Full House



The Blue Raiders set the tone right away as the Belt Boss, racing out to a 10-0 lead to start the game. They also led 15-6 and by as many as eleven points in the first ten minutes. The sudsy, sold-out crowd sat de-frothed, as the Toppers' two starting bigs each picked up two early fouls and rode pine for 16+ first half minutes while Middle worked on those leads. MTSU's LaRon Dendy (a Sun Belt Player of the Year contender) took advantage by racking up 11 first half points. But, clawing through adversity is in the fiber of this young WKU team, and they used good, old-fashioned scrambling for loose balls and pesky turnover creation to keep the game close. They trailed by just three points at halftime despite the foul trouble and the full Dendy-ing
that happened early.

The second half opened with another 10-0 blitz, but this time the home-standing Toppers were the runners. With the crowd in full throat, MTSU coach Kermit Davis did not call a timeout, but instead saw his blue-clads calmly rip off eight straight to shush the throng and reclaim the lead. See-sawing ensued. I pause here to note that the building's temperature was rising with the full capacity and the ballooning stress in the joint. The smell of old wood, popcorn, sweat, and industrial paint saturated the dense Diddle atmosphere. At some point around the under eight media timeout, I felt the arena air conditioning waft over me, but it was fighting a losing battle at this late stage. Everyone's bodily hygiene was tested.

Student Section



The home team kept control down the stretch, and a critical offensive rebound and put-back by WKU true freshman T.J. Price put the Toppers up five very late. The Raiders would not give in, making a number of critical buckets and free throws in the fleeting moments, but in the end, the Toppers' 21-24 (87.5%) free throw shooting (many of those down the stretch) would keep the late heroics at bay. The young Toppers, with help from the sellout crowd and grand atmosphere, emerged victorious over Mighty Middle. Diddle over Middle.

While the WKU fan in me was absolutely ecstatic with the win, one dark cloud looms over the victory from my perspective as a Sun Belt and Mid-Majority fan. This severely damaged MTSU's at-large hopes if they should
need them, and probably opened the door a little wider for some Big 6 team with a losing conference record. MTSU will have won six of eight conference road games; demolished UCLA in Los Angeles by 20; beaten a couple of fine non-conference teams in Belmont and Akron; went 14-2 in conference; and won ten road games. And, they will probably get passed over if it comes to it.

It always ends with a loss, and MTSU's at-large hopes probably died with this defeat. They will likely need to win next weekend's Sun Belt Tourney to get to the Big Dance to have another part of themselves end with a loss one more time. I must say, this Raider team can defend any team in any league. I do not know if they have enough shooters or perimeter speed to deal with some of the NBA Lites of the world, but if WKU cannot be the Belt representative, I hope MTSU gets a shot to see what they can do. They certainly have earned it, even if a bid is not awarded. I am not being a Belt homer here: if MTSU loses next weekend, I still believe they would likely be one of the best 37 at-large teams available even if their "profile" is not strong enough.

That said, the Tops finished 6-4 down the stretch and led very late in the three of those losses. They at least have to be taken seriously in the tourney, especially given that they are the only team toting wins over both division champs (MTSU and UALR). The Sun Belt tourney starts next Saturday, with WKU facing FIU on Saturday night and MTSU with a bye until Sunday. They will face the winner of FAU and Arkansas State.

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