DATE: Tuesday, April 1, 1997                TAG: 9704010446

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: INDIANAPOLIS                      LENGTH:   63 lines

ARIZONA IS TOP 'CAT UPSET OF KENTUCKY SEALS FIRST NCAA TITLE

Kentucky had tradition, blue-blooded talent, and thousands of screaming blue-clad supporters on its side Monday when it went after a second consecutive national college basketball title in the RCA Dome.

But none of that made any difference to a fuzzy-cheeked Arizona team that was too young to be intimidated by either its opponent, an unfriendly crowd or its school's first Final Four championship game.

Arizona, a fourth-seed in the Southwest Region and a fifth-place finisher in the Pac-10 Conference, climbed to the top of the college basketball world with a stunning 84-79 overtime victory over widely-favored Kentucky.

Arizona, without a senior on the court, won the game from the free-throw line in the extra five-minute session by making 10 of 14 shots.

Bennett Davison hit a pair of free throws 25 seconds into the extra period to put Arizona into the lead to stay.

Miles Simon made another pair to wrap up the game with 41.7 seconds left.

Simon, a junior, finished with a game-high 30 points and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Simon could have ended the game in regulation but missed a driving jump shot in the lane.

However, he said he was confident Arizona would prevail.

``They were dragging and in foul trouble,'' Simon said.

``I think we just wanted it more, and we got it.''

Arizona, a six-point underdog, led most of the game, but never by more than six points.

Kentucky's biggest lead was two points.

It was the first time in Final Four history that a team won the title by upsetting a trio of No. 1 seeds.

Arizona defeated Kansas in the Southeast semifinals and knocked out North Carolina in the national semifinals before turning its brashness loose on Kentucky.

Kentucky had hoped to use its celebrated press to buzz through Arizona as it had five other opponents in the tournament.

Arizona had vowed it would not be shaken by the press, and was true to it word.

Arizona used the speed of Simon and Bibby to break through the press to get easy shots or go to the foul line.

Kentucky was called for 29 fouls and Arizona hit 34 of 41 shots from the line.

Simon was 14 for 17 from the line, but it was the ones in the final seconds that touched him the most.

``Chills were running through my body,'' Simon said.

Kentucky coach Rick Pitino said he was proud of his team.

``No one likes to finish second, but I am happy for (Arizona coach) Lute Olson and for our players,'' Pitino said.

Olson, often criticized for his teams' first-round failures in previous tournaments, said finally winning the title was like a dream to him.

``I told our team in the locker room that the toughest team would win, and our guys did a great job of hanging on,'' Olson said.

With star Ron Mercer finding only nine shots, Kentucky had to rely on its bench to stay in the game.

Nazr Mohammed and Cameron Mills each scored 12 points off the bench.

Kentucky's Anthony Epps hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining to tie the game and send it into overtime.

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