Jim Griesch
[Continued From Page 32]
79-60, in 1983. Besides UK, the Vols have beaten Alabama (29-25 in 1936) for the championship.
*Vandy's tournament record has been something of an "all or none" proposition against most teams. Its 88-52 win over Tennessee is Vandy's only win over the Vols and they won the tournament that year. Vandy has 24 and six-point wins over Alabama, 17-, 10-, and 12- point wins over Georgia, and games decided by from one to seven points against Florida. But, Vandy is just 1-4 against the Gators. Vandy has lost to Kentucky by 10 and 69, but has won by four and by five.
*Ex-members Georgia Tech and Tulane both had moderate success in the tourney. Tech beat Ole Miss 58-47 in 1938 for the title, and Tulane played Kentucky three times in six years (1944, 1947, 1949) in the title game, but lost to some of the greatest UK teams in history, each time.
*01e Miss and LSU have done the best job of trading "insults" in tourney play. The Johnny Rebs' biggest margin of victory in tourney history came against LSU, by 28 (68-40) in 1938. But, LSU hung a 35-point loss on the Rebels in 1946 (69-34).
*Four schools, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Georgia Tech, own their biggest tournament wins over Vanderbilt. Georgia and Vandy both claim Tennessee as their biggest victim. Auburn and LSU hung giant-sized wins on Tulane, while Tennessee once buried Auburn by 32, for the Vols' biggest win. Tulane's best win was over Georgia Tech.
Cats Have Dealt Embarrassing Blows
?Kentucky administered the worst tournament loss ever to seven teams, while LSU can claim three such disasters, Tennessee and Tulane one each.
*Every one of the 13 original schools has played at least once in the tournament championship game, except Sewanee.
?Alabama has been in six finals, including three of the last four (1934, 1936, 1942, 1982, 1983, 1985).
Auburn is the last team to make it. They have played in the last two (1984, 1985). Florida made it 52 years ago (1934).
Georgia has been three times, twice in modern play (1940, 1981, 1983)
Kentucky has been to 20 finals, easily an SEC record. The Cats have played in: 1933, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984.
Louisiana State has been in the final three times (1946, 1952, 1980).
Mississippi has been once early, once lately (1938, 1981).
Mississippi State went to the finals in 1933, but not since.
Tennessee has been in eight championships (1936, 1937, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1945, 1950. 1979). Only twice in an "even" numbered year.
Vanderbilt won its only trip to the title game (1951).
Georgia Tech went twice, a decade apart (1938, 1948).
Tulane played the three times against Kentucky (1944, 1947, and 1949).
The records section on tournament play has been put together in 77ie Cats' Pause this year for a couple of reasons. One, it has never been printed in this form before, and a listing of how each school has done against each of others has never been put together exactly like this before, either.
The information is available in another format in the current Southeastern Conference basketball media guide. The media guide is the source for all information found in the records section in this edition.
Enberg And McGuire
Todd Hallum
[Continued From Page 37]
a No. 2 seed in one of the regions. Most likely a SEC Tournament titles will probably secure a No. 2 seed. And if history repeats itself UK will wind up in the Southeast Regional where the semifinals and final will be played at the Omni in Atlanta, Ga.
Around The SEC
Barring and unseen amount of upsets in post season conference tournament play, don't be too shocked if the SEC places five teams in the NCAA Tournament. Because of the weakness of major conferences such as the Pac 10 and the Southwest, who will probably send no more than two representative to the 64-team field, more spots will be open for other conference teams to attend. Also, Notre Dame is the only Independent that is a 'sure thing' for a tournament bid. Kentucky, Alabama, LSU, and Auburn are shoo-ins to see post-season NCAA Tourney action. However, Florida is the team that is on the edge and may sneak in, IF it can pull off two victories in the SEC Tournament... Speaking of the SEC Tournament. It should be quite interesting if Florida is paired against LSU in the tournament. Rumor has it that Norm Sloan of Florida and LSU's controversial Dale Brown exchanged heated words during halftimc of the Tigers 80-69 victory over the Gators in Baton Rouge. ESPN color commentator Dick Vitale said on the broadcast of the game, which was televised by the cable network, that Brown and Sloan were yelling at each other in the hallway leading to the
dressing rooms at the end of the first half.....There was speculation that Tennessee's
multi-talented guard Tony White might miss the Volunteers' game with Alabama because of a bruised knee. However. White did play in the game and scored 16 points in the Vols' disappointing 80-64 homecourt loss to the Crimson Tide....One other Tennessee note. Don't be too surprised if head coach Don DeVoe accepts the new position as the head mentor at Ohio State replacing Eldon Miller. Although DeVoe has said that he has not applied for the job, he hasn't been quoted as saying he would not be interested. As a former Buckeye player, DeVoe was one of the top candidates for the OSU job when Miller was officialy hired. Because of the recent allegations against both the football and basketball programs at UT by a Knoxville newspaper plus the fact that the school's new 25,000-seat arena has, STILL, not been completed. It just makes sense that DeVoe would be sincerely interesting in becoming Ohio State's new head coach.
Bob Watkins
[Continued From Page 21]
v A few weeks ago I wondered what ever happened to Coach S.T. Roach, the much successful coach at Lexington Dunbar?
Coach Roach, one of the best ever in Kentucky preps, is alive and well and an employee in the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in Frankfort.
Parting shots
Calvin Natt of the Denver Nuggets explaining why he dives after loose balls even at practice: "That's the way I play. I just wish there had been some mud down on the floor, with some rocks mixed in, so I could have come up all bloody and muddy and bruised. I sleep better with cuts and bruises."
And so it goes.H Newton's gaff
Last weekend Vanderbilt Coach CM. Newton surprised fans around the south when, after a 1-point loss to Alabama, he said the Crimson Tide was the best team in the SEC.
How did Kentucky's Eddie Sutton fell about Newton's analysis? "What CM. was saying, if I read it correctly, was that Alabama has the best talent, not that they're better than Kentucky. At least that's how I read it."
Hmmm. Sutton understands the strategy of being charitable this time of year. But me-thinks that Newton's gaff is pinned to the bulletin board in UK's lockerroom.
The UK coach was candid about one thing however, "Hey, we're not that over powering a ball club. Look at our scores, we haven't blown anybody away. There's not a team on our schedule or in the tournament ahead that couldn't beat us." But, like all rabid UK fans, Sutton "likes the chemistry of our ball club."
Other views 'n people
v Almost tournament time and the state of Kentucky has two clubs with their tournament faces, Kentucky and Louisville.
From here, there looks to be only one team in America playing better basketball than Kentucky right now  Duke (maybe), but I still like Georgetown's defense. And right behind those two...Kansas, Michigan State and North Carolina State.
Louisville? Coach Denny Crum is still grumping that his club hasn't "played 40 minutes" consistently yet.
Western Kentucky? An NCAA at large bid, but this is a team that isn't shooting well enough to get past the first round. Still, Clem Haskins' job should be safe.
^ Ex-Kentucky star Larry Pursiful said a few weeks ago that he's delighted to see Eddie Sutton recruit in-state players again. Why?
"When a kid puts on a UK uniform he's 10 points better than he might have been someplace else."
Before the Michigan State at Michigan game a couple of weeks ago Wolverine guard Antoine Joubert said he felt sorry for State's Scott Skiles and predicted an easy win for Michigan.
Late in the second half State was up by 15 points and Skiles moved up on Joubert and sajd^'C^mon^f^