ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, April 1, 1996 TAG: 9604020022
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
Either Kentucky will win the NCAA men's basketball championship tonight and no one will be the least bit surprised, or it will be party to one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.
Those kind of expectations are a way of life for the Wildcats, who have won more games than any other team in NCAA history, but will be making their first appearance in the championship game since they won it in 1978.
``I think the pressure is there because it's only been one championship in 41 years,'' said coach Rick Pitino, aware that four of Kentucky's five championships came between 1948-58. ``There's no escaping that.
``Anytime you play toward the Final Four, you can't say, "Oh, it's (pressure) there and I'm not going to go.' We try to be attentive at the defensive end and relax at the offensive end. The pressure is there, but it's only there for one more game.''
Many were ready to concede the championship to the Wildcats on Saturday night, when they defeated No. 1-ranked Massachusetts 81-74. Syracuse, a 77-69 winner over Mississippi State in the other semifinal, was ranked 15th in the final Associated Press poll.
The Orangemen (29-8) and Kentucky (33-2) will meet at 9:22 tonight at the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., in what may be the last NCAA title game not held in a domed stadium.
``If what I've heard is right, that we're 14- or 15-point underdogs, that's totally ridiculous,'' Syracuse junior Jason Cipolla said. ``That shows us no respect at all.
``It's a great run we've been on, but we can't stop here. We've got one more game left. If we win that, we can shock the world. It would be up there with Villanova-Georgetown in 1985.''
Maybe, maybe not. The Orangemen were seeded fourth in the West Region, but they have won 15 of their last 17 games and defeated the team, Mississippi State, that handed Kentucky its last loss.
``To make us the overwhelming favorite is nonsense, absolute nonsense,'' Pitino said. ``If you judge it on the season, no question we should be the favorite. But, if you judge it by the way the two teams are playing now, you understand you'll have a flat-out war.''
Syracuse fooled Mississippi State with a 2-3 zone defense. The Bulldogs hit four early 3-pointers in taking an 18-10 lead, but became increasingly frustrated and committed 21 turnovers, nine by point guard Marcus Bullard.
On the other hand, Syracuse had a season-low five turnovers, none by point guard Lazarus Sims. No team has had fewer than 13 turnovers against Kentucky this season and the Wildcats have forced 20 or more turnovers in 27 of 35 games.
When the teams met last year in Lexington, Ky., Syracuse committed 33 turnovers in a 77-71 loss. That was when Michael Lloyd, a converted shooting guard, was playing point guard for the Orangemen.
``It was just a bad game by both teams,'' Pitino said. ``That game was so foreign to the way this game will be played. If they turn it over five times against us, it will be a nice runner-up trophy we receive.''
Kentucky has a 10-man rotation that enables the Wildcats to press at will. Syracuse got only two points out of its bench against Mississippi State and the zone helps the Orangemen stay out of foul trouble and control the tempo.
``They're the best 2-3 zone team in the country,'' Pitino said. ``You have to be patient and you can't rely on fool's gold. If you make three or four long jump shots, you think you're beating it but you're really not. Patience, dribble penetration and offensive rebounding are the key against a great zone defense.''
Boeheim and Pitino will be facing each other for the second time in a Final Four, although Pitino was at Providence when they met in 1987. Syracuse beat the Friars 77-63 before falling to Indiana, 74-73, on a last-second shot by Keith Smart.
Both Kentucky and Syracuse rely heavily on their seniors, an increasingly rare phenomenom in this era of underclassmen going to the NBA. John Wallace, a 6-9 forward, changed his mind about going pro last year and averages a team-high 22.1 points.
The Wildcats' leading scorer is senior guard Tony Delk, who had 20 points against Massachusetts despite leg cramps that sent him to the bench in the closing minutes. Another senior, Mark Pope, went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the closing minutes.
Pitino said the Wildcats continue to build and it is not unreasonable to think they will contend for a national championship every year, but that might not be enough to satisfy their supporters or quiet their critics.
``It's very difficult,'' Pitino said. ``If you think going to the Final Four and not winning is a failure, that's your opinion. We have ours. There is pressure. We understand, we fight through it and we try to win (with) it.''
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. Kentucky's Walter McCarty (left) and Antoine Walkerby CNBaren't taking Syracuse lightly, they're just fighting the boredom of
a Sunday news conference. color AP
2. Final Four logo color