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<B>UK looks to exploit young UGA again</B><P>
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<FONT SIZE=4><B>By Chris Easterling</B><BR></FONT>Sports Editor
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After spending two weeks away from Rupp Arena, UK returns home tomorrow afternoon to face Georgia.<P>
This will be the second consecutive game that pits UK Coach Rick Pitino against one of his former assistants - this time it's Tubby Smith. On Wednesday night, Pitino defeated former player and assistant Billy Donovan's Florida squad.The third-ranked Cats (19-2 overall, 7-1 in the Southeastern Conference) have already faced the Bulldogs (15-4, 4-3) once this season, defeating them 86-65 in Athens.
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In a game that resembled a free-throw shooting contest, the Dawgs missed 20 of their 50 free throws and turned the ball over 20 times in their previous meeting.
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"I don't think we handled the whole atmosphere of a big basketball game (the first time)," Smith said yesterday in a teleconference. "We were just going into the Top 25. At the time, Derek Anderson was just coming off of the injury at Ole Miss and really came back and had an outstanding game.
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"We never really got into the flow of our offense," he said, "and they just disrupted everything we tried to do."
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One glaring difference in the Wildcat team, which dismantled the Dawgs in Athens and the one that will take the court tomorrow, is Anderson. In the first game, he hit 11-of-12 free throws and 6-of-7 field goals to score a game-high 24 points.
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"It's a totally different basketball team as far as Kentucky is concerned," Pitino said. "(The loss of Anderson) really doesn't affect the matchups that much because - and Derek was certainly a phenomenal basketball player - but we get our scoring from different spots right now."
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The Wildcats are focusing most of their attention toward adjusting to life after Anderson on the offensive side of the ball.
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"As far as Derek matching up with their backcourt player or Ron (Mercer) matching up, it's not that significant," he said. "We're in the middle of trying to work on some things offensively, to get other people some points."
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Wildcats Allen Edwards, Scott Padgett and Wayne Turner have stepped up their play to help make up for the loss of Anderson. In their new roles, each of them have had shining moments.
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Against Vanderbilt Edwards and Padgett each scored 16, many coming on long-range shots. Turner scored a career-high 11 against the Razorbacks.
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"When you have to make up for 19 points (a game), there's not one player (to fill in for him)," Pitino said.
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"You can't take an Allen Edwards, a Wayne Turner, or a Scott Padgett and say 'OK, step up and give us the points.'
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"What you have to do is get it from three different players, so we're trying to create offensive sets for those players." <P>
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<B>Photo: </B><B>SHAKIN' AND BAKIN'</B> Center Nazr Mohammed has responded Coach Pitino's call for 20 percent improvement to help the team win without Anderson.
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<B>JAMES CRISP</B> Kernel staff<BR>
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