1334 95 Season Review
fter an all'too'soon exit from the 1994 NCAA Tournament, the Kentucky Wildcats were anxious to redeem themselves when the 1994-95 season rolled around.
As one of the top-rated programs in the nation during the preseason, Kentucky's goals were simple: win the Southeastern Conference regular season title, win the SEC Tournament, earn a No. 1 seed in the Southeast Region, advance to the Final Four in Seattle and, with a little luck, bring home the school's sixth national title.
It nearly happened._
The Kentucky Wildcats began the season ranked No. 4 in both major polls. The Cats dipped no lower than seventh in either ranking during the year, and hy the time the season had concluded, were ranked as high as second by The Associated Press.
No. 2 wasn't so bad ... except that the goal of No. 1 was within reach.
Coach Rick Pitino's sixth team at Kentucky exploded at the start, demolishing Tennessee-Martin 124-50, nearly setting schixil records in Kith points scored and scoring margin. After a win over preseason NIT champion Ohio, the Cats headed west in search of a victory over PAC-10 power UCLA. At the time, the Cats were ranked third and the Brums tilth, ami with a national television audience looking on, the second game ot the inaugural Wooden Classic went to the wife. As if scripted in I lollywood, IK 'LA battled Kick at the end, and with the Bruins trailing by one, freshman JR. I lenderson was fouled and sank two (tee throws with one second lelt to secure the come-trom-
behlnd victory.
But the loss didn't deter the Cats. Kentucky returned to the Bluegrass and registered wins over Indiana, Boston, Texas Tech (in Cincinnati) and Marshall, tunning its record to 6-1 through December
The Wildcats then tipped ott the new year in Louisville. An Inspired and scrappy bunch ot Cardinals in Freedom I fill broke ,i string ot tour-consecutive UK victories, winning 88-86. Jeff Sheppard, starting just his second game at point guard, finished with 19 points, tour reKiunds and three assists. But the team shot poorlv. ? hitting only M.l percent trom outside.
So with a 6-2 mark, the Cats headed inti the rugged SEC schedule. And what a performance they put on. Kentucky made easy work ot Auburn at home More traveling to hostile Columbia, S.C., to take on the Gamecocks. With Pitino's 1 trademark belief tb.it. "any win on the 1
road in conference play is an upset," the Cats demolished South Carolina 80-55.
Was Kentucky that gotxl, or was South Carolina just not up to the task? Critics opted to believe the latter, and pointed to the next game, Kentucky vs. Florida in Gainesville, as the real test. No problem. The Cats displayed great passing and defense, while shooting a blistering 57.1 percent from the field, to dispose of the Gators 83-67. It would be the turning point of the season.
With newfound confidence, they completed a stretch of 12 games in January and early February, winning 11. The only loss came in Fayetteville, Ark., to new arch rival Arkansas. Even that game wasn't won by the home team until Scotty Thurman sank a 15-ftxit jumpier with eight seconds remaining to give the Razorbacks the win.
But that same stretch contained big victories too, including wins over non-conference foes Syracuse (ranked 10th nationally) at home and Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. The win over the Irish was so convincing, 97-58, that many doubted the Cats would lose another regular-season game. But there was one factor that would haunt the Cats all year  outside shooting. It happened on the road against UCLA (39.1%) and Louisville (34.1%), and it even happened at home. Mississippi State rolled into Lexington with a No. 23 ranking and left with its first win in Rupp Arena. While the 'Dogs shot 57.4 percent from the field, Kentucky was victimized by 36.3 percent shooting. Yet, with 18 seconds remaining, Mark Pope hit a three-point shot and the outcome was still in doubt. But State's Marcus Billiard iced it at the free throw line to give the visitors the 76-71 win.
Looking back, the loss may have served as a wake-up call for this group of Cats.
Kentucky responded by winning its final five regular season games including consecutive road wins over Alabama, Vanderbilt and Georgia. Kentucky finished 14-2 in SEC play, giving the school its first SEC regular season championship since 1986, and its league-leading 37th overall.
Sights then turned on the important SEC Tournament in Atlanta. If the Cats could win their fourth-straight title, they could guarantee themselves a top seed in the upcoming national tournament. After cruising past Auburn in the tourney opener, Kenrucky defeated high-poweted Florida to register a three-game sweep of the Gators for the season.
But once again, all that stood between the Cats and the tournament title was the '94 NCAA runner-up, Arkansas. Try as they may, the Razorbacks could never put away the scrappy Cats. Down 19 points in the first half and double-digits again in the second period, UK wouldn't fold. Even a nine-point deficit in overtime wasn't enough to sink the Cats' ship, and when Anthony Epps drained two free rhrows in the closing seconds, Kentucky had run its mark to 12 straight SEC Tournament wins and a top seed in the Southeast Region.
The next week, Kentucky started its NCAA Tournament nin with a 113-67 victory over Mount St. Mary's, setting school records for most points ever scored in a NCAA Tournament game. Tony Delk, who led the team in scoring all season averaging 16.7 points per game, scored 20 points to lead five Cats in double figures. Tulane was next up, but an 82-60 victory with six Cats scoring in double figures Leveled the Louisiana squad. From Memphis to Binriingham, Ala., the Cats traveled, and after eliminating Arizona State 97-73 in the round of 16, only North Carolina stood between Kentucky and a trip to the Final Four.
Even with the Tar Heels possessing two potential first-round draft picks in Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace, Kentucky was the favorite in the regional final. An early Wildcats lead quickly diminished following a confusing assessment of technicals in the first half due to an altercation involving UK's Andre Riddick and UNC's Wallace. At that point, the game's momentum turned, and Kentucky would fight for a flight to Seattle and a spot among the four elite.
Just like that, the nightmare had rerurned. The Wildcats couldn't buy a basket and finished the game shooting 28.0 percent from the field, 19.4 percent from the three-point line, and 74-61 victims of defeat.
The season had ended. A successful 28-5 record did little to console the Wildcats. The tools for a drive to the title had been thete all season ong: leading the nation in scoring margin at 18.4 points per game; forcing opponents into 21 turnovers per game; outreKiunding teams in 23 of 33 games; setting records for three-pointers made in a contest with 20 and fot points scored in Rupp with 127 (vs. LSU); and a final ranking of No. 2.