Blue Ribbon magazine predicted Western Kentucky University to win the East Division.

The Hilltoppers are returning from a season in which they came within one second of upsetting Gonzaga and advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

[1] In terms of upsets over the six major conferences, Western Kentucky beat Vanderbilt University 76-69 on December 11.

Slaughter scored 27 points to lead the Hilltoppers to their first win over Vanderbilt since 1946.

Western Kentucky led for the final 16:33 of the game, though Vanderbilt cut the lead to one twice.