WKU Weekly Wrap-up – 1/5/14-1/11/14
Well. What a week it has been for Western Kentucky. I feel like no other introduction is needed, so lets jump right into things.
Men’s Basketball: WKU 54 – Georgia State 77
What else can you really say about what transpired Thursday night in Diddle other than “halftime struck again”? It was a 5 point game at the half, then the Panthers rattled off 15 straight points to open the back 20 minutes of play, and Georgia State stole the first conference meeting between the two teams. The Tops shot 28% from the floor for the game, and only saw one man (T.J. Price) hit double figures in scoring (in comparison, the entire GSU starting line up scored at least 11). The Panthers also set a Diddle Arena record by going a perfect 21-21 from the free throw line. WKU closes the regular season in Atlanta, and I’m already looking forward for that bout.
Women’s Basketball: WKU 80 – Georgia State 59
Not that we knew it at the time, but in hindsight, nearly everything the men’s meeting between these two schools was the exact opposite of the women’s meeting just a day earlier. Four Lady Topper starters hit double figures (as did Bria Ganes from the bench), while holding just one Lady Panther to 10+. The Lady Toppers also started their second half hot, hitting 13 of their first 14 shots (including 3-3 from 3) as MCH and company took the first ever meeting between the two schools 80-59. Alexis Govan missed the game (her third straight she’s missed) due to leg issues.
Football: Meet The New Boss, Say Goodbye to the Old Boss
The most popular story of the week, and honestly, probably since last December, was when news broke that Bobby Petrino would be leaving the Hill to return to Louisville. Just the move was met with little surprise, so was the news of who was taking over, last year’s offensive coordinator Jeff Brohm, who was named the 19th head coach in WKU football history. Here on Wave The Red Towel, we spoke with Scout.com’s Jordan Wells and Nashville’s 104.5 The Zone’s Jason Martin about the fallout of Petrino, which you can read by clicking on their names if you missed it (or would like to read it again).
#ProToppers Update:
Courtney Lee: Courtney Lee was also in the national news a bit this week, as the Boston Celtics traded him (as well as a 2nd round draft pick in 2016) to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jerryd Bayless. (The Oklahoma City Thunder also were involved in the trade, getting a draft pick from Memphis.) On the season, Lee is shooting 47.8% from the field, and 43.1% from beyond the arc, which are both career highs. In his two games with Memphis, Lee is averaging 10 points, 4 boards, and is shooting 53% from the field in just over 27 minutes.
Jeremy Evans: The Utah Jazz are still…bad. And Jeremy Evans didn’t see a whole lot of the court this past week, totaling 22 minutes, scoring 10 points, and grabbing 6 boards in a win against OKC and a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Evans’ numbers are lower than we, and he, would like to see – he’s averaging 6.7 points and 5.2 boards in 18.7 minutes a game – but hopefully that’ll change soon, and he will start making some more noise.
Jack Doyle: Jack Doyle’s season came to an end last night, as did the Indianapolis Colts’, after a loss to the New England Patriots. However, it isn’t all bad, as the first play from scrimmage last night saw Andrew Luck complete a pass to Mr. Doyle! Unfortunately, that would be all the statistical output he’d receive, and we bid updating him a farewell until fall, when he and Mr. Rainey, and hopefully a few other former Toppers, will be back in NFL action.
So, will all that said, what was YOUR favorite moment of the past week? Leave a comment below, or tweet us at @WaveTheRedTowel.
Stand up and cheers.