Kentucky coach Rick Pitino has some words with Wayne Turner during the first half.

 ERIC DRAPER, Associated Press 1997

Editor’s note: The following story first appeared in the April 1, 1997 edition of the Arizona Daily Star.

INDIANAPOLIS β€” Kentucky coach Rick Pitono was not lying when he said his team would not press the entire game because of Arizona’s quickness and ball-handling ability.

Pitino’s team did not press until more than five minutes had elapsed, and for the rest of the game, Kentucky used the press sporadically. More often than not, the vaunted press failed, as Arizona committed only 18 turnovers.

β€œIf I had any druthers tonight,” Pitino said after the 84-79 loss in overtime, β€œI wouldn’t have pressed them at all. I didn’t want to press much tonight.

β€œNot only because of their confidence going against it, but I felt pressing tonight wasn’t the way to go.”

Mike Bibby and Miles Simon reinforced his belief. Bibby was credited with committing eight turnovers, but it seemed he played with much more control than the number would indicate. Simon did what he does best, attacking the basket after breaking down the press.

Continually, it seemed, Bibby was able to dribble past midcourt, find Michael Dickerson on one wing. He would lob the pass to Dickerson, who in turn would lob it to Simon on the other wing. It looked easy.

β€œBefore the game, we asked the guys, β€˜When did we start practicing against the press?’” UA assistant coach Jim Rosborough said. β€œThey knew we started working on the press on the first day of practice. There was no reason to get rattled.

β€œThe key thing we wanted Bibby to do was not get too close to the end line, where he could get trapped. We wanted him to be able to turn around from the pressure. He and Miles finished the job with their dribble penetration.”

The Wildcats, realistically, had only three turnovers resulting from the press. In the end, Kentucky looked more tired and depleted. Four players were on the bench, fouled out of the game, because they couldn’t keep up with Arizona’s speed.

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.