Kentucky (32-4), only the No. 2 seed in the South despite winning
its
last 10 games by an average margin of 21 points, will meet top-seeded
Duke (32-3), an 80-67 winner over Syracuse, on Sunday for a trip
to the
Final Four.
It will be a long-awaited rematch of the Blue Devils' memorable
104-103
overtime victory in the 1992 East Regional final, a game often
referred
to as the best ever in college basketball. Kentucky fans certainly
haven't forgotten, jeering Duke throughout the Blue Devils' two
subregional victories in Lexington last weekend.
"It's two different teams now, and a lot of time has gone by since
then,
but they have a lot of tradition and so do we," said Sheppard,
who
scored 16 points. "It should be a fun game to play in."
This is the matchup that was expected when two of the nation's
best
teams were sent to the same regional. Duke is the top seed, but
Kentucky
has played in the last two national championship games, winning
in 1996
and losing in to Arizona last season.
"At this point in the season, it doesn't matter to us if we're
No. 1 or
No. 2," Sheppard said. "Every team that's playing now is a great
team.
We've been a No. 1 and we've been a No. 2, and the main thing
in this
tournament is winning games."
When it comes to winning, UCLA (11) and Kentucky (6) have combined
for
17 NCAA titles, the most of any teams. But this certainly wasn't
a game
for the ages. Padgett scored 19 points and Mohammed had 15 points,
seven
rebounds and six blocks as the Wildcats front line badly outplayed
UCLA's senior trio of J.R. Henderson, Toby Bailey and Kris Johnson,
the
only remaining players from the Bruins' 1995 title team.
The outmanned Bruins were playing without freshman point guard
Baron
Davis, who tore a knee ligament in Sunday's 85-82 upset of Michigan,
and
they didn't have the size or the bench to compete with a team
as deep as
Kentucky.
"I knew UCLA was depleted without having Baron Davis but I thought
our
kids were focused and ready to play," Kentucky coach Tubby Smith
said.
"That's one of the things that has really pleased me, that they've
been
able to focus on each and every game."
It was a forgettable farewell for UCLA's senior trio. Bailey,
who had 26
points as a freshman in UCLA's title game victory over Arkansas,
missed
his first seven shots, was shut out in the first half and managed
16
points on 4-for-15 shooting. Henderson was 5-of-20 and had 10
points.
Only Johnson played like himself, going 7-of-15 and scoring 18
points.
"I'm just sad I can't play with these guys any more," Bailey said.
"I
have no regrets, because everybody left everything they had on
the
court."
(2) Kentucky 94, (6) Ucla 68
UCLA (68)
fg ft tp
-- -- --
Reed 2-13 3-5 7
Johnson 7-15 1-2 18
Henderson 5-20 0-0 10
T.Bailey 4-15 7-8 16
Watson 1-8 4-4 6
Knight 1-2 1-1 3
Daley 2-3 0-0 4
Ramasar 0-0 0-0 0
Harbour 0-1 0-0 0
Loyd 0-0 0-0 0
Hines 1-2 2-2 4
McGautha 0-0 0-0 0
Farnham 0-0 0-0 0
---------------------------------
Totals 23-79 18-22 68
KENTUCKY (94)
fg ft tp
-- -- --
Edwards 5-6 0-0 10
Padgett 6-8 6-6 19
Mohammed 6-9 3-5 15
Turner 4-7 0-0 8
Sheppard 7-14 0-0 16
Masiello 0-2 0-0 0
Smith 0-1 0-1 0
Evans 3-4 4-4 10
Mills 0-3 0-0 0
Hogan 2-4 0-1 6
Anthony 2-4 0-0 5
Bradley 1-5 0-0 2
Magliore 1-1 1-2 3
---------------------------------
Totals 37-68 14-19 94
Halftime-Kentucky 40, UCLA 23. 3-Point goals-UCLA 4-19, (Johnson
3-8, T.Bailey 1-5, Watson 0-4, Knight 0-1, Daley 0-1), Kentucky
6-14, (Sheppard 2-6, Hogan 2-3, Padgett 1-2, Anthony 1-1, Mills
0-1, Edwards 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-UCLA 52 (T.Bailey
11), Kentucky 42 (Mohammed 7). Assists-UCLA 9 (T.Bailey 3),
Kentucky 21 (Edwards 5). Total fouls-UCLA 17, Kentucky 18.
A-40,589.