WKU Basketball: 10 Years of March Heartbreak, Ranked
From CUSA title game losses to a 5-second call against Chris Harrison-Docks, from missed TJ Price layups to runs you probably completely forgot about. We rank a decade of heartbreak on the hardwood.
The drought is over. The high is still felt. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are back where they belong, in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Saturday night’s win over UTEP snapped the longest active drought for Division I programs in the Commonwealth and the third-longest drought in program history, and served as vindication for those of us who had been calling for a change at the top of the program for years.
In Lutz we trust, as his March magic continues.
With the Tops back in the Big Dance, we can look back to the past decade of heartbreak with a bit rosier of a view, knowing that there is indeed a light at the end of what felt like a dark, never ending tunnel.
WKU’s road to their first NCAA tournament in 11 seasons has come with more than their fair share of near misses and memorable teams that should have had a shot but, for one reason or another, fell short of the ultimate goal.
Here’s a totally accurate, not at all subjective ranking of those close (and some not-so-close) calls the Tops have run into since they last polished their dancing shoes.
Note: Seasons will be listed by year the tournament was played in, not the season as a whole. So the 2017/18 tournament, that ended in a title game loss to Marshall, will be listed as ‘2018.’
10.) 2017: First Round loss to UTSA, 56-52
Rick Stansbury’s first season as WKU head coach was, well and truly, nothing to write home about. WKU finished under .500 for the first time since the Ken McDonald ouster season and the roster was littered with names only true WKU sickos can remember.
Pancake Thomas, Que Johnson, Junior Lomomba, Damari Parris. Now that is Remembering Some Dudes™️.
There were, quite literally, no expectations for the Tops this year, as it was supposed to be the “get the foundation under you season” for Stansbury, and that’s exactly what happened. In fact, I remember being pleased that WKU had only lost by four and that the Tops were headed for a good place.
9.) 2016: Semifinal loss to Old Dominion, 89-77
Perhaps I should have this as the No. 11 loss because, admittedly, I don’t remember a whole lot about this tournament run.
In the first year post-George Fant and TJ Price, a few holdovers remained - Nigel Snipes, Chris Harrison-Docks, Ben Lawson - remained from the year prior (more on that loss later down the list) and put together a rather pedestrian 18-16 season, but struggled in CUSA play, going 8-10 and garnering the No. 8 seed in Birmingham.
However, the Tops caught fire, beating North Texas in the 8/9 game before stunning top-seeded UAB in a little taste of revenge from the previous year before, ultimately, falling to fifth-seeded ODU.
I probably shouldn’t admit this but I will: I have close to zero recollection of this tournament run. Maybe because WKU’s wins came on the American Sports Network. Remember those days?
8.) 2023: Quarterfinal loss to FAU, 75-51
In what would end up being Stansbury’s final trip to the CUSA tournament with WKU, the Tops won a first round game (something I guess we’re supposed to be happy with?) before flaming out against future Final Four participants Florida Atlantic.
This season, in my mind, was lost on Dec. 14, when the Tops lost by double figures to one of the worst Louisville teams in recent memory, if not ever. Sure, Stansbury didn’t win conference tournaments, but at least he could beat power programs. Once he lost that plot, it was essentially a matter of not if but when a change would be made.
7.) 2020: Cancelled due to COVID-19
While the Tops didn’t take the floor in this tournament - they received a double-bye by virtue of being the No. 2 seed, I’m going to assume some sort of shenanigans was going to happen.
Scheduled to face UAB in the quarterfinals, the winner of that game would have gotten the winner between La Tech and Marshall.
North Texas, pre-Final Four FAU, Charlotte and FIU were the options for a possible title game matchup. I’m going to say this would have been a WKU/Charlotte final and I’m going to say Charlotte would have won.
We will never know.
6.) 2022: Quarterfinal loss to Louisiana Tech, 59-57
Another year, another double bye for the Hilltoppers, this year after garnering the No. 2 spot out of the eastern division.
At this point, I was over the Stansbury era. Change is needed and won’t come for another year-plus, but I’m done with the BS. And the end to this season is another reason why.
WKU combines to shoot just 35.6% from the floor, and 14.3% from three, is out-rebounded and makes just 12 of 19 free throw attempts (WKU made more FTs than Tech attempted) and still only came within a bucket of beating the Bulldogs and moving on.
But, as was the case under Stansbury when it mattered most, the Hilltoppers either weren’t prepared to or weren’t interested in meeting the moment and saw their season end prematurely. If you weren’t wanting to see a change by now, this (coupled with the loss at Louisville several months later) probably had you clamoring for one.
5.) 2019: Finals loss to Old Dominion, 62-56
As a single game, this was the least painful of the three-straight CUSA tourney title game losses - it was a rock fight from start to finish and under almost any other circumstances, this game would be higher on the list.
But when taking stock of the whole picture - of what Rick Stansbury’s tenure would end up being known for - this deserves placement in the top four. WKU couldn’t take advantage of a poor-shooting ODU early and matched them, missed shot for missed shot and then some.
It could have been excused if the preceding or following title game appearances had gone differently. It’s never fun to lose a championship game, but to have such a bad night in one, especially when the other team is having just as bad a night, was tough, too.
4.) 2014: Semifinal loss to Louisiana-Lafayette, 73-72
My junior year at WKU. I was so naive. My first two years as a college student, and as a WKU follower, were blessed with runs to Sun Belt championships and NCAA tournament runs. I thought life would always be this way.
The first WKU heartbreak, at least in basketball, I was handed came on March 15, 2014, when the Tops were eliminated in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament (WKU’s first game, thanks to a triple bye).
I don’t remember every ebb and flow of this game, but I do remember watching TJ Price taking a missed Elfrid Payton floater, going down the floor and missing a shot at the rim. There was also this random, terrible overweight bench player that had nearly 20.
“That’s alright,” I told myself. “We’ll be back.”
Ten years later, I was right.
3.) 2021: Finals loss to North Texas, 61-57 (in OT)
17-0.
All Western Kentucky had to do in this game was not allow the first 17 points of the contest to be scored against them, and they would have won.
For a third (and, thankfully, final) time, Stansbury had the Hilltoppers enter a CUSA title game completely unprepared, and it led to North Texas jumping out to a 17-0 lead before WKU scored their first points with 14:13 to play in the first half.
But, the Tops rallied and made it a game, winning the second half 25-14 (yes, a real stat line) to force overtime, where WKU’s comeback effort ultimately ran out of gas.
Again, all WKU had to do was not start the game down 17-0. If it had been 16-0, WKU goes dancing. If it had been 17-1, WKU would have gone dancing.
2.) 2015: Quarterfinal loss to UAB, 53-52
The only one of these tournaments I was lucky enough to attend, this was the most broken of a person I’ve felt after a WKU sporting event.
(A close second - the 2012 football homecoming game. But that’s a story for a different time.)
It’s obvious in hindsight, but UAB was something of a team of destiny in March of 2015. Fresh off school president Ray Watts cutting the football program and the Blazers supporters insanely unhappy about it, UAB fans took their frustrations out in the form of support for the basketball program. “Fire Ray Watts” chants rang through the arena during every timeout.
With the tournament in Birmingham in 2015, the atmosphere was electric, and meant WKU was playing a de-facto road game in the quarterfinal. The senior seasons for Fant, Price and Trency Jackson had WKU fans hoping they’d get sent to their third tournament in their four-years (two for Jackson) on the Hill. And it nearly happened.
It was one of those “I’d like to watch without a rooting interest” game - neither team led by more than six (WKU), both teams shot over 40% from the floor and despite it being two wins away from a tournament victory, you had the feeling that whoever won was going to go dancing.
The heartbreak came with 0:37 left. After a Nick Norton three, pulling UAB within 52-51, Chris Harrison-Docks was called for a 5-second count, turning the ball over, leaving the Tops with an empty possession and nearly blowing the roof off of Legacy Arena.
On the ensuing Blazer possession, Robert Brown nailed a jump shot, giving UAB a 53-52 lead, and a missed CHD three as the buzzer sounded cemented the score in WKU infamy.
Two days later, just before the Lady Tops celebrated a conference title, UAB claimed one of their own, beating MTSU by 13.
1.) 2018: Finals loss to Marshall, 67-66
That’s how close WKU came in snapping the skid in Stansbury’s second year.
Lamonte Bearden had the look. Josh Anderson got his hands on the rebound. Neither shot fell and ended WKU’s 11-0 game-ending run two points shy of what they needed.
Instead, it led to Marshall’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 31 years.
A tight, back-and-forth first half ended with a three-point lead for Marshall at the break but were able to pull away, holding a 67-55 - 12 points - lead at the under-four media time out.
WKU then went on their run, but came a bucket short, keeping one of the most memorable Hilltopper teams in recent memory out of the big dance.
While topping this list, the 2017-18 WKU team had something no one else on this list has: A memorable post-conference tournament run to the NIT semifinals, with wins against three power programs - Boston College, USC and Oklahoma State - to their credit.
A bittersweet finale to a list of bittersweet conference tournament runs.
In all, the Hilltoppers have had three one-point losses, and another one-possession loss, in conference tournament play between NCAA appearances and a lot of unlucky quarterfinal appearances.
But, all of that instantly becomes ancient history. With the monkey off Big Red’s back, let’s dance the week away.
Enjoy it, WKU fans. You’ve certainly earned it.