KENTUCKY GAME BY GAME

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.

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.

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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

1949: Kentucky 46, Oklahoma State 36

1950: CCNY 71, Bradley 68

1951: Kentucky 68, Kansas State 58

1952: Kansas 80, St. John’s 63

1953: Indiana 69, Kansas 68

1954: La Salle 92, Bradley 76

1955: San Francisco 77, La Salle 63

1956: San Francisco 83, Iowa 71

1957: North Carolina 54, Kansas 53 (3 OT)

1958: Kentucky 84, Seattle 72

1959: California 71, West Virginia 70

1960: Ohio State 75, California 55

1961: Cincinnati 70, Ohio State 65 (OT)

1962: Cincinnati 71, Ohio State 59

1963: Loyola (Ill.) 60, Cincinnati 58 (OT)

1964: UCLA 98, Duke 83

1965: UCLA 91, Michigan 80

1966: Texas Western 72, Kentucky 65

1967: UCLA 79, Dayton 64

1968: UCLA 78, North Carolina 55

1969: UCLA 92, Purdue 72

1970: UCLA 80, Jacksonville 69

1971: UCLA 68, Villanova 62

1972: UCLA 81, Florida State 76

1973: UCLA 87, Memphis State 66

1974: North Carolina St. 76, Marquette 64

1975: UCLA 92, Kentucky 85

1976: Indiana 86, Michigan 68

1977: Marquette 67, North Carolina 59

1978: Kentucky 94, Duke 88

1979: Michigan St. 75, Indiana St. 64

1980: Louisville 59, UCLA 54

1981: Indiana 63, North Carolina 50

1982: North Carolina 63, Georgetown 62

1983: North Carolina St. 54, Houston 52

1984: Georgetown 84, Houston 75

1985: Villanova 66, Georgetown 64

1986: Louisville 72, Duke 69

1987: Indiana 74, Syracuse 73

1988: Kansas 83, Oklahoma 79

1989: Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79 (OT)

1990: Nevada Las Vegas 103, Duke 73

1991: Duke 72, Kansas 65

1992: Duke 71, Michigan 51

1993: North Carolina 77, Michigan 71

1994: Arkansas 76, Duke 72

1995: UCLA 89, Arkansas 78

1996: Kentucky 76, Syracuse 67

1997: Arizona State 84, Kentucky 79 (OT)

1998: Kentucky 78, Utah 69

PAST MVPs