Justin Johnson isn?t used to playing basketball this time of year. The Western Kentucky forward saw his first three college seasons end no later than March 12.
Now it?s March 19, and the senior Johnson and his Hilltoppers aren?t done yet. They?ll face Southern California at 10:30 p.m. CDT Monday in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.
WKU is two wins away from a trip to Madison Square Garden and four victories away from an NIT title.
?I?ve had some appointments that I had to call and cancel and change because we?re still playing basketball,? Johnson said Friday. ?I?ve never played basketball this long in a season. ?
?I think we?re still capable of playing for a couple more weeks.?
No. 4 seed WKU (25-10) advanced to the second round thanks to a 79-62 drubbing Tuesday of No. 5 seed Boston College.
Johnson (19 points), Taveion Hollingsworth (18), Darius Thompson (17) and Lamonte Bearden (10) all scored in double figures as the Toppers rolled at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Later that night, WKU looked like it might get to host a second-round game. No. 8 seed North Carolina-Asheville took No. 1 seed USC to two overtimes and had several chances to win the game before falling 103-98.
A Bulldogs win would have meant another Hilltopper home game, but it wasn?t to be. WKU flew west Saturday afternoon, practiced Sunday at USC?s Galen Center and will play Monday in a game broadcast by ESPN2.
?I was pulling for UNC-Asheville, hoping we?d be back home,? said Johnson, who?s playing in the first postseason tourney of his career. ?They had every chance in the world to win that game.
?But to travel to a Pac-12 school and get a win out there would be another thing to add to the resume this year. It?ll be a good opportunity for us.?
The Tops will hope for an effort Monday similar to what they put forth last week in their 17-point rout of the Eagles. WKU shot 55.4 percent from the floor, held Boston College to a 38.5-percent clip and enjoyed advantages in assists (16-7), fast break points (15-2) and points in the paint (40-26).
WKU ?got back up off the mat? with its first-round win, coach Rick Stansbury said. The victory came just three days after the Hilltoppers? NCAA Tournament hopes were dashed March 10 by Marshall in the title game of the Conference USA Tournament.
?I?ve always said when you?ve got good people and good character it?s easier to bounce back,? Stansbury said. ?It?s very obvious we?ve had that all year long.?
Johnson echoed his coach, saying the goal in the locker room is for WKU to make the most of its NIT opportunity.
The Toppers have the chance to beat a USC squad that finished second in the Pac-12 regular-season standings. The Trojans went 24-11 this year and were announced as one of the first four teams left out of the NCAA Tournament by its selection committee.
USC will play without leading scorer Chimezie Metu (15.7 points per game), who is sitting out the NIT to avoid injury ahead of the NBA Draft. Guard Jordan McLaughlin (12.8 ppg, 7.6 assists per game) is the Trojans? most dynamic playmaker.
?Very talented team,? Stansbury said. ?They?ve got some guys that can make some shots. It won?t be easy going on the road.?
If WKU wins, it?ll travel to either No. 2 seed Oklahoma State or No. 3 seed Stanford for an NIT quarterfinal. A win in that round would send the Hilltoppers to New York for the tournament semifinals, and potentially finals, at Madison Square Garden.
?My biggest thing is to stay positive with all those guys,? Johnson said. ?A bunch of guys in that locker room played in the NCAA Tournament, so trying to get those guys refocused on playing for an NIT championship is a little bit difficult.
?Everybody?s bought in. They?ve locked in.?
Notes
WKU has made at least one 3-pointer in 973 consecutive games, dating back to March 15, 1987. The Hilltoppers? streak is the fifth-longest in the nation behind UNLV, Vanderbilt, Duke and Arkansas. ? WKU will try for its 11th victory this season against a program that now boasts at least 20 wins. The Toppers have recorded three such victories against Old Dominion, two against Alabama-Birmingham and Marshall and one each against Nicholls, Purdue and Wright State. ? Johnson (1,658 points) ranks 12th on WKU?s career scoring list. He needs 23 points to pass Clem Haskins (1,680 points) for 11th. ? The Hilltoppers? last win against a current Pac-12 school was against USC ? 82-52 on Dec. 6, 1986 at the Wendy?s Classic in Bowling Green. WKU has never won a true road game at a Pac-12 school. ? Thompson (170 assists) ranks No. 5 on the Tops? single-season assist list. Next up is No. 4 James McNary (175, 1985-86).
Now it?s March 19, and the senior Johnson and his Hilltoppers aren?t done yet. They?ll face Southern California at 10:30 p.m. CDT Monday in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.
WKU is two wins away from a trip to Madison Square Garden and four victories away from an NIT title.
?I?ve had some appointments that I had to call and cancel and change because we?re still playing basketball,? Johnson said Friday. ?I?ve never played basketball this long in a season. ?
?I think we?re still capable of playing for a couple more weeks.?
No. 4 seed WKU (25-10) advanced to the second round thanks to a 79-62 drubbing Tuesday of No. 5 seed Boston College.
Johnson (19 points), Taveion Hollingsworth (18), Darius Thompson (17) and Lamonte Bearden (10) all scored in double figures as the Toppers rolled at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Later that night, WKU looked like it might get to host a second-round game. No. 8 seed North Carolina-Asheville took No. 1 seed USC to two overtimes and had several chances to win the game before falling 103-98.
A Bulldogs win would have meant another Hilltopper home game, but it wasn?t to be. WKU flew west Saturday afternoon, practiced Sunday at USC?s Galen Center and will play Monday in a game broadcast by ESPN2.
?I was pulling for UNC-Asheville, hoping we?d be back home,? said Johnson, who?s playing in the first postseason tourney of his career. ?They had every chance in the world to win that game.
?But to travel to a Pac-12 school and get a win out there would be another thing to add to the resume this year. It?ll be a good opportunity for us.?
The Tops will hope for an effort Monday similar to what they put forth last week in their 17-point rout of the Eagles. WKU shot 55.4 percent from the floor, held Boston College to a 38.5-percent clip and enjoyed advantages in assists (16-7), fast break points (15-2) and points in the paint (40-26).
WKU ?got back up off the mat? with its first-round win, coach Rick Stansbury said. The victory came just three days after the Hilltoppers? NCAA Tournament hopes were dashed March 10 by Marshall in the title game of the Conference USA Tournament.
?I?ve always said when you?ve got good people and good character it?s easier to bounce back,? Stansbury said. ?It?s very obvious we?ve had that all year long.?
Johnson echoed his coach, saying the goal in the locker room is for WKU to make the most of its NIT opportunity.
The Toppers have the chance to beat a USC squad that finished second in the Pac-12 regular-season standings. The Trojans went 24-11 this year and were announced as one of the first four teams left out of the NCAA Tournament by its selection committee.
USC will play without leading scorer Chimezie Metu (15.7 points per game), who is sitting out the NIT to avoid injury ahead of the NBA Draft. Guard Jordan McLaughlin (12.8 ppg, 7.6 assists per game) is the Trojans? most dynamic playmaker.
?Very talented team,? Stansbury said. ?They?ve got some guys that can make some shots. It won?t be easy going on the road.?
If WKU wins, it?ll travel to either No. 2 seed Oklahoma State or No. 3 seed Stanford for an NIT quarterfinal. A win in that round would send the Hilltoppers to New York for the tournament semifinals, and potentially finals, at Madison Square Garden.
?My biggest thing is to stay positive with all those guys,? Johnson said. ?A bunch of guys in that locker room played in the NCAA Tournament, so trying to get those guys refocused on playing for an NIT championship is a little bit difficult.
?Everybody?s bought in. They?ve locked in.?
Notes
WKU has made at least one 3-pointer in 973 consecutive games, dating back to March 15, 1987. The Hilltoppers? streak is the fifth-longest in the nation behind UNLV, Vanderbilt, Duke and Arkansas. ? WKU will try for its 11th victory this season against a program that now boasts at least 20 wins. The Toppers have recorded three such victories against Old Dominion, two against Alabama-Birmingham and Marshall and one each against Nicholls, Purdue and Wright State. ? Johnson (1,658 points) ranks 12th on WKU?s career scoring list. He needs 23 points to pass Clem Haskins (1,680 points) for 11th. ? The Hilltoppers? last win against a current Pac-12 school was against USC ? 82-52 on Dec. 6, 1986 at the Wendy?s Classic in Bowling Green. WKU has never won a true road game at a Pac-12 school. ? Thompson (170 assists) ranks No. 5 on the Tops? single-season assist list. Next up is No. 4 James McNary (175, 1985-86).
