SCOUTING REPORT
KENTUCKY: THE STARTERS
No. 5: Wayne Turner
No. 3: Allen Edwards
No. 15: Jeff Sheppard
No. 34: Scott Padgett
No. 13: Nazr Mohammed
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* About Kentucky: The Wildcats have so much talent and depth, a 17-point deficit to Duke wasn’t enough to stop them. They can score from inside or outside and are led by Jeff Sheppard, a 6-3 guard averaging 13.3 points. The Wildcats showed they can score in bunches and use a drill to hone their lightning-quick attack. At practice, the Wildcats try to make 24 three-point baskets in two minutes, which is what seemed to happen against Duke on Sunday. Eight players are averaging 13 minutes or more, and the same number have been the Wildcats’ high-scorer this season, so they wear opponents down. Since losing to Mississippi in February, the Wildcats have won their last 11 games and stepped up their defensive pressure. They have not allowed any of their opponents to shoot 50% or better during the streak.
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WILDCAT STATISTICS
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No. Player Pos. FG% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 15 Sheppard G .433 .688 3.7 2.8 13.1 13 Mohammed C .609 .664 7.5 0.8 11.9 34 Padgett F .475 .833 6.6 2.1 11.2 5 Turner G .494 .632 3.1 4.4 9.3 3 Edwards G .440 .641 3.4 3.3 9.2 14 Evans F .533 .590 5.3 1.7 8.7 42 Magloire C .473 .649 4.4 0.3 5.3 21 Mills G .415 .947 1.5 0.7 4.4 11 Smith G .368 .618 1.1 1.3 2.8 33 Bradley F-C .725 .514 1.7 0.5 2.6 25 Anthony F .390 .615 1.2 0.2 2.2 22 Hogan G .227 .500 0.6 0.4 0.8 4 Masiello G .500 .500 0.1 0.1 0.6 Totals .481 .667 42.6 17.9 79.4
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STANFORD: THE STARTERS
No 3: Kris Weems
No 11: Arthur Lee
No 45: Mark Madsen
No 55: Tim Young
No 5: Pete Sauer
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* About Stanford: If what many say is true, that a team needs good guards to win the tournament, then Arthur Lee and Kris Weems and reserve Ryan Mendez give Stanford an edge. The Cardinal has the right combination of inside and outside offense. Lee is the team’s scoring leader (14.1 points), an all-purpose scorer who has helped take the sting out of losing Brevin Knight to the NBA. Lee passes, drives to the basket and is making 43.2% of his three-point shots this season. Weems is second on the team in scoring (12.5) and Mendez leads in three-point percentage, making 48.4%. The 7-1 Tim Young and 6-8 Mark Madsen give the Cardinal one of the tournament’s most physical and intimidating front lines. Young’s 135 blocked shots are a school record.
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CARDINAL STATISTICS
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No. Player Pos. FG% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 11 Lee G .422 .873 2.2 4.6 13.8 3 Weems G .450 .861 3.0 2.3 13.1 55 Young C .506 .766 8.2 1.7 11.4 45 Madsen F .589 .618 7.8 0.8 11.4 5 Sauer F .414 .810 4.6 2.2 9.4 21 Moseley G .417 .739 1.9 0.8 6.0 32 Mendez F .477 .588 2.1 0.8 5.7 40 Van Elswyk F .436 .667 3.3 0.4 3.7 31 Jr.Collins F .567 .593 3.2 0.5 3.5 44 Seaton F .674 .455 2.3 0.3 2.7 4 McDonald G .308 .643 0.8 1.4 1.8 35 Tshionyi G .379 .783 0.9 1.3 1.7 Totals .461 .732 40.8 16.4 79.4
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* Keys to the game: For Stanford, the game will be about defense. The Cardinal must get to an early lead, prevent the Wildcats’ perimeter shooters from getting good looks, and Young and Madsen must tie up the 6-10 Nazr Mohammed. That usually means putting a body on him, or an elbow, under the basket. If Mohammed can take the kind of battering Stanford dishes out, and if Kentucky’s bench, which averages 27.4 points a game, can help wear down the Cardinal, especially their guards, then Kentucky should get through to the final.