INSIDE THE NUMBERS

2000-01 record: 22-10; 10-6 in SEC (Tied 1st/East) Postseason: Lost to Maryland 78-68 in NCAA East Region semifinals. RETURNING LEADERS Points: Bogans 11.6 Rebs: Fitch 5.4 Assists: Bogans 2.5 FG: Estill 62.4% 3pt: Fitch 34.5% FT: Estill 69.8% 01-02 Stats: Kentucky | SEC KEY LOSSES Tayshaun Prince | 17.5 ppg Rashaad Carruth | 5.5 ppg J.P. Blevins | 2.1 ppg Ja. Parker | Inj in '01-02 PROJECTED STARTERS G | Gerald Fitch | Junior G | An. Barbour | Junior G | Keith Bogans | Senior F | Chuck Hayes | Soph C | Marquis Estill | Senior Player to Watch Keith Bogans Senior Guard Needs to play like he did in '02 NCAAs (18.3 ppg), not rest of regular season DATE TO REMEMBER Dec. 28 Kentucky's trip to Louisville won't quite carry the emotional cache of last year, when Rick Pitino returned to Rupp Arena and got his tail kicked -- but it'll be close. Former Wildcat center Marvin Stone transferred to Louisville and promptly transformed his body, working out in a manner Smith could never get the underachieving big man to embrace. If Pitino gets revenge and Stone plays well, Smith won't hear the end of it. If UK wins, Smith is again the toast of the state -- for the time being.

 

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

No team in the league -- and perhaps in the nation -- has more to prove after last year than the Wildcats. A season that began with Final Four expectations dissolved into a turmoil-ridden fiasco. Only a decent closing run to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament lessened the bitter feelings somewhat in Lexington -- but didn't eradicate them completely. Tubby Smith conducted an off-season purge of sorts, with three players going elsewhere last spring. But that hardly stopped the unrest, as point guard Cliff Hawkins was declared academically ineligible for the first semester in August and center Jason Parker was dismissed for rules violations in September. The result is a team Smith hopes will behave better, but may not play better. The Wildcats figure to have eight good players but no great ones -- unless guard Keith Bogans rediscovers the shooting touch that inexplicably abandoned him last year. Junior-college transfer Antwain Barbour could also provide offensive explosiveness. Guard Gerald Fitch and sophomore forward Chuck Hayes are tough-minded role players. Centers Marquis Estill and Jules Camara are seniors who have been models of inconsistency their entire careers. Point guard play will be a question - at least until Hawkins returns in December, if he gets his grades. So will leadership. So will the Cats' ability to score (with Smith defense is never an issue, but offense always is). Kentucky has tweaked its motion-based offense, going with a look Smith says borrows from the New Jersey Nets but players say is based on Maryland's flex offense. Regardless, Smith is vowing a faster pace of play, even without go-go ball-handler Hawkins. He's vowed as much before without delivering.

TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
All preseason reports indicate that Smith's sunny mood is a direct result of his team's work in practice to date. In other words, no more distractions from a cast of bad actors, and lots of swished jumpers from key ingredient Bogans. Kentucky played well beneath its talent last year; if they measure up to it this year they have a chance to reassert themselves in the league. Being picked third in the Eastern Division on SEC media day -- the lowest since the league went to two divisions in 1992 --provides ample motivation.

TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
How is a team normally hesitant to run going to fare pressing the pace without its only experienced point guard? The loss of Hawkins for at least the first semester also raises questions about Kentucky's half-court offense and its ability to apply pressure to opposing points. Unless a couple of freshmen come through, this team doesn't have much depth and won't have much room for injury -- or disciplinary issues.

BOTTOM LINE..............................
Last year Smith became the first coach in Kentucky history to post three consecutive seasons with double-digit defeats. Given the usual rugged schedule (Maui Classic, North Carolina, Michigan State, Indiana, Louisville, plus the league) this could be the fourth in a row. That won't sit well with a fan base yearning for more, and wondering why the program hasn't been able to regain its 1990s magic.