xt76ww76tf8h https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt76ww76tf8h/data/mets.xml Wildcat News Company 1986 Volume 10 -- Number 22 athletic publications  English Wildcat News Company Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. The Cats' Pause UKAW University of Kentucky Men's Basketball (1985-1986) coaches Sutton, Eddie players NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament (1986) SEC Men's Basketball Tournament (1986) Harden, Roger Boone, Hilary University of Kentucky Football (1986) Claiborne, Jerry Myers, Brad UK vs. Auburn University (January 31, 1986) statistics schedules Cats' Pause Combs, Oscar The Cats' Pause,  "February 8, 1986" text The Cats' Pause,  "February 8, 1986" 1986 2012 true xt76ww76tf8h section xt76ww76tf8h  7%e (ja/s' &aa&
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Kentucky Basketball Statistics
21-GAME STATISTICS (18-3 Overall; 9-1 SEC)
(11-0 Home;  7-3 Away;   1-0 Neutral)
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY WILDCATS GS     Mln     Avg       FG    FGA     Pet      FT    FTA     Pet _ Reb    Avg^    PF    D   Ast      To    Blk    Stl_ Pts Avg
WALKER, KENNY
21       21     710   33.8     152    271    56.1    103    140 73.6
BENNETT, WINSTON
21       21     651    31.0     101    197    51.3     70     87 80.5
DAVENDER, ED
21        21      660    31.4      107    229    46.7      59      77 76.6
SLACKMON, JAMES
21        21      541    25.f
74    163   45.4     24     40 60.0
HARDEN, ROGER
21       21     612    29.1       54    106    50.9     17      19 89.5
MADISON, RICHARD
21 -      369    17.6       46      84    54.8      26      37 70.3
LOCK, ROBERT
15
109      7.3        18      32    56.3      12      27 44.4
JENKINS, CEDRIC
21 -     231    11.0       22     48   45.8     16     22 72.7
ZIEGLER, TODD
12 -
BYRD, LER0Y
14
ANDREWS, PAUL
15
THOMAS, IRVING
13
Team
59     4.9       12     22    54.5       6     10 60.0 9     14    64.3     10     13 76.9
90 6.4
106     7.1       10     28 35.7
62 4.1
3     10 30.0
6 100.0
8 62.5
21
WILDCATS
21
Opponents 21
4200 200. 608 1204 50.5 354 486 72.8 4200, 200.     508 1103   46.1    231    325 71.1
152 7.2
147 7.0
61 2.9
80 3.8
48 2.3
65 3.1
27    1 .f
43 2.0
16 1.3
10 .7
12
12
33 1.6
706 33.6
47   -     22     28     24 28
67   2      29     39       9 22
51    1       66 49
43
50   1      45     25       1 27
38
28
145 51
16 28
23
1 7
19    -       2 15
30 -
11
13
12
592 28.2
11
3     14       1 1
370 4 357 273 44 177 432 14    268   362     57 107
407 19.4
272 13.0
273 13.0
172 8.2
125 6.0
118 5.6
48 3.2
60 2.9
30 2.5
28 2.0
26 1.7
11 .8
1570 74.8
1247 59.4
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY SCHEDULE
Date		Record		UOFK	Opp	Opponent Mar	gin	Top Scorer		Top Rebounder	Attendance	
Nov.	22	1-	0	77	58	NORTHWESTERN STATE	19	18	BENNETT WINSTON	7 BENNETT WINSTON	23,127	(H)
Nov.	26	2-	0	89	57	CHAMINADE	32	22	WALKER, KENNY	5 WALKER, KENNY	1,508	(A)
Nov.	27	3-	0	98	65	HAWAII	33	33	WALKER, KENNY	10 WALKER, KENNY	6,342	(A)
Dec .	03	4-	0	84	54	CINCINNATI	30	26	WALKER, KENNY	7 BLACKMON, JAMES	23,330	(H)
Dec.	07	5-	0	63	58	INDIANA	5	22	DAVENDER, ED	5 BLACKMON, JAMES	24,203	(H)
Dec.	14	5-	1	66	83	KANSAS	-17	12	WALKER, KENNY	8 BENNETT WINSTON	15, 122	(A)
Dec.	20	6-	1	86	52	EAST CAROLINA	34	19	WALKER, KENNY	9 BENNETT WINSTON	22,416	(H)
Dec.	21	7-	1	88	56	PEPPERDINE	32	21	WALKER, KENNY	10 WALKER, KENNY	22,840	(H)
Dec.	28	8-	1	-69	64	LOUISVILLE	5	23	BENNETT WINSTON	14 WALKER, KENNY	24,180	(H)
Dec .	30	9-	1	93	55	VIRGINIA MILITARY IN	38	18	WALKER, KENNY	10 BENNETT WINSTON	19,450	(A)
Jan.	04	10-	1	80	71	VANDERBILT	9	25	WALKER, KENNY	14 BENNETT WINSTON	15,626	(A)
Jan.	06	10-	2	56	60	AUBURN	-4	22	WALKER, KENNY	6 WALKER, KENNY	11,873	(A)
Jan.	08	11-	2	75	58	MISSISSIPPI	17	31	WALKER, KENNY	6 BENNETT WINSTON	22,645	(H)
Jan.	11	12-	2	76	52	ALABAMA	24	24	WALKER, KENNY	9 WALKER, KENNY	23,345	(H)
Jan.	15	13-	2	64	52	MISSISSIPPI STATE	12	15	WALKER, KENNY	8 BENNETT WINSTON	5,226	(A)
Jan.	18	14-	2	72	55	FLORIDA	17	25	WALKER, KENNY	11 BENNETT WINSTON	11,914	(A)
Jan.	23	15-	2	74	69	GEORGIA	5	15	DAVENDER, ED	10 WALKER, KENNY	22,810	(H)
Jan.	25	16-	2	74	57	TENNESSEE	17	26	BENNETT WINSTON	7 MADISON RICHARD	23,069	(U)
Jan.	29	17-	2	54	52	LSU	2	17	BENNETT WINSTON	8 WALKER, KENNY	12,477	(A)
Jan.	31	18-	2	81	71	AUBURN	10	24	WALKER, KENNY	10 BENNETT WINSTON	23,320	(H)
Feb.	02	18-	3	51	54	NORTH CAROLINA STATE	-3	16	DAVENDER, ED	8 WALKER, KENNY	12,400	(A)
REMAINING		GAMES										
Feb.	05					VANDERBILT	(H)		PROBABLE STARTINC	LINEUPS:		
												
Feb.	08					MISSISSIPPI	(A)		Kentucky Wildcats	(18-3: 9-1 SEC)		
Feb. Feb.	13 15					ALABAMA MISSISSIPPI STATE	(A) (H)		F        34 - Kenny Walker (6-8 senior) F         25 - Winston Bennett (6-7 junior) G        10 - James Blackmon (6-3 Junior) G        15 - Ed Davender (6-2 sophomore)		PPC 19.4 13.0 8.2 13.0	RPG 7.2 7.0 3.8 2.9
Feb. Feb.	19 22					FLORIDA GEORGIA	(H) (A)					
Feb.	27					TENNESSEE	(A)		G         23 - Roger	Harden (6-1 senior)	6.0	2.3
Mar.	01			-		LOUISIANA STATE	(H)		Vanderbllt Commodores (10-9; 4-6 SEC)		(6.9 assists/game)	
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
				All Qsm*		
	W	L	Pet	W	L	Pet
Kentucky	9	1	900	18	3	.857
Alabama.....	8	2	800	15	4	.789
Auburn......	6	3	,667	12	7	.632
Florida ......	6	4	.600	12	7	.632
Georgia .....	5	5	.500	12	7	.632
Louisiana St. .	4	5	444	16	6	.727
Tennessee . ..	4	6	.400	11	8	.579
Vanderbilt .. .	4	6	.400	10	9	.526
Mississippi . . .	2	8	.200	10	9	.526
Mississippi St..	1	9	100	4	15	.211
F	24 -	Glen Clem (6-6 junior)	9.8	2	5
F	33 -	Steve Reece (6-9 Junior)	6.1	3	6
C	50 -	Brett Burrow (6-10 senior)	11.8	5	7
G	22 -	Darrell Dulaney (5-11 senior)	9.8	2	5
G	20 -	Jell Gary (6-4 senior)	8.8	1	9
Ole Miss Rebels (10-9; 2-8 SEC)
(5.1 assists/game)
F	21	- Curtis Ritchwood (6-6 senior)	11.8	6.8
F	42	- Eric Smith (6-6junior)	19. 1	6.8
C	34	- Derek Home (6-7 senior)	3.2	4.8
G	12	- Rod Barnes (6-1 sophomore)	10.4	2.9
G	31	- Joe Ayers (6-5 junior)	8.8	2.7
 &7l& (DOt&' (Bcut&
Cats Must Develop Depth For NCAA
Just moments after Kentucky's 54-51 loss to North Carolina State Sunday, UK coach Eddie Sutton unemotionally fielded reporters' questions in a hallway of the aged and historic Reynolds Coliseum. Every once in a while he would allow a simple grin to escaped a sweaty face which had just gone through a couple hours of intense battle.
Yet, here appeared a man relaxed and content with the effort put forth by his team despite losing a five-point halftime lead and eventually the game.
Inside a nearby locker room, the Wildcats took the defeat in stride. There were no tears, no heartbreak, no tantrums of violence, not even a trace of bitterness toward a trio of Atlantic Coast Conference officials.
Sure. Kentucky had lost. Sure, the Cats' eight-game win streak was snapped. And sure, the loss probably will end up costing UK a notch or two in the final pre-NCAA tourney rankings.
But there were some nice lessons learned from this trip which will make Kentucky a better team down the road.
First of all, the game was not a conference battle. So, Kentucky lost no ground in the league race. Secondly. Kentucky has now felt the pain of a grueling three-game, five-day swing which certainly teaches players they have physicial as well as mental limitations.
Without doubt, the Wildcats now understand the difference in being rested and being tired. They've also been reminded that playing on the road isn't a piece of cake.
And what else did Kentucky learn?
The Cats learned that when Kenny Walker is stopped, a few other players had better be prepared to pick up the slack. It didn't happen Sunday and the three-point loss was the ample evidence.
Without sounding two-faced Kentucky can, nevertheless, take a brief bow for being able to play State within three points despite being on the road, hitting a miserable 32.8 percent and being outsized worse than David vs. Goliath.
There may or may not be another game between these two teams, but I've got a hunch that Jimmy Vaivano had just as soon not play Kentucky again in post season tournament this year.
Vaivano was a bit smarter than the Kentucky schedule makers. ACC teams usually play on Thursdays and Saturdays. So when Vaivano scheduled this game with UK, he made a few adjustments to his calendar. First, he moved his Thursday game with Georgia Tech back to Wednesday. Then he erased his Saturday ACC game altogether. He was able to do that because the ACC plays only 14 league games in com-parsion with the SEC's 18 contests.
That gave Vaivano three full days of preparation for Kentucky. On the flip side, UK played at LSU on Wednesday, then had to meet Auburn on Friday. Actually, the Auburn contest would have been Saturday except it was pushed back last spring in the original scheduling so UK would not have to play Saturday night in Lexington then 14 hours later in Raleigh.
The culprit in this whole matter, as it is so often, is television. Network television (both CBS and NBC) does not want to televise a con ference game nationally because so few people (especially fans outside the region) are interested in a game involving two teams from the same league.
And because most all games in January and
February are conference games, the networks offer exposure and money as enticements for a school to schedule a non-conference game in the middle of the conference race. Hence, Kentucky versus North Carolina State.
Of course, the same thing happened last season when Kentucky defeated North Carolina State at Rupp Arena.
Eddie Sutton drained every last ounce of energy out of his fatigued Wildcats in the first half. It was a miracle the Cats were up at the midway point. The fact that UK shot only 34.5 percent the first half and 32.8 percent the second half is evidence enough that the Cats were leg-weary.
So it was no surprise when Sutton told reporters he was very pleased with the Wildcats' effort in the wake of the three-game, five-day worksheet.
"It was fatigue more than anything else," said Sutton of turnovers and poor shooting which led to the loss. "We went to LSU and that was a very emotional game. We came back and had to beat Auburn at home and they (NCS) were off since Wednesday. That makes a lot of difference. I'm not making excuses, but I can't fault our team. They've played about as hard as I've ever had a team played."
"We're just going home and rest," added Sutton, "we're fatigued."
Now, Kentucky prepares for a pair of games against second division SEC teams as the Cats host Vanderbilt on Wednesday, then travel to Oxford for a date with Ole Miss on Saturday.
These games could be two of the most im-portants contests of the year for the Cats. One would assume, although coaches unanimously agree you never, never take anyone for granted, that Kentucky should emerge a victor in each of these two contests.
But even more importantly will be the challenge of playing well enough to allow Sutton the opportunity to test some of the younger players who have not been getting any "PT" (playing time) lately.
If Kentucky is to make a run in the NCAA tournament in March, the Cats will need contributions from more than just the current seven (five starters plus Madison and Lock).
For the past six games, Sutton hasn't been afforded the opportunity to go very deep into his roster. The Cats need another outside force from the artillery range and it's no military secret that the Cats need added firepower inside.
But it's extremely difficult to chance a victory in a tight game by experimenting with youth. The Cats need a couple of games where the outcome is determined early to afford the UK staff an opportunity to employ such a plan.
If those type games don't pop up this week, they probably never will, at least not this season.
It's still early, but the SEC race appears to be shaping up as a duel among Kentucky, Auburn and Alabama with LSU, perhaps a longshot.
By the time you read this, the LSU-Auburn game will have been decided and the loser can kiss its hopes "bye-bye".
An LSU loss would be No. 6 for the Bengals
and a virtual death blow to the Tigers since Dale Brown and his club must still close out the season at Rupp Arena.
On the other hand, an LSU win over Auburn would put the Tigers in a position of making a strong run with a shot at the title by beating UK in Lexington on the final day of the regular season.
Auburn, most observers agree, has the most and best talent in the league today. There are two big, big games for Sonny Smith right now. The one with LSU (last Tuesday) and on the road at Tennessee Saturday. The Tigers also have to travel to Georgia and LSU as well as host Alabama. It won be an easy road.
Meanwhile, Alabama is lurking in the shadows. Wimp Sanderson is the most underrated coach in the SEC, if not America. All the man does is win, win and win some more, but his personality too often is critiqued instead of his coaching achievements.
The Tide is rolling right now, but Alabama's next four games could spell its final fate. This week, the Tide first host Georgia then head to Baton Rouge for LSU on Saturday. Next week, Alabama hosts Kentucky on Thursday then journey to cross-state rival Auburn two days later.
For the Tide to be in the running, Alabama needs to win three of those four. Kentucky could catch the Tide just right, right after playing LSU on the road and two days before playing Auburn on the road. Then again, it'll be the game of the year for 'Bama because Kentucky will probably be No. 1 in the SEC at the time.
All in all. Kentucky is in a unique position. For the first time in quite a while, Kentucky is in the driver's seat early. I mean, real early. Kentucky enjoys the luxury of controlling its own destiny. Should UK win the remainder of its home games and spilt the remaining road games with Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Alabama, then the SEC race will is over for all practical purposes.
Here's some important information for fans who plan on attening the SEC Tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington March 5-8.
First of all, tickets for the Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament are still available, although officials now believe the tournament may become a sell-out.
When the tourney was held in Lexington back in 1982. a little more than 19,000 ticket books were sold with another 2,000 tickets sold for the semi-finals and finals.
You can order SEC Tournament tickets by mailing a certified check or money order only to: University of Kentucky Athletics Association, Basketball Ticket Office, Room 3, Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0019. Ticket books are $60 each and includes admission for one person to all sessions. A $2 postage and handling charge should be added to your total order (There is only one postage and handling fee per order, regardless of how many tickets you buy).
UKAA ticket manager Alice Woods says tournament tickets would be available at the UK ticket office beginning February 12.
Demand for tickets from Kentucky fans has been even greater than 1982 according to Ms. Woods.
* * *
HITS AND MISSES . . . Next week is the big date for football fans around the country as
the national letter of intent signing day approaches. Kentucky Coach Jerry Claiborne was all smiles after hearing that Kentucky's top blue-chipper. Al Baker, had chosen Kentucky over Ohio State and Florida. Kentucky is still hitting the prep roads, but word is that a couple of players are now not as sure about Kentucky as before. UK is particularly concerned about Colburn Clark of Owensboro who publicly committed to UK some time ago. Word now has it that he may wind up at Louisville. Last week, rumors were afloat that he was about to call a press conference announcing his intentions to opt for UL over UK. A quick trip by Claiborne and one of his assistants to Owensboro and the press conference never came off. . . The big fight still is the one for Parade Magazine prep All-American Dave Szott of New Jersey. Supposedly, Szott had narrowed his list to Penn State and Kentucky. Now we hear the race is down to Kentucky and Duke. This one could go to the wire...In the rumor mills is word that Kentucky's president Otis Singletary's could be tossed in the hat as the next commissioner of the Southeastern Conference when H. Boyd McWhorter retires in the next couple years. Although Singletary's age (he'll be retiring at UK about the same time as McWhorter leaves the SEC) might be against him, the league could easily turn to him on a temporary basis (say for a couple years) if an all-out fight developes among other "younger" candidates. There are those who say the league will have a tough time on picking the next commissioner because of intense rivalries in the deep South,  especially between Georgia and Alabama. Singeltary could become the "northern" compromise . . . UK football and basketball ticket prices will increase next season. Football endzone will go from $8 to S10 per game while sideline stadium seats will increase from $12 to $14 per game. In basketball, upper arena will go from $5 to $6 per contest while lower arena will increase from $7 to $9 per contest. All seats at UK's home games in Louisville's Freedom Hall will now cost $9 instead of $7 each. UK athletics director Cliff Hagan pointed out that Louisville gets $10 for its seats which are similar to the lower arena seats at Rupp Arena and that Vanderbilt and LSU charge $9 in basketball. Hagan said UK has been $2 to $3 lower in football ticket prices than all other SEC schools for the past couple years . . . Coach Eddie Sutton will take his Kentucky Wildcats to Japan this summer and the UKAA board of directors voted to approve some $30,000 in conjunction with the trip. Schools are permitted one trip very four years overseas by the NCAA. . . At the recent UKAA board meeting, it was some kind of a star-studded lineup of sports figures. You had UK athletics director Cliff Hagan (an all-pro star with St. Louis Hawks), Frank Ramsey (a great pro with the Boston Celtics), A. B. "Happy" Chandler (ex-major league baseball commissioner), S. T. Roach (one of the greatest high school basketball coaches in Kentucky history when he coached Lexington Dunbar), Tommy Heinsohn (former Boston Celtics great), Tommy Bell (one of the NFL's greatest referees of all time) and my UK favorite, ex-Wildcat quarterback Mike Shutt. Ramsey, Bell, Chandler, Roach, andShutt are members of the board while Heinsohn was in attendance to promote the Kentucky Network which he owns stock in. KN was awarded a new three-year contract for radio rights to
[Continued On Page 26] /7i.e (jots' fxui&>
Cats Fight Off Tigers, 54-52
Harden Rescues Cats With Buzzer Beater
Some day Roger Harden will be able to tell his grandchildren, "Yeah, I hit a shot back in 1986 that beat LSU, Dale Brown and the curse of the Baton Rouge chicken pox."
Indeed he did as the 6-1 Wildcat senior guard connected with no time remaining to give Kentucky a thrilling 54-52 win over SEC foe LSU. Five seconds prior to Harden's game-winner. Derrick Taylor canned a somewhat off-balanced 12 footer to knot the score at 52-all. Harden, however, immediately went coast to coast for the final two points.
"I hit about four or five of 'em in high school," Harden said about past game-winners. "I remember the first one I took I missed, but I kept shooting them. I've only missed one in my career. It's a great feeling.
"I'm going to tell the grandkids about this one."
Still on top of the league standings, Kentucky owns an impressive 8-1 slate (17-2 overall) at the halfway mark in SEC play. LSU is now 4-4, 16-4.
Starting a makeshift lineup because of a recent breakout in chicken pox (along with Nikita Wilson's absence due to academic reasons), Brown, who the day before said winning this game would be more difficult than parting a sea, was obviously pleased with his team's play.
Harden On A Roll
"I think it's the greatest effort (long pause) of guys believing in us. . .and you don't have to win to be happy," said Brown afterwards. "You hate to lose but I can take it."
With his smooth turnaround becoming more and more effective with each outing, Winston* Bennett continues to shine on the offensive end. His 8 of 11 shooting from the field helped guide the junior to a team-high 17 points. But it was his free throw which kept the Wildcats ahead by two (52-50) with only 18 seconds remaining.
IT WAS HECTIC AT THE END
It was Harden's bucket at 3:46 that kept the Wildcats in front by more than two (51-48) as he coolly drilled a shot from the top of the key. Taylor, though clearly out of control, pulled the Tigers within one with a 15-footer from the right side.
With less than a minute remaining, LSU had a chance to take the lead. Redden's forced attempt, which was heavily defended, missed from close in as Bennett snared the rebound.
Clinging to a one-point advantage, UK regained possession following a Harden miss in which the ball, last touched by a LSU participant, trickled out of bounds.
On the in-bounds play, 6-foot-10 Jose Vargas apparently grabbed Bennett by the jersey as the defender fell to the floor in hopes of initiating a charging call, ala Georgetown. LSU's top reserve on the night was quickly whistled for the intentional foul, his fifth of the ballgame.
Brown was vividly upset, feeling that Vargas' infraction was not intentional. In fact, the flamboyant Bengal coach was so 'hot under the collar' that he had to be restrained by his assistants.
Thus, UK's coolest customer stepped to the line to try and ice the victory with 18 seconds remaining.
"When it went out of my hands I knew it was going to miss," Bennett said of his first attempt from the charity stripe. "I just came back the next time with a little more confidence and tried to follow through on the second one."
Out of timeouts LSU quickly moved the ball toward its basket. Taylor, who led all scorers on the night with 20 points, hit the jumper over UK's initiated zone alignment. Taylor's clutch basket tied the count at 50 and erased a Wildcat advantage held since 12:18 remaining in the game.
The rest is history.
"People debate all the time if you should call a timeout," said Eddie Sutton. "But LSU didn't have any timeouts and the best thing to do was to try and get the ball up the floor as quickly as you can. I'm happy for Roger."
Harden also added a game-high 10 assists.
IT WASNT THE PRETTIEST OF GAMES BUT IT WAS EXCITING
The field goal percentages showed that both teams successfully slashed the nets on this evening  Kentucky, 57.7 percent; LSU, 55.8 percent. Turnovers, meanwhile, were aplenty
as UK committed 23 (16 in the first half) while the Tigers recorded 18 miscues.
LSU's box-and one defense, where 6-6 forward Ollie Brown was assigned to Kenny Walker, confused the more experienced visitors. Three Wildcat starters  Bennett. Harden and Walker  turned it over seven, five, and five times.
While being a force from the field (7 of 13) Don Redden repeatedly tried to force the ball inside against Kentucky's man-to-man defense. His ill-advised passes resulted in many turnovers. Overall. Redden was credited with seven.
NOTHING HELD BACK ON THIS NIGHT
Despite the loss of starters John Williams (chicken pox) and Nikita Wilson (academics), LSU rallied behind its coach and gave the 'Cats all they could handle.
After trailing by four points at the midway point, LSU reclaimed the lead with a Redden layup (38-36). The more the Tigers continued to stay in the game the louder the crowd at Assembly Center.
Playing like a man possessed, Vargas was one of the reasons UK was having trouble underneath. His physical style of play was causing havoc in the paint. With their inability to score inside the 'Cats' gameplan shifted to the perimeter.
Walker, who earlier in the half canned a 17-footer. connected from 15 feet tying the ballgame at 38-38. UK's All-America player was held to 12 points while playing the full 40 minutes.
Bennett (from 12 and 13 feet) and Davender (21 feet) continued to keep the outside game working as UK opened up a five-point cushion with 10:39 remaining. But what help loosened things inside was when Vargas picked up his second and third fouls in a span of eight seconds.
From 11:37 to less than five minutes remaining Kentucky either held a five or three point margin. It was a physical, as well as mental tusscl all the way.
During that stretch each was able to only produce six points apiece. Though a lack of offence was evident, other things like turnovers (nine), consecutive block shots by Vargas (on Walker) and Walker (on Redden), and two big slams by LSU were featured.
All which led to an exciting conclusion.
DEAF DOME GREETS CATS
The first five minutes were of big importance for many reasons. For Kentucky, it needed to take control early and keep the crowd out of the contest. For LSU, its patched-together starting unit, not resembling a No. 17 ranking, needed a vast amount of confidence against the nation's eighth (UPI) ranked squad."And with 9:07 remaining in the first stanza it was the Tiger ballclub who had won the early war.
Behind the scoring punch of Redden and Taylor, along with a stern defensive effort, LSU was in ideal position tied at 18-all.
All of the hosts team's points came from either Redden (10) or Taylor (eight). And the Tigers' defense was also responsible for many of the Wildcats' 23 turnovers on the evening. In the first half UK's two senior starters, Harden and Walker, were even commiting 'rookielike' mistakes. Walker turned the ball over four times while Harden was listed for three first-half miscues.
With the LSU partisans roaring with approval of their undermanned team, things didn't look good for the leaders in the SEC. At the Deaf Dome, though, you never know what to expect.
On the other hand UK's defense caused numerous Tiger errors, 11 overall. Keeping LSU off the boards in the first half (13-2) also helped make up for the Wildcats' high amount of turnovers.
Though when both teams shoot 60 percent or better, plus commit 27 turnovers in a half, there aren't too many rebounds to be had.
Tied at 18 Kentucky then proceeded to outscore LSU 8-0. James Blackmon's jumper from deep in the left corner gave UK its biggest lead on the night 26-18 with 5:35 remaining. However, two Vargas hoops, the latter coming on a sweeping one-handed hook, pulled the Tigers within four, 26-22
Bennett In The Lights Blackmon Looking &7i& (Dates' (&uia&
Sky Getting Sandwiched
Off to the races following a Walker turnover, Ollie Brown knotted the score at 28-28 with an uncontested layin.
If not for Bennett scoring the final six points of the half, Kentucky could have easily found itself trailing instead of leading by four.
TIGER-WILDCAT TIDBITS
Before the game LSU honored Mark Alcorn, a member of the Tigers' '81 Final Four team. Alcorn died in 1981 because of cancer. Dale Brown made a special presentation to Mark's parents, Harold and Sheila Alcorn, and will have a new scholarship fund initiated in behalf of his former player. . .Also honored before the UK-LSU matchup were members of the first Tiger basketball squad to defeat Kentucky. This season marks the 25th An-niversery that LSU first beat Kentucky, 79-53. . .John Williams was released from Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center on Wednesday afternoon and was seen in street clothes behind the LSU bench. LSU team doctor, Dr. James Osterberger, has said that Williams may start shooting practice Thursday (Jan. 30) and gradually increase his workouts over the weekend and next week. No word yet, however, when Williams will be back in the lineup. . .LSU's other chicken pox victim. Bernard Woodside, was expected to be released the following day. . .LSU's game with Auburn has been rescheduled for Tuesday (Feb. 4) at Auburn. . .After the game Brown rushed over to the student section and repeatedly said "Thank you" to the student-body for their support. Earlier he got on the microphone and told the students to refrain from obvious obscenity chants. . .Kentucky's win on the road was its fourth in five SEC tries. . Tuesday ESPN announcer Dick Vitale was seen clowning around with UK's players prior to practice in Baton Rouge. . .With the win Kentucky upped its all-time series with LSU 54-12. . .While at Arkansas Eddie Sutton was 2-2 against LSU. ..Adding 10 assist to his 118 total, Harden is only 61 shy of breaking Dirk Min-niefield's single-season record. . .In his last three games Winston Bennett has scored 57 points. That's an average of 19 points per game.
KENNY WALKER
(About the game)
Walker: I think tonight's game was a typical LSU-Kentucky game. Both teams came out and played hard. Down here, regardless of who LSU puts on the floor, they can just about play against anybody.
(About being 8-1 in the conference and what lies ahead)
Walker: We're 8-1 and we're at a point in the season where we've seen everybody in the conference. We've only lost once and we're in real good shape as far as that is concerned. But, we can't let up right now because we've got to play'em all again. It's no time to let up because Alabama, Auburn and some other clubs are playing real well. too. We must maintain our level of intensity, keep up the hard work, and good attitude to hopefully go through the conference (second-half schedule) pretty much like we did this time.
(About LSU's defense)
Walker: LSU, like everybody else, played a 2-3 zone and sagged back in the middle. They played a box-and-one on me. You have to have somebody from the perimeter hit for a good percentage in order for them to come out. Our guys just really weren't looking for their shots tonight: I kind of felt we could hit those shots  Richard (Madison) usually shoots better; Ed (Davender) can shoot better from the perimeter; and so can James (Blackmon). It wasn't that we weren't hitting, we just really weren't looking.
(About Roger Harden's winning shot)
Walker: (Derrick) Taylor came down, I thought our defense was as good as it could possibly be, and hit a great shot. After the shot went in. I was going down the side (and) try to post up or hopefully to tip in a desperation shot. Then, as I looked up Roger was dribbling down the court and pulls up at the top of the key. It was a great shot. What can I say. . .it was a great way to end a ballgame. I thought it was a hard-fought ballgame on both teams' part.
WINSTON BENNETT
(About missing the front end of a two-shot foul with 18 seconds remaining)
Bennett: Well, when it went out of my hands I knew I had missed it. I just came back the next time with a little more confidence and tried to follow through.
(About scoring the last six points of the first half)
Bennett: I just try to come out and really get in the flow of the game. This is a different year from last year  I'm playing with a lot more confidence and I really feel like I'm working
hard on the offensive end as well as the defensive end. That's enabled me to get open inside. Of course, with the people sagging on Kenny  he has two or three men on him" that also helps some.
(About LSU's coach  Dale Brown)
Bennett: Coach Brown is a very flamboyant coach; I've got a lot of respect for him. The way in which he guides his teams are the ways that he's been taught. The things that he's done have been good for his ballclub. They are always one of the best in the SEC, so you really can't say anything bad about Coach Brown, because he's an excellent coach. His record speaks for itself.
(About the foul committed by Jose Vargas on him with 18 seconds left)
Bennett: We were set in our usual line (