ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Anyone who had watched Kentucky play in recent weeks would have been a fool to think the Wildcats were dead with 9 1/2 minutes left Sunday, when they trailed top-seeded Duke, 71-54, in the South regional final at Tropicana Field.
The explosive Wildcats had won their previous 10 games, all by double-digit margins. Six of those wins, including two in the NCAA Tournament and two more against NCAA tournament qualifiers, came by at least 25 points.
Still, the Blue Devils couldn't help but think that with a few more baskets or defensive stops, they could start packing their bags for next week's Final Four in San Antonio.
But thanks to Southeastern Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player Wayne Turner and a small lineup employed by Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, the Blue Devils never got those baskets or defensive stops.
Turner had started strong, scoring five points-off a layup and three free throws-with dribble penetration in the first six minutes. While the Wildcat point guard was on his game, UK hung with Duke, trailing just 19-18.
Later in the half, though, the Blue Devils shut down Turner and went on a 17-0 run.
"I started to go passive," Turner said, "but in the second half, I thought to myself, 'I've got to get back to the basket.'"
He didn't quite reach the basket, but his shots did. With his team 9 1/2 minutes from elimination, Turner started driving on Duke point guard Steve Wojciechowski. His three-point play off a drive at the 8:14 mark brought the Wildcats within single digits for the first time in 8 1/2 minutes. One possession later, his dribble and kick-out set up an Allen Edwards three-pointer that cut the Duke lead to six.
"Wayne has to be the best penetrator in college basketball, besides [Arizona's Mike Bibby and Miles Simon]," Kentucky forward Heshimu Evans said. "So for him to penetrate the ball and get us some open shots and get him some shots was the best thing that ever could have happened to us."
Turner's penetration certainly helped the Wildcats, but it might not have been the best thing that happened to them in the last 10 minutes of the game. The best thing for Kentucky might have been Smith's decision to go with a small lineup, even if that meant benching center Nazr Mohammed, UK's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer.
By employing a downsized lineup, Smith could keep five three-point shooters on the court-a valuable asset during a comeback-and would have a better shot at increasing the tempo, something his club had tried to do all game with no success.
Additionally, the smaller, quicker lineup would put the Wildcats at a size disadvantage, but it might help them beat Duke to the punch on the offensive boards, since the Duke defenders wouldn't congregate under the basket and might have a tougher time roping in slashing forwards than a plodding center.
"We were trying to match up with them because they were taking us off the dribble," Smith said. "We were trying to go more offensive, too, and get some baskets in transition."
Sure enough, Smith's smaller lineup confounded the Blue Devils. Duke, which held opponents below 30-percent three-point shooting for the season, suddenly couldn't cover the Kentucky shooters. The Wildcats hit 5-of-6 three-pointers after falling behind by 17.
And the Wildcats' quickness gave Duke problems, especially on the boards. Kentucky may not have had power inside, but it had something else.
"Rebounding is not really about physical attributes," said Battier, who rated among the Atlantic Coast Conference's rebounding leaders for much of the season despite his relatively unimposing, 6-foot-8, 215-pound stature. "It's about desire and heart. If you want the ball more than the other guy, you're going to get it."
Perhaps the Wildcats wanted rebounds more than the Blue Devils, though one could not criticize Duke for a lackluster effort at any point in the game. More clearly than any advantage in desire, Kentucky outfoxed Duke, figuring out ways to stop Blue Devil center Elton Brand without overpowering him.
Brand led Duke to an 80-67 regional semifinal win over Syracuse Friday with 20 points and 14 rebounds. But against Kentucky, he had just four points and five rebounds-no points in the second half-and became a non-factor down the stretch.
Instead of Brand dominating, it was Turner, who finished with 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Last year, with UK star Derek Anderson injured for the postseason, Turner helped carry the Wildcats to the NCAA finals. He started only one game through February, but upon making the starting lineup in the SEC Tournament, he took off.
He averaged 12.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals in the Wildcats' nine postseason games, posting a sparkling assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.43-to-1.
This season he won MVP honors at the SEC Tournament, averaging 11 points and 6.3 assists in Kentucky's three blowout wins.
He has kept it going through the NCAAs, recording a remarkable 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, capped by an eight-assist, one-turnover performance against Duke.
"He always comes up big in March," said teammate Allen Edwards. "There's just something about that month.
"Every point guard he's gone up against, he's gotten the better of."
Smith went one step further.
"I think he's the best point guard in the country," said the Kentucky coach. "Over the last month, he's been playing the best for us."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.