The Lady Toppers (20-9) will take on Xavier (20-9) Wednesday in the first round of the Sportsview.tv WNIT, with game time tentatively set for 5 p.m. (CST), before the Toppers (21-8) will play host to Kent State (20-12) in the opening round of the NIT — tip off is tentatively set for 8 p.m. (CST) or 60 minutes following the Lady Toppers’ contest.
It will be the third time the Hilltoppers and KSU have met, although the first since WKU earned a 71-70 victory over the Golden Flashes on Dec. 8, 1972, in the opening round of the Vanderbilt Invitational. The Hilltoppers hold a 3-0 edge in the all-time series, with Western winning the only meeting in Bowling Green on Feb. 29, 1960.
It’s the first time that Western will participate in the NIT since 1992, while it marks the Hilltoppers’ 12th appearance in the event dating back to the 1941-42 campaign. The Toppers have an 8-12 record all-time in the NIT, advancing to the Final Four on three occasions while posting one runner-up finish.
WKU has never played an NIT contest in Bowling Green.
The Toppers have played a home game in the NCAA Tournament, though, with Virginia Tech earning a four-point overtime win over Western in the opening round of the Mideast Regional at Diddle Arena on March 7, 1980.
The Lady Toppers hold a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series with Xavier. The teams last met during the 1997-98 season, with WKU picking up a 91-60 victory in Bowling Green.
The Lady Toppers enter the WNIT having won 16 of their last 19 games. WKU also earned its third straight Sun Belt Conference East Division championship, winning the title outright for the second time in three years with a 12-2 league mark. Xavier finished tied for the Atlantic 10 West Division championship with George Washington at 13-3 in the league. The Musketeers then advanced to the semifinals of the A-10 Tournament, falling to eventual champion Temple.
This will be Western’s sixth appearance in the WNIT, and its fourth berth in the tournament in the last five years. It also gives the Lady Topper program 21 postseason appearances in the last 22 seasons. WKU advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2004 WNIT with home victories over Cincinnati and Memphis before falling in the quarterfinals to eventual tournament runner-up UNLV. Western also advanced to the quarterfinals in the 2000 tournament, and was part of the field in the 1984, ’96 and 2002 events.
Western is 6-7 all-time in the WNIT.
The WKU Athletic Ticket Office — located inside the U.S. Bank Entrance of Diddle Arena — will begin taking orders at 8 a.m., with season-ticket holders having until 4:30 p.m. Monday to reserve comparable seats. The ticket office can also take orders over the phone at 270-745-5222 or 1-800-5-BIG-RED.
