March 20, 2009

Scouting Report: Western Kentucky (WKU)



W-L: 25-8
RPI: 96
SOS: 179
Best Wins:
(4) Louisville W, 68-54
(26) Illinois W, 76-72

Best Losses:
(37) Florida St. L, 82-69
(60) Mississippi St. L, 95-67
(69) Houston L, 73-64

Current Rankings:
#12 Seed in NCAA Tourney

Team Leaders:
Points: A.J. Slaughter 15.8
Assists: Orlando Mendez-Valdez 4.0
Rebounds: Sergio Kerusch 7.5

Best Player:

Orlando Mendez-Valdez PG 6-1 185 SR
Orlando is the player that makes WKU tick. Without him at full speed after a calf spasm, the Hilltoppers blew a 17 point lead a nearly allowed the Illini to come screaming back. 13.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.0APG...40% shooter from outside...

My Take:
This will be a test, the Hilltoppers are a well seasoned bunch who know a thing or two about advancing in the tourney. Just last season they were able to reach the Sweet 16 on a nice run of big game heroics. The Zags have played them before with a 74-71 win over them last season in the Great Alaskan Shootout. I expect this to be a nitty-gritty down to the wire game that will put a scare into the Gonzaga faithful. All in all, this will help season the Zags to eventually reach the Sweet 16 for the 5th time in school history and get a chance to recapture some of the glory of old with a Giant Killing performance against the great Tar Heels of Chapel Hill.

Final Score: Gonzaga 76 Western Kentucky 67

No comments: