After opening play in the National Invitation Tournament with a hard-fought 69-67 win over Saint Mary's last Wednesday, Western Kentucky's season rolls on into the quarterfinal round where it'll face a familiar opponent.
The Hilltoppers – a No. 3 seed – will meet fellow Conference USA foe and fourth-seeded Louisiana Tech on Thursday night in the quarterfinals at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. It'll mark the third meeting of the season between the Tops and Bulldogs, as they split their regular-season series back in January.
No. 3 Western Kentucky (21-7) vs. No. 4 Louisiana Tech (22-7)
When: Thursday, March 25 | 9 p.m. CT
Where: Comerica Center | Frisco, Texas
TV: ESPN2
KenPom prediction: Louisiana Tech by 2 – 71-69
WKU got the bad taste of a heartbreaking Conference USA Tournament championship loss out of its mouth with its first-round win over Saint Mary's, and now it has the chance to put together a run in the NIT.
The Hilltoppers had to grind out their win over the Gaels, and now they're going to face yet another tough test in Louisiana Tech in the two sides' third meeting of the season. In the regular-season series, WKU earned a 66-64 win on January 8, while the Bulldogs picked up a 63-58 victory the following night, which anticipates Thursday being another battle.
Louisiana Tech – which is a two-point favorite according to college basketball metrics database KenPom.com – comes into Thursday night coming off a 70-61 win over top-seeded Ole Miss in the first round last Friday.
In its victory over the Rebels, Tech trailed by 10 at halftime but outscored Ole Miss by nearly 20 in the second half to come out on top. Kenneth Lofton led the way for the Bulldogs with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Amorie Archibald scored 14 points and dished out seven assists and Kalob Ledoux added 10 points.
Louisiana Tech averages 73.4 points per game on 44.5% shooting, while holding its opponents to 64.5 points on 39.9% shooting each outing. The Bulldogs are a well-balanced team with four players averaging double figures: Isaiah Crawford (11.9 points per game), Lofton (11.3), Ledoux (11.2) and Archibald (10.0). Alongside that group, JaColby Pemberton and Cobe Williams each add 8.9 points nightly.
Thursday's winner will advance to the semifinals to face either Mississippi State or Richmond at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Comerica Center. That game will be broadcast on ESPN.
– Tyler Mansfield is the managing editor and primary beat reporter for InsideHilltopperSports.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RivalsMansfield. –
