Western Has Chance To Show Early Promise Was On Target
By Stan Sutton
Courier-Journal
Western Kentucky fans who have been talking Final Four All season would be satisfied for the moment if the Hilltoppers can become a Final 32 team tonight.
To reach that initial goal, the 28-8 Toppers must avoid an ambush at 7:07 EST when they face West Virginia in the East Regional.
Back in early December, everyone was wondering what Western would do for an encore. Only Nevada Las Vegas started the season on a higher note than Western, which launched the campaign by beating Notre Dame, Texas Christian and Memphis State before losing in two overtimes to UNLV in the Coca-Cola NIT Classic. That's when the Final Four talk began.
Few would argue that Western's NIT runner-up finish came against a field second only to the NCAA Tournament's. Of the 16 teams in the preseason event, 11 made the NCAA field and two more made the NIT. Barring probation, Memphis would have been in the NCAA, leaving only Bradley and Howard resting in postseason.
The preseason NIT teams that made the NCAA field combined for a 283-96 record. And the four semifinalists in the Coca-Cola event have gone on to arecord of 119-16. UNLV, which had trailed Western by 21 in their game, stands 34-1, Temple 31-3 and Memphis 26-8.
Against West Virginia, the Hilltoppers again will try to prove through tournament competition that they are among the elite. Their coach Murray Arnold, has insisted that there are at least 40 teams capable of beating each other and luck will be a major factor.
"He's got a great ballclub," West Virginia coach Gale Catlett said of Arnold. "They won the Sun Belt Conference. They beat some great clubs. They had a terrific early season."
Until game time, it may be hard to determine whether Western or West Virginia has had the worst luck. While stepping off a bus at the Nashville airport Wednesday, Hilltoppers center Clarence Martin stepped onto a slanted curb and sprained an ankle.
"Clarence is somewhat questionable," said Arnold, although his center was working hard in last night's practice.
Although West Virginia dominated most opponents on the boards, the Mountaineers are especially concerned with the Hilltoppers' rebounding.
They've got a lot of size, a whole lot of size," said Wayne Yearwood, who at 6-8 is a starting guard for Catlett. "We're not as physical as they are, and that's going to present a lot of problems for us."
Catlett expressed worries about stopping 6-10 forward Tellis Frank. A former college teammate of Los Angeles Lakers general manager Jerry West, Catlett called his old friend this week for a report on Western's front line and was told Frank probably will go in the first round of the professional draft, with Western's Martin and Kannard Johnson also going no lower than the third round.