BBN Jam Sweet 16: (1993) Mashburn & Ford vs. (1997) Mercer & Epps

KSR’s BBN Jam Tournament is pitting two of the best teams from the 90s to not win a championship against one another.

In 1993 Jamal Mashburn was a consensus First Team All-American. With the help of Travis Ford, who set a new UK record for three-pointers made in a single season, the Wildcats went to the Final Four for the first time under Rick Pitino, eventually falling to the Fab Five in the national semifinals.

Four years later Kentucky was on the verge of winning back-to-back titles, until Derek Anderson injured his knee. Anderson and Ron Mercer were the “Jordan-Pippen” of college basketball, but UK fans only got to see it for two months of the season. Mercer carried the torch admirably with help from a talented cast of characters, most notably point guard Anthony Epps, whose three-pointer in the National Championship Game forced overtime. Unfortunately, after five additional minutes Arizona was victorious.

TALE OF THE TAPE

You might not find a more evenly matched game in the Sweet 16 of this tournament.

At point guard, Anthony Epps was a defensive dog that could use his physicality to disrupt Ford’s ability to get into a shooting rhythm. On the other end, Epps did not have the speed and explosiveness that would have caused fits for Ford.

As good as Mashburn was at UK, Mercer’s ’97 season rivaled the best of the best. Just like Mashburn, Mercer was a lengthy forward that could score from just about anywhere on the floor. The one part of his game that may cost Mercer is his play in the post. Mashburn could use his physicality to out-muscle his opponent in the paint.