77i& (oats' &CUI&&
Bob Watkins.
[Continued From Page 9]
Another Kentucky 'sleeper'?
With all the attention heaped on Richie Farmer (Clay Count}'), Allan Houston (Ballard) and others, Mike Gray, a 6-4, 185-pound swing man from Caldwell County-High School might have gotten overlooked this season. Maybe.
The school's all-time leading scorer had 2,304 points n ot counting district and region tournament action this month. Gray, averaging 27 ppg this season, was on course to breaking the single season scoring mark held by Tim Riley. Gray also had a school record high 42 points against Lyon County earlier this year.
"I've seen Mike and he's a nice player," said UK's Dwane Casey who added Kentucky was not recruiting Gray. "I think Murray State is really interested in him."
Readers (right) write
John Luckett of Elizabethtown, Ky. is a UK Wildcats fan. Referring to remarks I wrote about the Louisville Cardinals before the DePaul game, Luckett writes: "The recent destruction of the Cardinals by a less-than-great team such as DePaul puts a serious dent in your contention that Louisville will challenge for the national title. If watching them perform in recent games against Austin Peay, Memphis State. South Carolina and Virginia Tech (as well as North Carolina State) has you convinced that Louisville is playing as well as anyone in the country, then I feel your ability to assess a team's talents and probable performance is questionable at best. This especially rings true when your definite statement of a few weeks ago that "Florida will win the SEC regular season" comes to mind.
"I know you admire and respect Coach (Denny) Crum, as do I, believe it or not. But to lump Louisville in with this year's obvious elite: Purdue (my choice to take it all), Temple, Arizona. Oklahoma, Duke and yes, even Kentucky, can best be described as wishful thinking on your part.
" While saying this, I'm also mindful that Louisville could get hot and surprise some quality teams in the tournament. They have that potential (don't forget they start three high school Ail-Americans and highly touted Herb Crook and Keith Williams).
"But to predict that they will do this based upon this years performance is farfetched to say the least.
Comment Two reasons I enjoy Luckett's views are. He signs his name. And his ideas come without suger coating.
Parting shot
North Carolina State junior forward Chucky Brown celebrated his birthday last month by scoring a career best 25 points against UNC-Ashville, reports Doug Herakovich of the Wolfpack's sports information department.
Brown is five years old. He was born Feb. 29, 1968.
And so it goes.B
Russell Rice
[Continued From Page 7]
took up the UK cause. Here are some comments from area sports editors:
?John Bradberry. Atlanta Constitution'The NCAA always has been unpredictable in its actions and done things in a haphazard manner. This (selection of North Carolina Slate) is in keeping with its past record of decisions on important matters.
"A look at the record shows Kentucky certainly deserves to represent the disiriet because of an apparently tougher schedule and her victory in the Sugar Bowl tournament this year."
Joe Livingston. Jacksonville Journal'They (NCAA committee) should have stayed with the pride of Dixie, meaning UK."
?Bill Keefe. New Orleans Times-Picayune"Most of the basketball world., .will sympathize with the stand taken by Coach Adolph Rupp. who refuses to play North Carolina State one game to decide which one of these would represent the district in the NCAA tournament. If the NCAA goes without Kentucky, it will be the NCAA's loss not the Wildcats'."
?George Bugbee. Memphis Press-Semitar'l feel they have a right to reject whoever they wish, but I feel they made a mistake if they were after the better icatn.*'
?Whitey McMillan. Gainesville Sun"They (NCAA committee) will live to regret their action. Baron Adolph Rupp is a bad man to cross, and he's hollering on this one."
It is doubtful that the NCAA felt any loss after the Wildcats bowed to CCNY, 89-50. in the opening game of the NIT, the worst defeat in Rupp's career and UK's worst since falling to Centre. 87-17. in 1910. The Wolfpack finished third in the NCAA, which was won by CCNY in the first "clean sweep" of the two major national tournaments, an ambition that Rupp had secretely nurtured.
"You make me Coach of the Year." he told his Wildcats, "and then you come up here
and embarrass the hell out of me." f
'Cats Take Title 62-57-
[Continued From Page 8]
to the strong forward is a factor, that gives them a plus there. And I think Manuel coming in on the perimeter in the 3 position makes them stronger there. I just think Manuel puts more pressure on the defense from the 3 spot than, say, Winston Bennett, and that's to take nothing away from him because he's an excellent, excellent player. And the difference in Kentucky's team this year is the fact that Winston Bennett and Eric Manuel are there." . . .Durham, however, differed with Brown when it came to one thing: which teamLSU or Georgiashould be included in the NCAA field. "Each coach in our league is gonna politic for his club. I said coming in that our league deserves five spots, I think we're that tough. I believe that. Kentucky's earned it twice (regular-season title,
tourney title), they're already in. Auburn's in, Florida's in and Vanderbilt's probably in. That leaves Tennessee, Georgia and LSU
are playing for that other spot. . .If we get five, them I'm gonna say Georgia ought to go. And I'm sure if Dale was sitting here, in a very eloquent way, he could convince you that LSU won this championship, when we all know that they didn't, but when he got through you would certainly believe that they did. If not that, the NCAA would be apoligizing to him for not giving 'em a bid before six. But he isn't here, so I'm gonna say we ought to go. I just hope we get five, if our league doesn't get five, we've been shunned." Approximately 45 minutes after he jokingly made those comments in his postgame press conference, Durham got some good news and some bad news: The SEC did indeed get five teams, but LSU, not Georgia, was the other club invited.
1988 Southeastern Conference Tournament Results
FIRST ROUND	SECOND ROUND	THIRD ROUND	FINALS
Thur. March 10	Fri. March 11 LSU 87	Sat. March 12	Sun. March 13
	Game 3	LSU 80	
	VANDERBiLT 80		
	KENTUCKY 82	Game 7	KENTUCKY 62
			
OLE MISS 64	Game 5	KENTUCKY 86	
Game 1	OLE MISS 64		
ALABAMA 59			
		Game 9	KENTUCKY
			SEC Tournament Champion
	FLORIDA 67		
	Game 4	FLORIDA 70	
	TENNESSEE 60		
s.	AUBURN 60	Game 8	GEORGIA 57
			
GEORGIA 64	Game 6	GEORGIA 72	
Game 2	GEORGIA 65		
MISSISSIPPI STATE 43			Cats' Pause chart
Oscar Combs
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listings for times and stations.
? ? ?
HITS AND MISSES . . . Look for more SEC basketball tournaments to be played on the college campuses. Col. Harvey Schiller, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, said he likes the excitement created on the college campuses and a prefers such a setting. LSU officials can take a bow for a job well-done in Baton Rouge. There now have been 10 postseason SEC tourneys since the tournament was reinstated back in 1979, and it goes without saying the best ones have been on college campuses. Vanderbilt and Nashville put on a great show in 1984 as LSU did this season. When the first such tourney was held in Lexington in 1982, everyone feared Kentucky would walk away with the title with the event being staged on the Wildcats' home floor. Alabama won that one. In fact, the tourney has been played on league campuses four times now and the home team has won only oneKentucky in 1986. Ironically, of the four campus tourneys, Kentucky has won the last three: In Nashville (1984), Lexington (1986) and now Baton Rouge (1988). Next March, the tourney will be staged at Tennessee's new 25,000-seat facility. Don't look for the Wildcats' win streak to continue in that one.