Hilltopper Notebook: It's Almost Tourney Time!
Both WKU basketball teams have a chance to move up a seed line if things can go right for them. Can the Toppers put themselves in the best position in CUSA?
Western Kentucky Athletics is heading into a pivotal juncture. Conference USA Baseball and Softball is upon us. March Madness is upon us. Even tennis is making waves being in the NCAA rankings, a rare achievement for the Tops over the years.
It’s put up or shut up time. It is time to make a move. WKU Basketball’s men and women have crucial weeks where they need sweeps and help to accomplish their realistic goals. Softball starts conference play this week. Baseball kicks that into gear shortly but not immediately.
It’s going to be an interesting week on campus. Be sure you tune in. We bring snippets for you to wrap your mind around this week.
WKU Basketball Needs a Sweep and Some Help to Steal the Six Seed in CUSA
Tops Looking to Take Step One vs. FIU Thursday at 7 PM on ESPN+
Western Kentucky (16-13 overall, 7-9 CUSA) looks to sweep and get some help in order to find a way into a bye in the CUSA Tournament. All of the valiant effort with an injury laden roster comes down to needing a sweep and getting some help from other CUSA teams.
In order to do that, the first step is beating cellar dweller FIU. FIU is a team that has struggled, but they have played good basketball within the past week. There’s also the fact that FIU blew WKU out with less manpower than the Tops have now. Freshman sensation Julius Thedford was healthy when the Tops were blasted by the Golden Panthers 85-66 in early January.
FIU is talented. They have “Florida talent”, where the entire roster is littered with length and athleticism. Sometimes the fundamentals and the actual basketball skill slacks, but athletic talent is there. On top of that, FIU is a tough place to coach and build a program, but Head Coach Jeremy Ballard, although he has struggled this year, has been there a while and in my opinion has tangibly good things he does with his team.
For a team with a 9-20 overall record, FIU is very competitive. Scoring 70 per game and giving up 72, the Panthers are much better than their record. A 9-20 team that scores is a 9-20 team that could get to ten wins this week. The fact remains, though, that FIU is clearly a matchup issue for WKU. If WKU can take care of its business and play good basketball with energy, they should be ok at home. However, if they take that approach, they better hope they can score some buckets.
It would be massive to get a blowout against FIU and be able to rest for Liberty. The Tops need both in order to get the 6 seed, so it’s an interesting strategy conundrum. Do you go absolutely all-in and beat FIU at all costs? Or do you play the long game and try to hedge your bets, not kill everybody for one victory, and be on the back foot against Liberty? You need all of it with some help, so is it worth it? I’ll be watching the load management against FIU as a big key to the game. Tops vs. FIU Thursday at 7 PM on ESPN+.
~Matt McCay
WKU Hosts Liberty for an Epic Senior Night Matchup, Tops Need This One to Hope for a Bye in CUSA Tourney
Standing near the top of the league with a 23-6 record (11-5 in conference play), if there ever were a clear-cut dark horse to run away with the C-USA Championship, it would be the Flames. Although Jacksonville State is the current favorite, Liberty has proven night in and night out that, as a team, they can battle with the best in the country. They’re looking to add to their postseason resume with a road sweep in the Mid-South, first with a tussle against MTSU on Thursday. Saturday will be a revenge game, as the Tops ran out of Lynchburg with a 73-72 comeback victory on January 2nd (after a 15 point second half comeback).
The Flames have scored approximately 75.4 points per game, closely matching the Tops’ scoring numbers. Both squads are among the top teams in CUSA in scoring. However, Liberty has more advantages among the rest of the league. They currently lead the conference in total field goal percentage, assists, and 297 three-pointers made as a team this season.
Kaden Metheny, Zach Cleveland, Taelon Peter, and Isaiah Ihnen all lead the team in averaging double digits in scoring per game. Although Liberty boasts a deep bench and multiple contributors, the duo of Metheny and Cleveland makes the Flames a tough draw for any opponent. Cleveland is the leading rebounder, getting at least six boards per game and proactive in getting assists for scorers. Metheny is also known throughout league play as a three-point specialist, averaging at least two per game.
During the last five games, Liberty went 4-1, with its only loss being at home on Sunday to Kennesaw State on Senior Day. It also snapped a seven-game CUSA winning streak that had lasted most of February.
~Alex Sherfield
WKU Needs to Sweep and Get Help from UTEP or Sam Houston to Bump up to 6th Seed in CUSA
First, WKU must sweep this week, a tall task in itself. Secondly, the Tops need either La Tech or NMSU to get swept this week. The problem: Both can’t do that because they play each other Thursday. This means whoever loses between those two needs to lose again. La Tech plays UTEP, and NMSU plays SHSU. La Tech is at home, while NMSU plays on the road.
It’s hard to distinguish which of those paths are easiest, but the absolute definite truth is that WKU needs to win its two games and let everyone else settle their business.
Kalambay Expected to Dress and Play, Faye Still Expected to Redshirt, Thedford “Almost Certainly” Will Not Play Rest of Season
Per Hank Plona, Enoch Kalambay has been in practice and is expected to play Thursday against FIU. Babacar Faye seems completely on path to redshirt despite Twitter whisper to the contrary. Julius Thedford looks to be “almost certainly” (Per WKU HC Hank Plona) not able to go within the next couple of weeks. He went on to say he “didn’t want to lie” to us and pretend like it was something different and that it seems like Julius will not be available the rest of the season.
Hank Plona Named Joe B. Hall Award Finalist
Named as one of the final 16 candidates as the top first year head coach in college basketball, WKU Head Coach Hank Plona has done a remarkable job below the surface. On the surface, he took over a program that just won a championship, so why the downturn? However, Plona’s squad was hampered from the start with a handful of injured players to start the season. Then three more have become injured or announced injury during the season. Still other have missed due to random afflictions, be it personal issues or minor injuries.
Despite the bumps, WKU is competitive and will finish with a winning record this season when many coaches would have had every excuse in the world to not even get to double digit wins. Somehow, the Tops have cobbled together a decent season, and if no one else, the Joe B. Hall Award committee has seen enough to know that he’s done a whale of a job.
Humorously, when asked about it in his weekly press conference, Hank joked that “there must not have been very many (first year head coaches)”. He went on to say that he’s not focused on any kind of reflection, that he holds himself to a higher standard than a winning season, and that he plans on winning “5 or 6 more games” before the Tops are done.
Lady Toppers Still in Contention for Second Seed
Lady Toppers Travel to FIU (11-16) on Thursday at 6:30
FIU currently sits in 6th place trying to win their way into a higher position by the start of the CUSA Tournament. The Panthers were able to win at WKU 80-79 in the first week of the CUSA season on the backs of Parris Atkins, Angena Belloso, and former Lady Topper Aaliyah Pitts.
Florida International is led by Isnelle Natabou averaging 14.0 points and 7 rebounds, and Parris Atkins averaging 13.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. The team averages 65.2 points, 35.2 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 9.0 steals, but give up 23.2 turnovers per contest. For FIU to win again, they need to find a way to keep WKU from having four or more players in double figures as that has been Western’s road to victory over the past few games.
Western Looks for the #2 Seed with a Win Against Liberty (21-6) at 1pm
Liberty currently holds the #2 seed in CUSA behind MTSU by one game and is seeking to win both games (MTSU and WKU) this week and take over the #1 seed. MTSU won their first matchup with Liberty 69-41 and looks to win another CUSA regular season. Liberty must win one of the games this week or they will fall into the #3 seed behind the Lady Toppers, assuming the Lady Toppers beat FIU, as well. What more could the conference wish that for the top of the conference to square off this week?
The Liberty Flames are led by Bella Smuda who averages 11.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Asia Boone and Emma Hess add 10 points per game each. The Flames average 72.4 points, 39 rebounds, 15.5 assists, and 6.6 steals per game, so they are a formidable team and have a good chance to win both games this week. They seem to match up pretty well with the Lady Tops in recent history and just need to do what they have been doing at home…win. It’s a tall task to take down Liberty at Liberty, but the Lady Tops have been playing really good basketball of late and seem locked in and ready to go fight for it in Huntsville.
Player Spotlight of the Week - Acacia Hayes #10
Acacia Hayes is a 5’7” junior guard from Murfreesboro, TN. Acacia has appeared in 26 of the 28 games this season and averages 11.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Hayes is an integral part of the Lady Toppers squad since arriving in 2022 as was obvious after being injured much of 2023-2024 season and the team struggled in her absence.
Acacia brings an uncanny athleticism, the ability to score from anywhere on the court, and plays great defense also. She is a key player heading into the last week of conference play and into the CUSA Tournament.
WKU Olympic Sports Update
WKU Tennis hosts FIU Friday, Murray State and Tennessee State Sunday
Lady Topper Softball starts CUSA Play at Sam Houston this weekend.
WKU Baseball is at UNC Asheville this weekend looking to improve its sparkling 11-1 record.
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