~STORY OF THE WEEK~

KENTUCKY WILDCATS WIN TITLE

CLASSIC BATTLE ENDS WITH CELEBRATION IN LEXINGTON

The Kentucky Wildcats have rewarded their faithful by adding a Southeastern Conference tournament title to go with their regular season title. Two down, one to go? John Wall scored seven of his 15 points in overtime, and No. 2 Kentucky rallied from five down with 2:28 left in regulation to beat Mississippi State 75-74 on Sunday. It was the Wildcats' 26th Southeastern Conference tournament championship and gave them the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament they didn't need.The Wildcats (32-2) blew earlier chances with their fabulous freshmen Wall and DeMarcus Cousins missing free throws and making youthful mistakes. But they came through over the defending tourney champs as Cousins' layup off Wall's missed 3-pointer from the right corner beat the regulation buzzer to give them some extra time.Now Kentucky can celebrate its first SEC tournament title since 2004, ending an interminable drought for their fans who now expect another national championship.Mississippi State (23-11) lost for the second time to the Wildcats this season after leading late in regulation. The Bulldogs blew a seven-point lead on Feb. 16, and lost that game 81-75 in overtime.This time, the Bulldogs led 62-57 on Ravern Johnson's 3 with 2:28 left. That set up a furious finish to a game that had gone back and forth from the opening tip.Barry Stewart, a senior from nearby Shelbyville, Tenn., hit both free throws with 8.2 seconds left to push the Bulldogs 'lead to 64-61. He fouled out, sending Bledsoe to the free throw line. He hit the first, missed the second and Wall's 3-point attempt was short. But Cousins put it back, getting the shot off before the buzzer.Officials immediately signaled that the shot counted, and Wall and Cousins slammed to the court near the press table celebrating with their teammates piling on as if they had won the game. They finally went back to the bench while officials reviewed the play.As the Bulldogs slumped and Kentucky celebrated, overtime seemed destined to go the Wildcats' way. Even then, it wasn't easy.Bledsoe's jumper put them ahead to stay at 71-69 with 1:20 left, and Wall's lone 3-pointer of the game pushed it to 74-71 with 26 seconds remaining. Cousins hit two free throws with 5 seconds to go that wound up the winning margin as Riley Benock hit a 3 just before the buzzer to start the celebration fans had been waiting for since Calipari was hired last spring. It was the first time since 1952 that the SEC championship had been decided by one point. (NY Times)