Scouting Report

KENTUCKY (35-4) vs. ARIZONA (24-9)

Tonight, 6:18, Channel 2

RCA Dome, Indianapolis

KENTUCKY

About Kentucky: Nothing has stopped the Wildcats so far, injuries included. And, as if Arizona didn’t have enough to worry about, Kentucky is now a little more injury-free and deeper than when the Final Four began. Swingman Allen Edwards played 12 minutes Saturday in Kentucky’s 78-69 semifinal victory over Minnesota and said his injured right ankle felt fine. Even star swingman Derek Anderson, out since Jan. 18 because of a right knee injury, made a cameo appearance to shoot free throws. The word around the RCA Dome on Sunday was that Coach Rick Pitino might relent and play Anderson a few minutes tonight. That would help Mercer. The All-American forward suffered from leg cramps against Minnesota and said he’s exhausted. But Mercer enjoys the spotlight, and it doesn’t get any brighter than right now.

ARIZONA

About Arizona: What’s all this talk about Arizona being a Cinderella story? It appears some people need a gentle reminder that Arizona is abundantly talented. You don’t defeat Utah, Texas, Kansas, Providence and North Carolina (twice) in the same season without a roster full of big-time players. Arizona might have the best group of guards in the nation in Bibby, Dickerson, Simon and Jason Terry. Bibby, a freshman in name only, is already without collegiate peer at point guard. When it comes to running a team and scoring when needed, no one does it better. Simon has been a terror throughout the tournament and is among the leading candidates to win the Final Four’s most outstanding player award. Bramlett has emerged in the post, and does anyone in college basketball, Kentucky’s Ron Mercer included, possess more athleticism than Davison?

Keys to the game: Finally, Kentucky faces an opponent that can back up its confident press-talk. St. Joseph’s, Utah and Minnesota all said they could handle Kentucky’s swarming defense and went down in a blue-and-white storm of turnovers. But with Bibby and Terry handling the ball, and Dickerson and Simon helping out, Arizona could give Kentucky big problems. Remember Kentucky’s two losses to South Carolina? The Gamecocks’ strength is their three-guard lineup. Arizona Coach Lute Olson can put four super ballhandlers on the floor at once, and he will often. Kentucky also uses a half-court zone trap, which might not work as well if Simon and Dickerson make their three-point shots. But Arizona doesn’t have an answer for Mercer, and Kentucky’s big guys are a lot better than most people realize. The secret will be out after Kentucky wins its seventh national championship tonight.

ARIZONA

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No. Player Pts. FG% FT% Reb. Ast. 34 Simon 17.9 .456 .743 4.1 4.4 10 Bibby 13.3 .446 .686 3.0 5.3 42 Bramlett 8.2 .532 .521 7.0 0.5 21 Davison 9.7 .506 .672 6.3 0.9 23 Dickerson 19.3 .417 .708 4.5 1.5 31 Terry 10.7 .445 .707 2.7 4.4 13 Harris 5.9 .477 .588 5.8 0.7 33 Edgerson 2.7 .408 .392 3.7 0.4 40 Lee 3.3 .415 .667 1.8 0.6

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KENTUCKY

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No. Player Pts. FG% FT% Reb. Ast. 25 Epps 8.8 .397 .833 3.1 4.8 5 Turner 6.5 .468 .537 2.6 2.8 42 Magloire 5.0 .493 .549 4.4 0.3 33 Mercer 18.3 .492 .779 5.2 2.3 34 Padgett 9.4 .417 .750 5.2 1.8 32 Prickett 7.9 .556 .615 5.9 2.1 13 Mohammed 7.8 .508 .542 5.7 0.3 21 Mills 5.7 .537 .750 1.2 0.7 3 Edwards 8.9 .424 .667 3.2 2.9 23 Anderson 17.7 .491 .811 4.1 3.5

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