Cliff Hawkins

LEXINGTON - Highly-rated high school guard Ramel Bradley apparently gave a verbal commitment to sign with the University of Kentucky during his visit to UK last weekend. Bradley could not be reached for comment Monday, but several sources at Kentucky confirmed that he had told Kentucky coach Tubby Smith that he would sign with the Wildcats next week. He is ranked as the No. 18 shooting guard in the nation by Rivals.com. He averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists per game at Park West High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., last season before transferring to the Pendleton School in Florida for his senior season.

ATLANTA - Florida has won six of its last seven games, including Saturday's 91-69 decision over Vanderbilt in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals. Still, Kentucky players feel like they know what it will take to beat the Gators in today's championship game. "The scouting report last time was just to play them tough and that they would eventually back down," said Kentucky point guard Cliff Hawkins. "I don't think what we do will change a lot. " Kentucky has beaten the Gators six straight times and eight of the last nine going into today's game.

Ramel Bradley couldn't keep the news to himself any longer and finally announced Monday that he would sign a basketball scholarship with the University of Kentucky this week. Bradley started his press conference in Bradenton, Fla., in a way that probably endeared him to UK fans. "They say that the sun always shines here in Florida, but I don't think that the sun shines any brighter than at My Old Kentucky Home. I have decided to attend the University of Kentucky and play basketball for coach Tubby Smith and the Kentucky Wildcats," Bradley said.

KNOXVILLE - Cliff Hawkins was tired of hearing what was wrong with his play. He knew he had not been playing well in Kentucky's last six games, but that had not shaken his confidence in himself. That's why with Kentucky's season on the brink of collapse, Hawkins took - and made - what may have been the biggest shot of his collegiate career. Hawkins hit a 3-point shot with 16.3 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 64 and get the Wildcats into overtime against Tennessee here Tuesday night before the ninth-ranked Wildcats (12-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference)

KNOXVILLE - Tubby Smith might have been frustrated, but Gerald Fitch was relieved. Kentucky outlasted Tennessee 69-68 in overtime here Tuesday to avoid losing consecutive Southeastern Conference games. However, the Kentucky coach was anything but giddy after his team got a 3-point shot from Cliff Hawkins with 16.3 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and then won despite not scoring the final 3 minutes, 47 seconds of overtime. "I'm frustrated by something else tonight other than my team," said Smith.

LEXINGTON - Even though his team did not have a player named to the Associated Press all-Southeastern Conference first team, Kentucky coach Tubby Smith had no complaints because four of his starters were named to the second and third teams. "I don't know what it says," said Smith when asked about the all-SEC voting. "We like our players. We think they are all first-team (picks). It does suggest our guys play as one. We have four guys on three teams. That's pretty strong. I've never seen that before.

LEXINGTON - Travis Ford doesn't expect Louisville coach Rick Pitino to call him for a scouting report on Kentucky. But if his former coach at UK did call him to ask how to beat the Wildcats Saturday in Rupp Arena, what would Ford tell him? "Wow. That's a good question," said Ford after watching UK, ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll and No. 2 in The Associated Press poll, beat his team 101-72 here Tuesday. Kentucky (7-0) limited Eastern to just 23.5 percent shooting (4-for-17)

LEXINGTON - Gerald Fitch started the game with four assists in less than six minutes, including a behind-the-back pass to Cliff Hawkins. Midway through the second half Fitch had another memorable six-minute stretch, but this time he had 17 points and hit 3-pointers from each side as well as scoring in transition. "I started kind of slow the first half, but then in the second half I got some open shots and my teammates got me the ball," said Fitch after his 26-point performance led Kentucky to a 101-72 victory over Eastern Kentucky Tuesday night.

LEXINGTON - Officiating is not something Tubby Smith discusses with his players, but he is glad that his team has enough experience to sense how a game is being called. "We don't talk about officiating. We may talk among the coaching staff, but not with the players," said the University of Kentucky coach Tuesday. "Maybe once or twice we might go into an environment where I might be concerned how a game is going to be called or was called previously. But that's it. " Smith knows his team may have to adapt to officiating when NCAA Tournament play begins.

Even with a talented array of freshman guards joining Kentucky this season, senior Josh Carrier never wavered when asked what role fit him best on this year's team. "The coaches talked to Chuck (Hayes) and myself after last season ended and stressed that we had to be a leader this season," Carrier said. "They said it was up to us to show the younger guys what it takes to play the game the right way. The guys that I am competing for playing time with - freshmen Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford and Rajon Rondo along with Patrick Sparks - are as good as advertised.

After enduring a disappointing 13-loss season, Kentucky's senior basketball players had one main reason for their current barnstorming tour across the state. "These games are just a lot of fun. We get to come out and meet a lot of people and see how these fans still support us even though our time at Kentucky is done," said Kentucky senior Brandon Stockton. "These games are one last chance for us to entertain a crowd," Preston LeMaster, another UK senior, said. "It's a lot different than the serious basketball we played our whole careers at Kentucky.

During the last month Kentucky basketball fans have spent almost as much time criticizing Patrick Sparks as they have coach Tubby Smith. While fans questioned Smith's style of play, substitution patterns and overall recruiting ability, many also called for Sparks to take a seat on the bench because of his poor shooting, lack of scoring and questionable decision-making during games. Smith, a coach who often thinks first with his heart and then his brain, never wavered publicly in his support of Sparks and he'll be making his 99th straight collegiate start Saturday when the Wildcats host South Carolina.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky assistant coach Reggie Hanson has a warning for those who think the return of center Randolph Morris is going to immediately change Kentucky's play. Morris can make his season debut Tuesday when the Wildcats host Vanderbilt in their Southeastern Conference opener. Morris, a starter last year as a freshman, missed Kentucky's first 14 games because of a NCAA suspension. "If you expect him to go on the court the first time and make a big, big difference right away, it's just not going to happen," said Hanson.

AUSTIN -- A year ago the last thing Marc Jackson was thinking about was playing another basketball game against Kentucky. He had scored 19 points in a 2003 NCAA Tournament loss to Kentucky. He was Utah's best player in that game in Nashville and even exchanged a few caustic words with Kentucky guard Cliff Hawkins during the game. "Did I? I don't remember that, but it wouldn't surprise me if I did. I am a competitive guy," said Jackson here Thursday. Still, he left the Utah team after the 2002-2003 season because he was tired of playing for Rick Majerus.

LEXINGTON - Tennessee's 23-point loss at Louisville Saturday did nothing to make Kentucky coach Tubby Smith think his sixth-ranked Wildcats will have an easy time tonight in Knoxville. "Tennessee's coming off of a tough loss to a very good Louisville team where they didn't play well the last seven or eight minutes. Otherwise, I thought they played a pretty good game, especially with the loss of (Brandon) Crump early in the game," Smith said Tuesday. The Volunteers had a 53-50 lead midway of the second half before Louisville went on a 24-2 spurt to win the game.

Even with a talented array of freshman guards joining Kentucky this season, senior Josh Carrier never wavered when asked what role fit him best on this year's team. "The coaches talked to Chuck (Hayes) and myself after last season ended and stressed that we had to be a leader this season," Carrier said. "They said it was up to us to show the younger guys what it takes to play the game the right way. The guys that I am competing for playing time with - freshmen Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford and Rajon Rondo along with Patrick Sparks - are as good as advertised.

HARRODSBURG - After spending four years playing basketball for Kentucky, Gerald Fitch has learned he still doesn't fully appreciate the Wildcats' tradition. He got another Big Blue lesson here Monday night when UK's five seniors started a 19-game barnstorming tour by beating a team of 13 46th District seniors 111-71 in front of a capacity crowd at Harrodsburg High School. "This is a different feeling, especially since you are through playing ball for Kentucky," said Fitch, UK's leading scorer last season when the Cats finished 27-5.

LEXINGTON - Erik Daniels won't be playing in the Final Four, but he will be playing in a game at San Antonio this weekend. The University of Kentucky forward was one of 10 seniors selected to participate in the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) All-Star Game Friday against the Harlem Globetrotters. Last year almost 15,000 fans watched the Globetrotters beat the college all-stars 87-85 in overtime during the Final Four weekend in New Orleans. Georgia's Rashad Wright, who helped the Bulldogs beat UK twice during the season, is the only other Southeastern Conference player picked to participate in the game.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - It was a shot Gerald Fitch wanted to take. The University of Kentucky senior knew his dream of winning a national title would be over if he didn't hit the shot, but that never made him doubt he was going to make it. "I had a good look. That is a shot I am supposed to make," said Fitch. "I just didn't make it. " Because he didn't make that 3-point shot, Alabama-Birmingham hung on to upset Kentucky 76-75 in the NCAA Tournament Sunday night. The loss knocked UK, the overall No. 1 seed in the tourney, out of the NCAA and meant Fitch and his senior teammates would leave UK without the national title he so desperately wanted.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - His competitive nature is one of the attributes that makes Cliff Hawkins such a good point guard for Kentucky. It can also be what causes him problems at times. Against Florida A&M Friday, Hawkins seemed to let the Rattlers get to him several times during Kentucky's 96-76 victory. "It was probably a good experience for him," UK assistant Dave Hobbs said. "Teams are going to try and do a lot of things to disrupt, or even intimidate, him. They want to get him off his game.