COLUMBUS - Tony Bobbitt was determined to win the game, or lose it.
Fortunately for Cincinnati, the senior guard hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with 16.1 seconds left yesterday, and the fourth-seeded Bearcats escaped with an 80-77 victory over 13th-seeded East Tennessee State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“I ve got teammates who want me to shoot the ball,” Bobbitt said. “I had a good look. I had to take it.”
Bobbitt, who also hit a last-second 3-pointer to help Cincinnati (25-6) earn a share of the Conference USA regular-season title, got East Tennessee s James Anthony off his feet before hitting the game-winning shot at Nationwide Arena.
“We re always taught to pump-fake, get him in the air and shoot with confidence,” said Bobbitt, who hit five 3-pointers and scored 15 points. “That s what happened.”
East Tennessee point guard Tim Smith, the smallest player on the floor at 5-9, was a bit too strong with a driving layup with 12 seconds left.
“The lane was open and I just missed it,” Smith said.
And then the Buccaneers (27-6) missed two follow-up two-point shots before Jason Maxiell got the rebound to clinch the win for the Bearcats, sparing Cincinnati another quick exit from the tournament.
“As long as they were shooting from where they were, I was all right with it,” Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said. “We were still going to be up one. Those shots weren t going to beat us.”
Smith ended with a game-high 26 points and left many gasping on the court and in the crowd of 19,588 with his jaw-dropping quick moves.
“You can t really contain him,” said Cincinnati guard Field Williams, who had 19 points. “He s so fast. He s like Michael Vick with the basketball.”
There were eight ties and four lead changes in the second half, when East Tennessee State led by as many as three.
A year ago, the Buccaneers nearly upset No. 2 seed Wake Forest in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Smith shot an airball on a 3-point attempt that would have put them ahead in the closing seconds of that one.
“We re a pretty sick bunch right now,” East Tennessee coach Murry Bartow said. “We just really believed we could win.”
The Bearcats, who have failed to make it past the first weekend of the tournament six of the last seven years, will play Big Ten regular-season champion Illinois (25-6) in the second round of the Atlanta Regional tomorrow.
They will face another quick guard in Dee Brown, who scored 21 points in the fifth-seeded Illini s 72-53 first-round victory over 12th-seeded Murray State yesterday. The Bearcats have had trouble stopping quick guards all season.
“Dee s really fast,” Huggins said. “I hope he s not that fast.”
KENTUCKY 96, FLORIDA A&M 76
Gerald Fitch scored 26 points and the top-seeded Wildcats advanced to the second round.
It was anything but easy for the Wildcats (27-4), who didn t lock up their 13th straight first-round win until midway through the second half against the Rattlers (15-17).
For nearly 30 minutes, Florida A&M s unheralded players went toe-to-toe with the powerful Wildcats.
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament champions shot with them, rebounded with them, and even jawed a little bit with their SEC counterparts.
The Rattlers were within 10 at 77-67 with 9:41 remaining before Kentucky embarked on a 15-2 run that gave them some breathing room and made the final score more lopsided than the game really was.
Florida A&M s loss dropped No. 16 seeds to 0-80 since the tournament expanded in 1985, but the Rattlers made it fun for their fans as long as they could.
Chuck Hayes had 12 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for Kentucky, the tourney s top seed for the second straight year and ninth time since 1979.
Terrence Woods finished with 24 points and Demarcus Wilkins 16 for the Rattlers, who stayed close by making eight 3-pointers in the first half.
Making eight 3-pointers, shooting 55 percent overall, and taking it right at Kentucky, Florida A&M only trailed 60-52 at halftime.
ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM 102, WASHINGTON 100
Demario Eddins scored a career-high 26 points and made the decisive plays in the closing seconds to lead Alabama-Birmingham.
Eddins took a charge that negated a basket, hit two free throws with 16.2 seconds left, and blocked a shot, sending the Blazers (21-9) to their first tournament victory since 1986.
With former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson trying to direct defense from the stands - UAB coach Mike Anderson was his assistant for 20 years- the Blazers held on.
Maurice Finley hit a free throw with 1.3 seconds left for the final margin, then missed his second attempt. Brandon Roy got the rebound and made a full-court heave that bounced off the top of the backboard.
First Published March 20, 2004, 11:56 a.m.
