Kentucky Finally Coming Together

ATLANTA — After losing to Tennessee in the final regular-season game, Kentucky hardly looked like a team capable of defending its national championship.

A week later, the Wildcats have changed that perception.

No. 14 Kentucky, atoning for what had been considered a disappointing season, used a 16-0 spurt at the end of the first half and beginning of the second to beat No. 22 Arkansas, 76-63, Sunday and win the Southeastern Conference tournament.

“We lost a lot of guys from last year and had a lot of new faces,” said Scott Padgett, who scored 20 points and was honored as tournament MVP. “We all wish we could have jelled quicker, but we’re starting to jell now.”

Kentucky (25-8) had its most regular-season losses since the 1989-90 season, including four defeats in the final seven games. The Wildcats lost the Eastern Division title to Tennessee with a 68-61 loss Feb. 28.

But the SEC tournament always brings out the best in Kentucky, which upset No. 4 Auburn in the semifinals before wearing down Arkansas in the final.

“We sat down after the Tennessee game and looked at some film,” Padgett said. “We realized there weren’t a lot of major things we needed to work on, just some minor things. We made a goal to be 9-0 in the postseason. We’re 3-0 right now.”

The Wildcats can turn their attention to the NCAA tournament, needing four victories to return to the Final Four in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“We want to repeat in St. Pete,” Heshimu Evans said.

The Razorbacks (22-10) simply ran out of energy after playing past midnight in a quarterfinal game Friday and going to overtime to beat Mississippi State in Saturday’s semifinals.

“We didn’t quit,” Coach Nolan Richardson said. “There’s a difference between giving up and giving out.”

The Wildcats, who receive an automatic NCAA bid, won their third consecutive SEC tournament title and seventh in eight years--a remarkable streak that has included only one loss in 24 games. That came in the 1996 final against Mississippi State.

At the buzzer, freshman Tayshaun Prince jumped into Wayne Turner’s arms and the pro-Kentucky crowd of 25,521 at the Georgia Dome serenaded Coach Tubby Smith with chants of “Tubby! Tubby! Tubby!”

Arkansas, which joined SEC for the 1991-92 season, has never won the tournament, losing twice to Kentucky in the finals.

“They’ve got the best team, and the best team usually wins,” Richardson said. “You have to have size, shooting and rebounding. Kentucky has all the ingredients.”