Eastern Kentucky Wins First Conference Title in 45 Years

The Eastern Kentucky Colonels made history on Saturday. For the first time since 1979, EKU won a regular-season conference title.

Eastern Kentucky defeated Central Arkansas 95-82 at home to improve to 12-2 in league play, clinching the ASUN title. The Colonels’ last regular season conference title was in the Ohio Valley Conference. They joined the ASUN for the 2021-22 season.

It’s a new milestone for head coach A.W. Hamilton, the Scott County product in his sixth season leading the program. They’ve been knocking on the NCAA Tournament doors for a few years, and now they get a chance to host two ASUN Tournament games at Baptist Health Arena.

“It’s an unbelievable home-court advantage,” Hamilton recently told the Herald-Leader. “These guys have been lights out at home the last two years. Last year, we led the league in attendance for the first time in school history. This year we’re leading the league in attendance. … They are Richmond’s team.”

Eastern Kentucky has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances but has not been to the Big Dance since 2014.

The Colonels have pulled off a masterful turnaround after starting the season 4-9. Since losing at top-ranked Purdue, Eastern Kentucky is 13-2. They’ll finish the regular season with two road games, at Austin Peay and Lipscomb, before returning home for ASUN Tournament action.

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Transy Women Continue to Roll

The Transylvania women’s basketball team has not tasted the agony of defeat in a long time. Yesterday the Pioneers defeated Mount St. Joseph 74-46 to extend their current winning streak to 60 games. SIXTY. It’s tied for the tenth-longest winning streak in men’s and women’s college basketball in all divisions. They have not lost since the Elite Eight round of the 2022 NCAA tournament.

What’s even more impressive? The 28-point win was in the Heartland Conference Tournament finals, their sixth straight conference tournament championship. Transy is molly-whooping its peers at a shocking rate. The victory gives Transy an automatic bid to the Division III women’s basketball tournament where they’ll try to defend their title.