WKU Basketball: Grading the Tops' 78-59 Win at Charlotte

How did WKU end a five game losing streak in such emphatic fashion?

Finally.

Since beating Rice on January 13, WKU has been in a tailspin, losing to five opponents in a row. The loss to North Texas by five was not that big of a deal. But losing to FAU handily? FIU scoring 86 en route to the victory? Then WKU comes home. Surely WKU can get one of two of those. Nope. WKU plays as well as it has all season defensively and still loses on a last second shot to one of the three best teams in the league. Then Western really squashed any excuse, losing to an MTSU team that supposedly couldn’t score by giving up 93 points.

So WKU came into this game against Charlotte—who was sitting at 4-3 in conference and plenty capable of beating anyone in C-USA—favored by a couple of points and not one Western fan or probably even Rick Stansbury himself felt like WKU was for sure just going to waltz in and blow out Charlotte.

But sure enough, for the most part, WKU dominated from the very beginning, up 24 at halftime, and Charlotte didn’t eclipse the Tops’ halftime score until nearly ten minutes left in the game. By that point, to Charlotte’s credit, the 49ers had cut the Topper lead of 24 in half to 12 at 56-44. But then again, to WKU’s credit, they never let Charlotte get close enough to make them sweat, and WKU rolled a 19 point victory in a laugher.

So what helped WKU be so dominant?

Grading the Keys to Victory

Focus on You: A-

I’d say the first half of this game was absolute focus by WKU. You can’t get much better than 43-19 in 20 minutes. However, most of that lead was built in the first few minutes and WKU tread water the rest of the game. Sure, Charlotte woke up and they were at home, so they were going to fight more than they might have on the road. But there was still room for a little better despite it all. What do great teams do? They get huge leads and they keep them. Or when the other team makes a quick run, they make a huge run back and you put in your scrubs and we all move on to the next game. But that didn’t quite happen. I’m nitpicking here, because this was a great performance. However, if WKU would have done that, perhaps Rick Stansbury would have felt more comfortable sitting his starters and putting in some guys that don’t get too many minutes, building his depth and possibly finding someone who could be “trusted” enough to play a few minutes a game consistently. There was enough room to clean up a few more things or simply continue executing at a similar level and this game would’ve been noticed by anyone who looked at this score on their app at home. Now it’s just another C-USA game. It’s not quite the statement WKU could have used, but it’ll do. The main thing was win and not have to sweat it at the end. That happened.

Do it for Rick: A+

There’s no question this team was motivated and ready to play. What was their motivation? I don’t know, but whatever it was had them on fire from the very beginning. If this team shows up every game, watch out C-USA. The ESPN+ announcers (who are hired by the home team) were essentially marveling at how talented WKU was. That’s a sign of the massive underachievement so far. This team has so much potential. Their game against ODU, they are now an ever-so-slight favorite according to ESPN’s BPI. And they will likely be favored in every game for the rest of the season if they play up to their capability.

Do it for Each Other: A+

The first three points were about motivation, but they played as a cohesive unit. They played hard. They went after shooters all game. They went after loose balls and made hustle plays. They tipped it when they couldn’t grab it with two hands. They did have some defensive rebounding lapses where Charlotte was allowed in there to get a few crucial rebounds, but ultimately, they played hard, together, and tough. That’s what you want and you can live with the results afterwards.

Play Your Style: B+

I think the first half of the game was WKU Basketball. Without question. WKU even pressed a little bit, played some intense defense, and made Charlotte’s life miserable. That’s the style everyone falls in love with. It was exciting, and it was thrilling watching the opponent panic and throw the ball into the bleachers under immense pressure. But I think that style waned a little bit the last few minutes of the second half, as well as most of the second half, as well. Jamarion Sharp has mysteriously disappeared off of the main part of the rotation, and he only played 14 minutes this game. Rick is “going small” in the second half and leaving his five main players out to cook for nearly the entire second half. I don’t think that’s a good move for a variety of reasons. I understand he had some foul trouble, but he’s still important to plug in for at least half of the game, and I think 14 minutes is a little bit tough on the kid. Unless there’s something we don’t know, he could have played the last few minutes of the game to get some running in and maybe get a dose of confidence back. And if he fouled out, so what? Then you could just play another sub. But I think WKU got away from the massive amount of intensity in the second half and allowed Charlotte to dictate the game a little bit. WKU’s scoring was significantly less, only scoring about their average (76) instead of climbing way up into the 80s after being on pace for nearly 90 after the first 20 minutes. But this was as a whole a WKU pace and Charlotte just couldn’t keep up.

Adjust the Scouting Report: C

I’d say WKU found ways to continue to be good enough throughout this game. Rick Stansbury came out with obviously a great game plan, WKU was focused, and they attacked at every moment, especially for the first 15 minutes. But what happened to end the first half and pretty much all of the second? Charlotte was the better team for about 15 minutes. Fortunately for WKU, Western was the overwhelmingly better team the other 25. But I don’t think WKU did much to change what they were doing early in the game.

I loved the fact that Western came after Charlotte a little bit. The Tops didn’t just sit back in a 2-3 or soft man-to-man and hope Charlotte didn’t use their system well enough to score an easy bucket. Josh Anderson was allowed to roam at will, and what resulted? Five steals and at one point a ten point explosion on his own. But in terms of adjustments, what did WKU do differently to expand the lead? What did WKU do to quell the 49ers run? Honestly, it was just plugging away and hitting some shots. Western has this ability to explode and they just happened to explode at the right moment when Charlotte cut it to 12 in the middle of the second half.

But I don’t think it was anything in particular that you could to and say, “Wow that adjustment they did really stemmed the tide!” It was just luck and skill by the players on the court, in my opinion. This isn’t a failing grade, because I do think Rick did a few things well this game. But I think this would be more of a fail if circumstance hadn’t fallen in the favor of the Tops. Charlotte went cold at the exact moment WKU did when the lead was in the teens, or that game could’ve been strikingly different. If Charlotte had scored on a few possessions there, we would have had to see if Rick Stansbury did anything to win the game. Without question, his players won this game and he pushed the right buttons from the beginning. Adjustments? I’d like to hear from someone who can point out impressive adjustment WKU made in the second half. I didn’t really see any.

Grading the Players

Dayvion McKnight: B+

It wasn’t Dayv’s best game, and it certainly wasn’t up to the 20+ with a guaranteed littering of other stats standard of late. But he basically got his average in everything and kept the turnovers down to one. Actually, I’m bumping him up from a B to a B+ for sure. That’s a really nice game. In a game where he didn’t have to be “the man”, he wasn’t. He let his other teammates compliment. That’s exactly what you want from a point guard. He averages 16-6-6-1 (steals) and went 14-5-5-2. So he was productive once again and played his role this game while Justice and Anderson took the spotlight. He still was great and did his work only getting nine shots off.

Camron Justice: A

One of the two stars of the game, when Cam Justice is on fire, WKU is hard to beat. Sadly, I was looking for an earth shattering stat to show how important Cam is, but WKU is only 5-4 when he score above his average. However, when I break it down a little further, I imagine how worse WKU could have been without him. Imagine if Cam Justice hadn’t magically been approved for another year. This team would be utterly screwed. I’d like to see his assist numbers a little higher than two per game, or I’d like to see him keep his turnovers at minimum (two this game). Either/or is fine, but a 1:1 turnover ratio from an experienced guard barely taller than 6’ is a bit of a negative. Other than that little nitpick, perfect game from Justice.

Luke Frampton: B+

This was a nice game from Luke. He still did his disappearing act that I’ve talked about. There are moments when Frampton goes completely invisible and has zero impact on the game. That can be good, but I’d still like to see him continue to blossom into an impact player by year’s end. That’s not necessarily in terms of points, but if it goes that direction, so be it. But I would love to see him get to the hole more. This game, he did that twice. That makes him more difficult to guard. He got a dunk and drove the ball another time. I think he missed a layup or something, but I still give him credit for being aggressive and trying to draw a foul or get an easy bucket.

Luke scored double digits, got his normal 4+ rebounds, assisted a few times, had a block, and had zero turnovers. What more can you ask? I’d say that’s a really nice game. I would love to see him be set up by his teammates more and get a few more shots off. WKU’s offense largely relies on perimeter passing and interior driving. I believe Frampton would function better if he ran around the entire court receiving interior screens from his teammates. I wish WKU would try that for five possessions and see if Luke get open besides receiving a horizontal pass and realizing he’s got enough room to get the shot off. Just an idea.

Jairus Hamilton: C

Perhaps one of the main reasons WKU didn’t extend its lead was it didn’t get as many looks from the four and five position in the second half. I’m passively saying Jairus Hamilton disappeared in the second half. He scored nine in the first half and didn’t produce anything in the second. He had an assist and a couple of rebounds and missed a few shots. Meanwhile, WKU’s lead melted down from 24 to 12 at one point. With Jamarion Sharp not being a real scorer (8 ppg), Hamilton is the lone true post player that can get easy buckets inside while also stretching the defense. He’s a crucial player and WKU really needs an inside presence despite choosing to go small, of late. It actually becomes even more important when he is now playing the center position.

Jamarion Sharp: C-

Unfortunately, getting himself in foul trouble throughout the game really hampered his ability to impact the game. Sure, he had four blocks, but he barely played 1/3 of the game because he was in consistent foul trouble. When he was in the game, he was pretty impactful, with a memorable dunk and four blocks. However, one rebound in 14 minutes for such a big man is borderline unacceptable. He has to find a way to crash the boards. No one in the country has his length. He should get rebounds just standing there. But one rebound in double digit minutes? That can’t happen too often.

Josh Anderson: A+

Josh Anderson, despite getting the least amount of minutes of all of the six rotation players on average, is producing more than all of them night in and night out. Besides two blips on the radar against North Texas and FAU, Josh has scored at least 13 points in every game since he came back from COVID in mid-December. This is by far the most consistent Josh Anderson we have ever seen, and it bodes well for the stability of this rotation going forward. Josh nearly had a double-double with 20 points and 8 rebounds. He also grabbed five steals, which is double his average. He also had only one turnover, something he is extremely consistent with. Josh has not turned the ball over in any one game more than three times all season. With the amount of times he plays point in combination with the speed he plays, he is an incredibly efficient player.

Sherman Brashear: C

For the first time in three games, someone besides the top six players played more than three minutes. Congrats on that, Rick. The only reason Sherman got any kind of significant action was he finally decided to unpucker up 25 with 2:32 remaining. Sherman missed a couple of shots, but they made sense to be taken and he just missed. I thought his defense was fine, but obviously he didn’t impact the game while he was in, so he was just kind of there. Still, I’m glad he got some minutes, and he even got meaningful minutes in the second half! Massive improvement, I guess.

Rest of Bench: C

I’m sure Rick Stansbury is going to look at his bench and say, “See why you don’t get playing time?” and point at the scoreboard at the end of the game. Sure, they allowed two baskets in 2:32 and didn’t score. Big whoop. Some of these guys should have gotten a sprinkle in the first half. Just play them a couple of minutes around breaks or something. Rick already does that, but what would it hurt for Cam and Luke and Dayvion to get a break for two more media timeouts plus a stoppage a game? Western was up 24 at halftime. You’re telling me you can’t play these guys up 24? You can’t play them when it’s under five and the other team is putting in the walk-ons? Catch a clue. This was the perfect opportunity for your five best players to get off their feet five minutes early and high five and cheer on the guys who never get to play. And you couldn’t even trust them enough to let your “best” fully sit until 28 seconds were left. All they did was inbound the ball at the end of the game. Why? You. Were. Up. More. Than. 20! PLAY THE BENCH!

Team Grades

Team Effort: A

There’s no question this team was the more intense team for the first time in, I would say a month and a half. Perhaps Louisville or Ole Miss was the last game WKU definitely played harder than its opponent. So huge props to the Tops for coming out and sticking it to the 49ers. I think WKU got a little unfocused up double digits. I personally would like to see a game where WKU gets a big lead like that and extends it against a decent opponent. I don’t remember too many Rick Stansbury teams playing their best from wire-to-wire. Not many games end up 20+ in either direction.

Team Cohesiveness: A+

Without question, WKU was making big shots and taking care of each other. And only eight turnovers! I think that’s the first time I’ve mentioned the low amount of turnovers, but that’s only the third time all season WKU has turned the ball over less than ten times.

Shot Making: A+

WKU was defininitely great in this area, and Charlotte had no chance, simply because every time WKU really needed a bucket, the Tops came through. That’s the definition of shot making. Good for WKU.

Consistent Intensity: C+

I don’t think there’s any question the vomit level intensity went away once WKU got its comfortable lead. The Tops flirted with giving part of it away in the first half but ultimately led by 24. WKU got the lead up to 26 at one point but settled for a 19 point victory. With Charlotte missing so many shots and not really making any serious runs besides the one in the second half, WKU had its opportunity to win by 30 and just didn’t do it. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to just stomp on the throat every once in a while. That hasn’t happened much with WKU lately.

Coaching: B

Overall, obviously Rick had his team ready to play, the game plan was great, and WKU won exactly how they should be winning: Going away. However, I didn’t see much adjustment to Charlotte’s adjustments. WKU just kept plugging away, in my opinion. Sure, that worked, but what if it allowed them back in the game. Also, if there was ever a game to get someone else some minutes, wasn’t this it? The game was completely out of hand from the jump. There would have had to have been near historic meltdowns for Charlotte to have come back from the deficit they had to overcome. This might be the last moment of the entire season that WKU had a chance to freely work its bench for multiple minutes. Risk it! There needs to be at least a seventh player in the rotation. Take every opportunity you get to find out who that’s going to be.

Motivation: A

No question WKU was motivated by whatever Rick and his assistants had to say. And they stayed focused, even when they started melting down a lead. WKU was locked and played really well. No question they played their best half of basketball in the first half of this game. It’s amazing what true maximum effort will do with a little bit of luck.

Game Plan: A+

I like what WKU did against Charlotte. Charlotte is a slow-down, Virginia-lite type of offense and defense. What did WKU do? Be aggressive. Press defensively, even though it largely wasn’t massively intense. That’s fine. Token pressure wreaked havoc. That’s what I’ve been asking for all year. It finally happened, and WKU slaughtered a pretty good opponent on the road, which I have failed to mention is the first time all year. Good job on the game plan in all areas.

Coaching Adjustments: C

Once again, I ask all of the experts out there this simple question: What did Rick Stansbury do to adjust to the changes the other team made? I’m not sure what he did differently in the second half, except slow the ball down. That may have physically won the game by eliminating the number of possessions, but you’re also gambling that your team can find a way to score when you melt down the clock doing nothing for 18 seconds. Prevent prevents a win, right? Whenever WKU has a lead, this is the go-to strategy. It always allows the other team to cut into the lead. It almost never extends the lead. Why not have your guys run your motion like normal? You usually shoot late in the shot clock in the halfcourt anyway. Now you’re only giving them 12 seconds. Of course they’re not going to get a quality shot off more than half of the time!

Roster Management: F

I’ve hit on this throughout this article, but let me read off the most historic comebacks in NCAA history and you tell me if it was probably ok to let the bench get a few minutes here and there.

• Largest deficit overcome to win in the history of college basketball: 34 and only three have ever overcome 30 point deficits (WKU had a 26 point lead)

• Largest halftime deficit: 29 points (WKU had a 24 point lead at half)

• Largest second half deficit: 31 points (WKU had a 26 point lead)

• Largest deficit overcome in the last five minutes: 19 points (WKU led by 18)

• Largest deficit overcome in the last minute: 12 points and Rick Stansbury was on the sideline for the team that did it (WKU led by 22)

Now, can someone tell me how Charlotte, a team that has difficulty scoring and has trouble defensively, was going to be the team to overcome nearly historic odds? I can tell you no one single game has checked off all of these boxes. The thought process of keeping the starting lineup in the game inside five minutes to play boggles the mind. It would have set an NCAA record for a team to come back from down 21 with 5:25 left. Or certainly 22 with 4:12 left. We know Rick knows his team is exhausted and has trouble playing Saturday games because he’s told us so via both radio and press conference interviews. The announcers were waiting for Rick to substitute and were politely shocked that he kept his horses in so long. The lack of awareness is astounding.

Overall: A-

With all of the nitpicking, let’s just say a “Hallelujah!” and I hope these concerns work out and WKU wins the National Championship. However, I just don’t see how the coaching concerns don’t bite at some point. WKU is 3-6. They still need to win four in a row to get above .500 in C-USA play, which is not impossible. If the Tops can beat ODU on the road, they will definitely be favored to win their next three vs. FAU, at UTSA, and at USM.

So yes, WKU could turn this thing around in a hurry, especially if they play like they did against Charlotte. But I’m just worried. There’s one team in WKU’s long history that only played six players, and ironically it was the 1971 Final Four team. Every other team in WKU history that has recorded stats played seven or more. And the ones that were most successful could play close to ten deep.

It’s not impossible, but WKU will have to be the second team in over 100 seasons that can go six deep and win in March.

I don’t like those odds given the hole they have dug and the ability they have shown to massively underachieve.

I will say it again: Rick Stansbury, you need to lay down your pride and try to find another player or two that can bring this thing home. You have the very best six players in the conference, and you would have the very best team if you just threw another body or two out there (or a combination of several) to keep your best six fresh.

Lighten the load.

That being said, let’s see if the heavy load for no reason costs WKU against Old Dominion. Perhaps Rick was too afraid given th multiple meltdowns his team has had this season and desperately knew he needed to win ASAP. Ok, fine. We’ll let it pass. We’re all happy for the W.

Going forward, though, it’s increasingly going to be about load management and setting this team up to make a run in March. There’s no better way to do that than break them down now for the end result in the C-USA Tournament. You like your pieces, as you say all the time. Great. Find some more before March, or this WKU program will not make the NCAA Tournament this season.

Old Dominion should be an excellent game. Let’s see if WKU can find a way to win two in a row on the road.