WKU's run -- who will benefit
Western Kentucky kept right on rolling in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday with a win over San Diego.
Courtney Lee scored 29 points and the Hilltoppers survived late after blowing a double-digit lead for the second straight game. WKU got a break when San Diego pulled a first-round upset of UConn, making the road a little easier, but one has to give the Toppers credit. They have taken advantage of their opportunities to become the first Sun Belt team to reach the Sweet 16 since 1993 when -- you guessed it -- WKU won two games to make it to the third round.
There has been a lot of talk about how the Hilltoppers' run will benefit the Sun Belt. It certainly won't hurt. If someone watching the game on TV hadn't heard of the league before, he had the Sun Belt burned into his brain after it was mentioned 20 times that Courtney Lee was the league's Player of the Year.
The Sun Belt needs all the positive publicity it can get, but if I were a fan of another team in the league I would cast a wary eye toward Bowling Green. WKU is always loaded, has a great arena and the ability to recruit nationally. A Sweet 16 run is only going to add fuel to their fire. UNT and South Alabama could be enough to prevent a Sun Belt dynasty, but former WKU guard and current head coach Darrin Horn is going to have a lot to work with the next few years if he stays with the Hilltoppers.
I also wonder just how much a team benefits when another team in the league makes a run. I don't see Florida Atlantic's win in the New Orleans Bowl or WKU's run in the NCAA Tournament making a big difference for UNT.
Post your thoughts on the blog. Will anyone in the Sun Belt other than WKU benefit from the Hilltoppers' success?
Posted by Brett Vito 
at 9:52 PM | Permalink
Comments
Gonzaga's success in the WCC has made other schools raise their level of play. Look at this year...3 schools in from the WCC. In years past they've gotten 2 bids.
If WKU keeps this rolling and acouple of other schools raise their game to try keep up - we could be a 2 or 3 bid league in the future.
Posted by: Courtland | March 23, 2008 11:02 PM
Perhaps I'm overly optimistic, but it certainly can't hurt that WKU has made it this far. I don't know that it will get us to a new level of recruit, but it might make us more attractive to players already on our list. Having two teams in the tournament and one in the Sweet Sixteen shows that our conference is competitive. Either way, it has been exciting to follow a team from the conference in the tournament, even if it is not UNT.
Posted by: nms | March 24, 2008 10:22 AM