Kentucky 83, Valparaiso 68

ST. LOUIS, March 14 (UPI) -- Keith Bogans scored 21 points Thursday as fourth-seeded Kentucky opened a huge lead and never looked back to eliminate No. 13 Valparaiso, 83-68, in an NCAA Tournament, East Region first-round matchup.

The Wildcats were coming off a listless loss to South Carolina in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament, but was ready to play Thursday while improving to 21-9.

Kentucky guard Gerald Fitch did not play in the SEC tournament contest, serving his third suspension of the year for missing curfew.

There were no signs of any trouble on Thursday as Tayshaun Prince's three-point play gave the Wildcats a 20-11 lead with 10:24 left in the first half. Valparaiso (25-8) scored the next five points before Kentucky took complete control.

Prince capped a 10-0 run with a basket for a 30-16 lead and Bogans made a three-pointer for a 41-21 cushion with 1:26 remaining.

"It was a good all-around game, a good balance game," Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. "We were shooting the ball well. We did those things that I thought were effective."

Bogans led the Wildcats in scoring last season, but had been mired in a season-long slump, averaging only 10.9 points. But the junior guard made six of 10 shots, including four three-pointers.

"I always go into games thinking I'm going to have a good shooting day," Bogans said. "This shows what type of team we can be when we show up for 40 minutes."

Valparaiso got within 72-62 with a 9-0 run, but Bogans converted a pair of foul shots with just over two minutes left to end the streak.

Prince scored 13 points and Marquis Estill netted 12 while making five of six shots. Bogans added six rebounds as the Wildcats held a 40-32 edge on the glass.

Raitis Grafs led the Crusaders with 21 points. Leading scorer Lubos Barton, who entered averaging 15.2 points, was could not get untracked and had just 10 points. He was held to two points in the first half while going up against Prince.

"He forced me to drive inside and every time I threw up the ball, I had my shots contested," Barton said. "He's not as quick as me, but with his long arms he can step back a little and still contest my shots."

Kentucky's pressure defense unnerved the experienced Crusaders, who committed 19 turnovers. Barton had five miscues and made just two of nine shots.

"Those 19 turnovers were a result of Kentucky's good pressure game," Crusaders coach Homer Drew said. "They have great pressure on the ball and (Cliff) Hawkins is one of the best defensive players we've seen all year."

Prince, a senior forward, missed all six three-point attempts and made just five of 14 shots overall.

Fitch came off the bench to score six points and record four steals in 20 minutes.

"This was the toughest season I've had in more than 20 years of coaching," Smith said. "I am confident in who I am, having confidence in my players, making the sacrifices as a team. I can't say enough about these young men."

Valparaiso, which made its sixth NCAA appearance in seven years, finished the season with a school-record 25 victories.