Western Kentucky's run to the West Regional Sweet 16 and a close loss there to UCLA helped the Sun Belt as well, Shields said

Arkansas Business, April 28, 2008

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Western Kentucky's run to the West Regional Sweet 16 and a close Loss there to UCLA helped the Sun Belt as well, Shields said. "Without a doubt, when you think about it, our League was much better this year than a year ago. The League's RPI came in at 14, and to get two teams in the [NCAA] Tournament and those teams ending up with 10 and 12 seeds, from what we've had I think that speaks volumes about where our League is going." Shields likens it to the stature the Missouri Valley Conference gained in recent seasons with tournament success, then getting more teams into the NCAA Tournament, its teams able to schedule more games at home instead of having to go on the road, and the League's RPI rising as a result. "They've taken off as a league. This is where we may look back and see where our League took off."