all eight of his shit-.  He n . TolbertNfo.r game/scpnng_f}')i';t!-s wkh H?.*Thm*.? *vbo- foul*l-out-' * ui,. >./,' left, scored 14 points.