WKU Basketball: Hilltoppers Escape Tuscaloosa with 73–71 Upset over Alabama
The 2020–2021 college basketball season is still adjusting to a lot of new things. This includes having games being postponed & added on…
The 2020–2021 college basketball season is still adjusting to a lot of new things. This includes having games being postponed & added on short notice after the original schedules are released.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to take on an opponent that head coach Rick Stansbury knows pretty well in his coaching career. As of Tuesday, the Tops accepted an invite from the University of Alabama to fill in a spot in nonconference play. The Alabama Crimson Tide played host to the Tops with a 1 pm tipoff at Coleman Coliseum.
The opening tip was won by WKU and Charles Bassey drew the first strike as he scored the first two points of the game. As the first five minutes went on, WKU played a scrappy defense as the possessions were sparse. They were leading the Crimson Tide 4–2 through the first media timeout. Somehow, The Tops took an early advantage as the Crimson Tide went 1 for 9 made field goals in their first ten offensive possessions.
The Tops continued to have the same turnover problems that have plagued them since the beginning of the season. Soon, Alabama to back control of the game, tying it at 16. The Tops went back to pulling ahead as they lead as much as four points inside the last ten minutes of the first half. Charles Bassey leads both teams in scoring as he had 13 points and 6 rebounds. At halftime, the Tops lead 33–32.
In the second half, the Tops were slowly starting to turn into the dominant force we all know and love. After tying the ballgame at 44 points early in the second half, this was the point where things quickly turned around. Josh Anderson turned some heads as he was able to make a highflying dunk after stealing the ball:
Through the second half, Bassey continued to put on a show in Tuscaloosa. Through the first ten minutes, Bassey had 21 points, 7 rebounds, and two assists. WKU now leads the game 51–50 with 10:18 left in the second half. Jordan Rawls made an impressive three-pointer, now increasing the lead 54–50. As time went by, Alabama was not too far along in coming back for the win. The Crimson Tide’s John Petty scored on a three-point basket to tie the game at 59 with 7:42 left in the game. Looking ahead to the last few minutes, the Tops made strides to keep the lead at 67–64. That also came with the price of being scoreless for four minutes.
Alabama had a 70–69 lead in the closing two minutes until Dayvion McKnight was fouled. McKnight made both three throws to now change the score to 77–70. Josh Anderson was called on a foul, sending Petty to the foul line. They ended up missing one shot, keeping the game tied at 71. In the final seconds, a goaltending call was placed on Alabama, giving a two-point basket to WKU. In a shocking result, the Tops stunned the Alabama faithful as they beat the Crimson Tide 73–71.
Here are some thoughts on the huge win:
Charles Bassey continues to be a MAN amongst men. He had another double-double game today with 27 points and 12 rebounds. As much as his draft stock is coming into play, you can tell that he loves playing with & helping his teammates.
Jordan Rawls had a quiet 20 point game off the bench. His stellar play was what kept Western going in relief of the starters. This should prove his case that he's deserving of a starting opportunity.
Carson Williams had six rebounds in an impressive defensive effort. The lack of points was an oversight but he needs to have more scoring chances in the next few games.
Turnovers almost cost us this game (WKU had 17). Stansbury has to express taking better care of the ball, especially in pivotal situations that Alabama should've capitalized on.
After going 6–2 in nonconference play after today’s game, this should be a huge chance for WKU to work on building their resume for an at-large bid. Even with a strong conference championship season on the line, wins like today will show the Bracketology committee how much of a solid ballclub we are compared to other mid-majors and P5 schools. The key the rest of the way should be to avoid bad losses and finish CUSA with less than 3 losses in league play.
The Tops will come back to Diddle Arena to play Tennessee Tech on Tuesday, December 22nd at 6 pm central time. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN PLUS.
Here are the final stats from today’s win in Tuscaloosa:
