Wildcats outscore Hoosiers 38-10 in paint

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Kentucky's version of the 'Empire State Building' and his fellow skycrapers towered over the Hoosier big men in the Wildcats' 73-58 victory Saturday in Freedom Hall.\nThat famous building comparison was IU coach Mike Davis talking about 7-foot-3-inch Wildcat junior center Shagari Alleyne. Alleyne, senior Chuck Hayes and freshman Randolph Morris led Kentucky's inside charge by outscoring IU 38-10 in the paint while paving the way for the Wildcats' win.\nIt didn't matter who the Hoosiers threw at Kentucky's big men. A mixture of D.J. White, Pat Ewing Jr., Mike Roberts, James Hardy and Sean Kline couldn't slow down Hayes and Co.\n"Their inside play was just too strong for us," Davis said. "When we scored, they did a great job of going inside to their post guys."\nAlleyne, who was averaging 6.3 points per game heading into Saturday's game, scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds and rejected four shots. The freshman Morris scored 11 points. \nBut the group was led by Hayes -- who has never lost to IU in his four years at UK. Hayes tallied 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.\nKentucky coach Tubby Smith said his post players were the difference as all three scored in double-figures while IU had only one scorer in double-digits with junior Bracey Wright's 31 points.\n"I thought Chuck Hayes presence inside was a real force," Smith said. "We went to a different alignment in our offensive set and I think that made a difference keeping our post people closer to the basket. That was the difference."\nWhile Kentucky had a plan to go inside to take advantage of the young Hoosier front line, IU had a plan to stop that advance, but the Hoosiers just couldn't execute it. The Hoosiers double-teamed Kentucky's big men often when they caught the ball in the post, but most times the Wildcats went over the double-teams or around them.\nWith UK leading 33-24 at half time, the Wildcats' big three scored nine-straight UK points to lead 42-34 with 12:12 to go in the second half. Two baskets resulting in four of UK's nine points to begin the second half showcased IU's lack of an inside presence. On back-to-back possessions, Hayes and Morris found each other for dunks when IU double-teamed UK. \nFirst, Hayes passed around a double-team for a dunk by Morris. Then, on the next possession, Morris passed around a double-team to Hayes for a two-handed slam.\nTwo of the four of Alleyne's baskets were dunks and the UK big men tallied five of the Wildcat's 17 assists for the game.\nMeanwhile, the Hoosiers looked at each other in disbelief as their defensive rotations couldn't catch-up.\nHardy was one of those Hoosiers on the floor. He said it wasn't one Hoosier missing the rotation -- it was the whole team's fault.\n"We were firing big to big," Hardy said. "A couple of times the guard didn't drop. You really can't blame it on them because the trappers should've gotten close enough to where he couldn't even see the back side. As a team, it's a problem -- it's not one individual."\nWright said he was surprised at Alleyne's soft-touch from the free-line -- a uncharacteristic trait for a 7-foot-3 player, Wright said. \nMeanwhile, Alleyne might have a new nick-name in 'Empire State Building.' He does hail from the Bronx, N.Y.\n"He was big. He controlled the paint. He dominated inside," Wright said. "That's what a 7-foot-3-inch guy is supposed to do."\n-- Contact sports editor John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.