Saturday's Shootaround: Western Kentucky scores a big win

Western Kentucky 76, Vanderbilt 69: AJ Slaughter scored 27 points as WKU led for much of the second half in the second game of the Sun Belt Classic. The Commodores has gotten off to a difficult start this season, dropping to 6-3 on the year. We were considered about how te Hilltoppers would handle Vanderbilt center AJ Ogilvy, and well, it didn't up being that big of an issue as Ogivly played just 15 minutes, scoring 8 points and grabbing just 1 rebound as he came off the bench. Vanderbilt, who was led by 21 and 9 boards from Jeffery Taylor, is dealing with some chemistry and effort issues right now. Many thought this team would compete in the SEC East, but as of now that looks like a silly prediction.

Jeremy Evans put Andre Walker on a poster last night.
(photo credit: Bowling Green Daily News)

Iowa State 81, Iowa 71: Craig Brackins tied a seasno-high with 28 points, including 20 in the first half, and Marquis Gilstrap added 13 and 10 as the Cyclones shot 58% from the floor and committed just 9 turnovers.

Tennessee 75, Middle Tennessee State 54: The Vols played a sloppy game, but 17 points from JP Prince helped them overcome a game where Scotty Hopson had just 1 points and Tyler Smith missed the last 10 minutes with a sprained ankle.

Dayton 58, Old Dominion 50: Chris Wright overcame seven first half turnovers to finished with 16 points and 12 boards as Dayton won their fifth straight game. Dayton finally opened up a 42-37 lead midway through the second half, and ODU would never get closer.

USC 59, Idaho State 53: The Trojans jumped out to a 25-6 lead, but Idaho State's pressure took over the game as USC couldn't keep from turning the ball over. After finally giving up the lead with seven minutes to go, USC finished the game on a 21-13 surge to seal the win. Dwight Lewis had 19 and Alex Stephenson 16 and 12 boards to lead USC.