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Posted at 12:15 PM EST

Crossover Classic, Sioux Falls, IA

Streaming: ESPNU

Western Kentucky -3 -108 over Northern Iowa

4:30 PM EST. This game will take place on a neutral court, the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Northern Iowa is good, make no mistake about that. They are a Missouri Valley team that clearly distinguished itself from the rest of the conference, creating a 50-spot gap in KenPom’s rankings between itself and the second place squad and peaking as high as 35th in the country. The Purple Panthers used a lethal offense and a solid defense to methodically creep into national relevance, though we’ll never what would have been had the Madness not been cancelled.

The Panthers were one of the country’s truly elite three-point shooting teams, sinking 38.6% of their attempts while taking over 41% of their field goals from distance. Several deadly snipers return, most notable among them being league Player of the Year AJ Green, the team’s offensive power plant and one of the highest-usage players in the entire country. The Panthers did lose MVC Defensive Player of the Year, Isaiah Brown. Losing Brown is huge, given his ability to shut down opposing stars on a near-nightly basis.

UNI’s offense was top-25 good, per KenPom, but the sustainability of that hinges heavily on continuing to shoot lights out from deep. UNI is clearly one of the top two squads in the Valley and though there is risk of falling off from last year’s incredible success, the Panthers have the top-shelf pieces to once again flirt with an at-large bid if things break right for them. After last year’s great success, their stock is a little too high to start the year. Remember, the Panthers exceeded expectations to a high degree last season and we all know what usually happens the year after a team comes out of nowhere and overachieves to a high degree. This is a team that went 25-6 straight up and 20-9 against the spread (two games were off the board).

When one thinks of the top mid-major schools in college basketball, one generally thinks of Gonzaga, Dayton, VCU, Wichita State, Memphis and Cincinnati for example. Even Northern Iowa is a team that gets mid-major respect. In fact, in the AP and Coaches Polls to start the season, Northern Iowa is ranked 40th and 42nd respectively. That’s nice it really is but what it does is allows us to buy the better squad at a reduced rate.

The talent on the WKU roster is enough to make a Power 6 team blush. If this roster was called Duke, North Carolina, Baylor or Gonzaga, it would be considered a top-20. Mark down the name Charles Bassey to start. Bassey played just 10 games last year after being injured in early December. He’s an NBA talent capable of producing at the next level and would be a starter for every Power-6 school in America. In Bassey, WKU has arguably one of the best defenders in the country, one of the best rebounders, and one of the best post scorers whether playing against C-USA foes or anyone else. Bassey is unstoppable.

Without going into all the details, the ‘Toppers main weakness is their depth or lack thereof. However, the backcourt is loaded with Taveion Hollingsworth (All-Conference 1st Team) and sophomore Jordan Rawls. Hollingsworth put up 43 points last year in a game against Louisiana Tech. Rawls will compete with Lipscomb transfer Kenny Cooper for a starting gig next to Hollingsworth. Cooper was the starting PG for a VERY good Lipscomb team two seasons ago and has developed into a knockdown outside shooter. The lefty guard ranked 2nd in the A-Sun in assist rate in 2018-19 and promises to be a steady presence at the forefront of what should be a potent Hilltopper attack.

In the end, WKU is about to become a mid-major force thanks to HC Rick Stansbury’s uncanny ability to bring in high-ranking talent to Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Hilltoppers have had the #15 and #29 recruiting classes under Stansbury yet have still never reached the Big Dance under him. On top of that, Stansbury has been one of the very best at bringing in big-name transfer talent like Virginia’s Darius Thompson, Buffalo’s Lamonte Bearden, or Washington State’s Que Johnson. This season, WKU will once again be arguably the most talented mid-major school in the country – Stansbury brings back four starters (including former 5-star C Charles Bassey) and adds three enormously impactful transfers. Point being, let;s get on WKU early before their stock soars and should they lose here, no big deal, as we’ll get it back with interest later on.

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