Taking a Bite Out of Drake

Bulldogs Taken Out by Hilltoppers

“I didn't know exactly what to say to the team,” admitted Drake coach Keno Davis to the cameras on Friday. Really? Are you sure about that, Keno? How about, “Well, that really sucks” or “We'll get 'em next time” or “What just happened out there?” In fact, why am I giving Coach Davis suggestions? If he'll just kindly step over here to my left, I'll say it all for him. He did manage to recover by the end, however, with, “As a coach, I think you gotta be pretty proud of your team's effort and especially today.” So, as Drake boards the bus for that long ride home without a trophy and knocked out in the first rounds, just remember, guys, Coach is proud of you. If you ask real nice, he might even kiss the boo-boos and make them better.

By the end of the game, either Jonathan Cox's Wheaties had kicked in, or he realized how desperate the situation was as he helped close a 16 point deficit in the last few minutes. But it still wasn't enough to overtake Western Kentucky. The outcome didn't seem to dent his tough exterior, however. He stared blankly into the camera and offered his solution as to what had just taken place: “They made a good shot at the end, nothing we could do about that.” You mean besides jump up and block it so they can't win? Oh, okay . . .

But enough about the *cough* losing *cough* team, let's talk about the winning one. Tyrone Brazelton, who scored 31 points and 6 rebounds during the game, explained the thought processes behind Western Kentucky's vigor: "We had 5 seconds and we knew 5 seconds was enough time to get the ball to the basket . . . scoring definitely wasn't on my mind. I just wanted to help my team get a victory, and I figured that any way I could get my team to victory, I was gonna do it.“

Ty Rogers, who scored the winning shot from 26 feet away, seemed to want to give more credit to Brazelton more than to himself: "He made a great pass, and most people don't understand that in 5 seconds, most players panic and don't think. And that says a lot for our point guard." But Ty also shared Brazelton's common drive for victory, which could do nothing but help the two players as Brazelton tossed the ball to Rogers as the defense collapsed on him. "It didn't matter who got the ball. In my mind, it was goin' down," Rogers said.

And with barely 1 second left to go, the fate of number 5 seed Drake was sealed as Roger's shot went home and the buzzer sounded. Those who had held their breath let it out in one big whoosh as some screamed in excitement for number 12 seed Western Kentucky and others were much less than happy as the scoreboard showed 101-99 in favor of the Hilltoppers.

But the win for Western Kentucky was 13 years in the making, the last one occurring in 1995 when current coach Darrin Horn was a player on the team himself and they won the victory over Michigan State. And that wasn't the only record breaking going on: with his final shot, Rogers had made 30 3-pointers, breaking the previous records held by Louisville and West Virgina. But the Hilltoppers determination gives them an added boost, which can make or break staying power in the NCAA.

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Created by: HeatherAkena