KENTUCKY GAME BY GAME

L.A. Times Archives

March 31, 1998 12 AM PT

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FIRST ROUND

* Kentucky 82, South Carolina State 67--Wildcats shot 59.6% and were led by center Nazr Mohammed’s 18 points in an easy first-round victory.

For the record:

12:00 a.m. April 1, 1998 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday April 1, 1998 Home Edition Sports Part C Page 5 Sports Desk 1 inches; 22 words Type of Material: Correction
NCAA basketball--Arizona won the men’s NCAA basketball championship last season. The school was listed incorrectly in a chart of past winners Tuesday.

SECOND ROUND

* Kentucky 88, Saint Louis 61--The Wildcats went on a 19-0 run late in the first half to take a commanding 46-18 lead at halftime.

REGIONAL SEMIFINAL

* Kentucky 94, UCLA 68--Wildcats jumped out to an 11-2 lead and never looked back, blocking 14 Bruin shots and holding UCLA to 29.1% shooting.

REGIONAL FINAL

* Kentucky 86, Duke 84--Wildcats came back from a 17-point second-half deficit and broke a final-minute tie on Scott Padgett’s three-point basket.

NATIONAL SEMIFINAL

* Kentucky 86, Stanford 85, OT--Wildcats did not take their first lead until midway through the second half and scored on eight consecutive possessions in overtime to hold off a tough Cardinal team.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

* Kentucky 78, Utah 69--Wildcats won their seventh national title with its third straight rally of the tournament and became the first team to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit in the championship game.

GAME BY GAME

* Vs. South Carolina State--In his worst game of the tournament, Sheppard scored only four points in 15 minutes during the Wildcats’ 82-67 victory.

* Vs. Saint Louis--Sheppard made seven of 11 shots, including three from three-point range, and scored 18 points during the Wildcats’ 88-61 rout.

* Vs. UCLA--Sheppard made seven of 14 shots, scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds in another Wildcat rout, this one by a final of 94-68.

* Vs. Duke--Sheppard led the Wildcats with 18 points and 11 rebounds and helped spark a second-half rally in 86-84 victory over the Blue Devils.

* Vs. Stanford--Sheppard scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Wildcats, but perhaps Kentucky center Nazr Mohammed described Sheppard’s value to the team the best: “Jeff Sheppard is the man. No question, Jeff carried us tonight.”

* Vs. Utah--The Wildcats took the lead for the first time since early in the first half at 60-58 with 7:16 to play on a breakaway dunk by Sheppard after he stole the ball from Hanno Mottola. Sheppard clinched the Final Four’s most outstanding player award by scoring 16 points, including a pair of clutch plays down the stretch in 78-69 victory over Utes.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

PAST CHAMPIONS

1939: Oregon 46, Ohio State 33

1940: Indiana 60, Kansas 42

1941: Wisconsin 39, Washington St. 34

1942: Stanford 53, Dartmouth 38

1943: Wyoming 46, Georgetown 34

1944: Utah 42, Dartmouth 40 (OT)

1945: Oklahoma A&M; 49, New York 45

1946: Oklahoma A&M; 43, N. Carolina 40

1947: Holy Cross 58, Oklahoma 47

1948: Kentucky 58, Baylor 42