GAMEDAY: WKU @ Arkansas-Little Rock
Ready for Round 2? Last time the battle took place on the Diddle hardwood, and things went down to the wire. The Tops held the lead with the clock waning down, when the Trojans snuck back in to tie it up at the end of regulation. UALR would carry their late momentum into OT and would seal the deal with the win of four points. Things could very well be the same today, let’s break things down for this highlight SBC matchup.
The Trojans come into today’s contest with a record of 7-4 in Sun Belt play, and also have this week’s SBC player of the week in Will Neighbour to help fight for the win. This evening Neighbour looks to be just as potent as he was last contest between the Tops and Trojans, as he went for 32 points along with 7 rebounds. With Alex Rostov out and leaving George Fant as the the true size for the Tops, Neighbour can be dominant in this matchup and will once again be the difference maker in tonight’s game. I also look for James White to have another outstanding game aside Neighbour. White has been averaging 11.6 PPG along with 6 RPG. Last matchup with the Tops he secured a double-double as he landed 14 points and ten rebounds. With these two forwards, they will definitely cause the Topper front court to have a long night.
As for WKU, they need to play physical, and the shots need to be falling. The Tops are on a five game win streak and want to keep it moving forward, however it won’t continue unless someone new steps up. We have seen impact performances from Aaron Adeoye and O’Karo Akamune here of late, today however they both need to have stellar performance in order to contradict the Neighbour-White duo.
Tonight the Tops will need to limit turnovers as usual, as they lost 13 to the Trojans and are averaging 14 per game. I normally preach on offensive boards, but tonight I just want the Tops to get rebounds. WKU will be severely undersized tonight and will have to get their hands on any 50/50 ball. I think the Tops can manage the win, as UALR can play an average game at any point in time. Will that time be tonight? I doubt it, therefore the Tops can’t manage to make many mistakes at all.
I think the line up to keep the streak alive for the night will be Harrison-Docks, Dickerson, T.J. Price, Adeoye, and Fant.
Things get going in just a short while at 5! Don’t miss out, as tonight will once again be a great game. Get to your TV’s and enjoy the show on ESPN 3 or locally on WKU-PBS! Stand up and Cheer!