Jeremy Evans News

Western Kentucky University sophomore center A'Darius Pegues has decided to leave the Hilltopper basketball program, head coach Ken McDonald told WBKO Friday.

Losing is painful, even as a 12th seed losing to a No. 1 seed in Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

“What we're seeing in the last three weeks is really the culmination of him maturing and gaining confidence and starting to believe that he's as good as we all think that he is”

Western Kentucky's Jeremy Evans has come a long way in the past three weeks. Evans, a sophomore forward from Crossett, will be center stage tonight as the Hilltoppers take on UCLA at 8:40 Central in the West ... via Arkansas Online

This is potentially a colossal mismatch. Love could score on Western Kentucky's frontline in the paint, from the arc and probably the parking lot. via The Courier-Journal

Love leads UCLA past Western Kentucky. By ANDREW BAGNATO The Associated Press PHOENIX -- Nothing comes easy for UCLA these days. via Hawk Eye

“It would be hard for us to be here without the senior leadership”

It might take days, maybe weeks for Western Kentucky's players to realize what they accomplished during their improbable run through the NCAA Tournament.

But even after their near upset of UCLA on Thursday night in the West Regional semifinals, what they had done was perfectly clear to Coach Darrin Horn.

'I'm unbelievably proud of my team and specifically proud of our seniors,' he said after the 88-78 loss to the top-seeded Bruins. 'They've elevated our program without question and, I think, have done more than I could describe here for our program.' Read more

For the 31st time in school history, the top- seeded UCLA Bruins will take part in the Sweet 16 when they battle the 12th- seeded Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at the US Airways Center in Phoenix. via SanLuisObispo.com

“I don't think we can advance any further without Luc”

Kevin Love is UCLA's rebounding and scoring presence inside, Darren Collison the cat-quick point guard with the crazy accurate jumper and Russell Westbrook is the defensive stopper. via LA Daily News

“Lee is just a big-time player, and then Brazelton is very, very good”

Western Kentucky presses teams in hopes of forcing an up-tempo game and shoots plenty of 3-pointers. It is a formula the Hilltoppers used to nearly beat Gonzaga and Tennessee earlier this season, and had ... via Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Courtney Lee's 29 points Sunday led Western Kentucky's 72-63 second-round NCAA Tournament win over San Diego. via Political Gateway

“They beat a No. 4 seed that has pro talent on it.”

Western Kentucky will defeat San Diego Sunday and reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. via Kentucky.com

“But in some games, as far as defense, I think I played pretty well. When I first came here, defense for me wasn't as big. But now I love defense.”

Jeremy Evans lost his cell phone last month and has been without one since. So if you're wondering why the Sun Belt Conference Tournament MVP isn't answering, he apologizes. via The Courier-Journal

“We're going to be able to get our fans and family down there. I got around 80 text messages and a lot of calls, some people I didn't know.”

As the NCAA Tournament bracket continued to fill and blank spaces were dwindling, Darrin Horn became concerned by the absence of Western Kentucky. After all, the team he coaches had earned an automatic bid.

'They waited to call us till the last bracket,' said Horn, whose Hilltoppers will play Drake in the West Region Friday in Tampa. 'I was afraid they'd forgotten about us.'

Horn was caught up with his players in the excitement of Western returning to the tournament for the first time since 2003. Read more

“The umpire dug through the pile”

Questions and answers, sort of, from the first days of March Madness:

Q: Who in the world is Jeremy Evans, and where did he come from?

A: He was averaging 5.1 points for Western Kentucky coming into the Sun Belt Tournament. He emerged as the tourney MVP after leading the Hilltoppers to the championship.

Evans, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward from Crossett, Ark., scored three, 16 and 20 points in Western's three Sun Belt victories, assuring the Toppers a place in the NCAA Tournament. He shot 87.5 percent in the last two games and had 14 rebounds against Middle Tennessee in the title game. Read more

The Sun Belt Conference Tournament champion will be crowned tonight, as the fourth-seeded Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders challenge the third-seeded Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in the finals at the Mitchell ... via WKRC-TV Cincinnati

“They just killed us on the boards, and they beat us in every type of hustle play”

MOBILE, Ala. - The drought continues. The Middle Tennessee State men's basketball lost 67-57 to Western Kentucky in the Sun Belt championship Tuesday night, letting a chance at its first NCAA Tournament bid in ... via The Tennessean

Jeremy Evans had 16 points to help lead Western Kentucky to a 70-55 win over Arkansas-Little Rock in the Sun Belt Conference semifinals Monday night. via Fox Sports

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. : Tyrone Brazelton's 20 points helped Western Kentucky to a 71-66 victory over Middle Tennessee. via International Herald Tribune

“Sometimes it's vocally and showing them things and sometimes it's doing it by example”

Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: Sports Coach Darrin Horn has a different adjective than 'mean' for the 'Mean Green' of North Texas. via College Heights Herald

“I'm sure we'll go in the locker room and our water bottles that are left, will pour over the top of him and celebrate with him”

Lee moves closer to 2,000 points; Horn second-fastest to 100 By ROB HERBST, The Daily News, rherbst@bgdailynews.com Sunday, February 3, 2008 12:54 AM CST David W. Smith/Daily News Western Kentucky's Tyrone ... via Bgdailynews.com