Here are three observations, two questions, and one prediction heading into Western Kentucky’s first game of Conference USA’s Bonus Play on Saturday night vs. Charlotte.

Three observations

1. What a road trip.

WKU took care of business this past week in Texas – that’s the bottom line. The Hilltoppers continue to find ways to win games and have proven that even though they’re not the deepest team – by any means, they’ll compete until the final horn. Going to the Lonestar State and beating both El Paso and San Antonio was huge for Rick Stansbury’s club.

2. Now we know the Bonus Play schedule.

We already knew that the Toppers would be in the top pod after they beat both Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss, but know we know who exactly they’ll play over the next two weeks – and when and where. WKU will be the No. 2 seed and host No. 4 Charlotte (Feb. 22) and No. 3 La. Tech (Feb. 27), while traveling to No. 1 North Texas (March 1) and No. 5 Florida International (March 7).

3. Savage was a savage on Saturday.

WKU had to fight until the very end to pick up Saturday’s overtime win at UTSA, and a big reason the Hilltoppers were able to do so was because of the dominant game Jared Savage had. The Bowling Green native and redshirt senior guard/forward finished with a double-double of 24 points and 16 rebounds in 45 minutes of action and was knocking down shots from all over the floor.

Two questions

1. How important is it to open Bonus Play at home?

I think it’s huge that WKU is playing its first two Bonus Play games at Diddle Arena – and even more important that it doesn’t have to play until Saturday. The rest and practice time will greatly benefit the Hilltoppers, and opening things up at home will provide a big boost for the team.

2. Can we just hand Stansbury C-USA Coach of the Year now?

Coach Stansbury has done nothing short of a fantastic job with his team this year. No Charles Bassey, no Kenny Cooper, and not much bench depth and yet the Toppers have 18 wins, are second in the league and are playing great basketball at the right time. Stansbury’s squad has a fight unlike anyone else, and he deserves a ton of credit for what they’ve been able to do while in the situation they’ve been in this season.

One prediction

I’ll make this short and sweet this week: WKU will open Bonus Play with a win over Charlotte this Saturday. Book it, Vegas.