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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Things are back to normal in the
Southeastern Conference tournament. The Kentucky Wildcats are in
the championship game once again.
|  | | Tayshaun Prince, left, and Saul Smith help get the Wildcats into the SEC final. |
Keith Bogans had 23 points and 10 rebounds as No. 15 Kentucky
rallied from 15 points down in the first half to beat Arkansas
87-78 Saturday in the semifinals.
The Wildcats improved to an incredible 31-1 in the semifinals
and a perfect 9-0 since the league split into two divisions in
1992.
Kentucky (21-9) missed the title game last season courtesy of
Arkansas, which sent the Wildcats home in the second round. But the
Kentucky fans that turned the Gaylord Entertainment Center blue on
Saturday gave their Wildcats a boost when they needed it most.
Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson estimated that up to 80 percent
of the 20,225 fans wore Kentucky blue.
"It is something that helps you more than anyone can imagine.
That's why they're so dominant in tournament play," Richardson
said.
"The greatest thing about fans is that they pump the kids up
when they're just about maybe out. They give them that extra life.
You have to give Kentucky tremendous credit. They do buy tickets
and find ways into the building even when there's supposed to be
only 1,200 here."
Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, now 8-1 in this tournament with the
Wildcats, was happy.
"Our kids showed a lot of heart and a lot of courage to come
back the way they did in the second half. I'm just glad we came out
on top," he said.
The Wildcats will play Mississippi (No. 11 ESPN/Usa Today, No. 14 AP), which upset
Florida (No. 6, No. 5) 74-69, for the championship Sunday. Kentucky
has won seven of the last nine SEC titles.
The victory allowed Kentucky to reassert its dominance over
Arkansas (20-10). The Razorbacks' second-round victory over
Kentucky last year is their only win in eight tournament meetings.
Kentucky has won the conference tournament 22 times, more than
all the other SEC schools combined.
The Razorbacks came in with a six-game winning streak that
included an 82-78 home victory over the Wildcats two weeks ago.
They looked like they would make it three straight over Kentucky
when they opened the game by hitting six of their first 10
3-pointers.
"I felt like we had taken their best shots," said Smith, who
challenged his Wildcats to contest Arkansas' shooters more in the
second half. "The kids listened and responded in a positive way."
But Kentucky scored the first six points of the second half and
forced Arkansas into three turnovers on its first five possessions,
getting the fans on their feet. Even though the Razorbacks didn't
make a field goal until the 14:50 mark, Kentucky still trailed
46-39 after Joe Johnson's jumper.
Johnson said playing the late game Friday night took its toll
physically.
"Down the stretch, it got real hard on us. We couldn't seem to
get our second wind to counteract some of the runs they were
throwing at us," Johnson said.
The Wildcats needed a 9-1 spurt keyed by a pair of 3s from
Gerald Fitch before they took their first lead of the half, 52-51,
on a three-point play by Marvin Stone with 10:57 left.
Arkansas managed to tie it one more time at 53 before Tayshaun
Prince hit a hook shot and Bogans added a 3. The closest the
Razorbacks could get after that was three, as Kentucky went ahead
by as much as 11 down the stretch.
Prince added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Kentucky, Fitch
finished with 17, and Stone had 11.
Johnson led Arkansas with 24 points, Brandon Dean had 16, Teddy
Gipson 11 and Jannero Pargo 10.
Arkansas led 42-33 at halftime thanks to a 14-3 run that put the
Razorbacks up 29-18 with 7:27 to go. The Wildcats went nearly seven
minutes without a field goal and made only four free throws during
that stretch.
Dean's 3 gave the Razorbacks a 40-25 advantage, but Bogans
helped jump-start Kentucky with his first basket in 10 minutes and
then a 3-pointer that brought the Wildcats fans to their feet.
Erik Daniels' bucket with 1:22 remaining cut the lead to 40-32.
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