xt78w950gs8q https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt78w950gs8q/data/mets.xml University of Kentucky 1982 Rupp Arena, Lexington (Ky.) athletic publications  English University of Kentucky Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. University of Kentucky Basketball Programs (Men) UKAW programs University of Kentucky Men's Basketball (1981-1982) coaches players Hall, Joe B. rosters schedules statistics Rupp Arena SEC Men's Basketball Tournament (1982) Southeastern Conference Tournament, March 3-6, 1982 text Southeastern Conference Tournament, March 3-6, 1982 1982 2019 true xt78w950gs8q section xt78w950gs8q 8THH
Souvenir Program
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RUPP ARENA
MM 3-6,1982
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March 3-6, 1982
CONTENTS
4 The SEC: Strain of Endurance
5 Letter from the Governor
7 Tourney '81: Underdogs Were Top Dogs
11 SEC Tournament: Spectacle Second to None
18 ALABAMA
21 SEC Tournament Quiz
22 AUBURN 24 FLORIDA 26 GEORGIA
37 Tournament Pairings
43 SEC Stats & Standings
46 KENTUCKY
48 LSU
50 OLE MISS
54 MISSISSIPPI STATE
56 TENNESSEE
58 VANDERBILT
62 SEC Tournament Records
CREDITS
Editors:
Barry Bronson
Host Communications, Inc.
Elmore (Scoop) Hudgins
Assistant Commissioner SEC
Publishers:
Host Communications, Inc. 120 Kentucky Avenue Lexington, Kentucky
Printer:
Thoroughbred Press Lexington, Kentucky
tp
3 The SEC
Basketball: A Strain of Endurance
To the first fifty years of the life of the Southeastern Conference the sport of basketball has contributed an admirable strain of endurance.
The typical American family on achieving a position of unexpected prominence, after years of work and study, discipline and sacrifice, takes stock of itself and attempts to identify the outstanding characteristics which enabled it to climb past the many other fine families in the chase to the mountaintop.
In the case of the SEC, several could be cited. Among them Courage: the courage to strike out into the wilderness of intercollegiate athletics with little more than half the members, as they did at organization in the winter of 1932-33. Another, Intelligence: the good sense to seek out the core of their problem (the differences in the good athlete and the good student) and attempt to eliminate it. Another, Perception: the ability to perceive good from bad, right from wrong. Also, Acuteness: they quickly put the most accomplished former students, the Presidents, in charge of
Dr. Otis A. Singletary
SEC President (Kentucky)
By Elmore (Scoop) Hudgins
the operation. Others which apply are Diligence, Patience and Endurance.
The characteristic of Endurance, one of at least a half-dozen strains which made the SEC family strong, is perhaps best exemplified by basketball.
The game was being played during the three meetings of presidents and faculty chairmen of athletics which accomplished the withdrawal of the 13 members (Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Miss. State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, plus Ga. Tech, Sewanee and Tu-lane) from the 23-member Southern Conference and organization of the new Southeastern Conference, Dec. 8-9, 1932, in Knoxville, Feb. 16, 1933, in Birmingham and Feb 27, 1933, in Atlanta.
Basketball was the chief intercollegiate sports activity of the proposed members during those three months, against one another and against other colleges within the area. During the week of the final meeting, a tournament of the 13 teams was being played in Atlanta. The Southeastern Conference was pronounced alive by President Frank L. McVey, also President of the University of Kentucky, on Friday, Feb. 27 and on Saturday the 28th Kentucky defeated Miss. State in the finals of the basketball tournament to become the first SEC Champion.
The rapport that came from competing with each other in basketball in that period without a recognized family name strengthened that strain of endurance and helped produce a healthy (pardon the pun) bouncing baby, quickly nicknamed SEC.
The Southeastern Conference is now being mentioned, by sports analysts outside the SEC area, as the strongest overall, certainly the best balanced, in the nation. Last March four SEC teams (LSU, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Kentucky) competed in the NCAA Tournament and two more (Alabama and Georgia) in the NIT. New Year's
Day of 1982, two SEC teams, not one, took a shot at the national championship in football. Last March the fastest swimmer in the world competed for an SEC school, Rowdy Gaines of Auburn. Teams of SEC schools were prominent in the NCAA championships of baseball, track, golf and tennis. The University of Georgia campus has been recognized by the NCAA as the best place in the nation to hold the tennis championships.
All this comprises a position of prominence for the SEC among athletic conferences of the nation, surely beyond expectations of the men who organized so well during the dread winter of 1932-33.
Sound leadership is also a continuous characteristic of the Southeastern Conference. Dr. Otis Singletary, President of the University of Kentucky, is President of the Conference and Dr. Boyd Mc-Whorter is Commissioner. These gentlemen attend to the needs of the SEC family in the national competition for college athletics on a practical and honorable basis, as have their thoughtful predecessors.
Dr. H. Boyd McWhorter
SEC Commissioner
4 JohnY. Brown, Jr. Governor
Common wealth or Kentucky
fftce of tfje #obernor
Welcome to Kentucky and the 1982 S.E.C. Tournament. And congratulations to the players and fans. We're proud to be hosting this year's competition here in the heart of basketball country.
While you're visiting with us, I'd like to invite you to share al I the g reat thi ngs our state has to offer our history, our arts and crafts, the finest state park system in the nation and, of course, sports and recreation of all kinds. I'm sure the hospitality of our people and the many things there are to do and see will bring you back again and again.
Enjoy your stay with us in Kentucky. And best of luck to your team.
Governor John Y. Brown, Jr. A
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6
 Tournament '81:
Where The Underdogs Were Top Dogs
Elston Turner celebrates the Rebels championship.
By John Tishler Ole Miss Associate SID
All Bob Weltlich could do was shake his head. He was totally alone. It was cold outside, and Weltlich felt great despair. It was January 10 and the Ole Miss head coach was sitting in the press room at Ted Smith Coliseum with his thoughts following Alabama's 74-46 thrashing of Ole Miss in a game that saw the Rebels shoot a miserable 31 percent from the floor for the game while the Tide made 51 percent of their field goals. Weltlich had just told the media gathering that the whole Ole Miss basketball program would have to be rebuiltfrom the ground up. Little did he know that that rebuilding job would take exactly 56 days and culminate in the Rebels' winning the school's first SEC Tournament championship.
Ah, the Southeastern Conference Tournament! Ask Bob Weltlich about it and he will praise it all day long. He'll tell you about how it gives everybody a new chanceas if everyone were starting over again. Just like it gave his Rebels a fresh start only last year when Ole Miss finished sixth in the conference. A respectable year. Better than many of the prognosticators had thought. But then the Ole Miss team surprised its most loyal fans, even some of the team members. The Rebels beat Tennessee, Van-derbilt and Georgia to claim the conference basketball tourney title in a shocker. But to be fair to everyone, the 1981 SEC Tournament was filled with more surprises than Tiny Tim's Christmas.
The Tournament started according to plan as Vanderbilt put an end to Mississippi State's frustrating season with a 71-58 victory. Vandy shot the lights out in the first half, connecting on 77 percent of their field goals and running out to a 40-23 lead. That margin increased to 19 five minutes into the second half before the Bulldogs made it very interesting, pulling to within two at 51-49. But just as it looked that State would put it all
together, they fell apart, losing the ball six of the next seven times down court, to put an end to the Bulldogs' hopes. The Commodores got balanced scoring with Al Miller scoring 17, Willie "Hutch" Jones getting 15 and Ted Young and Al McKinney picking up 12 apiece. Jeff Malone, as he had done all year, scored 18 points to lead Mississippi State, while Butch Pierre added 11 to the State total.
In the second game of the first night at Birmingham's Jefferson Civic Center Coliseum, Florida and Auburn squared off and as two arch-rivals will do, played a humdinger of a game, the Gators finally gaining a 50-48 overtime win over the Tigers.
The first half was dull, setting up a wild, wild second half. After one period of play, the Gators led 18-14. But things heated up in the sec-
7 Florida beat Auburn in the final seconds in the first round
ond stanza, the lead changing hands 26 times before being tied and going into overtime where a 40-foot desperation shot almost went in. With the score at 43-43, Vernon DeLancy hit what appeared to be the game-winner with nine seconds to go. But he was called for traveling. Auburn's Byron Hen-son missed a shot from the top of the circle, but Darrell Lockhart tipped it in. Unfortunately for the Tigers, it was after the buzzer had sounded, sending the game into overtime. Florida won the game with 43 seconds to play in the extra period when forward Ronnie Williams scored a layup to boost the Gators into a 49-48 lead. From there, there were plenty of opportunities, but no conversions, as Florida missed two one-and-one situations. With eight seconds to
go, Auburn's Alvin Mumphord was whistled for traveling, and the Tigers were forced to foul the Gators' Mike Moses who made one of the two-shot free throws. As the buzzer sounded, Darrell Lock-hart's desperation heave at the basket hit the front of the rim before bounding away.
The second day, March 5, would go down as a day of upsets, and set the stage for the rest of the tournament. The nation's No. 7 and No. 10-ranked teams would lose and No. 3 would get a big scare. All-in-all, three upsets were recorded in the four games played.
Ole Miss and Tennessee opened up with their annual game in the tournament, and the Rebels came out on top, 81-71, in a game that was close in the first half, but decided in the second by a crucial
Rebel spurt early in the period, and then Ole Miss' ability to hit free throws  came  into  play  as the Rebels made a tournament record 31 in the process, and Cecil Dowell of Ole Miss hit a record 16-of-18. Both teams shot 50 percent or bet-1 ter in the first half as the Rebs eked I out a 39-35 lead over the tenth-d ranked Vols. In the second half, a. Sean Tuohy and Carlos Clark went a on scoring binges to give the Rebs - a 13-point lead they never relin- quished,  though  the Volunteers threatened, cutting the lead to six points with 4:26 to go. Dowell, after a shaky start in missing the front end of a one-and-one with 3:47 to go, commenced to making 11 of the next 12 free throws to ice the win for the Rebels. Dale Ellis led Tennessee   in   scoring   with 31 points, while Dowell had 22 points and Clark 21 for Ole Miss.
The next game of that Thursday was a great exhibition of offensive basketball as Georgia and the Bulldogs' talented front line of Dominique Wilkins, Terry Fair and James Banks upset Alabama and the Crimson Tide's great inside game of Ken Johnson, Eddie Phillips and Phillip Lockett. The key to this win was that the 'Dogs' front line accounted for 53 points while Alabama's could muster only 40 as Georgia won 88-80. Alabama spurted to a 25-15 lead, but from there, Georgia outscored the Tide 26-9 to take a 43-36 halftime lead to the dressing room. With Lockett in foul trouble, the Tide had a fit keeping up with the Bulldogs on the boards as Georgia steadily pulled away for the win. Wilkins finished with 31 points while Phillips had 25 for Bama. And the upsets kept occurring.
Vanderbilt came to the tournament an embattled team. Their coach was under fire and there had been rumors of problems on the team. But all that was swept away by the Commodores' incredible 60-55 upset of Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The Wildcats went up 10-0 in the first half, and it looked like a breather for the No. 2-seeded Cats, seventh nationally. But suddenly, Al Miller began to hit. And Ted Young began to rebound and score. And Charles    Davis, the grizzled, veteran forward !   with the smooth-as-silk jump shot, :   started to score and breathe confidence into a young team. Sudden-I    ly, Kentucky went cold. At half-
8 time, the two teams were knotted at 27. In the second half, with Vandy playing a sticky match-up zone, the Commodores forged a-head 43-42 with 8:07 to play, and from there, Vanderbilt hit their free throws to stave off a Kentucky rally. The win capped a day when upsets were the rule. It made the race for the tourney crown a wide open affair.
Oh, and the fourth game? That one featured LSU, who had anything but an easy time of it, with Florida. With LSU playing very poorly, Tiger coach Dale Brown benched four of his five starters late in the half, and the Tigers trailed 41-34 at halftime. But the second half was all LSU as the starters came back in off the bench to lead the favored Bengals to an 85-73 win. Leonard Mitchell came back to hit for 27 points to lead the Tigers, Howard Carter had 20, Rudy Macklin 13, and Greg Cook 15. Florida was led by Vernon De-Lancy's 26 points and Ronnie Williams' 23. And the favored teams for the semi-finals were worried.
Vanderbilt, the '81 Tourney giant-killers, faced Ole Miss in the first game of the semis, and at the half, it looked like the Commodores were going to knock off another team that was favored to beat them. With the score tied 20-20, Vandy decided to hold the ball for the last
Kentucky couldn't find the handle and lost to Vandy
shot of the first half. But Mike Rhodes was called for charging, and the Rebs' Cecil Dowell canned a 22-footer at the buzzer to give Ole Miss a 22-20 edge. Ole Miss' center Roger Stieg helped keep the Rebels in the game, hitting for nine points and pulling down five rebounds in the half. In the second period, it was all Ole Miss as the Rebels took advantage of Vandy's weariness (the Commodores were playing their third game in three days). Ole Miss outscored Vanderbilt 19-4 to open the second half, and at one point, the Rebels led by
24 at 65-41 with 1:32 to go before winning 71-51. Elston Turner paced Ole Miss with 22 points while Stieg finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. The Commodores were led by Al Miller's 13 points while Mike Rhodes became Vandy's career scoring leader when he scored a free throw with 2:43 to play in the first half. He finished the night 1,699 points on his career, 10 for the contest.
While the first game may have broken the form of the underdog winning the game, the second one
(Continued on page 15)
Tennessee lost out on this call and they lost to the Ole Miss Rebels
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Ashland. Record Setting Tourney
SEC Tournament Is Second to None
By OSCAR Y. COMBS Publisher The Cats' Pause
The legendary Adolph Rupp has probably asked for a short leave of absence from the big court in the sky. Babe McCarthy most likely has petitioned St. Peter for a four-day pass to accompany Rupp back for one of their famous confrontations. And those skeptics of basketball in the South can be found nowhere.
You really couldn't expect any other reactions as college basketball's most exciting and famous post season conference basketball tournament tips off at Lexington's Rupp Arena.
And the spectacle will be second to none. It won't be second to any other sport, any other conference or other city. Yes, the facts clearly illustrate that the Southeastern Conference will rule the spotlight this week.
Records will be shattered left and right during the next four days. The Atlantic Coast Conference, which has always prided itself on sponsoring   the   top conference
event in the nation, will finish second. All those attendance records established by the ACC in Lan-dover, Maryland, last March will be washed away.
Consider the following:
* The all-time attendance mark for a post season conference to tourney is 76,140 set last year by the ACC in Maryland. Rupp Arena, which seats almost 23,000, is expected to go over the 100,000 mark.
* With almost 20,000 seats sold two weeks prior to the SEC tournament, this year's event is expected to gross more than $1 million, the first league tourney to ever break that impossible financial barrier.
* The one-game attendance mark for a conference tourney game was set during each of the four ACC tourney sessions last year with 19,-035 at Landover. You can bet that will be shattered this week in Rupp Arena.
Rupp and McCarthy and Tennessee's John Mauer who won the tourney twice, never dreamed the game would become so popular in the South. Yet, they are prime ex-
amples of pioneers who have made the SEC what it is today.
Way back in 1932, the Southeastern Conference was formed and the tourney began as a continuance of tournament play in which all SEC members participated while members of the old S.I.A.A. (1921-23) and of the Southern Conference (1924-32).
The first two SEC tourneys were staged in Atlanta, as had been the S.I.A.A. and Southern tournaments, with Kentucky winning in 1933 and Alabama in 1934. The following year saw the tourney dropped, but it was quickly reinstated in 1936 in Knoxville and held again there in 1937. After one year in Baton Rouge, the tourney returned to Big Orange Country for 1939 and 1940.
After that, the tourney was moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where it met great success from 1941-52. There, Kentucky dominated the tourney so often (10 titles in 13 tries) that officials decided to forego the tourney since the NCAA wasn't recognizing the tourney champion, anyway. Often, the NCAA ignored the champion when ADOLPH RUPP
selecting teams for NCAA.
That occurred in 1951 when Vanderbilt upset Kentucky 61-57 in the title game. However, the NCAA invited UK because of its regular season play (14-0 in SEC) and the Wildcats went on to capture the NCAA title, Adolph Rupp's third in a four-year-old period. In thirty years at SEC tourneys, Kentucky leads with 13 titles. Alabama with 4, is the only other team to win more than one.
Not until 1979 did the SEC revive the post season tourney. This time, proponents argued it would give the SEC another entry in the NCAA, plus add more money to the dwindling financial coffers around the league.
During the first three years of the renewed tourney, supporters were right on target on both counts. Last year, the SEC distributed some $60,000 to each school as its share of the proceeds. It may reach $100,000 this year.
More importantly, two of the three tourneys enabled underdogs to win a place in the NCAA. In the first renewal back in 1979, Tennessee finished second in the regular season and then won the title with a thrilling overtime win over Kentucky. LSU, the regular season champion, was also invited.
In 1980, LSU, Kentucky and Tennessee   were   issued invitations
after a wild affair in Birmingham. Last season, Ole Miss took Birmingham by storm and scored the biggest upset of all as the pretenders fell by the wayside long before the championship game.
Although most league coaches would like to change the regular season foremat and reduce the number of conference games from 18 to 14, the overwhelming number still favors the post season tourney.
They point to the fan interest, to the financial rewards and to one last opportunity of salvaging a poor season with a strong showing at the end.
Auburn coach Sonny Smith, for instance, loves it. He is also one of a minority who has some positive thoughts about the tourney being staged in Lexington although he still has some reservations.
"It's good," says Smith of the tourney. "It has changed our league and given it some media attention nationally. It provides monies to the schools and has made the presidents open their eyes to the fact that basketball could be a real money-maker. As far as the tourney being held in Lexington, I have two feelings about it.
"First, I think it's great because it is THE basketball spot in our league. There's more attention to basketball in Lexington and the fans are more knowledgeable. More media attention is going to be given to the tournament in Lexington and it's going to help basketball in our league from that standpoint. I have one negative view about it because I don't believe that a coach in the league should have been given any advantage and I felt the Wildcats got an advantage by playing on their home court, but as a coach you should feel that way."
However, if recent history is any indication, home-standing Kentucky could be in for a shocking surprise.
In 1979, LSU was a big favorite and although Tennessee finished second in the regular season race, many predicted Alabama would be just as strong because the tourney was being played in Bama's home-away-from-home, Birmingham. Alabama was awesome in the opening round with an 81-64 win over Florida but was ousted by Kentucky, 101-100, in what many consider to be the greatest game in the history of the SEC tournament.
In 1980, Alabama won its first game only to be eliminated by LSU in the semi-finals. Last March, Alabama was upset by Georgia in its first game. So much for being the game-site sentimental favorite.
Nevertheless, Kentucky could be entering the tournament with a 28-game home court winning streak if the Cats beat Florida and Mississippi State in their two final home games of the regular season. That would be the longest current home court win streak in the South.
Earlier this season, Kentucky snapped Alabama's 17-game home court streak late in the season and on the very same day, Georgia broke LSU's 23-game home court streak. When the ten SEC clubs get together at Rupp Arena this week, UK's streak will be in jeopardy.
With some 100,000 fans rooting for their respective teams, only the unexpected can be anticipated. By the week's end, there will be plenty of upsets, electrifying slam dunks, tears and jeers for everyone.
And when some of the old-timers remember when it took two days just to ride the train to Atlanta
JOHN MAUER
for that first SEC tournament back in 1933, you know the SEC has come a long way, from the very bottom to the very top.
Legends like Adolph Rupp, Babe McCarthy and John Mauer would be mighty proud today. They gave birth to basketball in the South and the sport has enjoyed unmatched growth over the past five decades. Someway, sometime, those fellas will make their presence known this week. Just you wait and see.
12 The economic pulse in the Heart of the Bluegrass is getting stronger every day. There's a planned growth of projects scheduled over the next five years that represent an investment of over 130 million dollars.
While our downtown skyline is growing, our country charm remains... nowhere can you find such a graceful blend of the old and the new.
We welcome the new visitors and residents this growth will bring and during your stay in Lexington, invite you to enjoy all the fine things we have to offer... fine restaurants, hotels, shopping areas, cultural and sports events, scenic beauty and our hospitable people.
Most of all, we hope you will come back soon!
Scotty Baesler
Mayor
Expanding Fine Traditions What is the Ronald McDonald
House?
It's a "home away from home" where families can stay while their children are receiving treatment at hospitals for chronic illness such as cancer, heart disease, cystic fibrosis, kidney disease, or prematurity.
Ronald McDonald Houses are now open in over twenty cities across the country. Here in Lexington the same need was perceived by doctors and parents of children from all over Kentucky who had undergone treatment at hospitals in our area. The Fayette County Medical Society and Auxiliary, parents, McDonald's representatives, and other volunteers formed a non-profit organization called Children's Oncology Services of the Blue Grass, Inc., to found and operate a Ronald McDonald House.
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(606) 278-0569
14 A super effort by Dominique Wilkins in a losing cause (Continued from page 9)
reverted to form as Georgia upset LSU, the No. 3 team in the country, 68-60, to move the Bulldogs into the finals against the Rebels. In a
game that may well have been one of the most exciting due to its seesaw nature and last minute heroics, Dominique Wilkins showed what kind of player he wasto the tune
of 18 points in leading the balanced Bulldogs past the faltering Tigers. It was hardly easy for Georgia, as they trailed 32-31 at the half, and 44-39 with 12:46 to play. But Wilkins and Co. kept chipping away, playing good defense and getting good shooting from the inside from Wilkins and James Banks, who finished with 12. With under four minutes to play, Georgia got a big break. Down 52-51, LSU's Ethan Martin stole the ball from Vern Fleming, who had 15 points for the eventual winners, and was fouled while going for the snow-bird. Martin, a 74 percent free throw shooter, missed both shots, giving the Bulldogs new life. Wilkins promptly came down and canned a baseline jumper and Georgia was never in trouble from there. Down the stretch, the Bulldogs connected on 11 -of-11 free throws, and that was the ball game.
And so it was on to the finals, where two underdogs would play each other for the championship of a tournament that had come to be a Waterloo for favored teams. LSU, the No. 1 seed, had lost to Georgia; Kentucky, the No. 2 seed, had lost to Vandy, who had lost to Ole Miss;
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15 Tennessee, the No. 3 seed, had lost to Ole Miss; Alabama, the No. 4 seed, had fallen to Georgia. So, in a way, it was fitting that Georgia and Ole Miss would hook it up in the finals, each at least having had a hand in the demise of those "favored" teams. And once again, the underdogs would come out on top, the No. 6-seed Rebels would tag No. 5-seed Georgia with a 66-62 loss in the finals. And as much as a cliche it is, neither team went home the loser. If nothing else, both schools gained a lot of credibility for their growing basketball programsprograms at two schools that for 40-some years had been the jokes of the league in basketball.
The first half went pretty much as planned for the 9,743 witnesses to this game, Georgia completely dominated. And when you say Georgia, you mean Dominique, who made eight of 11 field goals for 20 points in the first half alone, while the Rebels struggled to score 30 as a team. Wilkins looked like he would not be denied a championship. And in a slump was Ole Miss' big gun, Elston Turner, who was guarding Wilkins and not doing a real bang-up job of it, either. He wasn't doing much offensively, making four of 12 floor shots for only 10 points. But the Rebs weren't out of the ball game, trailing 38-30. In the second half, it took All-SEC point guard Sean Tuohy to wake up the slumbering giant that was the Ole Miss offense. Tuohy, a 6-1 junior who earned All-Tourney honors, began driving on Georgia's inside game, and scoring, or handing off for easy jumpers to Turner or Carlos Clark. In the end, with under 10 minutes to play, Ole Miss still trailed. And Weltlich jerked Turner out of the game. For one minute, "E", as he was called by Ole Miss fans, sat and listened to Weltlich who told him to either start playing like he had all season long, or to sit out and watch the Rebels come so close, only to lose it all. That got Turner going. He reentered the game at 8:42 to go, and promptly got fouled by Wilkins. Then, he went wild on the offensive end. While holding Wilkins to four points the rest of the way, the All-SEC senior scored a 15-foot baseline jumper to make it 53-50, then slammed one home on a Stieg steal to make it 53-52, and then he canned a 20-footer to give Ole Miss its first lead of the game, 54-53. That
did it for the Rebels. Though Wilkins came right back down to score on a 20-footer, Chris Barrett answered that basket with a 20-footer and the Rebels never trailed again. Turner finished the game with 22 points, making the All-Tournament team along with Wilkins, named Tourney MVP, after scoring 28 in the