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NCAA - Midwest
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 28, 2003
MINNEAPOLIS -- With do-everything guard Keith Bogans injured, Kentucky needed others to do something more than usual if it hoped to avoid an upset by Wisconsin in Thursday night's Midwest Region semifinal.
Hello, center Marquis Estill. He handled the offense, scoring a career-high 28 on 12-of-18 shooting from the floor.
Hello, forward Chuck Hayes. He handled the defense, requesting the assignment of Badgers shooting star Kirk Penney at halftime and limiting him to three shots and three points.
Their play, something special, carried the top-seeded and top-ranked Wildcats to a hard-fought 63-57 win over the No. 5 Badgers and into Saturday's Elite Eight.
"We feel very good about this win," coach Tubby Smith said. "It was a very gutsy, very gritty effort on our team's part. After we lost Keith Bogans and we weren't getting our shots to drop early in the game, we kept our composure and found a way to win. That's what good teams do."
They are that. The Wildcats (32-3) have won a nation-best 26 straight, but none on this stage -- most of the 28,168 fans at the Metrodome were for the Badgers or merely against the favorite -- and none without Bogans, their fourth-leading scorer in the school's 100-year history.
He injured his left ankle in the waning moments of the first half, and though he returned for the final 1:59, during which time Kentucky took a 32-28 lead, he didn't play again after that. X-rays showed no break, but Smith said Bogans had a high sprain and his status for Saturday is unknown.
"Keith gives us a lot of everything," junior guard Gerald Fitch said. "His leadership, his scoring, his defense. Just his presence alone. ... But a lot of guys stepped their games up."
That began with the 6-9, 237-pound Estill. Wisconsin (24-8), which won the Big Ten regular-season title for the first time since 1947, usually has tried to play man-to-man in the post, though sophomore forward Mike Wilkinson, all 6-8, 235 pounds of him, is the lone starter taller than 6-5.
"I knew they were going to keep doing the same things," Estill said. "My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball."
He scored 13 in the second half, including seven in the final 7:46 as the Wildcats pulled ahead of, but not away from, the Badgers.
"He's a great player," Wilkinson said. "It was his night. He was knocking down shots we'd seen him miss before. He was making everything. The ball would bounce on the rim once or twice or three times and just fall. It was his night. I don't know how much he weighs, but he's definitely strong. That's really what you need. He did a great job of holding position all night."
Just as important, Hayes stepped up, beginning in the locker room at the half. Penney had scored 17 on 5-of-9 shooting, including 4 of 6 3-pointers. Smith asked if anyone wanted the job of trying to slow him down.
"I can guard him," Hayes volunteered.
And did he.
"I didn't want him getting any good looks," Hayes said. "My emotions really took over in this game. I'm more of a laid-back person. I'm not really a yeller. But I didn't want to go home."