Western Kentucky Basketball

Cinderella Madness

WhatIfSports.com and CollegeHoops.net have partnered up to bring you Cinderella Madness 2012.

This college basketball simulation tournament features 16 of the most memorable Cinderella stories from the past eight seasons. We invited teams outside the Big Six conferences, seeded seventh or lower that advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond in their bracket to participate.

Utilizing our award-winning college basketball simulation engine, we "played" each matchup 501 times.

View the 16-team Cinderella Madness bracket.

2009-10 Saint Mary's

Randy Bennett's Gaels boasted a heavy Australian influence, but they didn't have to travel far to recruit their most recognizable star. Big man Omar Samhan led the way to the Sweet 16 for Saint Mary's, whose run truly began at the WCC tournament in Las Vegas.

The Gaels won the automatic bid, which they needed in light of an SOS of 116, by beating rival Gonzaga 81-62. The confidence they gained in that win played a role in victories over Richmond and Villanova.

Matthew Dellavedova and Mickey McConnell ran the show on the perimeter while Ben Allen proved to be a capable sidekick alongside Samhan.

Unfortunately for Saint Mary's, they ran into the worst possible matchup in the Sweet 16, and their season ended at the hands of the Baylor Bears.

2007-08 Western Kentucky

The Hilltoppers may have been a No. 12 seed in the Big Dance, but there's no mistaking the fact that they had players that could give teams fits. Courtney Lee averaged 20.4 points per game for the Hilltoppers, who entered the NCAA tournament having won six straight and 17 of their last 18 games.

It took a Ty Rogers three as time expired to beat Drake in the first round, and WKU followed that up with a win over San Diego to make its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1993. In addition to Lee and Rogers, there was Tyrone Brazelton, a good point guard who also averaged more than 14 points per game. WKU's run was ended by top-seeded UCLA in Phoenix.

-Raphielle Johnson, CollegeHoops.net

Game recap

In three 2010 NCAA tournament contests, the 6'11", 265-pound Samhan averaged 25.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Fittingly, he helped Saint Mary's narrowly escape Western Kentucky with, you guessed it, 25 points and nine boards.

The Hilltoppers countered with a two-headed offensive attack featuring Lee and Brazelton. The duo combined to average 47.0 points per game during their 2008 Sweet 16 run. In the first half against the Gaels, their 18 collective points helped the Hilltoppers to a 36-30 advantage at intermission.

Western Kentucky maintained their lead until a jump shot by Ben Allen put Saint Mary's ahead 62-61 with less than six minutes remaining in the game. The margin grew to 74-71 on a pair of Beau Levesque free throws with 20 seconds left. Though the Hilltoppers managed to throw up three attempts to tie the game, none connected.

Saint Mary's lost the rebounding battle 32-27, but connected on 19 of 21 free throws and turned the ball over four fewer times. Lee and Brazelton each scored 21 points for Western Kentucky.

Player of the game: Omar Samhan (25 PTS, 9 REB)

Winning Percentage of 501 Simulations: '10 Saint Mary's 53.1 % - '08 Western Kentucky 46.9%

The 2011-2012 season has been a rough one for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

The team that was labeled one of the best mid-major teams just a few years ago has had a long fall from glory, and it appears now that they have hit rock bottom.

In a season that started out promising with a great recruiting class of eight freshmen, things quickly turned south once the games began.

The few high points included taking undefeated Murray State and the University of Louisville down to the wire before falling off towards the end.

The low points, which are too many to name, are highlighted (lowlighted?) by losing in overtime to Louisiana-Lafayette, who had six players on the court when they get hit the game-winner.

As you know, the referees didn't catch it so the final score stands. Afterwards Head Coach Ken McDonald was relieved of his duties..

Now that leaves the Tops with interim coach Ray Harper and a 5-14 record (1-5 in the Sun Belt).

The team is 0-3 under his authority, and though they have shown fight at times, it's clear that things aren't likely to improve much anytime this season. So what, or should I say who, can they turn to for hope?

The answer is simple: freshman guard Derrick Gordon. 

Gordon's story is reason alone to believe in him, but his numbers give you the certainty needed. With 19 games down and 10 to go in the regular season, Gordon has led his team in more ways than one.

Besides being the on-court emotional leader, he is also the leader numbers-wise.

So far the 6'2" guard is the leader in minutes, points, assists and rebounds per game. He spends most of his time at the 2 position due to junior Jamal Crook running the point, but occasionally when Crook is out, he'll take over the point. He's a natural shooter who is getting his chance to shine now at Western. 

WKU was extremely excited to have Gordon come down and play for them, and he has not disappointed. Hailing from New Jersey, he attended the historic St. Patrick's High School and played alongside the likes of Cleveland Cavalier guard Kyrie Irving, Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and North Carolina's Dexter Strickland.

With that kind of talent surrounding him, he never got his true chance to shine as their go-to guy, but now that he is on the hill, he's getting all that and more. 

He's not just standing out at Western, either.

Besides leading his team, Gordon ranks in the top 20 in the Sun Belt Conference in points, assists and rebounds The most impressive of those is that he is as high as sixth in rebounding.

The five who rank above him are all forwards or centers and have as much as seven inches on him.

As a Hilltopper fan, you have no choice but to be excited for Derrick Gordon's future. With a new coach on the way to put in place a system that can highlight his qualities, his potential is very high.

With the numbers he's producing already, it's hard to imagine what he'll be putting up when he's a senior. This could be the player the team has been missing since A.J. Slaughter or even Courtney Lee.

If he turns out that to be that good, or even slightly less, he could very well bring this program back to the top of the Sun Belt and feared by even the toughest of opponents.

One thing is for sure: the future is very bright for this young player.

All stats are from ESPN.com

I am not sure what part of this story is more disturbing. 

What we have here is an overtime victory garnered after the winning team had six men on the court and didn't use them. Stranger still is that none of the veteran officials caught the infraction. Even more bizarre is the losing head coach is now looking for a job. 

Let's break it all down from the beginning, shall we? 

Louisiana-Lafayette came out of the final timeout of the game against Western Kentucky. Only, they came out with six players rather than five. 

The game went on with Elfrid Payton taking the ball and never once taking advantage of his extra teammate—or any teammate, for that matter. Payton goes Kobe Bryant as he dribbles around and hits the game-winning layup. 

Not one of the officials called a technical as their heads were too far up some place stinky. However, there may now be repercussions. ESPN reports Sun Belt officials are none too pleased with the gaffe and may suspend the veteran crew. 

I mean, I can sort of buy football officials missing something this blatant, but this is six dudes wearing red. That kind of thing is hit-you-over-the-head easy to spot. 

That is not the end of it, though. Sadly, the Western Kentucky coach, after finding out that he had been done dirty on the court, was axed after the game. 

Director of Athletics Ross Bjork broke the news that head coach Ken McDonald had been fired. This was not because he was bamboozled on the court, but because of a slow start to the season. 

ESPN's Andy Katz tweets the question of the night, "Does Ken McDonald get fired today if Western Kentucky doesn't lose to ULL with 6 players on court? I'm sure decision made prior, still odd."

This may have been some odd coincidence. I am sure the loss didn't help, though. This goes down as the weirdest story of the week. 

Follow @gabezal

Gonzaga basketball coach Mark Few is involved in his 10th straight NCAA basketball tournament in 10 years of coaching the Gonzaga’s Bulldogs.

In coach Few's very first appearance at the NCAA tournament in 1999, he was treated as if he should not have even been in the tournament at all (beating all the media’s favorites).

No doubt they were pleased when Gonzaga finally lost. Too bad for the media though.

Few and the Zags have placed the WCC in every March Madness since, and they are not showing signs of giving up their spot any time soon as the Bulldogs of Gonzaga beat out the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky 83-81 in the Rose Garden on Saturday night.

It was a tad difficult to pick one person who stood out for Gonzaga in that game, but Micah Downs may deserve the nod. He was consistent all game long. He did everything to aid his team both offensively and defensively.

The Hilltoppers and Zags met only once before—last season—in the Great Alaska Shootout. Gonzaga narrowly won that game as well (74-71).

Saturday night’s headliner in the west bracket between Gonzaga and Western Kentucky was a true battle—but not a battle of mid-majors.

This battle was hard fought, fast paced, terrifically defended, and supported great shooting by both sides. Albeit, the Hilltoppers showed only one weak spot all night and that was nailing free throws.

Still, there is not one team in the NCAA brackets that could have played a better game in the Rose Garden Saturday night, including North Carolina who Gonzaga meets next in the NCAA’s battle of “Sweet 16.”

Last year, Gonzaga was “one and done” and Western Kentucky advanced to the Sweet 16. Considering their losses to graduation, they were not expected back—not this soon anyway.

This 2009 tournament was Western Kentucky’s 21st showing and the Hilltoppers were supposed to have been in a rebuilding year.

Yet, Western Kentucky appeared to display an even better team than the Hilltoppers sent to the Sweet 16 last year.

First year Western Kentucky coach Ken McDonald is a super coach and he will no doubt bring Western Kentucky back again and most likely next year.

Western Kentucky, like Gonzaga, deserve better than a mid-major tag, but that apparently is a political issue that will be dealt with down the road.

Tonight’s battle was between two competitive universities that have left their mark in their communities, states, and nationally.

Both of these fine teams are good enough to be in the Final Four, but because they played one another, there is one team left to advance—Gonzaga has that opportunity.

Gonzaga is bigger, stronger, just as fast as North Carolina and can shoot from anywhere on the floor. The Tarheels are a great team but they are not better than the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

North Carolina and Gonzaga met only once before in 2006. Many of those freshmen that played in that game will represent their team one last time.

Gonzaga won the first meeting stopping the Tarheels from playing for the NIT

Championship. The Zags meet the Tarheels Friday and Bulldog fans are looking

for a same result.

For as long as I can remember, I have been handed a bracket on Selection Sunday and told to fill it out. As a middle school student who knew very little about sports, I found the competition, and the chance to win bragging rights, fun.

Today my family is still filling out brackets and every March, everybody has an equal chance to win.

My brother, who as a sixth grader somehow predicted George Mason's Final Four run on his way to winning without watching one minute of college basketball during the season, has won. My mom, who likes to make her selections based off school names and jersey colors, has beaten us all. My girlfriend, who prefers putting team mascots up against one another as she makes her picks, is currently leading.

My father and I, who know each of the teams and can name one hundred more players than the rest of our family combined, have never won. We spend too much time looking at individual match-ups, free throw shooting problems, and point guard play rather than focusing on the truly important things. You know, things like how the Utah Utes have a weird name so of course the Arizona Wildcats are going to upset them.

This chance for everyone to participate, and win for that matter, is part of the reason that March Madness has reached all demographics and become similar to the Super Bowl in a sense that everyone is excited about something. This widespread epidemic known as March Madness Fever is highly contagious and spreading rapidly.

From a basketball sense, what fan of the sport wouldn't want to watch the best teams in the country go head to head for a title? Sixteen games packed into one day makes for excellent basketball, individual match-ups, and excitement.

And this isn't the NBA. Teams can't lose three games and then still come back and win a title. If you lose, you're done. Every big play is more important and every mistake is magnified. March Madness is a basketball fan's heaven, there is no doubting that.

But what about those who don't understand or like the sport? They love it too. Most of the people in my family's pool are either casual sports fan or have very little interest and they get just as into it.

Even if they had never heard of the Sienna Saints until this month, they are now rooting for them to beat Ohio State just as hard as Michigan fans because their bracket needs them to. But that's not all. Anyone who loves rooting for the underdog or their favorite school can get into the Big Dance. Heck, if you love winning money and gambling, this is the time of year for you.

The Super Bowl has the commercials, parties and media frenzy, but March Madness is getting up there in terms of diverse audiences. One reason for this is that fans love the intensity, pressure, and excitement of a single game determining a winner. Everything this team worked for during the season is decided in these twenty minutes. The suspense is always that of a game seven. That is why March is the month where heroes are made and rivalries are strengthened.

The players who make these games so excited never lose the passion and intensity towards the tournament either.

On Saturday, following the game between the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks, I made my way into the locker room for post-game interviews. Rather than seeing all of the guys dressed and ready to leave, many of them hadn't moved from the television long enough to get ready. Duke and Texas were playing on the big screen as I walked in and sure enough, J.J. Redick, one of the best Blue Devils of all-time, was sitting there rooting his team on.

Courtney Lee, the most successful Hilltopper in the team's history, was also focused on the screen, but at the top left corner where the Western Kentucky and Gonzaga score was being displayed.

Twenty minutes later, CBS was still airing Texas and Duke but Lee's gaze was still fixed on the score, either groaning or grinning with each update. One of the workers for the team turned off the showers which finally broke his trance. While the rest of his peers were dressed and heading to the team parking lot, Lee was still sitting at locker in his game shorts and towel that he got to using.

Exactly one year before this night, I had witnessed Lee's twelfth ranked Hilltoppers upset the fifth ranked Drake squad in an overtime thriller in Tampa. Throughout the team's run to the Sweet Sixteen, Lee averaged 20.6 points, 8 rebounds, 2.6 steals, and 1.7 blocks. It was his performance during these nationally televised games that caught the attention of scouts and NBA circles.

The Magic then went on to select him twenty second overall in last year's NBA Draft. It was largely because of his performance in the NCAA Tournament the year before that he was able to be sitting in his new team's locker room rooting on his old school. As I said, performances are magnified and heroes are made in March and Lee is yet another example of that.

Players and fans, adults and children, sports geeks and jock haters alike can all get into what March Madness has to offer. It is more than just a basketball tournament and means different things depending on who you ask.

To the college basketball player, it is everything they've worked for and a chance to prove themselves to the world. It is a chance to begin interviewing for NBA front offices and to bring recognition and respect to the school that put faith in them out of high school.

For the sports fan, it is nonstop excitement and a reason to call into work. They can root for their favorite team and maybe even attend one of the games. Extra points go to those who paint their bodies.

For the daughter of the sports fan, it is a chance to kick their dad's butt in his bracket and prove that she is, in fact, always right. She also may get the chance to win some money and have bragging rights when she successfully predicts her father's Alma Mater to lose in the first round while dad has them winning it all.

For the mom, she likes cheering on the underdogs and getting the whole family together to watch the games and fill out their bracket. It's all harmless fun and Memphis isn't just playing for pride and a title, they're also playing for her new pair of shoes so they better come through for her.

This is the fun of March Madness and I hope you enjoy it, no matter who you are.

This is a collection of thoughts after sweating the Louisville-Siena game:

• It looks like there's a couple of programs that could be on their way to assuming Gonzaga-like status.  By this, I mean that they could earn at-large bids to the tournament with decent seasons year after year.  Western Kentucky came within a basket of reaching the Sweet 16 the second straight year and only loses one significant senior (of course, Orlando Mendez-Valdez is pretty significant). Siena loses leader Kenny Hasbrouck and key reserve Josh Duell but gets Edwin Ubiles back along with the rest of the roster. 
• Two conferences beat each other up this season, but only one has come out of the first two rounds with their reputation as a beast intact. Marquette came within seconds of putting the Big East at an astonishing 13-1 for the first two rounds.  The ACC?  Not so much.  UNC and Duke carry the hopes as Boston College, Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State and Maryland will be watching TV like the rest of us. According to the RPI website (collegerpi.com) the ACC was ranked second in non-conference performance while the Big East ranked third.
• For the first time since 1996 all the 2-seeds made it into the Sweet 16.
• The SEC has to be glad this season's over.  Yes, I realize that several teams are still alive in the NIT, but the SEC is used to playing on bigger and brighter stages.  After LSU went down to North Carolina no SEC teams will be playing after the second round for the first time since 1989.
• Finally, if Syracuse beats Oklahoma Jim Boeheim will get win number 800.  He thinks Hawaii is Syracuse in July.  He has never left the upstate New York city.  He was tempted to coach at Ohio State once but never seriously entertained it.  It will be interesting to see how the vaunted zone matches up against Blake Griffin and Co. but if the Orange pull it off congrats to the unofficial mayor of Syracuse.

Spring fever and Spring arms.  Spring fever breeds March Madness.

Baseball ending and crisp air.  Baseball ending and football beginning.

There are many questions in this life, many of which won't ever be answered.  One of these questions?  What is the best season for sports?

I know it's not summer.  Even as a huge Red Sox fan, I get that it just doesn't have enough going on and it's not winter because the only championship that's really going on is the Superbowl, but is that really enough to carry a season?

I used to be a die hard fall person, in large part because the baseball playoffs were going on and football season really starts to heat up.  The fact I love autumn in and of itself was also taken into consideration.

However, since the World Baseball Classic showed up, I find myself awaiting spring days just as bad as I was aching for the breaks in 100 degree heat.

Spring also has some tremendous cases to be considered as the top season for sports, number being this little dance between 64 collegiate athletes.

March Madness is by far the greatest playoff system in all of sports, and here is why. There are 64 teams for starters.  That is such an astronomical number for a sports related playoff.

It's exciting, anyone can win a game (except for a No. 16 seed), and I don't think you follow Western Kentuck or Dayton for 11 months and 2 weeks out of the year, but right now, there's someone out there that had Illinois in the Sweet 16 that is rueing the day the Hilltoppers won the Sun Belt conference title.

Or maybe there is someone out there running around their office telling everyone that "they told you so" because they remember WKU in last year's Sweet 16.

Then there is spring training.  There is no preseason more worthwhile than baseball.  I'm not saying that preseason NFL games don't matter, but preseason NFL games don't matter.

I've never heard of anyone taking off a week to go watch the Lakers play a few preseason games or to go trek up to Edmonton to watch the Oilers get ready to take on the Blackhawks for a little preseason action.

Yet every year people flock to Fort Myers or Arizona to catch a break from the cold, kick back a few brews, and snag a few innings of baseball.

Enter the World Baseball Classic.

So many people hate it, and I understand why, yet I love it.  Maybe it's because I have friends internationally and love to go back and forth with them in good fun, but it makes me feel great watching these guys.

I'm not worried about anybody getting hurt, but that's because I believe it's bigger than an MLB season.  This is like the World Cup or the Olympics, a stage for your country to put out its best product.

They aren't getting paid as much, though, and that's why I understand people not playing.  That said, I still love it.

So I figure this, fall can be best two out of three years, but when World Baseball Classic year runs around, I'm all about the spring.

"Let's hear it for the boys..."

All right, children of the 80s, I'm stealing the best line from this Deniece Williams classic because it aptly describes the WKU-Illinois first round NCAA tournament game.

Before I continue, I must confess to you that I'm a WKU homer/alumnus...and to all that are confused, it should read "WKU" and not "WKY" on the CBS lower-third graphic. With that being said, please indulge me for a second.

It wasn't the "One Shining Moment" clip Western provided us last year, ripe with the thrill of Ty Roger's last second heroics, but it was still the best theater you could find on the tournament's first day. 'Twas a true movie script that was well-written and acted out even better.

From the opening tip, the Toppers were in control. The Tops laced up their running shoes and took it to a stunned Illini team. Led by Stephon Pettigrew, the former Mr. Kentucky in basketball, the Tops erased all doubts that they belonged at the dance and showed that last year's Sweet Sixteen birth was definitely not a fluke.

But as with all good stories, the good times stopped rollin' and reality hit the Tops hard. Illinois super-powered to within two, thanks to Trent Meacham's 24 points and a series of turnovers on the Toppers part. (I would like to point out that most of those turnovers I never saw, thanks the CBS switching to the VCU-UCLA game...I appreciate that).

Much like the Tops are accustomed to, they gave away a cushy 17-point lead for the much-tighter constraints of a single-digit dogfight (sorry to any PETA supporters) of which they could have as easily lost as won.

A few heart-stopping plays later, especially the ridiculously bad call by the refs on the in-bounds play for the Toppers with about 1:20 to go in the second half, the Tops prevailed to move on.

But something really struck me about my alma mater after the game, and it was not the fact they played away a big lead or their ability to hold court when Illinois gave its best punch. What struck me most was the looks on the Toppers' faces that said, "We belong here. We can and should beat any and all comers." To me, that's the type of look true champions exude.

Now, am I saying I think they'll walk out of Detroit with the NCAA trophy in there hands? Probably not (but it doesn't mean the homer in me can't dream of a tourney trophy displayed prominently in E.A. Diddle Arena.) What I am saying is you can bet money on this team to march through the tournament, putting on both wins and a show.

And, once you've seen them play, they'll have you humming "Let's hear it for the boys" along with me.

Illinois has had their share of troubles this past week.

Losing senior point guard Chester Frazier to injury, then falling to Purdue in the Big Ten semifinals, and culminating with a five seed in the NCAA Tournament and a matchup against Western Kentucky.

The same Western Kentucky that pulled off a thrilling 5-12 upset over Drake last year, 101-99.

For Illini fans that know nothing about Western Kentucky except this fact, as I did, here is a short breakdown.

This WKU team is not the exact team as last year, as three starters left after last season. However, several current players still have tournament experience.

Junior A.J. Slaughter leads the Hilltoppers with 15.8 points per game, able to score inside and outside.

Senior Orlando Mendez-Valdez is a pure three-point shooter, jacking up 224 shots behind the arc and converting over 40 percent this season.

Hearing over and over from the committee they were evaluating the entire body of work, Western Kentucky had the out-of-conference schedule that put them ahead of the rest of the conference champions.

Scheduling four games against teams from the "Big Six" conferences, the Hilltoppers won half. One of those included a 68-54 victory against overall No. 1 seed Louisville, in a neutral-site game. They also bested Georgia and mid-major Southern Illinois.

Although those wins look awfully impressive, none were played on the road. When the Hilltoppers did venture into opposing arenas, they had a much tougher time. In fact, Western Kentucky had three games on the road where they lost by at least 28 points (Murray State, Mississippi State, and Florida State).

The Hilltoppers closed strong, winning the last seven games and the Sun Belt Championship.

On the other side, Illinois has struggled all year to shoot the ball consistently. Sophomore Demetri McCamey, the Illini's leading scorer, has three games this year without a field goal and senior Trent Meachem can be just as inconsistent.

Fortunately for the Illini, they have a huge size advantage over Western Kentucky. The 7'1" Mike Tisdale and the 6'9" Mike Davis should be able to control the inside, as WKU has only one player, 6'9" Jeremy Evans, that is taller than 6'5".

While Illinois has to work the inside, Western Kentucky has to score from beyond the arc. Illinois relied heavily on their defense this season, and with Frazier questionable for the game, WKU has to take advantage of this if they want to pull the upset.

Jeff Jordan, Frazier's replacement for the Big Ten tournament, has done as much as you could ask of a sophomore backup. He had six assists and only one turnover in the tournament, including promptly stealing the ball after the turnover.

If Jordan does start again, he needs to keep his nerves under control and turnovers limited.

Even with Jordan playing okay, he lacks intangibles that Frazier brought. With Frazier not handling the ball in the Big Ten tournament, the backcourt continued to take awful shots.

Davis needs to step up as he did in the Michigan game, and as an emotional player I believe Davis will come out firing.

The site benefits neither team as Portland is more than a short distance for both teams. Perhaps some Purdue fans will help support their fellow conference team, but that is probably just wishful thinking.

This game is the most popular 5-12 upset that I have seen. Without Frazier, it could very well happen. If Frazier is ready to play, I don't see the Hilltoppers standing a chance.

Putting Frazier on Mendez-Valdez would be great for the Illini. It would force Western Kentucky to find someone else to shoot from outside, or try to score down low against Tisdale and Davis.

Bruce Weber has coached this team to a place no one expected them to be this year. For Illini fans, hopefully he can keep the surprises coming.