Hilltoppers are happy to state their case

When Tyrone Brazelton went home to Chicago in the spring of 2006 to tell family and friends that two years of hard work at junior college had landed him a basketball scholarship at Western Kentucky, the reaction was tepid.

"Some of the older people in the community in Chicago, they know about the history and the tradition and heritage [of Western Kentucky]," Brazelton said. "But most of the younger people still ask me is it a Division 2, so they don't know much about it. They will now."

Brazelton and the Hilltoppers have seen to that.

Western Kentucky's run through the NCAA Tournament - the 12th-seeded Hilltoppers (29-6) will play top-seeded UCLA (33-3) in the West Region semifinals tomorrow - has given the program that plays in a state whose loyalties usually are divided between national powers Kentucky and Louisville a hard-earned public relations boost.

Just don't call the Hilltoppers "Cinderella," even if they know they'll be everybody's favorite underdog against the Bruins.

"Cinderella is a great phrase by outsiders looking in, but we really haven't spoke about being a Cinderella team," Brazelton said. "We feel like we belong."

As Brazelton has learned, Western Kentucky's hoop history extends beyond senior Ty Rogers's 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime that sank fifth-seeded Drake in the first round last Friday.

Western Kentucky's 20 NCAA Tournament appearances are more than Gonzaga, Florida, and Tennessee.

The Hilltoppers made the Final Four in 1971, losing to Villanova in double overtime in the semifinals.

They made the regional semifinals in 1993, when coach Darrin Horn was a slick shooting guard, before falling to Florida State.

Lofton hurting

Tennessee guard and leading scorer Chris Lofton has a minor leg injury but is expected to play tomorrow in an East Regional semifinal against Louisville.

Team spokesman Craig Pinkerton says Lofton wore a walking boot on his foot as a precaution while the Vols rested Monday.

Lofton was at practice yesterday but didn't participate, instead riding an exercise bike.

Coach Bruce Pearl told The Knoxville News Sentinel that Lofton "tweaked" his ankle in the first half of Tennessee's 76-71 overtime win against Butler.

"[Yesterday] was just an opportunity to give it another day's rest from a precautionary standpoint," Pearl said.

"The ankle, the heel, the Achilles' - it's all pretty sore. We absolutely anticipate him playing. If we had a game tonight, he'd play."

Lofton leads Tennessee with 15.5 points per game.

Gators advance in NIT

Walter Hodge scored 18 points and Chandler Parsons added 15, and Florida defeated Arizona State, 70-57, at Tempe, Ariz., in the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals. The Gators, the two-time defending NCAA champions, watched an early 17-3 lead evaporate, but they responded with a 15-6 run and put the game away on Parsons' 3-pointer with 2:32 to play. Florida will play UMass in the semifinals in Madison Square Garden Tuesday . . . Television ratings for the men's tournament on CBS declined 9 percent from last year. After four days and 15 telecasts, the games averaged a 4.8 rating and an 11 share in the fast national television ratings, the network said yesterday. The tourney had a 5.3 rating and 12 share over the same period in 2007. CBS attributed the drop to the Easter weekend.

Beasley turning pro?

Michael Beasley is still grappling with a decision, but his coach expects the Kansas State star freshman to head into the NBA draft. Frank Martin said he believes the 6-foot-10-inch power forward, even though he loves college life, will probably opt to turn pro. "I think he's going to go, and I think it's the right thing to do, because he's going to be the top pick in the draft," Martin said . . . James Madison named Marist coach Matt Brady its new coach. Brady coached at Marist the past four seasons, leading the team to an 18-14 record this season. Ex-JMU coach Dean Keener resigned Feb. 22 after the team compiled a 31-85 record in his four seasons.