Tagged: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

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.

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 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.

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.