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Western Kentucky Rolls Past Campbellsville 97-77: Thoughts From The Twitters

I was unable to attend the Hilltoppers' opening game of the 2015/16 campaign, but I was able to check twitter early and often. Here are some highlights from those in Diddle who saw the Toppers roll to 1-0 with a 20 point win.

By FletchTopper
Nigel Snipes led all Hilltoppers in points, and set a career high by netting 24 - all from the bench - as WKU opened the year with a 20 point victory.
Nigel Snipes led all Hilltoppers in points, and set a career high by netting 24 - all from the bench - as WKU opened the year with a 20 point victory.
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Right off the bat, the starting lineup, which was used by Ray Harper in both of WKU's exhibition games (again, which I wasn't able to attend). I'm interested as to why Chris Harrison-Docks - one of the few returning Hilltoppers - isn't there, but hey you can't argue with a 20 point win.

So, that's a banner way to start the year. BUT WAIT IT GETS BETTER.

Oh great. But, it was okay, because WKU scored first, and the first points of the year belong to...

That's Fredrick Edmonson, for those wondering. They later refer to him just as "Fred Ed," which honestly I don't hate.

LINE CHANGE! Again, the plethora of changes worked for Harper, and it isn't that big a deal in the opening game with a relatively new roster. Everyone getting an early feel for regular season action. Nothing to dislike here.

Alight, a ton of text here. What is this, Zork!? Lets see a highlight.

Ohhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhhh. From the twitterverse, both of these things seemed to be a trend - Nigel Snipes had a career day in points and Justin Johnson had a career day on the glass.

These are good numbers, and came with about 5:30 left to play in the first half.

Ben Lawson dunks are my favorite. Oh, they're yours too? CUE THE CLIP!

Purdy. And a great rebound by Edmonson, too, going all the way to the top of the key to grab it. Obligatory halftime stat tweet.

Did I mention Justin Johnson had himself a day? Because Justin Johnson had himself a day.

But, that isn't even the best part. This may be the stat of the day. Give it to us, WKU Basketball.

That is awesome. I also gave my two cents with a bit of a zinger.

AREN'T I SO FUNNY?! (its okay, I know I'm not). Anyway - that was basically it. The Tops took control late in the second half to pull away, but this is a key observation from Mr. Greenwell.

And, you know what, lets throw some final stats at you.

Even though I didn't see the game actually play out, I do have a few thoughts/feelings on the events that transpired to open the year:

  • Welcome to the Hill, Fredrick Edmond. In the first year without George Fant and T.J. Price, Edmond is very quickly going to have to become "the guy," and I think he's ready to be "the guy," after his roundabout way of getting to WKU.
  • Snipes leading all scorers for WKU is a pleasant surprise. I've never thought he was bad, but he was very much so hidden by the Fant/Price cloud. I'm glad he'll have one more year to help be an elder statesmen and show what he can do. (Plus, he and I are both from Atlanta so ATL represent.)
  • Ben Lawson and Justin Johnson debuting like they did tonight is awesome. All last year I was hearing scuttle bud that JJ was rivaling Fant in practice but we didn't ever really see that translate into the game. Well, he seems to be ready to take over. As for Big Ben, his main problem really has been beefing up. He seems beefed enough to make a difference.
  • I'm not as scared for Belmont on Wednesday. Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily have a happy feeling about the game, but still I think WKU will compete.
  • I was scared WKU would do what Georgia and Wisconsin and NC State and a few others did last night and lose to a team they had no business losing to. That wasn't the case, and the Hilltoppers are 1-0. Things are alright.

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