While many people don't want to believe it, the evidence continues to mount that, as I wrote last week in a column, the perceived powers in college hoops aren't that much better than the so-called "mid-majors."
Since that column ran, Michigan, after defeating 4th-ranked UCLA, had to go into overtime to beat Savannah State in Ann Arbor. Virginia, which barely beat Radford in Charlottesville, proceeded to lose at home to Liberty. And, most stunning of all, Ricky Pitino's 3rd-ranked Louisville Cardinals were whipped at home, 68-54, by Western Kentucky, coached by former North Providence High star Ken McDonald, who's in his first year as coach of the Hilltoppers.
McDonald was a star at CCRI and went to play for Rick Barnes at Providence College, graduating in 1992. He then worked for Barnes as an assistant both at Clemson and, for the past four seasons, Texas. He also served stints as an assistant at Georgia and Western Kentucky, under Dennis Felton.
Proving that their upset of Louisville was no fluke, the Hilltoppers suffered no letdown in their next game, against Georgia, and beat the Bulldogs, 67-63, at home in Bowling Green.
Georgia is coached by Felton, who was at Western Kentucky for five seasons, taking the Hilltoppers to three NCAA tournaments, before moving to Athens in 2003. Georgia won the SEC tournament for only the second time last season. Like McDonald, Felton also was an assistant at Clemson under Barnes.
It was, coincidentally, 12th-seeded W. Ky. that stunned Keno Davis' Drake team in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA tournament when the Hilltoppers' Ty Rogers hit a buzzer-beating, 26-foot jumper. Davis has moved on to Providence College after being named Coach of the Year for getting Drake into the NCAA tourney for the first time since 1971 while winning 21 straight games. W. Ky. coach Darrin Horn made way for McDonald by taking the job at South Carolina.
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