For UK-UL, The Third Time Is...
Gene Abell
Associate Editor
Not so long ago, they were calling this the "Dream Game." Now it is becoming about as regular as Johnny Carson.
From 1959 to 1982, Kentucky and Louisville never met on the basketball court. When they finally met last March, it was a tribute to both that the game lived up to the hype.
Now, thanks to the NCAA committee and the powers-that-be in the Commonwealth, they will do battle for the third time in less than a year. Even the Hatfields and McCoys took a break now and then.
The national hype has all but died now, as many predicted it would after a game or two. Even CBS was treating this one as just another important tournament game.
Both teams seem to be on top of their games. With the exception of the final minutes against seeded Tulsa, the Cards are showing their usual tournament form. Meanwhile, the Cats have won 11 of their last 12.
If this matchup is anything like the one last year in Knoxville, it may be the* best game of what has already been a marvelous tournament.
POINT: Kentucky may be better off playing Louisville than Tulsa. Not that Tulsa was the better of the teams, because this far into the tournament
they are not.
Yet, if there is any disadvantage to Kentucky being at home, it is that the Cats could think being in Rupp Arena was an automatic ride to Seattle. Past UK tourney appearances in Rupp have almost proved as much. Playing Louisville should guarantee Kentucky will be ready.
For the second straight time, UK meets a team in NCAA play it defeated rather easily in regular season play. BYU may have been pysched out by a 35-point UK December win. For a very resilient Louisville team, that won't be the case. Kentucky players know that. That should get them emotionally and mentally ready. That is all a coach can ask for. ANALYSIS: Louisville's backcourt tandem of Milt Wagner and Lancaster Gordon is probably the nation's best. I said the same even after the pair went just nine of 30 against UK in November. That won't happen again and they are still America's best. Add firepower from Jeff Hall off the bench and statistic-wise, Louisville has a definite edge.
That is not to slight UK's guard play. Dicky Beal is as pure a point guard as there is left in the NCAA. Jim Master, brilliant against Louisville last March, is playing his best ball of the year. James Blackmon is playing steady off the bench.
At forward, the stats lean to UK. Kenny Walker and Sam Bowie can score and rebound. Louisville's Manuel Forrest and Billy Thompson can do the same, but have not been as consistent. Both have good freshmen off the bench (UK's Winston Bennett,
TWO FOR THE BLUE...Kentucky's Melvin Turpin rolls one toward the basket against Louisville last season in Knoxville. The teams meet once again in the NCAA tournament this year -  this time in Lexington.
U of L's Chuck McSwain).
In the middle, Louisville has tournament-proved Charles Jones, the backbone of this team. Kentucky has Melvin Turpin, the scoring machine. Here lies a contrast of styles. Jones boards and defenses better, Turpin is by far the better scorer.
One other point. UK must beat Louisville's press. It killed the Cats last year, it has been a blister at times for them this year. Beal's revival is a key but remember it was Roger Harden who orchestrated UK's earlier win.
PREDICTION: On paper, Louisville has the backcourt edge, UK the frontcourt advantage. Yet, the Cards may be the better rebounding team, partially because their guards are very good boardmen.
Nonetheless, whichever team gets better production where it is not expected could win. If UK's backcourt scores well and Louisville's does not shoot well, UK could win. If Louisville's forwards outplay UK's, the Cards could win. Jones will be steady in the middle but if Turpin happens to have one of those sensational offensive games he occasionally does, the edge goes to Kentucky.
A key could be the foul situation. Bowie in particular has been foul-prone for UK. The Cats can't afford that now. Ditto for Louisville, a team without consistent frontcourt depth.
Last week, I picked the Cats to be in Seattle. I'll stick with that. Whoever wins this game better watch out for a letdown afterwards. The winner will have one more tough one to make it to the finals.
The Southeastern Conference can do little but plead embarrassment now. LSU lost to Dayton, Alabama lost to Illinois  State,   and  Auburn  lost to Richmond.
Certainly, all three of those victors proved better than many thought. That is no excuse. The SEC claims to be among, if not, the nation's best. Such claims were wiped out last week.
Joe Hall said he felt the main reason for the SEC's demise was the SEC tournament. He said the only team that comes out of the tournament playing well is the winner, pointing out Georgia's NCAA run a year ago.
For the SEC tourney losers, Hall said, "it seems like the end of the season, rather than the beginning of an important tournament. It (SEC tourney) is not conducive to good play in the NCAA, unless you are the winner."
Hall's point is valid but there is more to it than that. Other teams don't win their conference tournaments, then do well in the NCAA.
You would have trouble convincing me SEC basketball is not of quality. UK has faced many of the nation's best teams all year and will attest to the caliber of the league. UK is still unbeaten outside the league, yet had four losses inside the SEC.
Perhaps some of the SEC teams should quit playing creampuff non-conference schedules. Kentucky seems to be the one national power they don't seem to tighten up or let up against. They have played the Cats enough to know they are not supermen.
Dicky Beal
If SEC teams plan to contend for national honors, they better realize there is more to it than beating Kentucky during the regular season.
Some thoughts about the Kentucky high school state tournament.
Ever since the event was moved to Lexington, it has been high school basketball at its best. Each year, one wonders how it can live up to the excitement of the previous year.
It happened again. Even 50-year observers of the tourney said the '84 affair was the best ever. Teams such as Bourbon County and its miraculous Jeff Royce made this truly a spectacular event.
After watching the SEC tournament, I thought I had seen the best tournament I had ever witnessed. The Sweet Sixteen matched that game for game, except there were more games.
Next year's tourney will also be in Lexington. After that, bids will be taken. Moving the event back to Louisville may not happen in the near future.
Over $400,00 of pre-sales previewed the '84 event. Freedom Hall can't even hold the numbers at most sessions this year.
A SIGN OF RELIEF: The Cats had two days off before opening practice for last week's game. Hall felt it was good for the players to get away from basketball at this time of year and the layoff also healed soreness. Joe B. said he also "like them to want to come back hungry to practice" ... The UK coach said the mental frame of a team is most important this time of year. He wants a team to have a "combination of rest and conditioning,  which is difficult to achieve but very important The mental aspect is most important. Coming in the tournament like N.C. State,   having   high   emotions and maintaining that, is sometimes more important than skill, talent and effort. It's being in the right frame of mind that begets success. That is what we are looking for." While the UK coach says you certainly can't call Kentucky a Cinderella-type team, as was N.C. State last year, "that doesn't mean we can't   adopt   that   excitement and feeling  of  success,   whether   it is newfound success or renewed success and excitement." ... Going into this year's tourney, Joe B. said he liked "our look now. We are in a good frame of mind.  We  are  in good shape, especially   mentally.   This   is the brightest we've looked this time of year in several years." . . .The reason? Winning the SEC tournament helped but Hall points out more. "A lot of it can be attributed to Dicky Beal and his attitude. Because he missed so much [Continued On Page 27]