Kentucky Win Doubly Tough

Kentucky’s rich basketball tradition didn’t mean a thing once the game started. But in the end, it mattered most of all.

No. 5-seeded Kentucky avoided an early exit with an 85-80 victory in double overtime over No. 12 St. Bonaventure Thursday in the first round of the Midwest Regional. It was the first double overtime in 120 NCAA tournament games for the Wildcats, who have the most wins in college basketball history.

“We deal with a lot of pressure at the University of Kentucky,” Coach Tubby Smith said. “This is a big one, but no bigger than the next one.”

In an up-and-down season, Kentucky (23-9) hit a low last week when it was knocked out of the Southeastern Conference tournament by Arkansas, and sophomore guard Desmond Allison was arrested for drunken driving and suspended indefinitely from the team.

Tayshaun Prince led Kentucky with 28 points and made a three-point shot with seven seconds left for the final basket of regulation.

St. Bonaventure, which had rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half, came from five points down in the final eight seconds of the first overtime when Kentucky committed two fouls.

First, guard Tim Winn was fouled while scoring on a drive with 8.7 seconds remaining and his free throw brought St. Bonaventure within 74-73. Jamaal Magloire then made two free throws, but David Messiah Capers was fouled while attempting a three-point shot with less than a second to go. Messiah Capers, a 56% free-throw shooter, made all three to tie it at 76 despite Kentucky trying to ice him by calling timeouts after his first and second attempts.

In the second overtime, Keith Bogens picked up a loose ball in the lane and scored underneath to put Kentucky ahead, 83-80, with 11.6 seconds left. Winn’s three-point shot from the top of the key rattled out, and Prince made two free throws for Kentucky to close the scoring with 1.1 seconds.

St. Bonaventure (21-10) was making its first NCAA tournament appearance in 22 years.

Syracuse 79, Samford 65--The No. 4 Orangemen (25-5)--unlike their next tournament opponent Kentucky--didn’t allow much in the way of drama in disposing of the No. 13 Bulldogs (21-11) from the Trans American Athletic Conference.

Etan Thomas scored the first seven points of a game and Syracuse never trailed, maintaining a double-digit lead throughout most of a second half in which it shot 67%.

When the Orangemen weren’t hammering the ball inside to Thomas (16 points) and Ryan Blackwell (11) against the smaller Bulldogs, they relied on the perimeter shooting of Hart and Shumpert, who each scored 17 points. Shumpert made three of six three-point shots--a couple from well behind the arc.

Samford’s Reed Rawlings scored 19 of his 28 points in the first half, but his team trailed, 37-30, at halftime.

Michigan State 65, Valparaiso 38--The No. 1 Spartans (27-7) held the No. 16 Crusaders (19-13) without a field goal for 10:35 in taking a 20-3 lead and were ahead by as many as 30 points in the second half.

Valparaiso shot 25% for the game.

Mateen Cleaves had 15 points and eight assists for Michigan State, which reached last season’s Final Four before losing to Duke.

Utah 48, Saint Louis 45--Jeff Johnsen made an off-balance three-point shot that barely beat the shot clock with 1:43 left for the decisive basket for the No. 8 Utes (23-8). It was the eighth first-round victory without a loss for Utah Coach Rick Majerus.

No. 9 Saint Louis (19-14) had the last possession, but Dave Fergerson’s three-point shot with a second left bounced off the back of the rim.

Utah plays Michigan State Saturday.