0ayo 3
Alabama Awaits UK, SEC Lead
There may be three full weeks of action left in the Southeastern Conference race, but as far as the Alabama Crimson Tide are concerned, it will be "now or never" come Thursday night in Tuscaloosa when the Tide entertain Kentucky before a nationally televised audience on the USA cable network.
What set the stage tor this showdown was the Tide's stunning 80-71 victory over LSU in Baton Rouge on Sunday. Kentucky leads the SEC with a 11-1 mark while Bama is a shade behind at 10-2. For all practical purposes, all others are battling for third place.
As we mentioned last week, Bama has been the most underrated team in the conference all season long just as Wimp Sanderson's coaching talent has been ignored.
Many had counted the Tide out weeks ago, but Alabama now stands front and center to challenge Kentucky for the top spot. The Tide's opportunity to overtake UK didn't come easy. In fact. Alabama has not lost since its embarrassing 76-52 loss to Kentucky in Lexington back on January 11.
Since then Bama has reeled off eight consecutive victories including three on the road. But the most impressive of all came Sunday against an LSU team which had been on a tear in recent days.
LSU, which appeared completely out of the race a week earlier, demonstrated the never-give-up attitude of its coach Dale Brown by coming within a pair of points of upsetting Georgetown. Two days later, LSU shocked Auburn on the road and followed that up the next night with a victory over Mississippi State on the road.
So with three days rest and preparation for Alabama, one would have to figure that Dale Brown would have had his Tigers foaming at the mouth for the Sunday showdown. A win over Bama would have preserved LSU's record at 7-5 and still a shothowever longat the title.
The Tigers were made a four-point favorite by those people who make their living by predicting the outcome of college games. But Bama still won. That, alone, should tell you something about this Alabama team, not to mention Buck Johnson, Terry Coner. Jim Farmer, Mike Gottfried and Derrick McKey among others.
A win over Alabama is not an absolute must for Kentucky, but it comes about as close as you can get to a "must" game. UK would still be tied for the lead, but would likely face the probability of having to settle for a title co-championship.
After Thursday's showdown, each club will have five games remaining. Alabama will still travel to Auburn, Tennessee and Florida while hosting Vanderbilt and Ole Miss.
On the other hand Kentucky still must go to Tennessee and Georgia and then take on Mississippi State, Florida and LSU at home.
The schedule, on the conditions of home and away schedules, appears to favor UK but when you take a closer look the edge goes the other way. Only State looks like a safe bet, about as safe as a bet which says State will upset someone big before the season is over.
Everyone knows of UK's problems in Knox-ville and Georgia is yet to lose a home game this season. In fact Georgia hasn't lost a home game in more than a year.
While Kentucky is at the top of league standings. Alabama will be a slight favorite or so when the game is tipped-off Thursday. What Kentucky has to do is work the same magic which Bama exercised Sunday against LSU, that
is pulling an upset of major proportions before a hostile crowd on the road.
Kentucky's 62-58 win over Ole Miss wasn't a masterpiece by anyone's grade, but it was a win nevertheless. Or as one wise man once said, "it's better to be lucky than good."
The Cats weren't all that lucky, but they were far from being good. And they weren't all that bad. They performed well enough to post a victory in a foreign arena where Tennessee had failed three nights earlier.
With the victory, Kentucky's road record in the SEC stands at 5-1. Combine that with UK's perfect 6-0 home mark and you can understand why the Cats lead the SEC.
The fact that UK heads up the league with a 11-1 mark is certainly understandable. What's mysterious is the fact that UK leads by only one game with six games to go.
Remember when most everyone predicted back in November that a team with five losses would win the league title outright? My, how times change.
Right now 14^4- doesn't even look good. It could take a 15-3 record to win the conference outright.
Alabama definitely is at the top of its game. With Buck Johnson back (who missed action after a thigh bruise), the Crimson Tide is taking no prisoners. And Kentucky isn't about to throw in the towel.
This game could be an interesting first for Kentucky under Eddie Sutton. It may be the first true "big" league battle for the coach in his rookie year at UK.
Following Kentucky's 54-51 loss to North Carolina State in Raleigh, a long-time acquaintance of Sutton's asked me how Sutton reacted to the loss. After being told that Sutton took the loss in stride by mostly praising his team for a hard-nosed effort. Sutton's friend chuckled and added, "that's the way Eddie is. he doesn't like those non-conference games in the middle of the conference race. In fact, he hates them. All Eddie is ever interested in is winning conference games."
Ah!
A conference game.
Most basketball observers believe truly great coaches like to keep an even keil for their teams, using the ole "win one for the gipper" routine very rarely.
It will be interesting to watch the Cats' practice sessions early this week and see how Sutton prepares Kentucky for this crucial game. It could be the most important one of the season.
Some of the good and bad in the SEC this season:
GoodThe effort put forth by Coach Lee Hunt and his Ole Miss Rebels. Hunt is getting more out of his talent than anyone in the league, as much or more than that fellow - what's-his-name - Weltich?he followed to Ole Miss.
BadFlorida's unruly and vulgar fans who apparently take more pride in their profanity than their fine basketball team which would play much better without their immature behavior.
GoodTony White. Simply the best guard in the SEC and one of the top five guards in the country. If he were playing for a basketball school, you'd hear more about him than Indiana's Steve Alford or Georgia Tech's Mark Price.
BadOle Miss' fans who don't shout obsenities because they don't even show up for the games, unless Billy Brewer is entertaining football recruits.
GoodFlorida coach Norm Sloan's smiling face after a particularly bad officiating call. Anything other than a smile could bring on World War III at O'Connell Center.
BadDon DeVoe's decision to stay at Tennessee rather than pursue the opening at his alma mater, Ohio State. Kentucky is 0-7 against DeVoe in Knoxville and the future doesn't look good.
GoodGeorgia's Joe Ward. A young man bold and honest enough to recognize the good from the bad and admit he's human enough to be tempted by the wrong. Not a bad description for a Baptist preacher, which he is.
BadAndrew Moten's dash from the bench to get in a couple sucker punches during the Florida-Georgia brawl in Athens.
GoodAndrew Moten's intelligence to get himself back to the bench as any "Dennis The Menace" would, without being caught by the authorities.
BadKentucky's inability to always provide the Rupp Arena playing floor to the opposing team the day prior to a game which is common courtesy around the country, except at municipal arenas like Rupp where too many events are crowded into the winter schedule.
GoodThe sideline action of coaches like Wimp Sanderson. Sonny Smith, Hugh Durham, and Norm Sloan. Even during dull blow-outs and free throw shooting contests, these fellas still give us a top-notch floor show. Don Rickles could be in trouble if he ever meets Sonny Smith and Rodney Dangerfield better not run into Wimp Sanderson or he might finally get some respect.
BadHaving to sit next to a former basketball referee in a press box and listen to him justify horrendous calls against a visiting team, and a few against the home team, too.
GoodThe great food catered for the media at Alabama's Memorial Coliseum.
Bad-Being on a diet and having to smell the aroma the Bama food without being able to indulge.
GoodWatching Spud Webb win the NBA Slam-Dunk Contest last Saturday over the great Dominque Wilkins.
BadNot being able to see LeRoy Byrd go one-on-one against Spud Webb.
GoodOfficials who know how to add a little humor to the game of basketball.
BadSportscasters (USA) who don't know the difference in a halo, a signal to reset the shot-clock and the sign for kicking the ball out-of-bounds.
GoodThe absence of a carnation in Eddie Sutton's coat lapel which was a regular ritual at Arkansas although some believed it would have fit in perfectly with the funeral-like atmosphere of past UK years. Perhaps Sutton left his flower in Arkansas where Nolan Richardson needs all the love and sympathy he can get because his team is deathly ill.
By the time you read this, many of the prep football seniors will be inked to national letters of intent and Jerry Claiborne's fifth recruiting class will be taking shape.
At presstime. Kentucky's entire coaching staff was on the road, beating the bushes and making those critical last-minute contacts.
While the overall talent is down in Kentucky this season, Claiborne still hopes to control the state like he has the previous four years.
Of most concern right now is Claiborne holding his verbal committments and signing those who have announced they would attend UK.
A vital announcement last week was Donnie Gardner's decision to attend UK. He's the brother of Wildcat Carwell Gardner. Donnie is one of the state's top three seniors along with Al Baker of Trigg County and Coburn Clark of Owensboro. All three have made public committments to UK.
However, the battle for Clark won't be over until he's been signed. He first said he would go to UK. but reports out of Owensboro indicated he was going to announce he was going to Louisville during a press conference a couple weeks ago. The press conference was eventually called off, but no one is betting on who Clark will sign with.
The recruiting of Clark apparently is beginning to heat up a cold war betweeen UK and Louisville.
Clark's situation is rather interesting in light of Louisville's accusations against Georgia a couple years ago which involved the Cedric Henderson case.
Then. UL officials, inlcuding athletics director Bill Olsen, suggested that other schools should back off recruiting a youngster after he made a public committment to a certain school (like Henderson did to UL). Henderson, you recall, later signed with Georgia.
Clark announced for UK several weeks ago, but Louisville kept on recruiting, a fact that UL coach Howard Schnellenberger readily admitted.
One of the interesting ploys applied by UL was sending a limo to Owensboro to pick up Clark and bring him to Louisville for his official visit during the weekend when the hoop Cards played Syracuse.
That certainly has to rank up there with the all-time greats in recruiting ploys. UL can take a bow for this one. I have to wonder though how some people would have treated UK if the Wid-cats decided to undertake such a luxurious scheme.
The bad news for Claiborne came late last week when Parade Magazine All-American Dave Szott announced he would sign a national letter-of-intent this week with Penn State.
There had been dozens of rumors about Szott and his future. His choices kept jumping from Penn State and Kentucky to Kentucky, Rutgers and Penn State to Duke. Rutgers, Penn State and Kentucky to just Kentucky and Duke about ten days ago.
And then, suddenly it was just Penn State. It was a tough one for UK to lose because the Cats were so close, but close counts only in horseshoes.
We'll have a complete update on the signees in next week's issue of TCP.
HITS AND MISSES ... One of the many rumors making the rounds around the Kentucky sports scene has Governor Martha Layne Collins becoming the new president of the University of Kentucky, replacing Dr. Otis
'
[Continued On Page 26]
-