ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 3, 1996 TAG: 9604030023
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: EAST RUTHERFORD, N. J.
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
KENTUCKY IS THE NATIONAL CHAMPION of college basketball because of two losses, coach Rick Pitino says.
At least for one weekend, the most-scrutinized performance of ``Cats'' was off-Broadway.
Kentucky coach Rick Pitino can only hope his 'Cats have the staying power of the long-running musical.
His 'Cats, or Wildcats, will have at least a 52-week run as NCAA men's basketball champions after defeating Syracuse 76-67 on Monday night at the Meadowlands Arena.
``Last year, when we didn't go to Seattle, I told every family member, `I don't know why you're looking at it so negatively. Don't you think it would be a lot better to win it in New Jersey, where we're all from?'
``My wife [Joanne] has wanted this so badly. And, she said, `You really believe that?' And I said, without question, `We're going to win it.' Did I believe it? Absolutely not, but I said it to make her feel better.''
The Wildcats were the No. 1 seed in the Southeast Regional last year, but lost to second-seeded North Carolina 74-61 in the regional final. They were ranked No. 1 in the preseason this year, only to fall to Massachusetts 92-82 in the second game.
``I hear coaches say, `You don't learn from losing,''' Pitino said. ``It made our season. If we had beaten UMass in that first game, we may have lost to UMass [on Saturday night]. We learned so much from that game, in terms of what roles to fill.
``But, without question, I think we're national champions today because of last year's North Carolina game. I've brought it up to the players not a thousand times, but maybe 500 times, because we took a lot of forced, bad shots.''
The Tar Heels played a 2-3 zone defense in that game and Kentucky shot 7-of-36 from 3-point range. When the Wildcats faced a 2-3 zone again Monday night, they were 12-of-27 from beyond the arc.
``I can honestly say that 27 of them were good shots,'' Pitino said. ``That's rare. And we haven't been a 3-point-shooting team, with the exception of Tony [Delk], for most of the year.''
Delk made six of his seven 3-point attempts in the first half and, while he made only one 3-pointer in the second half, he was fouled on the shot and made the free throw for a four-point play that gave the Cats their biggest lead at 59-46.
Syracuse (29-9) trimmed the deficit to 64-62 with 4:46 left and was as close as 72-67 before an ill-fated possession with just over a minute remaining. Lazarus Sims tried to force a pass that was deflected by Mark Pope, who, in turn, was fouled by John Wallace.
``We had a chance right there, but that was the game,'' said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, referring not so much to the turnover as the disqualifying fifth foul on Wallace.
Wallace, a 6-foot-8 forward, finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds and was praised by President Clinton, among others, for changing his mind about going pro and returning for his senior year.
``He's terrific,'' said Pitino, a former head coach of the NBA's New York Knicks. ``What I love to see is, he could have gone out last year and been the 13th to the 17th pick. But, I really questioned how good a pro he would be because he didn't have a great face-up game.
``Now, he shoots the 3. He's explosive off the dribble. He's a great finisher. He probably won't be the No. 1 pick, but he could be as good [in the NBA] as the No. 1 pick. It wouldn't surprise me if he's the rookie of the year.''
Wallace will be a big loss for Syracuse, but this was a team that was 41st among teams receiving votes in the preseason Associated Press poll. If Syracuse was 41st with Wallace, it can't be picked too much lower without him.
Kentucky loses three of its top seven players in Delk, named most outstanding player of the Final Four after scoring 24 points in the championship game; 6-10 Walter McCarty; and Pope, also 6-10. But the Wildcats (34-2) may have college basketball's deepest bench.
``Kentucky is not a great team for us to play against,'' Boeheim said. ``Kentucky is not a great team for anybody to play against, but they would bother us a little more than most because we only use six or seven guys.''
The Kentucky reserves outscored their Syracuse counterparts 26-0, but that was somewhat deceiving. Ron Mercer, a 6-7 freshman from Oak Hill (Va.) Academy, came off the Wildcats' bench to hit eight of 12 shots and finish with 20 points.
``We had been meeting for about 55 hours and, after about another 50 hours of watching tapes, we all thought that Ron was going to come up big against their zone,'' Pitino said. ``Ron is a great basketball player.
``And, he's even a greater person because he could have complained, he could have wanted the instant gratification that everybody expected of him and he never did that. Now, he's one of the main reasons we've won a national championship.''
In all likelihood, Pitino will be back, although rumors have linked him with the NBA's Boston Celtics, who do not as of now have a coaching vacancy. The reasoning is Pitino, 43, feels free now that he has won his first championship at the pro or college level.
``I'm not relieved,'' he said. ``I'm going to allow myself a day or two to enjoy it, but we've got to go out and get ourselves a big man. So, recruiting is on my mind right now. Anybody know about a good, quick, 6-11 guy?''
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. AP Kentucky coach Rick Pitino holds his daughter,by CNBJaclyn, 3, and holds court after his Wildcats won the NCAA
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2. Final Four logo color