When the Lady Toppers entered last year’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament, they were the No. 1 seed and hadn’t lost since mid-January. This season’s squad shared much of the same adversity as last season’s, but not the same success – until February. The Lady Toppers won seven of eight games during the shortest month of the year to close the season East Division Co-champion and the No.

Even the magnificent magic eight ball will have trouble predicting the winner of the women’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament. League parity has spread with little difference at the top or bottom of the standings. South Alabama, Middle Tennessee State, Arkansas State and Western all have four conference losses.

Last season, Western rode into Diddle Arena and the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed. Flip the calendar 12 times and the Lady Toppers are feeling confident even without a No.1 seed. The reason: They will again play on the home court that has been a burial ground for almost every conference opponent in recent seasons.

For three Western basketball players, the glory days of college roundball are nearing an end. Gone will be the days of road trips with catered buffets, rowdy student sections, teammates that are like family and all the other nuances that will be looked back upon with nostalgia.