Randolph Morris

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Joe Crawford scored 23 points and Randolph Morris added 14 points and 10 rebounds as Kentucky defeated Mississippi 68-58 on Saturday in both team's Southeastern Conference opener. Kentucky (12-3, 1-0) extended its winning streak to eight games, limiting Ole Miss to two baskets in the final 12 minutes while wiping out a 53-51 deficit. Ramel Bradley added 13 points and five assists for the Wildcats. Todd Abernethy led Ole Miss (11-4, 0-1) with 17 points while Dwayne Curtis had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

NASHVILLE - Jared Carter did not want to be redshirted his first year in college and told coaches recruiting him that he wanted to play. Despite playing just 86 minutes in 16 games during the season, the University of Kentucky freshman center has no second thoughts about his decision to not redshirt this year. "It's too late to worry about whether not wanting to redshirt was right or wrong," said Carter. "I made my bed. I got in a couple of times and that's an experience in itself I would not trade for anything.

Randolph Morris is going to play for the Atlanta Hawks, but that doesn't mean he couldn't be back at the University of Kentucky next season. The Hawks have Morris on their summer league roster after he accepted the club's offer. The 6-10 center put his name into the NBA draft after finishing his freshman year at Kentucky. However, he was not picked in the June 28 draft. Under NCAA rules, an undrafted player is allowed to petition to return to school within 30 days of the draft as long as he did not sign with an agent.

LEXINGTON - Freshman forward Perry Stevenson made an immediate impact at Kentucky when he blocked 11 shots in his first two collegiate games. However, he has just eight blocks in the 11 games since then and has not blocked more than one shot in any game after the first two. His playing time has also diminished as he has not played over 13 minutes in any of the last seven games and was in for only four minutes in last Saturday's win over Eastern...

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Joe Crawford scored 23 points and Randolph Morris added 14 points and 10 rebounds as Kentucky defeated Mississippi 68-58 on Saturday in both teams' Southeastern Conference opener. Kentucky (12-3, 1-0) extended its winning streak to eight games, limiting Ole Miss to two baskets in the final 12 minutes while wiping out a 53-51 deficit. Ramel Bradley added 13 points and five assists for the Wildcats. Todd Abernethy led Ole Miss (11-4, 0-1) with 17 points while Dwayne Curtis had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

LEXINGTON - On a night when Kentucky paid homage to its graduating seniors, the future of Kentucky basketball stole at least part of the spotlight. Sure, senior Bobby Perry had the game of his dreams with 22 points to lead the Wildcats to a much needed 82-70 victory over Georgia Wednesday that should secure UK's place in the NCAA Tournament. Fellow seniors Sheray Thomas and Lukasz Obrzut played as well as could have been expected - four points and seven rebounds combined. But what mattered most in this game was the way UK's four freshmen - Jodie Meeks, Derrick Jasper, Michael Porter and Perry Stevenson - played.

LEXINGTON - With one swift dunk on the fast break, Kelenna Azubuike may have busted out of his early-season shooting slump. Struggling to find his shot over Kentucky's first two games, and going just 1-for-6 in the first half Friday against Georgia State, the junior forward made six straight shots over the first 5:07 of the second half during a 19-3 run in the Wildcats' 77-59 win at Rupp Arena. "I was looking for anything to get me going. I had a good little streak there," said Azubuike, who tied for game-high honors with 16 points.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky junior guard Joe Crawford has no problem with bigger expectations being placed on him and classmates Randolph Morris and Ramel Bradley this season at Kentucky. In fact, Crawford welcomes the attention he's getting, including that from coach Tubby Smith. "He has put us (the juniors) in more of a leadership role. He has given us the ball. He's talking to us and showing us how to do certain things he wants us to do and telling us what to tell other people.

NASHVILLE - This was supposed to be the easy game, the one Kentucky could use to get acclimated to the Southeastern Conference Tournament atmosphere. As bad as having to play in the tourney's opening round for the first time since 1979 seemed, getting to play Mississippi - a team UK beat 80-40 just a few weeks ago - a lot more bearable. Or that apparently was what most of the Kentucky players figured based on how the Cats played most of the game before pulling out a 71-57 victory Thursday to advance to today's quarterfinal round against Alabama.

LEXINGTON - Perhaps the play that made Kentucky coach Tubby Smith the happiest here Tuesday night was a loose ball scramble. Junior guard Joe Crawford dove on the floor not once, but twice, to get the ball before passing to Randolph Morris for an easy score in UK's 77-61 victory over College of Charleston. Smith said he had challenged Crawford, a junior, to be UK's best defender and reminded him his defense was one reason Smith recruited him. "I told him he had to get more deflections and be a stopper," said Smith.