GAME INFO
- Sam Houston (8-4, 0-1 CUSA) at WKU (7-5, 0-1 CUSA)
- Friday, Jan. 2 | 4:00 p.m. CT | E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
- Watch:Â ESPN+Â (PxP: Jeff Hem | Analyst: Greg Davis)
- Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Hal Schmitt)
- Live Stats: Sidearm | StatBroadcast
- Social: @WKUBasketball | @WKUSports
- Game Notes:Â WKUÂ |Â Sam Houston
AT THE GAME
- Purchase tickets to Friday's game against Sam Houston HERE.
- The ticket booths at E.A. Diddle Arena will be open prior to doors opening. Doors will open 90 minutes prior to tipoff for the public.
- Friday's game is WKU Men's Basketball's New Year Celebration game — celebrate the new year inside E.A. Diddle Arena with a special offer. Pick any two seats in Diddle Arena for just $20.26. Fans can enjoy over 50% in savings on lower bowl tickets as the Hilltoppers host their first two home conference games. Purchase tickets to the WKU vs. Sam Houston game HERE and the WKU vs. Louisiana Tech game HERE.
- Schedule cards, posters and roster cards will be available at the marketing table near the entrance while supplies last.
- WKU Athletics offers a kids' corner in Diddle Arena, an area for kids to enjoy. This area includes bean bag tic-tac-toe, inflatable axe throwing and more. The kids' corner is located on the upstairs concourse by the concessions stand.
- After the game, stick around for postgame fist bumps from the WKU Hilltopper Basketball team and listen to the live postgame interview with Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona.Â
- The full 2025-26 WKU Hilltopper Basketball promotional schedule can be found HERE.
- Want to make your gameday special? Check out our Hilltopper Highlights premium fan experiences for basketball season, including videoboard messages, Big Red visits, fan tunnels and more! Check out our Hilltopper Highlights HERE. Purchase WKU Hilltopper Basketball experiences HERE.
- For the full WKU Basketball Gameday Information page, click HERE.
- For the full WKU Basketball Winter Sports Yearbook, click HERE.
ABOUT THEÂ TOPS
- WKU Hilltopper Basketball dropped its Conference USA opener Monday night, falling 78-67 to Jax State inside Pete Mathews Coliseum. The Hilltoppers clawed back from an early 18-point deficit and twice cut the margin to single digits late, but the Gamecocks held on down the stretch. Armelo Boone came off the bench to score 18 points and hit a career-high four 3-pointers, while Teagan Moore added 17 points and six rebounds. WKU outrebounded Jax State 44-35 and owned advantages in second-chance points, bench scoring and points off turnovers despite the road loss.
- Through 12 games, WKU has established itself as one of the nation's premier free throw teams, tying for 11th nationally with 20.5 made free throws per game and 13th nationally with 27.8 attempts. The Hilltoppers have earned at least 21 attempts in every contest, including three games with 30 or more against Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State and Vanderbilt, plus a season-high 41 attempts versus Bethel (Tenn.). They've converted at least 17 free throws in 10 of 12 outings, highlighted by a season-best 31 makes against Bethel — their most in a game since knocking down 36 against Tennessee State on Dec. 1, 2018.
- Depth has been a major strength early in the season, as WKU averages 37.4 bench points per game to rank 14th nationally and first in CUSA. The Hilltopper reserves have provided a consistent scoring punch, surpassing 40 bench points five times, including 56 against Bethel, 54 against Evansville and 46 in each of the Tennessee Tech and Campbellsville games.
- Freshman guard Armelo Boone has earned a league-high four Conference USA Freshman of the Week selections this season. After combining for just eight points in two games against Evansville and Marshall, Boone has bounced back in a big way, averaging 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals over the last three games against Campbellsville, Tulsa and Jax State. He's shot 45.7% (21-of-46) from the field, 85.7% (6-of-7) at the free throw line. Against the Gamecocks, he posted 18 points off the bench on 7-of-18 shooting, hitting a career-high four 3-pointers, while adding three steals, two rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes. It marked his ninth double-figure outing of the season. Through 12 games this season, he's averaging 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 42.1% from the field and 75.0% from the line.
- Redshirt sophomore guard Teagan Moore has been a major catalyst in WKU's 7-5 start, averaging a team-best 17.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in 11 of 12 games and posted a career-high 27 points against South Florida on day two of Battle 4 Atlantis. He's off to a strong start in conference play after a 17-point outing against Jax State. He shot 4-of-10 from the field, 1-of-1 from 3-point range and 8-of-12 at the charity stripe. The Dry Ridge, Kentucky, native ranks sixth in points per game in CUSA after missing all of last season due to injury. He earned CUSA All-Freshman Team honors in 2023-24.
- Graduate guard Ryan Myers has become a reliable scoring option for WKU over the past three weeks. Over the last seven games, he's averaging 12.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 23.4 minutes per contest while shooting 43.1% (28-of-65) from the field and an impressive 54.8% (23-of-42) from 3-point range. That marks a major leap from his first five outings, when he averaged 4.8 points on 24.0% shooting and 16.7% from beyond the arc in 17.8 minutes per game. Myers delivered a breakout performance against Evansville with 27 points off the bench — one shy of his career high — matching his career best with seven made 3-pointers while going 9-of-16 from the field in a season-high 31 minutes. After earning his first start of the year against Campbellsville and scoring a game-high 19 points in a 102-59 win, he followed that with nine points, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes against Tulsa.
- Senior forward Grant Newell has provided a steady two-way presence for WKU in the frontcourt, averaging 11.5 points and 4.1 rebounds while starting all 12 games this season. The junior forward has scored in double figures seven times, highlighted by a career-high 28-point performance against Tulsa in which he went 8-of-15 from the field and 6-of-8 from 3-point range.
QUOTABLE
- "Obviously, here as we start conference play, getting into the heart of the season, we probably didn't — certainly the very beginning of the game — didn't get off to the start we wanted to down at Jacksonville State the other day. Second straight road performance where we've really been sluggish coming out of the gate, so we're working on figuring out how to improve that. Obviously, 12 games into a 31-game season, one game into a 20-game marathon, we know we have a long season in front of us. We've showed glimpses of where we could be a very good team and we've shown glimpses of where we struggle, so obviously a long way to go and we'll be at work this week. Obviously, a couple home games this weekend that we would sure like to come out and play very, very well in, and we're doing all we can do to prepare between now and Friday for Sam Houston." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, on Friday's game against Sam Houston.
SERIES INFORMATION
- Friday will mark the fifth meeting all-time between WKU and Sam Houston. The programs had not met prior to becoming Conference USAÂ opponents in the 2023-24 season.
- Sam Houston leads the all-time series 3-1. The Hilltoppers and Bearkats split two meetings last season with both teams winning on the road. WKU won the first meeting last season in Huntsville, Texas, 75-66, while Sam Houston took the game in Bowling Green, 78-62.
SCOUTING THE BEARKATS
- Sam Houston enters Friday's game with an 8-4 overall record and an 0-1 mark in Conference USA play after a 117-57 win over Biblical Studies on Dec. 28. The Bearkats dropped their first conference game at New Mexico State, 87-78, on Dec. 21 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
- Sam Houston is led by head coach Chris Mudge, who is in his third season at the helm. He owns a 42-35 career record with the Bearkats.
How to follow WKU Hilltopper Basketball: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Basketball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKUBasketball on Instagram and X.Â
