Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Western Kentucky Officially Joins Conference USA

Kevin Willis | Kentucky Public Radio — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:48:21 +0000

An increased opportunity to land spots in football bowl games appears to be a major factor behind WKU's move to Conference USA. The school announced this afternoon it will leave the Sun Belt conference and compete in C-USA starting in the summer of 2014.

Conference USA currently has five bowl game contracts, though those deals have to be re-negotiated heading into the 2014 season. WKU will join other former members of the Sun Belt in C-USA, including Middle Tennessee and Florida International.

Report: WKU Moving to Conference USA

Joseph Lord — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 16:26:23 +0000

Conference USA is returning in all sports to Kentucky.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will begin playing in 2014 in Conference USA, the league the Louisville Cardinals were an inaugural member but left in 2005 for the Big East, the Bowling Green Daily News reports.

WKU has been a member of the Sun Belt Conference since 1982.

The Daily News reports that the decision could be announced as early as Monday.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Lose to Kansas Jayhawks After Leading at Halftime

Joseph Lord — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 04:35:57 +0000

The 16th-seeded Western Kentucky Hilltoppers were unable to hold onto a halftime lead against the Kansas Jayhawks, the top seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas won 64-57 and will play the eighth-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels.

Jamal Crook led the Hilltoppers with 13 points.

Western Kentucky led 31-30 at halftime but shot poorly for much of the second half, allowing the Jayhawks to pull ahead.

The Hilltoppers finish the season 20-16.

A 16 Seed Upsetting a 1 Seed is Inevitable, Writers Say

Joseph Lord — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:59:17 +0000

Update: Louisville easily defeated North Carolina A&T but Gonzaga struggled against Southern. Indiana plays James Madison on Friday afternoon and Kansas plays Western Kentucky Friday night.

Is Louisville's Region Toughest? Who's the Betting Favorite? NCAA Tournament By the Numbers

Joseph Lord — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:02:04 +0000

An evening and morning have passed for basketball-obsessed Louisville to consider the pairings for the 2013 men's basketball NCAA Tournament. Some themes that have developed are that the Louisville Cardinals' Midwest Region is the toughest despite being the overall No. 1 seed and the defending champion Kentucky Wildcats being left out of the field.

Aside from the obvious question—"Who wins?"—this year's bracket leaves a great deal to think about. Let's take a look at the pairing by the numbers.

U of L's Midwest Region was instantly pegged by analysts as the toughest, and a few Cardinals fans grumbled on social media Sunday night. They may have a point.

Let's toss out No. 16 seeds—none has ever beaten a No. 1 seed. (Apologies to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.) If the better seeds win out, no team has a tougher road to the Final Four than Louisville, going by RPI ranking. The Nos. 8, 4 and 2 seeds in the Midwest average a 13.3 RPI ranking. (In fact, the No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils are the RPI's No. 1 team in the nation.)

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Win Automatic Bid to NCAA Tournament

Joseph Lord — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:29:52 +0000

The Commonwealth of Kentucky will have at least two teams in the men's NCAA Tournament.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers defeated the Florida International Golden Panthers 65-63 on Monday night to win the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and an automatic NCAA Tournament berth.

Forward George Fant and guard Jamal Crook led the Hilltoppers each with 17 points.

Louisville Cardinals Ranked No. 4 in AP Poll; Bracketology Projects a No. 1 Seed

Joseph Lord — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:04:05 +0000

As a topsy-turvy men's college basketball season winds down, the Louisville Cardinals have vaulted to No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

The Cardinals were ranked No. 8 last week. The Indiana Hoosier fell from No. 3 to No. 2. Gonzaga remains the nation's top ranked team. Louisville ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak, last defeating the No. 24-ranked Notre Dame.

WKU Plays Florida International (Richard Pitino's Team) for NCAA Tourney Berth

Joseph Lord — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

In a season when Kentucky may not have much March Madness representation, a team from Kentucky will play a team with strong Louisville ties Monday night for an NCAA Tournament berth.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Florida International Golden Panthers tipoff at 7 p.m. Eastern in an unlikely Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship game. The winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Ten Years After I-AA National Title, WKU President Pleased to Step Up in Class

Joseph Lord — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Outwardly, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers' 34-14 victory over McNeese State was a cause for big-time celebration for WKU President Gary Ransdell.

The Toppers won the 2002 Division I-AA national championship.

Inwardly, the championship stirred another reaction. The playoffs for the I-AA division -- now known as the Football Championship Subdivision -- had cost WKU money. The first-round playoff game drew just 3,300 people to Bowling Green's Smith Stadium. The title game had no payout.

Sportswriters Offer Mixed Opinions on Petrino's Move to Western Kentucky

Joseph Lord — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:49:09 +0000

Bobby Petrino is back in the college football coaching ranks, on the familiar turf of Kentucky. The newly hired Western Kentucky Hilltoppers coach was already among the sport's most divisive figures before he was fired from the University of Arkansas for misleading administrators about an extramarital affair with a staff member.