LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — For Rick Stansbury and the Western Kentucky basketball team, this was the hardest part of putting a bow on their surprise Wednesday night matchup against the University of Kentucky in Rupp Arena:
They could not tell anybody.
Not family. Not friends. Nobody.
John Calipari preferred to make the official announcement on his weekly radio show Monday after 6 p.m.
So Stansbury waited to tell his players until late Monday afternoon. It was after the team finished watching video of the Hilltoppers’ solid victory over Louisville Saturday but before the Stansbury directed his guys to the practice court.
“They were excited and I’m sure some of them were even more excited on the inside than they showed on the outside,” Stansbury said.
“We have a lot of Kentucky kids on the team and they know what Kentucky basketball and playing in Rupp Arena means.
“You’ve got Dayvion (McKnight) from Shelbyville; (former Mr. Basketball) Cam Justice from Hindman and (center) Jamarion Sharp from Hopkinsville, so we represent all parts of the state.”
Don’t forget the other guy with Kentucky roots — Stansbury.
Born in Battletown. Played for Meade County High School and Campbellsville University. Worked at Cumberland. Back at WKU for the last six seasons.
In 14 seasons as the head coach at Mississippi State, Stansbury coached 17 games against Tubby Smith, Billy Gillispie and John Calipari. He won four — just one at Rupp Arena, 66-57, in February 2009, Gillispie’s second and final season in Lexington.
“You’ve heard me say it before, but when we recruited our players at Mississippi State, I didn’t ask my assistants if they thought a player was good enough to beat Mississippi,” Stansbury said.
“I wanted guys who were good enough to beat Kentucky. That's the standard we measured ourselves by.”
During a 15-minute conversation, Stansbury mentioned four times that all credit for making this game happen belonged to Calipari. Stansbury is thankful for that — and thrilled that areas of the state ravaged by the Dec. 10 tornado will benefit with funds, publicity and requests for assistance.
Stansbury said when word circulated on social media Monday morning that Louisville would not be able to play the Wildcats because the Cardinals had too many players in COVID protocol, WKU senior assistant athletic director Zach Greenwell connected with UK to propose the Hilltoppers as a replacement.
WKU was scheduled to visit Austin Peay Wednesday night but Stansbury said he was confident that contract could be reworked.
Calipari said that he talked to Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann, a Kentucky native, about a game against the Buckeyes. Not possible. The Buckeyes just canceled a game with UK last Saturday because of COVID.
There were also conversations with Mark Few of Gonzaga, Chris Beard at Texas and Scott Davenport at Bellarmine.
But the best fit was Western Kentucky.
The Toppers were eager for the game. Have been for years. They can get on a bus and get from Bowling Green to Lexington in 2 1/2 hours. They booked rooms at a Lexington hotel Monday afternoon and were trying to schedule a practice at Rupp Arena Tuesday night.
Looking at the analytics, WKU will have a stronger computer ranking (101 in Ken Pomeroy) than 3 of the next four teams UK is scheduled to play, including two Southeastern Conference teams.
Stansbury liked the way his team played in WKU’s 82-72 win over Louisville Saturday, but he liked the way his played handled the victory even more.
When WKU beat Ole Miss a week earlier in Atlanta, the players doused Stansbury in a chilly bottled water shower in the the locker room. Stansbury said after the U of L game, his players reacted as if they expected to win.
Which is how they should have reacted. There was nothing gimmicky about the victory.
Sure, WKU made 9 of 11 three-point shots in the first half. The Hilltoppers did not make any shots from distance in the second half. They drove the basketball with confidence and efficiency.
They made Louisville uncomfortable with their 2-3 zone, which can be tricky to attack with a 7 foot, 5 inch shot-blocker like Sharp parked in the middle.
There’s a 23-point neutral court win over Ole Miss on WKU’s resume in addition to the double-digit win against Louisville. The Hilltoppers were tied with Penny Hardaway and his collection of 5-stars after a half in Memphis.
“We’re extremely thankful to the University of Kentucky for this opportunity,” Stansbury said. “All credit to coach Calipari. He’s been wonderful.
“But we’re coming up there to compete.”
And, now that the secret is out, everybody in the state who loves basketball will be watching.
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