I happen to follow Creighton very closely, I'm a sportswriter in CT. and covered their junior forward Terrell Taylor in high school. We still talk often, fabulous kid and player, but with that being said, I think Creighton might get beat up tonight. WK already won at UK and Terrell is just one of two guys that saw any real action last year. Remember Creighton graduated the school's all-time backcourt in Ben Walker and Ryan Sears. Creighton plays well at home, but I just don't think they have the personnel here.
WK minus 3.5
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FROM TODAY'S OMAHA NEWSPAPER:
Western Kentucky has used its first four basketball games to show it has more horses in its stable than just center Chris Marcus.
?Western Kentucky Coach Dennis Felton said that the Hilltoppers are a lot more effective when center Chris Marcus, shooting against Evansville last week, is "scoring 12 to 15 points and we're scoring 100."
Marcus, the projected NBA draft lottery pick, has been steady so far despite playing on a sore ankle. But the Hilltoppers have received consistent contributions from up to 10 players during their 4-0 start.
"We've wanted it to be that way all along," Western Kentucky Coach Dennis Felton said Monday. "We've been able to be unselfish in the way we share points and the way we share playing time.
Tonight's game
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"The media and others have been very slow to pick up on the reality that we're not a one-man team. We're at our best when he's scoring 12 to 15 points and we're scoring 100."
That's how it's been happening as WKU heads into an 8:05 game tonight against Creighton at the Civic Auditorium.
The Hilltoppers, ranked 17th and 18th nationally, blistered Murray State 101-77 Saturday with Marcus getting 11 points and six rebounds. They routed Evansville 90-64 in their previous outing with Marcus contributing eight points and nine rebounds.
"I think everybody appreciates that they are a deep, talented team with a lot of guys who can score," Creighton Coach Dana Altman said. "But he (Marcus) is still definitely someone who gets your attention, as much on the defensive end as he does on the offensive end."
With the 7-foot-1, 285-pound Marcus healthy, Altman said Western Kentucky is "potentially a final 16-type team, maybe a final eight-type team." The Hilltoppers will start two seniors and three juniors tonight, and half of their main reserves are upperclassmen.
Felton, 38, is in his fourth year as WKU head coach. A year ago, the Hilltoppers finished 24-7 and won the Sun Belt Conference.
"This is the first year where you could really say we're a veteran team," Felton said. "Every year I've been here, we've just kind of built on what we've done the previous year. It's been a process. We don't look at this as all of a sudden we're clicking."
Marcus is Western Kentucky's leading scorer at 12.8 points a game, but seven teammates are averaging 6.8 or better. In WKU's backcourt, Derek Robinson is averaging 12.0 points and Raynardo Curry is at 11.3.
While Creighton knows plenty about Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers know little about the Bluejays. Felton said WKU didn't get tape of CU's only game, a 72-51 win over North Carolina A&T last week.
Altman doesn't feel too sorry for the Hilltoppers, who opened their season with a 64-52 upset of then-No.3 Kentucky. WKU is the first rated team to come to the Civic Auditorium since Tulsa midway through the 1999-2000 season.
"I'm not sure our team is ready to compete at this level," Altman said. "So many of our new guys have not been in this type of ballgame before."
CU juniors Kyle Korver and Terrell Taylor were the only current Bluejays to play the 75-67 loss to Tulsa.
"This will be the biggest game I've ever played in, as well as for a couple other teammates," junior-college transfer Larry House said. "I think it'll be pretty exciting."
CU juniors Kyle Korver and Terrell Taylor were the only current Bluejays to play the 75-67 loss to Tulsa.
"This will be the biggest game I've ever played in, as well as for a couple other teammates," junior-college transfer Larry House said. "I think it'll be pretty exciting."
WK minus 3.5
----------------------------------
FROM TODAY'S OMAHA NEWSPAPER:
Western Kentucky has used its first four basketball games to show it has more horses in its stable than just center Chris Marcus.
?Western Kentucky Coach Dennis Felton said that the Hilltoppers are a lot more effective when center Chris Marcus, shooting against Evansville last week, is "scoring 12 to 15 points and we're scoring 100."
Marcus, the projected NBA draft lottery pick, has been steady so far despite playing on a sore ankle. But the Hilltoppers have received consistent contributions from up to 10 players during their 4-0 start.
"We've wanted it to be that way all along," Western Kentucky Coach Dennis Felton said Monday. "We've been able to be unselfish in the way we share points and the way we share playing time.
Tonight's game
---------------------------------------------
"The media and others have been very slow to pick up on the reality that we're not a one-man team. We're at our best when he's scoring 12 to 15 points and we're scoring 100."
That's how it's been happening as WKU heads into an 8:05 game tonight against Creighton at the Civic Auditorium.
The Hilltoppers, ranked 17th and 18th nationally, blistered Murray State 101-77 Saturday with Marcus getting 11 points and six rebounds. They routed Evansville 90-64 in their previous outing with Marcus contributing eight points and nine rebounds.
"I think everybody appreciates that they are a deep, talented team with a lot of guys who can score," Creighton Coach Dana Altman said. "But he (Marcus) is still definitely someone who gets your attention, as much on the defensive end as he does on the offensive end."
With the 7-foot-1, 285-pound Marcus healthy, Altman said Western Kentucky is "potentially a final 16-type team, maybe a final eight-type team." The Hilltoppers will start two seniors and three juniors tonight, and half of their main reserves are upperclassmen.
Felton, 38, is in his fourth year as WKU head coach. A year ago, the Hilltoppers finished 24-7 and won the Sun Belt Conference.
"This is the first year where you could really say we're a veteran team," Felton said. "Every year I've been here, we've just kind of built on what we've done the previous year. It's been a process. We don't look at this as all of a sudden we're clicking."
Marcus is Western Kentucky's leading scorer at 12.8 points a game, but seven teammates are averaging 6.8 or better. In WKU's backcourt, Derek Robinson is averaging 12.0 points and Raynardo Curry is at 11.3.
While Creighton knows plenty about Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers know little about the Bluejays. Felton said WKU didn't get tape of CU's only game, a 72-51 win over North Carolina A&T last week.
Altman doesn't feel too sorry for the Hilltoppers, who opened their season with a 64-52 upset of then-No.3 Kentucky. WKU is the first rated team to come to the Civic Auditorium since Tulsa midway through the 1999-2000 season.
"I'm not sure our team is ready to compete at this level," Altman said. "So many of our new guys have not been in this type of ballgame before."
CU juniors Kyle Korver and Terrell Taylor were the only current Bluejays to play the 75-67 loss to Tulsa.
"This will be the biggest game I've ever played in, as well as for a couple other teammates," junior-college transfer Larry House said. "I think it'll be pretty exciting."
CU juniors Kyle Korver and Terrell Taylor were the only current Bluejays to play the 75-67 loss to Tulsa.
"This will be the biggest game I've ever played in, as well as for a couple other teammates," junior-college transfer Larry House said. "I think it'll be pretty exciting."
