WKU enters Sun Belt Conference Tournament as No. 7 seed

WKU enters Sun Belt Conference Tournament as No. 7 seed

Cole Claybourn

WKU will be the No. 7 seed in next week’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Hot Springs, Ark., and will face No. 10 seed Florida International, the Sun Belt announced Sunday.

Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Saturday at Summit Arena.

WKU (11-18, 7-9 Sun Belt) and FIU (8-20, 5-11) split the season series, each winning other the other team’s floor.

FIU came into Diddle Arena on Dec. 31 and left with an 18-point win.

But almost a month later, WKU defeated the Golden Panthers in Miami 61-51.

The winner between WKU and FIU will play No. 2-seeded Arkansas-Little Rock, a team the Toppers beat 65-53 at home on Jan. 21.

With Saturday’s win over Middle Tennessee Stae, WKU secured a spot on the other side of the bracket from the Blue Raiders and wouldn’t have to face the tournament’s No. 1 seed until the championship game.

WKU has advanced to at least the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament for seven straight seasons.

The first round games will be available on www.sunbeltsports.org via SBC Extra webcasts.

The Summit Arena and Convention Center Court will host the games.

The quarterfinal games taking place in Summit Arena will be aired on the Sun Belt Network, while the Convention Center Court quarterfinals will be shown on SBC Extra.

All of WKU’s potential games will be played at the Summit Arena.

Both semifinal matchups will be aired on the Sun Belt Network, and the championship match will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. CT on March 6.

WKU hasn’t won the tournament since 2009.