WKU Basketball: 10 Essential WKU Basketball Games to get you through a Sportsless month

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We’ve had a few days to process the craziness of the impact of the coronavirus and the life-altering changes to short term life the global pandemic has caused in the US. The ramifications include the canceling of sports for the foreseeable future and social distancing measures that will leave us with ample hours of time to kill at home without the distraction of sports to fill the time that we’d normally be using for March Madness, MLB opening day, NBA & NHL Playoffs and various other sporting events. With that in mind, I recently saw an interesting article by Andy Staples of The Athletic titled 10 college football games worth watching while you wait. That inspired me to post a piece that I’ve long thought about writing but couldn’t find the right time to post. What are the essential WKU Basketball games on YouTube? While WKU has a storied history, the lack of pre-2000 content is very limited so it’s hard to match WKU’s storied history with the relatively modern phenomena of old games being widely available to the general public. With that in mind, I decided to list 10 essential WKU Basketball games that you can watch for free on Youtube to get you through the foreseeable future. Here are some notes before we start the list:

• I only included WKU victories. While there are tons of classic close calls available online (2008 Sweet 16 vs. UCLA, 1993 Sweet 16 vs Florida State, 2013 near upset of Kansas, 2018 Conference USA Tournament Final against Marshall), I wanted to use this list to highlight huge wins in WKU history. The list below includes memorable regular-season victories & postseason wins that will help you relive big moments in WKU history.
• I only included full games for your enjoyment. That leaves out several games that we only have highlights for including the 2001 victory over Kentucky, the 1971 NCAA tournament win over Kentucky and some Sun Belt tournament title wins. This will help you re-live the entire experience of the games and remember crucial players from the last 27 years.
• There are several important games that are lost to history or are only available on dusty videotape. That included the full games listed above and recent Sun Belt tournament titles, P5 victories (2008 win over UofL) & long tournament runs in the ’60s & ’70s. I hope one day that WKU or some wise person decides to complete the collection of big WKU basketball games. With the program’s recent struggles to attain success, it's great to remind fans new and old of some of the greatest moments in WKU history.
• Shoutout to Youtuber Jeff Schreiner, who within the last month has improved WKU fan’s ability to relive old games and new 10 fold. He has uploaded 110 complete game videos from recent basketball and football games to classics that we’ll be highlighting in this piece and tomorrow. Keep up the good work Jeff and if you see this please shoot us a DM on twitter.

With that in mind here are 10 essential WKU Basketball games that you can watch in their entirety on Youtube:

10) WKU vs Louisiana Tech- WKU 95–91 OT Victory. February 27th, 2020

The most recent game on this list was an instant classic as WKU stormed back from 17 points down with 5 minutes remaining to force overtime. Taveion Hollingsworth led WKU with a career-high 43 points and WKU rallied for an exhilarating 95–91 overtime victory to keep their regular-season Conference USA title hopes alive. This game was a microcosm of the 2019–20 Hilltopper Basketball season that had tons of adversity and tons of resilience. While they ultimately came up short of the Conference Title, games like this will be remembered for a long time.

9) WKU at USC- NIT Second Round. WKU 79–75 Victory. March 19th, 2018.

The first of two games on this list from a memorable NIT semi-final run two seasons ago, this game was a late-night affair (11 PM CT start time) that the quirky Bill Walton called and highlighted how special Justin Johnson was for the 2018 Hilltoppers. WKU led by one at the half and clung to that lead heading into the fourth quarter. Johnson poured in 23 points and 6 rebounds, showing off his short game skills throughout. WKU hung on at the end as they forced a missed jumper by the Trojans Jordan Usher and Dwight Coleby would slam home a dunk to seal a 79–75 win pushing their way to the NIT Quarterfinals for the first time since 1948.

8) WKU vs. Illinois- NCAA Tournament First Round. 76–72 WKU Win. March 19th, 2009.

WKU’s last first-round victory in the NCAA tournament ended up being the end of a great decade for the Hilltopper program. An Orlando Mendez-Valdez led squad drew a favorable #12 seed on Selection Sunday and was actually a favorite heading into their matchup against the Big Ten’s Illini. WKU controlled throughout jumping out to a 37–28 halftime lead. All five starters would score double figures for the Hilltoppers as Steffphon Pettigrew paced WKU with 17 points and 4 rebounds and Sergio Kerusch posted a double-double as the Hilltoppers hung on for an exciting 76–72 victory to propel them to a second-round matchup against Gonzaga (another near miss).

7) WKU at Oklahoma State. NIT Quarterfinals. 92–84 WKU Win. March 21st, 2018

A highly entertaining game in a hostile environment with a trip to Madison Square Garden on the line. This 2018 postseason matchup had it all. WKU jumped out to a 7 point first-quarter lead (the NIT was played with quarters that year) and led the Cowboys by 2 at the half. Taveion Hollingsworth would post a memorable 30 points and showed off his love for the Western Kentucky program with a memorable highlight after a foul. The game also included a late-game scuffle between Lemonte Bearden and OSU’s Tavarius Shine that delayed the game for several minutes. In the end, WKU prevailed late for a 92–84 win to make the NIT Semi-Finals and continue the program’s most memorable postseason run since 2008.

6) WKU vs. Michigan. NCAA Tournament First Round. 82–76 Overtime Win. March 16th, 1995.

The last ride for a widely successful three year run for the Hilltopper program capped off a 26–3 regular season that earned WKU an 8 seed and a matchup against the remnants of the Fab Five (Jimmy King & Ray Jackson). WKU was led by future NBA player Chris Robinson who paced the Hilltoppers with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals. The Hilltoppers overcame a 5 point halftime deficit and Michael Fraliex nailed a 3 pointer with 10 seconds remaining to force overtime in Dayton. WKU would handle the Wolverines in the extra frame outscoring them 12–6 to advance to the second round with an 82–76 victory. Matt Kilcullen’s one successful season in Bowling Green ended with a near-miss in the next round against #1 seed Kansas.

5) WKU vs Memphis. NCAA Tournament First Round. 55–52 WKU Win. March 18th, 1993.

The aforementioned three-year run was kicked off by a memorable 1992–93 season that ended with WKU’s longest postseason run since 1978. That all started with a memorable showdown with a Penny Hardaway led Memphis Tiger squad in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The lower seeded Tigers led by four at the half. WKU came back and cling to a 1 point lead with a minute remaining. Hardaway would drill a shot on a foul but Memphis’ Billy Smith got alane violation and WKU would get the ball back with 45 seconds trailing by one. Senior Mark Bell drew a foul and drained both free throws to give him 18 points on the day. Hardaway would miss the front in of a one and one that the Hilltoppers rebounded and Darnell Mee would clinch a 55–52 win on some clutch free throws as WKU advanced to the second round against Seton Hall.

4) WKU vs. Seton Hall. NCAA Tournament Second Round. 72–68 WKU Win. March 20th, 1993.

The reward for the win over Memphis resulted in a matchup against the #2 seed Seton Hall Pirates. Seton Hall featured three future NBA players in Terry Dehere, Luther Wright and Andrian Griffin as well as future UCONN coach Dan Hurley but WKU was ready to play as they led throughout the first half and took a 35–32 lead into the locker room. They’d hold that lead into the second half as Mark Bell and Darrin Horn paced the Hilltoppers with 20 & 15 points respectably. WKU led by just 2 points at the two-minute mark before Bell drained a fall-away jumper that gave WKU a two-possession lead that the Hilltoppers wouldn’t relinquish as they advanced to their first Sweet 16 in 15 years. WKU would lose an overtime heartbreaker in the next game against Florida State that prevented an Elite 8 showdown against a Jamal Mashburn led Kentucky.

3) WKU at Louisville. 78–77 Win. February 16th, 1993.

This is a game that I had searched for years to find without having any luck. While the previous two victories mean more in the grand scheme of things, The 1993 win over Louisville gets brownie points as a sign of things to come and a transcendent shot against an in-state rival. The #22 Cardinals were a formidable power with future NBA players Dwayne Morton, Clifford Rozier, nd Greg Minor. WKU entered the late-season matchup at 17–4 with a golden opportunity for a statement. WKU’s star and Louisville native Mark Bell played hurt but the Hilltoppers would battle and lead 52–43 with 14 minutes in the second half. Louisville stormed back and eventually cling to a 77–75 lead with 30 seconds remaining. What happened next is arguably one of WKU’s most memorable shots in history as Darrin Horn drained a corner three with 10 seconds remaining to give WKU a one-point lead. Louisville would miss a late dunk and WKU would hold on for that one-point victory over their in-state bigger brother. This win has been talked about for 27 years since. Both teams ended up in the Sweet Sixteen.

2) WKU vs. Mississippi Valley State. NCAA Tournament First Four. 59–58 WKU Win. March 13th,2012.

The most recent NCAA tournament game on the list was an incapsulation of a comeback season that could only be described as Harpermania. Despite a midseason coaching change, WKU found itself in an unfamiliar position as a 16 seed after a miracle four wins in four days to claim the Sunbelt Tournament Title despite being just 15–18. Their reward was a play-in game (First Four) against the SWAC’s Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils. President Barack Obama and British Prime minister were treated to an ugly game of basketball as neither team shot better than 36% from field goal range. WKU trailed by as much as 16 points with five minutes remaining before mounting a furious rally eventually knotting it up at 54. TJ Price would make an and one bucket from Jamal Crook to give WKU its first lead since 17:36 left in the first half. Crook would drill some free throws and WKU hung on for a 59–58 victory to propel them to a matchup against #1 Seed and eventual National Champion Kentucky. A roller-coaster season that ended with a losing record had arguably the most memorable moments of the last decade.

1)WKU vs. Drake. NCAA Tournament First Round. 101–99 Overtime Win. March 21st, 2008.

The most memorable game for WKU basketball in recent history had it all. NBA Players, A 12–5 upset and one of the best buzzer beaters of all time. WKU had their best regular season since 2002 resulting in a 12 seed against tournament darling Drake from the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bulldogs had only lost four games all season and had a veteran core of eight upperclassmen. WKU was lead by future NBA star Courtney Lee but Tyrone Brazelton stole the show for the Hilltoppers piling up 33 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. WKU jumped to a 9 point half time lead and extend that lead to 15 late into the second half. Drake mounted a comeback with five minutes remaining in regulation as missed free throws kept Drake in the game. Drake eventually tied it back up at 88 points but missed a layup at the end of regulation to force overtime. The overtime was a nailbiting back and forth affair as the teams were tied at 98 with 5.7 seconds remaining. Drake would hit a free throw to give them a 1 point lead. What happened next is arguably the defining moment in modern WKU Basketball history. Tyrone Brazelton dribbled full court and passed it back to Ty Rogers for a Tim Brando call for the ages.

Leaves it for Rogers for three for the win…. Western Kentucky does in Drake”

Every Hilltopper fan that saw the game remembers where they were during the shot. WKU used the victory to catapult them to their first Sweet 16 appearance in 15 years and Rogers would win play of the year at that summer’s ESPY awards. 12 years later 2008 is still the recent mountaintop that Hilltopper fans still cling to this day.

Bonus Video: E.A. Diddle Stories

I found this gem on Youtube from 2012. John Oldham, Bobby Rasco, Jim Richards, & Ronnie Clark discuss E.A. Diddle and WKU’s glory years. If you’re more interested in learning about WKU’s prestigious history, give it a watch.

Tune back tomorrow as we’ll finish our series with 10 essential WKU Football games to get you through this sportsless period. If there are any full game videos that we missed that you think I omitted please share with me on twitter or in a comment below.