St. Louis, March 21, 1999  ".....Big man on Padgett, but he still fires-he hits it again! Scott Padgett! Can you believe it! Can you believe it!"  Jim Nance CBS

Lexington, Nov. 17. 1998  Michael Bradley stuffs a two-handed dunk off of a Wayne Turner lob and the Wildcat's were on their way again. UK overwhelmed Eastern Kentucky 99-64 in typical national championship style. It was a scenario fans expected to see repeated game after game. After all, Kentucky had “experience”…..on the court experience, big game experience, SEC tournament experience, NCAA, Final Four and national championship experience. In reality this team was different from their predecessors, there was experience here, but it was the kind that played the roles instead of taking the lead. During the last few years Kentucky had lost valuable personnel from each season’s team and in each of the following years there was someone ready and waiting to step in and replace the loses. It would appear to be the case again, but in just a short time it became apparent the vets of this team would struggle to play the leadership roles that was needed for another deep run into championship territory. Wayne Turner, Scott Padgett and Heshimu Evans had all played important roles in at least one of the Wildcats recent NCAA titles. Having a roster filled with role players isn’t the worst situation a coach can be in, but basically every team needs someone to take charge on the floor and it appeared at least one of those three seniors would fill the need. Unfortunately, things just didn’t work as hoped. I don’t think this would have been a great problem if they could have been more consistent game to game. As it was in the end the trio had too many nights where one or all seemed to disappear and with the amount of new raw talent that had to be used it made a tough hill to climb.

As optimistic as some were at the start of the season, it became clear looking at this years version of the Wildcats that another Final Four was doubtful. Then after the trip to Puerto Rico and an unexpected loss to Pittsburgh even the most optimistic fan had to agree that this was not the same type of team we had become accustom to. It would not be hard to understand the reason when one took into account what had been lost from the previous year. Jeff Shepherd, Allen Edwards, Cameron Mills and Nazr Mohammed; add to that the loss of Myron Anthony after the season's start and this team had a lot to make up. It's true that in the past three years UK was faced with similar situations and had met the challenge each time, but none of those teams had as many new faces as this one did. So what were we to expect? Well they weren't going to win the NCAA again, it would be a struggle to win the SEC depending on the rest of the conference and the SEC tournament streak was probably over too. You can't win it all every year, right? Remember, we’re talking about the University of Kentucky.

In the 1998-'99 season the Cats probably played--no they DID play the toughest schedule in the country; may be the toughest in many a year. When you look at those 14 games from Nov. 17 to Dec. 29, an 11-3 record was much better then any knowledgeable fan could have expected. It was a murderer's row; UCLA, Kansas, Miami FL, Indiana, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Duke, Louisville, and all in a row! Some teams don't play that many top squads in two or three seasons and this was one of the weaker UK teams in recent years. It gave the young Wildcats a quick initiation into college basketball that they wouldn’t soon forget and hopefully would pay off in the seasons to come.

Dec.29, 1998  "Being named captain and becoming a leader sounds easy. Now I know it is not that easy.... We're trying to get a feel for the right way to lead the team..... We may be making this more complicated then it needs to be."  Wayne Turner

The Kentucky Wildcats in the midst of a killer stretch of games had put up impressive numbers in the won-loss column, but the games themselves were not the explosive contests that everyone had become accustom to. They were low scoring struggles in which UK was unable to put points up in bunches. A Jeckle & Hyde personality was about to surface when Maryland came to town. For the first time in a long time, the Wildcats were underdogs facing the type of opponent that feasted on squads with little direction. The Kentucky seniors took control of the contest at the beginning and ‘led’ their teammates to a 103-91 win. The trio accounted for 73 of Kentucky's 103 points; Evans led with a career high 31, Padgett 25 and Turner 17.  Everyone thought the team was on track when they demolished Georgia Tech 80-39 in the next game, but the seniors only accounted for 15 points while underclassmen Michael Bradley, Tayshaun Prince and Ryan Hogan each scored in double figures.  Now the feeling was that the newcomers could take up the slack when the seniors were struggling. The next two games brought everyone back to earth in a hurry after a loss to Duke 71-60 and a second straight contest dropped to the Louisville Cardinals by a score of 83-74. It was pretty clear this team was going to have trouble on offense, since they could not seem to play consistently night after night.

It was still early, the conference season was just starting and everyone could look back at last year and see that UK struggled for a time, only to bring home another title at the end. This team could do the same, but it was obvious there were gaps that had to be filled and it was difficult to see who was going to fill them.

"The Big Lineup"  In an effort to stimulate his slumping offense Tubby Smith made an interesting and unusual change in the starting lineup…..increasing it’s height, but losing some quickness, by going with Jamal Magloire, Bradley, Padgett, Evans and Turner. The explanation, "I just felt we needed to get our best five players out there." As odd as it appeared it seemed to be the right change to get things moving. The Cats scorched Florida 93-58 and raced to a fast start at South Carolina jumping on top 20-5 on their way to a 39-20 half-time lead. Even though they nearly fell flat on their face in the second half, winning by only 68-61, the offense finally seemed to be in gear as they handled Vanderbilt 73-57 hitting 14 three pointers. Everything was alright now; then again may be not.

47-46  Now what is that? Football score? Wrong season. They don’t play cricket in Kentucky either. Rebounds in a game? Field goal percentages? A game score?! Half-time, right? No; it was the final score of the Tennessee – Kentucky game and UK was on the short end. A loss to Tennessee is like a kick in the teeth; talk about throwing cold water on the fire. Now with the surprising Auburn Tigers coming up soon, the Cats offensive woes seemed to have returned and they now had another problem--they looked timid. The Vols had basically beat up the Cats and with the exception of Magloire UK seemed to just back down. When the Mississippi game rolled around, Tubby buried the "Big Lineup" and used what would be the starting lineup for pretty much the rest of the season, replacing Magloire with Desmond Allison. The Wildcats began a five game winning streak by handling Ole Miss 63-57. Their Jeckle and Hyde season continued with UK on the upswing again.

Feb. 6, 1999  "I'll be honest, I'm at a loss. Our team personality just hasn't fit. It's been a concern from the beginning. We obviously have deeper problems then I realized."  Tubby Smith

The Wildcats tripped, staggered and stumbled through February. They would run a few steps and then fall down and crawl for awhile, it was not at all like their finish of a year ago. It started with two demoralizing losses, the first at Florida and the second at Alabama to a last place team that had not given a competitive effort against anyone all season.. The Alabama game was disturbing at best. It was one thing to lose to Florida they did have some talented freshmen and had played fairly well, but losing to the Tide was another matter. UK's confidence in their offense had been shaky all season, but now it could completely collapse if the Cats had another bad performance. Hesitant was the best way to describe the entire team's demeanor at this point. Padgett had been this way on and off all season, but now everyone looked unsure. They needed to overcome this lack of confidence as soon as possible, the season was winding down and the tournaments were just around the corner.

South Carolina appeared to be just what the doctor ordered, another team having a dismal season. The Cats were playing this one at home and it would not be enough to just win the game. They needed to do it in convincing fashion and not just to make the fans happy, but more importantly to give themselves a boost. UK came through with a one-sided 74-40 win, though they still struggled at times. The Wildcats stumbled to a 33-23 half-time lead and after a scathing lecture from Tubby Smith UK came back out using a style that up until the last couple of years had been a common sight at Rupp Arena….full-court pressure defense and rapid-fire perimeter shooting. The 41-17 second half made everyone feel better, at least for awhile.

Kentucky seemed to be back to their old form with an impressive 92-71 win against Georgia. The Cats simply forced their will on the Dawgs and it showed most in the absurd rebounding margin.  Kentucky finished the first half with a 25-3 advantage on the boards and led 47-31 at the break. During the second half the rebounding gap grew wider with UK holding a 38-6 advantage at one point. The Cats put seven players in double figures and just missed making it eight. Arkansas was next and the Cats needed to keep their recent aggressive style of play going, but unfortunately the Razorbacks wouldn't cooperate. Since joining the conference, the games between the two were real battles and this one was no exception. The Cats jumped in front early only to see Arkansas seize the lead at the half 38-35. Kentucky battled back to cut a 13 point deficit to one at 69-68 with just under 3:00 remaining. The last 0:40 seemed to sum up the frustration of the entire season. With the score 72-70 Arkansas. Padgett missed an open 10 footer, Saul Smith misses a wide open three pointer and after two Arkansas free throws, came a play that was about as strange as anyone had ever seen. Turner missed a driving lay-up, Magloire tipped the rebound and it bounced a few times then stopped dead, sitting on the flat plate that joins the rim to the backboard. Several precious seconds ticked away as the ball just sat there. The possession arrow was in UK's favor, but they were unable to score in the final seconds, losing 74-70. Kentucky entered the final two SEC games tied for first place in the Eastern Division with Tennessee.

The Senior Day opponent was Vanderbilt and everything went just as planned. All three seniors had good games, which doesn't always happen, but it was not without it's scary moments. With 8:12 to go in the first half Wayne Turner went in for a wide-open lay-up, but missed and fell hard to the floor and didn't get up. Turner was helped to the bench and then the dressing room, everyone at Rupp could see the season going down the drain. Wayne surprised everyone by not just returning to play in the second half, but he picked Vandy apart showing no ill effects of the injury. He finished the game with 15 points and five assists, 13 coming in the second half. The other two seniors played well also; Evans scored 14 points with five rebounds and Padgett had 16 points and 10 rebounds. The 88-63 win was a great way for the three to finish their UK careers, considering the ups and downs they had gone through all season. Once again it looked as though Kentucky might be gelling at the right time, but that had been the feeling before during this topsy-turvy year.

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Knoxville, March 1, 1999 "They just don't have the horses they've had in past seasons. There certainly aren't any (Tony) Delks or Antoine Walkers out there. And they don't have any shooters anymore.'' Isiah Victor, Tenn.
 
".....they're definitely not the Kentucky of the past.'' Tony Harris,  Tenn.

As far as I am concerned the less said about the Tennessee game the better. The last game of the season and a stepping stone to the tournament and it couldn't have gone worse. The Cats get a lead in the second half and look to be ready to put it away only to see Tennessee call time-out and then come out and take the game away from them. The thing that will stay with me from that game was the sight of Wayne Turner sitting on the bench during the final seconds. The look on his face gave me the uncomfortable feeling that the season was over. The up and down cycles that UK had gone through all year was now on the down slope again and the tournaments were here. It surely looked like the Cats could be one and out in both the SEC and the NCAA.

During the week leading up to the conference tournament the UK players said all the right things. Sure they didn't like the way the season ended, but it was tournament time now and the start of a new season, so to speak. In recent years they have played their best games at this time of season and they would just take them one at a time. It sounded good, but it was not as easy as that. They had been hot and cold all season, they could certainly win the SEC and possibly the NCAA as well if they could turn on the hot side of the faucet. Unfortunately this year they didn't appear to have control of the handle and it was hard to say which way it would turn in that first SEC game. Personally, I could not envision them going very far, as a matter of fact I felt they were not likely to even get to the final of the conference tourney. Arkansas seemed to be the team on the hot streak and the one I figured to take the SEC Tournament. I guess by now I should know better then to count the Wildcats out. There must actually be something about wearing that uniform that carries over and over and over, year after year.

Wayne Turner's redemption came in the form of a career high in scoring with 24 points, four of them three pointers which was also a career high, and the Cats opened SEC play against Mississippi with an 83-73 win. The team looked completely different then the one that had lost miserably to Tennessee just a few days before. Poor free throw shooting and turnovers kept the game from turning into a blowout. It was two aspects of the Cat's game that had been troublesome all season. It was a few seemingly little things like those that often bring a premature end to a team's season, it was something that had remained in the background all year. No matter, UK had made it past the first game and looked pretty darn good in the process. The defense was great as usual and the offense was better then good for a change, but maybe not great. The next game though could see the end of the SEC Tournament run since the Auburn Tigers were coming up and they were talking revenge.

Atlanta, March 6, 1999  ``They took our undefeated season away from us. Tomorrow it will be a championship game for us."    Bryant Smith  Auburn
In reference to the earlier game in which they were 'sick' (?), ``I don't think that was the Auburn team at all,''  Chris Porter  Auburn

Will the real Auburn team please stand up? Are you the team that ran through the season winning by double-digit margins averaging 82 points a game? OR are you the team that looked befuddled both times it ran up against some actual competition when playing UK and scoring 62 and 57 points both season lows? Well I guess we'll never truly know which one was the "real" Auburn, but in any case Kentucky played probably the best defensive game of the year in disposing the Tigers to advance to the championship game, 69-57.
If the Auburn players had revenge on their minds it didn't take long for it to become apparent that they should have been thinking a little about basketball too; after 11:00 of the first half the score was Kentucky 26 Auburn 9. The Tigers never recovered, they did get close at one point in the second half but fate intervened for the Wildcats. Maybe it really wasn't fate but just the fact that Kentucky was playing at it's Dome Home away from home. The Cats had not lost a game in the Georgia Dome and while some teams bemoan the difficulties of shooting in a dome the Cats seem to just take it in stride knowing that championships are won in domes these days so they might as well get used to it. The real Auburn must have gotten off the bus when it broke down on the way to Atlanta and these imposters got on board. If Auburn was having an identity crisis UK's next opponent was having no such difficulties, the Arkansas Razorbacks had just recently beaten Kentucky and had knocked off Auburn also just before the tournament started. They looked like the team to beat at the beginning, but UK was getting wound up and ready to defend their territory.

Atlanta, March 8, 1999 "We're the Wildcats, baby! We're the Wildcats, baby! We're the Wildcats, baby!"  Kentucky players before the start of the SEC Championship game

Tubby Smith had said at one point in late in the season this year’s UK team didn't have an MO, but they certainly had an ID. Arkansas was poised to continue the hot streak they were on and for a while it looked as though they just might do it. Coming out burning the nets up from outside the Razorbacks jumped out to a quick lead hitting five of six three pointers to lead 19-6 with 15:03 to go in the first half. During the last few weeks of the season Tubby had been employing a unique substitution pattern. After the first five or six minutes he would bring in an entirely new line-up and it had been very successful.
The Cats had gotten into a terrible habit it seems of falling behind early in games all season and they had struggled to catch back up. The platoon style of bringing in five new players had put a spark back into the UK team. When the starters were sluggish the second team seemed to be able to come in and pull the Cats back into the game, then Tubby would begin using a more normal substitution pattern. This game was another example of what a good job the second team had done. When they entered the game Kentucky trailed by 13 points, they then went on a 15-5 run that cut the margin to 24-21. Arkansas was able to pull back out to a nine point advantage with 2:00 to go in the half, but the Kentucky seniors scored eight straight to make it 40-39 at half-time.

The second half began with a Scott Padgett put back to give UK it's first lead of the game, 41-40. They scored seven more unanswered points to make it 47-40 and that pretty much did it. The Cats bench strength wore Arkansas down and the Hogs weren't able to stay with Kentucky. After a February that made the Wildcats look dead in the water, they had come back to surprise almost everyone who had written them off for the season and won another SEC Tournament 76-63. It's rather odd how UK has been able to handle the post season in recent years. Sure they have had a lot of success, but in the late '70's and all of the '80's Kentucky had become a team that looked confident during the season, but tight as a drum and pressured in the tournaments. That had all changed in the last 10 years, UK had never looked so confident and sure of themselves as they had in the SEC and NCAA tournaments of the '90's.

UK was still hopeful of attaining a #2 seed in the NCAA. They had knocked off Auburn now twice and won the SEC tournament, it would not have been out of the realm of the imagination for them to be seeded #2 somewhere. But several strange things happened in other tournaments that ultimately led to Kentucky receiving a #3 seed in the Midwest Region. As seems to be the case more often then not, Kentucky found themselves in what most considered the strongest region of the tournament. Looking through the bracket UK saw a familiar name, Utah. Though the selection committee says they do not do it intentionally, here was the possibility of the Cats facing Utah once again. They had met three years in a row and four of the last six. They say familiarity breeds contempt and there seems to be a considerable amount of contempt between these two, especially on the Utah side since they have drawn a large goose egg during this stretch. Rick Majerus and the Utes managed to avoid the possible embarrassment of yet another loss to the Cats by dropping out in the second round against Miami-Ohio. Kentucky would get things under way against New Mexico State coached by long time Big Ten icon Lou Henson. No matter what the odds, that first game always makes everyone a bit uneasy; It’s certainly is no picnic being the lead story on Sportscenter for all the wrong reasons.

New Orleans, March 12, 1999 "It puts a lot of things into perspective, how really meaningless the game of basketball is when it comes to losing a friend or family member."  Scott Padgett

The Wildcats began their NCAA title defense in the same manner they had most of their other games, slow. They trailed 11-6 at the first time out and 18-14 with 10:45 to go. The second squad came in and played respectably with Ryan Hogan scoring 10 points. NMSU's three point shooting kept them in the lead for most of the half. Wayne Turner's 10 first half points helped UK scrap to a 34-34 tie at the half.

The Aggies saw their last lead of the game early in the second half at 37-36. They kept it close for a while, but at the 15:19 mark Kentucky started what would be the beginning of the end of any upset possibilities. Padgett nailed a deep three pointer and the Cats ran off 21 unanswered points. The game seemed to get away from NMSU before they knew what was going on. At one point it was 44-43, then in what seemed like only a minute or two it was  65-43. Actually it took 6:30. The Wildcats sent the Aggies home, 82-60. Kentucky appeared to be on their way and getting into that tournament form everyone was used to seeing this time of year.

The Kentucky locker room went from celebration of an opening round win to shock and sorrow in just a heartbeat; a heartbeat that stopped and couldn't be started again. Just a couple of hours before the game Tubby Smith had gotten the terrible news that UK recruit John Stewart had collapsed and died during a high school play-off game. Tubby decided to wait until after the game to inform the players, it had to be a difficult burden to carry while coaching. Stewart was looking forward to playing for the Wildcats. He had met the team already and almost felt a part of them even before he was there. How this would affect them in their upcoming game against Kansas was hard to say. It sounded unsympathetic to think in those terms, but as they say life goes on and sometimes it won't stop and wait for you to get over your troubles. The Cats would have to play in two days, this tragedy could either strengthen them or break them.

Somehow each year it seems the NCAA Tournament ends up with a second or third round game of Final Four caliber and one was coming up between Kansas and Kentucky. Two of the winningest teams of all time, both rich with tradition meeting in the NCAA, it had all the makings of a classic. More often then not these games are never able to live up to pre-game expectations, but this one did and far more.

New Orleans, March 14, 1999 ``You all never say die, do ya?,''  Jeff Boschee Kansas, to Wayne Turner

It's hard to believe but it was the first meeting ever between Kansas and Kentucky in an NCAA Tournament game. The two teams have played on and off through the years and Kentucky had beaten the Jayhawks in December 63-45 in a game that UK more or less dominated. Kentucky held an 18-3 record going into the game. Over the years we have become accustomed to seeing a red-eyed Roy Williams attempting to explain another premature exit from the NCAA Tournament, but it would be a different story this time. Kansas came ready to play and ready to win, which for a while appeared to be exactly what they were going to do. They scored the first five points and ran out to a 16-8 lead with 14:29 to go in the half. Ryan Robertson and Jeff Boschee laid down the gauntlet right away pouring in long range 3 pointers. Boschee would finish with 18 points all on three pointers. Tubby stuck with the game plan and the second unit came in and settled things down. After missing his first four shots Padgett hit a long three pointer that tied the score at 20-20, from that point on it was a real battle till the half with Kentucky leading 40-36.

The Cats got off to a good start in the second half and led 57-50 after a Turner three pointer. Robertson responded with nine straight points for Kansas, but UK appeared to be in control during this period. Kentucky had gained a 71-67 advantage with just under 4:00 remaining, then the bottom fell out. The Jayhawks went on a 12-3 run that included 3 three pointers in a 90 second stretch that put Kansas ahead 79-74 with 1:29 to go. It didn't look good to say the least, fortunately for Kentucky, Kansas would not score again. Turner made two free throws to make it 79-76 with 1:08 left. Then came a Kansas miss and the shot that UK fans will talk about for a long time. Trailing by three with the clock ticking down Turner drove for the basket, looking back now it was fortunate that he missed. Magloire grabbed the rebound and spotted Padgett out near the top of the key. He threw the ball out to Scott who took one dribble and a step back behind the three point line, then he let it go. The high arching fade-away came down dead center of the basket. Another unlikely comeback and a tie at 79-79 with 0:18.7 left. Kansas' last chance in regulation was a Kenny Gregory floater on the baseline over a high-flying Jamaal Magloire that ended up an air ball. When the game went into overtime you just had this feeling that Kansas had lost their chance, the Cats were not going to let this one get away.

Kentucky led most of the overtime, it was tied at 84-84 with 2:19 to go, then Magloire scored on a rebound basket that put the Cats ahead to stay. UK went on to win it 92-88. Magloire's put back broke a streak that was hard to believe; it was the first points scored for Kentucky by anyone other than Turner or Padgett since the 11:36 mark of the second half. I guess if there ever was a game that required senior leadership this was it.  Wayne Turner and Scott Padgett had combined for 30 straight points during the stretch. Scott finished with a career high 29 points and 10 rebounds. He also had seven of Kentucky's 13 points in overtime. Turner had 19 points and Heshimu Evans scored a quiet 14. It would turn out to be the game of the tournament; as the old cliche goes, neither team deserved to lose. I'm sure it was small consolation to Roy Williams and the Jayhawks, but at least this year they didn't leave with the feeling that they had not done their best. UK's next opponent would be Miami of Ohio. Kentucky's chances for a fourth straight Final Four appeared to be improving with each game.

St. Louis,  March 19, 1999  "These seniors; it's gonna take a team to knock them out. They think they belong as permanent players in the Final Four."  Billy Packer CBS

It was Wally World here, Wally World there. For two weeks it had been Wally Szczerbiak ad nausea. He was a player that's for sure, but you couldn't exactly blame the UK guys if they were getting a little tired of it. Granted Miami-Ohio had surprised folks by getting by their first two opponents mostly on the heels of one player, Szczerbiak. Beating Washington and Utah was one thing, but Kentucky would be another matter entirely. The Cats normally are not very kind to one player teams. The well informed did not expect UK to win this one by a huge margin because of the tactics Miami would employ. The Cat's plan was to wear the Redhawks out over the duration. Wally Szczerbiak would probably have a big game scoring wise, but it would take a lot of help to get Miami to the next round; help that really had not been there in their first two games.

The game basically went as planned. It was not surprising that Szczerbiak scored 15 of Miami's 19 first half points. It wasn't an up and down the floor contest, but Kentucky pushed Miami on offense and defense. Tubby was able to substitute freely and it was simply a matter of time before the Cats would break it open. The Wildcats did just that in the second half with 11:16 to go and leading 35-28. They went on a 10-0 run starting with a couple of Scott Padgett free throws. After stealing the ball from Szczerbiak, Scott Padgett nailed a three pointer, then it was a Wayne Turner lay-up and to cap it off another three from Padgett. It ended 58-43 and Wally indeed got his points, 23. In the end Miami showed they had an All-American with some scrappy guys around him and they could make life miserable for most average to good teams. Problem is Kentucky is not just an average to good team.

The Cats were still there, now just one step away from the Final Four. Still playing even though this season it had seemed unlikely that they could make any kind of a serious title defense. If they could get by the next game anything could happen. The Wildcats were not ready to go home yet, much to the chagrin of many and the delight of others.

St. Louis, March 21, 1999  "I was just trying to picture us cutting the nets down, but I just kept seeing green and white. And the hats. The nets and the hats. A big eight just kept flashing in my face and not a four. But we did the best we could."  Wayne Turner

Michigan State was a bit of a surprise for a while this season, but after everyone got deeper into the schedule it was clear they were legit. They were the #1 seed in the Midwest Region and the next opponent for the Wildcats. It was somewhat ironic that Kentucky was favored in this contest, I suppose everyone was looking at past performance and the fact that the Cats were on the verge of making it their fourth straight trip to the Final Four. Michigan State was the kind of team that had given Kentucky problems all season and even though one had this strange feeling that some how UK was going to get by again, you had to wonder if the odds might be against them this time.

Michigan State was a good rebounding team, they had good shooters, played solid defense and they could run the floor; in other words there was a good reason they were a #1 seed. You had to feel that Kentucky’s reputation and experience might be worth tow or three points, but the Spartans were unlikely to be intimidated by UK’s tradition alone. The Wildcats needed the senior leadership that had been so inconsistent all year and since the start of the NCAA Tournament they had delivered. If they could do it one more time, their already impressive Final Four streak would begin to take on historic proportions.

Things couldn't have gotten off to a better start for UK. Heshimu Evans started with the hot hand, which was unexpected, scoring nine of Kentucky's first 17 points. The Spartans found themselves behind 17-4 with 12:56 to go in the first half, it was just what a Wildcat fan wanted to see. Looking back if the Cats could have gotten a couple of more baskets and extended the lead, Michigan State might have been in trouble. It looked for a while that the Michigan State players might have been playing the name on the jersey and not the team on the floor. The Spartans had a weapon though, A.J. Granger, UK fans will not forget him for awhile. It happened fast, Granger nailed a couple of threes and before you knew it Michigan State had hit seven of eight shots and the score was 28-25 Cats. Try as they might Kentucky could not get away from them and something was happening that was not obvious at the time, but would be very critical before it was all over. The UK freshmen had played well in the first half. Tayshaun Prince and Jules Camara accounted for the last 10 points Kentucky scored Before the break. Remember the 10:54 mark of the half, it would be significant. What happened? Padgett tips in a missed basket. No big deal right?

UK really battled during the final minutes of the half, attempting to regain the momentum they had at the beginning of the game. Camara hit a short jumper to make it 36-32 with just seconds remaining. It appeared to be the final points of the half and hopefully it would give the Wildcats a small psychological boost going into the locker room, but Mateen Cleaves had other ideas. Cleaves grabbed the ball, headed up the court and lofted an NBA length three pointer that hit at the buzzer. He had only made two of 13 three point attempts in the tournament, it staggered the Cats and energized the Spartans for the rest of the game.

With the score 36-35 at the half, Kentucky had out rebounded Michigan State 19-11 and shot 51.7 percent, but somehow things didn't feel good. The Spartans came out playing with renewed determination and momentum which they intended to ride to the Final Four. The Cats were able to maintain the lead until the 7:29 mark. Just a few seconds before Padgett missed a three pointer and Michigan State took the rebound and scored to go ahead 55-54. Padgett missed the front end of a one-and-one and Cleaves hit another three and it was 58-54 with 5:42 left. Kentucky couldn't cash in it's opportunities, late in the game Turner drove for an open lay-up but missed, Allison was right there with the rebound, a sure basket, but it rolled off the rim. Little things like these had been going UK's way for three years and now apparently Lady Luck had turned her back on Kentucky. The Cats would not just down quietly. Turner hit a lay-up with 3:22 left, now remember the 10:54 mark of the first half? This was the first score by any of Kentucky's seniors since that point in the game. UK had overcome a lot this season, but they couldn't overcome that; not in this game. Scott Padgett had completely disappeared, it had been a problem all season and here in the tournament it had seemed he had solved it, but apparently not. He was going to give it one last shot though. Padgett fired up a long three point bomb that went straight threw and it was 67-63; then seconds later Padgett fired in another even longer one that had it down to a one possession game, 69-66 with 18.8 left. It wasn't going to happen again though, Morris Peterson did what winning players do, nail the lid shut by hitting his free throws in the final seconds.

The scoreboard said Michigan State 73 Kentucky 66. The players said the walk off the court was, "very strange", "weird", "tough". It was that way for all Wildcat fans, Most fans knew it was probably not going to happen this year; that is UK would not get back to the Final Four. But in all honesty, the Cats probably shouldn't have been there last year either, so they had been living on borrowed time and this was not a loss to be devastated about. A reporter asked Tubby if the players were stunned by the loss.
"No" Tubby replied. "More dejected. Disappointed. I don't think stunned."
Kentucky was not really good enough to be stunned by a loss to a team the caliber of Michigan State this season. The fact that they had made the Final Four last year was probably more remarkable then most people gave it credit for being. The Cats have been so dominate in the last few years at tournament time I believe folks have just come to expect they are a potential Final Four team regardless of talent. That is probably a testament to the Kentucky basketball legacy, not many other teams are thought of in that manner. In the end the same trouble that had plagued the Cats all season from time to time had been their undoing. The seniors being unable to perform at the level needed. Scott Padgett had been especially prone to this all year, but they came through when it got down to it at the end. They just couldn't do it this one last time.

Tubby didn't allow anyone to wallow in the disappointment of it all, he asked the three seniors to say a few words to the younger players in the locker room after the game. The three tried to convey what it had meant to them to wear the jersey and be a part of Kentucky basketball. I for one hope it made an impact that will carry over to seasons beyond next year. The loss of those three players would be hard to overcome, but when we look back on the three previous seasons it had been the same each year. Lost players that would be staggering to most teams, but the Cats came back each year to twice play to the final game; losing one, winning the other and coming within a shot or two of returning to yet another Final Four. So it can be done, but it will be tougher this time then all the others. Kentucky lost the three seniors plus two unexpected transfers, Michael Bradley and Ryan Hogan. There was speculation about Jamaal Magloire and whether or not he would enter the NBA draft. Tubby also had to face the loss of recruit John Stewart to a more tragic fate. Entering his third year as UK head coach Smith had the ‘misfortune’ to have won the NCAA title and just missed another Final Four by one or two shots. I said ‘misfortune’ because another tradition was being established at Kentucky…..speculating how ‘trying’ the off season would be for Tubby Smith.

As always the season had excitement, surprises, disappointments, frustrations and comedy; in other words all the things that make Kentucky basketball what it is. The team did not win another NCAA title, they didn't make it to the Final Four again, they didn't win the SEC Championship; but this was a year that I truly believe they were long shots at all of those things including the SEC Tournament Championship that they did win. So the season was over, but another was on the way. When the October 1999 arrived it ended that ‘trying off season’ whose rumors and speculations were sometimes more intriguing than the games themselves. A national championship caliber team was hoped for the following year and all those after….at very least a competitive team was expected. The jury was still out on Tubby Smith as coach at UK. Since Jamal Magloire was the last of Rick Pitino’s players, those questions of coaching philosophies should be cleared up soon. No matter what they are, I have confidence that the future of Kentucky basketball is as bright as ever.