WKU Basketball: Tops Welcome Blazers To Begin Key Home Weekend
Folks, it’s here. Nevermind the fact that, come Monday, the Tops will still have 11 games left on their slate. The real test of the season…
Folks, it’s here. Nevermind the fact that, come Monday, the Tops will still have 11 games left on their slate. The real test of the season begins tonight: Consecutive games — consecutive home games at that — against UAB and Middle Tennessee.
While the Tops season wont be made (or, I argue, broken) this weekend, it’s still a key one to help instill confidence in a still young squad and to officially alert Conference USA, and the rest of college basketball, that the Tops are here and are here to stay.
First things first. The Blazers are coming to town.
Game Info
Time: 8p.m. CT
Location: E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: The Hilltopper IMG Sports Network
First thing’s first — UAB is no slouch. They enter tonight with a 13–5 overall record after they won 17 games all of last season. They rank in the top 100 in the four major team stats and are tied for 31st in the country in assists per game (17) and are tired for 45th in points allowed per night (65.9).
The Blazers are also riding a four-game winning streak after losing to MTSU to open conference play (by three points), have won seven of their last eight and have won 10 of their last 12 overall.
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UAB is lead by Chris Cokely, who leads the team in points per game (17.8) and rebounds per game (9.2) and has the best field goal percentage on the team (60.1%). If the Tops don’t find an answer for Cokely soon (or, if that answer is “Dwight Coleby fouls him”) it could be a long night defensively.
Offensively, Cokely’s supporting cast is Zack Bryant, who averages 13.8 points a night, and Nate Darling, who posts 10.6 points an evening.
I’ll be straight honest with you — I don’t know how much good it is to be rattling off all of these numbers. Frankly, I don’t think it’s going to matter. The Blazers and Tops are so evenly matched, this game could go either way.
I do, however, envision this happening — someone, I’m not sure who, is going to get hot and get off to a 12–2 start to put the game away early. Sure, it’ll be a fun battle throughout, but the lead will remain within seven or eight points consistently.
I really want to say it’ll be WKU who does that. They have a knack for fast starts (see: Louisiana Tech and Marshall) and they’re going to have an e l e c t r i c home crowd to help will them to victory.
It’ll also be the first time Josh Anderson and Moustapha Diagne take John Oldham Court, so they’ll be pumped up and ready to go (although, hopefully not too pumped up and too ready to go to where they’re forcing things and trying to play ahead of the game).
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The battle to watch for tonight will be, obviously, the battle in the paint between Cokely and Justin Johnson/Dwight Coleby. That should be all sorts of fun and…my word tonight is just going to be excellent, excellent basketball.
I’m ready. You should be too.