Hilltopper Haven - Hilltopper Flashbacks

Throughout the offseason HH will be running past stories about memorable moments in Hilltopper history. This week's installment is the 1966 NCAA first round matchup with 4th-ranked Loyola of Chicago.

Despite entering the contest with a 23-2 overall record, Western remained unranked and overlooked on the national scene. This blatant lack of respect undoubtedly lit a fire under the entire Topper team and when they took the court for the opening tip it was with a chip on their shoulder and with something to prove.

An interesting sidenote to the game was the fact that three years earlier in the 1963 NCAA Tournament Western coach John Oldham, who was then the head coach at Tennessee Tech, led his team against Loyola and was defeated by the eventual national champions 111-42....the worst defeat ever by a team in the NCAA Tournament. However, on this March night in Ohio Oldham took the floor with the Hilltoppers....and the outcome would be very different........

Toppers Thump 4th-Ranked Loyola 105-86 In NCAA
By Bob Adams
BG Daily News

March 8, 1966

Revenge is sweet. And victory was never sweeter than it was here last night.

Shooting a sizzling 61.9 percent in the second half, the battling Western Hilltoppers thrashed fourth-ranked Loyola of Chicago, 105-86 in the NCAA Mid-East Regional at Kent State fieldhouse.

Coach John Oldham's Hilltoppers reached for their patented spurt which has earmarked Western's success during the season and came up with 10 straight points early in the second half to put away the win.

Western's elated followers poured onto the floor at the final buzzer to swamp the Hilltopper players and coaches.

The Players boosted Oldham onto their shoulders and draped the nets around his neck. Assistant coach and chief scout Gene Rhodes joined Oldham and assistant coach Buck Sydnor was up moments later.

The speechless head coach held the game ball high above his head. It was back in 1963 when Oldham took his Tennessee Tech team into a battle with Loyola and cae our on the short end of a record-setting 111-42 hammering. The Ramblers went on to cop the NCAA crown.

But last night the tables were turned on George Ireland's highly touted Ramblers. The poised Hilltoppers riddled the "dangerous" Loyola press and showed a press of their own which must have dazzled the Chicagoans.

And when Western wasn't pressing the Hilltoppers formed an invincible zone defense which forced the Ramblers to fire from long range. When Loyola misfired the spirited Hilltoppers crashed the boards and were off and running. The Ramblers, acclaimed for their speed and agility, were outrun and last night couldn't match the moves of Haskins and Dwight Smith who repeatedly lost their defenders to count easy buckets.

Oldham, who was at a loss for words, praised simply, "They were great."

The second year Western mentor declined to call the game the Toppers' best, but he readily admitted it ranked among Western's finest efforts of the season.

Ireland, who just Sunday said this year's club was better than the 1963 team which won the NCAA, was visibly disappointed at the surprising setback.

Western will face the Big Ten champion Michigan Wolverines Friday night at 9 p.m. at Iowa City, Ia.. Dayton, a 58-51 victor over Miami of Ohio in the other game last night at Kent, meets Kentucky in the Friday night opener.

The winners will battle Saturday at 9 p.m. for a trip to the finals March 18 and 19 at College Park, Md. The losers vie for the Mid-East consolation crown at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Victories Friday night by the Kentucky powerhouses would set up the dream game between the Hilltoppers and once-beaten wildcats, a meeting which has never taken place in the long, colorful history of basketball at the Bluegrass schools.

The Hilltoppers won the hearts of most of the 7,013 non-aligned fans who packed the Kent fieldhouse, outplaying the Ramblers at their own game of speed and deadly shooting. Taking advantage of a pair of Loyola floor errors early in the second half, Western moved from a 49-43 halftime lead to a 59-50 bulge with 16:25 to go in the game.

Then Western buried the hatchet with 10 straight points in the next three minutes and took command 69-50. Senior Steve Cunningham started the flurry with an 8-foot jumper after taking a blind pass from Clem (The Gem) Haskins, Dwight Smith popped from 15 and Haskins connected on a 22-footer.

Then Haskins blocked a Rambler shot, recovered and drove the length of the floor, stuffing the ball in the bucket. Cunningham got a tip-in with 13:29 left and the Ramblers were through.

Dwight Smith gave Western its biggest spread of the game, 90-68, with 5:45 to go. The bulge came on the heels of four quick baskets by Kaufman and a hooker by Cunningham after Loyola had cut the gap to 78-64.

Dwight Smith led all scorers with 29 points, hitting 12 of 21 tries from the field. After Loyola's Doug Wardlaw picked up his fourth personal with 2:46 remaining in the first half , Smitty drove for the bucket to count a handful of twisting layups. The 6-4 junior bombed 19 in the second half.

Haskins hit 11 of 17 fielders and wound up with 25 markers. The 6-3 Campbellsville product dazzled the crowd with his deadly long-range firing.

Sophomore Greg Smith was the workhouse on the boards, grabbing 15 stray shots and accounting for 7 of his 9 buckets with tip-ins and follow-through shots. Smith wound up with 19 points.

Cunningham counted 16 and reserve Butch Kaufman, in a stellar performance, added 10 key points.

Barreling Billy Smith paced the Ramblers with 25 points and deadeye Corky Bell contributed 24. Wardlaw counted 20 points and Jim Coleman added 10. Billy Smith topped all rebounders with 16, but Western held a 43-40 edge overall.

When the firing was over, Western had connected on 45 of 81 shots for a nifty 55.5 percent, the best performance of the season. Loyola hit 33 of 71 tries for 46.4.

Western started the scoring on a 15-footer by Cunningham with 23 seconds gone in the game. Wardlaw connected from the corner and Coleman swiped a Western pass and scored and the Hilltoppers trailed 4-2.

Loyola held its biggest lead of the game at 6-3 before Haskins came alive with three quick buckets and a free throw to put the Hilltoppers ahead 10-6 with just over three minutes gone.

Western led by four until Wardlaw countered with a pair of fast break layups to knot the contest for the second time at 16-all with 13:27 to go.

Bell converted a three-point play a minute later to tie the game. The Ramblers moved in front 21-19 for their first lead since the early going.

Loyola was on top 23-22 before Haskins regained the advantage for Western on a 15-footer. The Hilltoppers cashed in on two Rambler mistakes to jump ahead 30-25 with about nine minutes to go.

The Ramblers rallied to lead by three, 38-35, with 3:18 to go, but the Toppers fought back to grab the lead for good, 39-38, on a pair of free throws by Cunningham with 2:46 left in the half.

The Smith brothers accounted for eight of Western's 10 points before the half ended with the Hilltoppers leading 49-43.

At the half Western was shooting 48.7 percent and the Ramblers were firing at a 47.0 clip.

Haskins had 14, Dwight Smith 10 and Greg Smith 11. Billy Smith and Bell counted 15 and 10 to pace Loyola.

The win boosted the unranked Hilltoppers to 24-2, Loyola closed out the campaign with a 22-3 record.

Previous Game Articles
WKU vs. Georgetown (1982 Wendy's Classic)
WKU vs. UAB (1/25/86 - Mars Bars Game)
WKU vs. Auburn (1985 Wendy's Classic)
WKU vs.Florida St. (1993 NCAA Tournament)
WKU vs. Seton Hall (1993 NCAA Tournament)