Lady Topper Hoops: First Semester Grades

Western Kentucky women’s basketball has become a staple atop Conference USA’s standings. However, after a few games early in the season in…

Western Kentucky women’s basketball has become a staple atop Conference USA’s standings. However, after a few games early in the season in which the Topper defense was sliced historically often, the Lady Toppers look like a dangerous team once again. However, inconsistency struck again when WKU (5–7) lost to Ball State (3–7) in front of 715 fans in the second half of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon.

After starting 0–4 and giving up no less than 90 in each game, WKU won five of seven games, allowing no more than 76 in those seven contests. Western has tightened its defense down from allowing an average well above 90, dropping the average well below 80. Seemingly taking a step back, the Lady Tops once again allowed 86 against Ball State, a team that averages a horrifying 60.8 points per game and was yet to score above 75 in nine previous games.

Thankfully for the Tops, this end-of-semester exam is cumulative. One game does not define a season, and neither do 12. However, I’ll give you an idea of where the Lady Toppers stand heading into a massive opportunity against 2nd-ranked Notre Dame in South Bend Wednesday.

Game-By-Game Grades

vs. West Virginia State W 104–74 (Exh): C+

Western left fans feeling pretty decent and scored a lot of points in its lone exhibition, but frankly, it was obvious WKU was going to be deficient defensively in the beginning of the season.

vs. Louisville, L 80–102: B

WKU fought valiantly against a team that just went to the Final Four. The band finally snapped in the third quarter, but once again, WKU showed an inability to defend. It was still a great effort to put up 80 on Louisville.

at Oklahoma, L 83–90: B-

WKU hung in with a Power Five opponent on the road, albeit one that should be a bubble team at year’s end. Still, OU completely controlled the game, and WKU gave up 90. Meh.

vs. Iowa, L 67–104: D+

Once again, WKU faces a massive opponent and struggles, this time surrendering 104, and WKU played well in the fourth quarter to hold the Hawkeyes under 105. For the first time in the short season, WKU was held well under 80, as well.

at Central Michigan, L 90–108: D

This is where the alarm bells really began ringing for Lady Topper fans. Now, before someone has a meltdown, yes, CMU did indeed make the Sweet 16 last year. However, giving up 108 points was absolutely horrifying, especially after having already given up at least 90 in each regular season game. Additionally, from the eye test, WKU seemed a battered and bruised team psychologically.

vs. Southern Illinois, W 83–76: C+

WKU finally gets off the schneid here, albeit in unconvincing fashion. Judging by the reaction to this victory, the Lady Toppers were obviously just starving for confidence. This win helped get the Tops rolling. This game included, Western rattled off a 5–2 record over its next seven games.

vs. Oregon State (in Vancouver), L 60–74: A-

The Lady Toppers finally, tangibly played defense. Oregon State blitzed the Toppers last season in the NCAA Tournament, winning by 24 on its way to the Elite Eight as a sixth seed. WKU gave OSU a game this season, and held the Beavers below any other opponent’s scoring total to that point in 2018–19. This was a deeply encouraging result.

vs. ETSU (in Vancouver), W 82–68: B

Here we go, Tops! Finally showing some life, WKU handles an opponent in a strange environment and wins by double digits. ETSU has some good recent tradition, but is not a great team this year. However, any win was a good win, and WKU has now won two of three.

vs. Gonzaga (in Vancouver), L 55–76: C+

In a semi-road game, Western faced the Gonzaga Bulldogs within a few hundred miles of its campus. Gonzaga women’s basketball has a rich recent tradition, winning games in the NCAA Tournament in recent memory. The main takeaway from this game was WKU had its first game of the season they could not produce the offense, and the defense, despite a difficult time offensively, showed up and held a high powered offense to a respectable output. If the Topper offensive output was nicer, this grade would be much higher. The margin was much uglier than the game itself. This was a decent performance.

vs. Morgan State, W 90–43: A

Finally, the Lady Toppers looked like they were getting into their groove. Everything about this game was nice. The Lady Toppers had their way with Morgan State, holding their first opponent of the year under 68 points and tying the highest offensive output for the season.

at UALR, W 68–56: A+

Going on the road and winning is a good win, but winning by double digits against a preseason conference favorite and perennial mid-major power in UALR is extra impressive. Given the defensive struggles of the year, this performance was stellar.

vs. Bellarmine, W 95–57: B-

Bellarmine was a game opponent for the first 15 minutes, before the Lady Tops seized control and cruised to an easy victory against the scrappy program from Louisville.

vs. Ball State, L 83–86: D

Most recently, the Lady Tops returned to action after final exams, hoping to take down another perennial Power Five power in Ball State. BSU has not been as impressive this year as in recent years, but the Cardinals are a legitimate contender in the MAC. After convincing fans the Toppers were going to at least try to play some defense, the Lady Toppers returned to their fickle ways, allowing 86 points against a team that likes to play half-court offense. Including this most recent explosion, Ball State averages less than 61 points per game.

Overall, the Lady Tops were outshot, outrebounded, outhustled, and plain outplayed by a team that should have ultimately been a win on most nights. Ball State was allowed to shoot 53% from the floor and 44% from behind the arc, including Ball State’s best player being allowed to go for a double-double on 67% shooting.

Overall: C

The Lady Toppers started out frankly looking hideous to start the year, giving up at least 90 points a game, but the Tops have lowered the defensive points per game by 20 points over the past eight games.

Are the Lady Toppers going to keep on doing what they do, winning championships and dominating Conference USA, or are the Tops about to come crashing back to Earth?

The Lady Toppers have surely improved since their first jaunt into a Power Five arena, but by how much? We’ll see by how much when they take on Notre Dame Wednesday the 19th at 6 P.M.