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Sporting News, The, March 20, 1995 by Pat Forde

Two years ago, Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino tore a page from the William T. Sherman playbook and left scorched earth on the Wildcats' charge through the Southeast Regional. This spring, Pitino has the troops massing in the same locale for what potentially could be a similarly ruthless march through March.

The 1993 Wildcats put on a pressing, 3-point-shooting barrage the likes of which had never been seen in NCAA Tournament play, winning their four regional games by a record margin of 31.3 points on the way to the Final Four. Jamal Mashburn & Co. unexpectedly ran out of ammo in New Orleans and were eliminated by Fab Five-era Michigan in overtime, but there's a belief that this year's Kentucky team has the guns to go all the way.

Minutes after the brackets came out, verbal volcano Dick Vitale picked the Wildcats to win it all. Hell have company in office pools across the land. This team might lack the star power of a Mashburn, but it comes into the tournament on a roll similar to `93.

Top-seeded Kentucky, which opens against Mount St. Mary's, has won eight in a row by an average margin of 16.1 points. The Wildcats also won their fourth consecutive Southeastern Conference Tournament with an overtime victory over Arkansas, in which the Wildcats trailed the defending national champs by 19 in regulation and seven in overtime.

The key to these Wildcats? They're deeper than any Kentucky coal mine. Pitino goes 10 deep, which makes their Cuisinart press that much more effective. Foul trouble is virtually nonexistent and neither is fatigue. The coach has so many options that freshman forward Antoine Walker, usually the No. 9 player in UK's rotation, was the SEC Tournament's Most Valuable Player after monster games' against Florida and Arkansas.

If Kentucky has a major weakness -- and let's face it, every team does this season -- it's point-guard play. Starter Jeff Sheppard is a natural off-guard trying to learn the position on the fly. Backup Anthony Epps was a hero against Arkansas but tends to be too conservative. He won't penetrate a defense without a written invitation.

But in a flawed season, that's a relative nitpick. Kentucky's scorched-earth policy could be in effect again.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT

The Southeast has one of the heartwarming stories of the tournament in Jim Phelan, the bow-tied coach of Mount St. Mary's who is making his debut in the NCAA tournament. Phelan is in his 41st year at The Mount, taking over the job there when his NCAA opponent, Pitino, was 1. Phelan is 737-391 in his career, the only coach with 700-plus victories not in the Basketball Hall of Fame. But he shouldn't count on picking up No. 738 until next season.

COACH'S CORNER

The forehead-slapping will come to an end sometime soon. Michigan State Coach Jud Heathcote is bowing out whenever the third-seeded Spartans lose -- which might not be for a while, if Shawn Respert gets on a roll.

Expect Tulane Coach Perry Clark to be on his best behavior in Memphis. Clark went nuclear after the Green Wave lost to Louisville, 81-80, in overtime in the Metro Conference Tournament, calling the officiating "an absolute travesty. It's a disgrace to basketball the way that game was officiated. I know I may lose some friends, but I don't (care)." Clark's comments came around midnight. At 4 a.m., Tulane issued a release that basically was Clark's act of contrition, saying he didn't air his gripe "through proper channels."

Michigan has won a national title and been runnersup twice since Bill Frieder jumped ship in 1989. This season, Frieder's Arizona State squad appears to be better than the Wolverines. He has the Sun Devils in the tournament for the second time, this time as a No. 5 seed. Frieder' NCAA record: an underwhelming 6-5.

Skip Prosser is making his second consecutive NCAA Tournament coaching appearance with his second school. Last season, he took Loyola (Md.) to the tournament. This time, it's Xavier.

LOOKING AHEAD

All signs point to a Kentucky-North Carolina showdown, but the signs have been wrong before. If it does happen, it will be in Birmingham, Ala., the same place Pitino's 1986-87 Providence team started its Final Four run. Carolina and Kentucky are the two winningest programs in college basketball history.

One team among fifth-seeded Arizona State, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 12 Ball State and No. 13 Manhattan -- which might have gotten the 64th and final spot -- will reach the Sweet 16. Of that group, the last one to make it that far might surprise you: It was Ball State in 1990, when it pushed eventual national champion Nevada-Las Vegas to the wire.

Murray State has made a habit of pulling off first-round upsets or throwing scares, but North Carolina isn't the kind of team to lose early. The Tar Heels have not lost a first-round game since 1980. Best upset possibilities could be Xavier over Georgetown, Ball State over Arizona State and Florida over Iowa State. The Gators will be playing on the floor of rival Florida State.

RELATED ARTICLE: PLAYERS TO WATCH

* Shawn Respert, Michigan State guard. TSN's Player of the Year, Respert has great shooting range and is adept at firing off the dribble. He took it upon himself to make Jud Heathcote's final season a great one.