Sports

No #16 seed has ever beaten a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The WKU Hilltoppers are looking to make history Friday night when they take on the Kansas Jayhawks in Kansas City, Mo.

The Hilltoppers are 20 point underdogs heading into their opening game.

It's the second straight NCAA tournament appearance for WKU.

Here's a preview of the Hilltopper-Jayhawks game, courtesy of Kentuckysports.co.

Western Kentucky University will host East Carolina at E.A. Diddle Arena Thursday night in the first round of the 2013 Women's National Invitational Tournament. It's the 26th postseason bid for the Lady Toppers in the last 30 seasons.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. central time.

WKU is one of four Sun Belt Conference teams to reach the NCAA Tournament or WNIT this postseason. They faced six teams on nine occasions during the 2012-13 season that reached one of the two tournaments. The Lady Toppers are 29-27 in postseason play in the school's history, owning a winning record all-time in both the NCAA Tournament and in WNIT play.

East Carolina is 22-9 on the year and finished 11-5 in their Conference USA. The Pirates have four players averaging between 9.6 and 12 points per game this season.

Update at 9:00 a.m.:

The WKU-Kansas game will tip-off at 8:50 p.m. Friday in Kansas City, Mo. The game will be aired on TNT.

Original post:

The WKU Hilltoppers are headed to Kansas City, Mo., to take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The Hilltoppers are the #16 seed in the South Region, and will be a heavy underdog against the Big 12 tournament champion Jayhawks, the region's #1 seed.

The 20-15 Hilltoppers received an automatic bid to the Big Dance after winning the Sun Belt conference championship last week. This will mark WKU's second straight NCAA appearance.

The Hilltoppers won their first-round matchup last season before losing to eventual national champion Kentucky.