Second season starts tonight
Toppers prepare for run at Sun Belt title
DENTON, Texas ? Now everything gets really simple.
Western Kentucky just has to win.
A victory means the Hilltoppers live another day in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. A loss means the season is likely over.
First up is New Orleans (13-16, 6-8 Sun Belt) today in the quarterfinals at the Super Pit on the North Texas campus.
?They?re a very solid basketball team and don?t make a ton of mistakes,? WKU coach Darrin Horn said. ?They have a great size advantage over us and are going to present some challenges for us.?
The size advantage is forwards Ben Elias and Shawn Malloy ? both 6-foot-10.
But UNO coach Monty Towe said he isn?t sure how much the bigger players will help against the Hilltoppers.
?I?d like to think that is an advantage, because we do have some size,? Towe said. ?We?ve been starting both Shawn and Ben. Now I don?t know if I?ll do that against Western because while it gives us more size, it puts us at a disadvantage trying to guard some of their smaller, quicker guys.?
The Privateers? best player is sophomore guard Bo McCalebb.
McCalebb is a first-team all-conference player who led the league with 22.6 points per game.
He shoots 25.8 percent from 3-point range, but more than makes up for that by getting to the free throw line, where he has shot a whopping 223 times this season.
?He?s about as good as I have seen at getting to the line,? Horn said. ?He has an uncanny knack for using his body to put you at a disadvantage and get the foul. With players like that, you have to eliminate any silly fouls where you know you did it.?
In the one regular season meeting between the two teams, McCalebb scored 25 points on 9-of-22 shooting.
But UNO still lost 81-69 in E.A. Diddle Arena.
?We?re going to have to play our best game to beat them this time,? Towe said. ?I have an awful lot of respect for Western Kentucky ? I know how good they are.?
With a win, Western Kentucky will play Denver in the semifinals Monday.
But Horn said his team hasn?t started planning for that possibility yet.
?Our total focus is on New Orleans, and what we need to do to beat them,? Horn said.
New Orleans made it all the way to the championship game last year before falling to Louisiana-Lafayette.
WKU lost in the first round to Middle Tennessee last year, but Towe said that experience won?t make much of a difference in today?s matchup.
?I hope it counts for something,? Towe said. ?Really though, there?s only two guys on this team that played a lot last year ? Bo and Ben.?
Toppers prepare for run at Sun Belt title
DENTON, Texas ? Now everything gets really simple.
Western Kentucky just has to win.
A victory means the Hilltoppers live another day in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. A loss means the season is likely over.
First up is New Orleans (13-16, 6-8 Sun Belt) today in the quarterfinals at the Super Pit on the North Texas campus.
?They?re a very solid basketball team and don?t make a ton of mistakes,? WKU coach Darrin Horn said. ?They have a great size advantage over us and are going to present some challenges for us.?
The size advantage is forwards Ben Elias and Shawn Malloy ? both 6-foot-10.
But UNO coach Monty Towe said he isn?t sure how much the bigger players will help against the Hilltoppers.
?I?d like to think that is an advantage, because we do have some size,? Towe said. ?We?ve been starting both Shawn and Ben. Now I don?t know if I?ll do that against Western because while it gives us more size, it puts us at a disadvantage trying to guard some of their smaller, quicker guys.?
The Privateers? best player is sophomore guard Bo McCalebb.
McCalebb is a first-team all-conference player who led the league with 22.6 points per game.
He shoots 25.8 percent from 3-point range, but more than makes up for that by getting to the free throw line, where he has shot a whopping 223 times this season.
?He?s about as good as I have seen at getting to the line,? Horn said. ?He has an uncanny knack for using his body to put you at a disadvantage and get the foul. With players like that, you have to eliminate any silly fouls where you know you did it.?
In the one regular season meeting between the two teams, McCalebb scored 25 points on 9-of-22 shooting.
But UNO still lost 81-69 in E.A. Diddle Arena.
?We?re going to have to play our best game to beat them this time,? Towe said. ?I have an awful lot of respect for Western Kentucky ? I know how good they are.?
With a win, Western Kentucky will play Denver in the semifinals Monday.
But Horn said his team hasn?t started planning for that possibility yet.
?Our total focus is on New Orleans, and what we need to do to beat them,? Horn said.
New Orleans made it all the way to the championship game last year before falling to Louisiana-Lafayette.
WKU lost in the first round to Middle Tennessee last year, but Towe said that experience won?t make much of a difference in today?s matchup.
?I hope it counts for something,? Towe said. ?Really though, there?s only two guys on this team that played a lot last year ? Bo and Ben.?
