Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Sun Belt Conference (15-18, 7-9)
It wasn’t exactly Connecticut’s 2011 run. Western Kentucky (15-18 on the season) won four games in four days in the Sun Belt conference tournament to win an NCAA Tournament bid. This sort of thing cannot happen in collegiate football where Cinderella runs are thrown out for computerized powerhouse matchups. And yet, is that totally a bad thing? Western Kentucky was not good this season. Did they “deserve” to make the Big Dance at all? Without question, they are not one of the 68 best teams in the country. It is arguable whether they are even in the top 150. In all likelihood, they will lose their first game of March Madness and head back to the hills yet, does that make a difference? A rather impressive conference run took them all the way to a conference championship and an NCAA berth: a just reward perhaps.
Big Wins: 11/14 Tennessee State (52-49), 2/25 Middle Tennessee (73-67), 3/5 vs Denver (67-63)
Bad Losses: 12/17 Furman (63-76), 12/31 Florida International (63-81), 1/7 Troy (65-67)
Coach: Ray Harper(1 season at Western Kentucky)
Why They Can Surprise:
There were two running themes throughout the Hilltoppers’ conference tournament games. They out-rebounded their opponents, oftentimes convincingly. And they got to the free throw line…a ton. They did not always make a vast majority of their attempts but Western Kentucky definitely got to the line. This stays consistent with what enabled the Hilltoppers to win during the regular season. They were a serviceable rebounding team, especially on the offensive end. The team’s two leading scorers, Derrick Gordon and George Fant, also happen to be one and two on the team in rebounds. They have each collected 60+ offensive boards this year to go along with their work on the defensive glass. Western Kentucky has also been great at getting to the line all year long. Just as in their tournament run, WKU ranked near the top of their conference and the nation in free throw attempts and free throws made. Derrick Gordon, just a freshman, led the team in these categories as well, topping off a fantastic first season for the guard.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Grabbing rebounds and getting to the foul line are vital skills. They are even more important though when a team cannot shoot. Western Kentucky had the worst field goal percentage in the conference and one of the very worst marks in the entire nation. They shoot a ton, which leads to more misses obviously; however, there must be some restraint used to maximize a team’s efficiency. The Hilltoppers finished number one in the Sun Belt in possessions this season (aided by the few extra games played) but ranked 11th out of 12 in points per possession. They also have one of the worst assist to turnover ratios in the country. The swing players here happen to be WKU most important players once again. Gordon, the starting guard, shoots very poorly from the field and averages more turnovers than assists. Fant, second on the team in both points and rebounds, is even worse with the ball, having more than double the turnovers as assists on the year.
Probable Starters:
Jamal Crook, Junior, Guard, 8.6 ppg, 2.7 apg
Derrick Gordon, Freshman, Guard, 11.8 ppg, 2.1 apg, 6.7 rpg
T.J. Price, Freshman, Guard, 8.5 ppg, 1.9 apg, 4.2 rpg
George Fant, Freshman, Forward, 10.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Teeng Akol, Junior, Center, 6.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
O’Karo Akamune, Sophomore, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Kahlil McDonald, Senior, Guard, 8.5 ppg, 1.4 apg
Nigel Snipes, Freshman, Forward, 3.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Vinny Zollo, Freshman, Forward, 3.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 64.7 (243rd in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.1 (206, 9)
Field-Goal Percentage: 39.2 (325, 12)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.0 (166, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.7 (209, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.3 (276, 9)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.7 (190, 6)
Rebound Margin: -0.4 (201, 6)
Assists Per Game: 11.2 (285, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.2 (289, 10)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Western Kentucky 2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Illinois
Western Kentucky 2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Gonzaga
Western Kentucky 2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Drake
Western Kentucky 2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over San Diego
Western Kentucky 2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to UCLA
Western Kentucky 2006 NIT First Round loss to South Carolina
Western Kentucky 2005 NIT Opening round win over Kent State
Western Kentucky 2005 NIT First round loss to Wichita State
Western Kentucky 2003 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Illinois
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
