Lady Topper Hoops: What If…?
What if…
What if…
What if the Lady Tops from Western Kentucky had found a way to maintain their lead against Iowa instead of letting it go to overtime?
What if they had actually taken the lead against Notre Dame?
What if the Lady Tops held their last minute lead against Indiana?
The Lady Toppers have been impressive in their first six games. As a mid-major that hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game in nearly two decades, WKU should not be looking completely equal with teams that could make deep runs in the Big Dance.
However, despite the impressive string of performances, the Tops ultimately sit with a 3–3 record in their first six games. WKU came out of the gate in the Iowa Hawkeye Challenge, took a ten point first half lead and held on for dear life against the 16th ranked Missouri Tigers.
Then came the Iowa Hawkeyes on their home court. In a back-and-forth game, WKU led most of the way, but at the end of each quarter, Iowa would find a way to keep it within three points after each frame. Ultimately, they got off to a good start in overtime and pulled away with ease in the final few minutes.
Enter the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Top 10 Irish side came into Diddle Arena and WKU fans hoped for a game. They got more than they asked for; Notre Dame was in control, but the lead never got more than 10 until the last five minutes of the game. This was a truly amazing performance against a team that has made five of the past seven Final Fours and is expected to come close once again.
The Tops hit the road to Indiana the Friday before Thanksgiving and it was more of the same. WKU actually had a 12-point lead in the second quarter before Indiana quickly turned it around, outscoring WKU 38–15 from that point until the end of the third quarter. Down by as many as 15, WKU stormed back in the fourth quarter with help from youngsters Whitney Creech and Raneem Elgedawy to take a lead with 2:19 left. WKU ultimately succumbed to Indiana by two on a 5–0 Hoosiers spurt to end the game.
WKU most recently just won the Georgia State Invitational, defeating preseason SoCon favorite, Mercer, and host Georgia State in a tough road test in tight back-and-forth affairs.
Despite a 1–3 record at the time of the Week 3 AP Top 25, the Lady Toppers still received two votes. They did not receive any votes in the Week 4 AP poll, published Monday.
So how good are the Lady Toppers? By the eye test, they’re obviously very good. However, they’re going to have to prove it with the rest of their schedule. Conference USA looks to be loaded, and MTSU seems to be as good as the Lady Toppers are.
By no means is it a shame to go 1–3 against high quality programs, but the fact that WKU has had a ten (or more) point lead in three of their games against Power 5 competition stings. The Lady Toppers are absolutely fine, and with their current level of play, they probably shouldn’t lose more than one or two games. That’s incredibly difficult to do, but they are certainly loaded. Most likely, they will need to win the Conference USA Tournament at the end of the year if they perform at a realistic level.
What if, what if, what if…?
They may not get another chance to prove it until the NCAA Tournament, but the WKU Lady Toppers will have the best chance they’ve had in a long time to make some noise in the Big Dance.
Next Time Out
The Lady Toppers take on the Evansville Purple Aces (2–2) Thursday at 7 p.m. CT in the friendly confines of Diddle Arena. In a week full of Topper action, the Lady Toppers look to impress against another team they should handle.
This weekend, WKU didn’t look invincible against two presumably inferior opponents. Since WKU has played six games, it is concerning that they have not been able to stop opponents, giving up 76 points per game.
After this match-up with Evansville, WKU takes an exceedingly long break until December 10th, when they begin their final tune-up games before Conference USA Basketball starts.