BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- WKU's annual tip-off event for Hilltopper and Lady Topper Basketball, Hilltopper Hysteria, will take place Friday, Oct. 14, beginning at 6 p.m. in E.A. Diddle Arena.
Parking and admission are free for the event. The first 500 fans will receive a free t-shirt.
Hilltopper Hysteria, presented by Hughes Supply, includes individual player and coach introductions for both programs, scrimmages by both teams, the Azzip Pizza Shooting Stars Challenge, an autograph session to end the night and giveaways and prizes for fans. WKU's Spirit Squad will also entertain fans at the event.
Hughes Supply will be giving away a YETI Coolor and other YETI products during the event. Students will have a chance to win a year's worth of free pizza during the Azzip Pizza Shooting Stars Challenge, as well as a free apartment for a year from Hilltop Club by making a half-court shot.
There will also be a celebrity pancake eating contest, sponsored by Wild Eggs, and one lucky row of fans will win free popsicles from Popworks.
The event will begin with the WKU volleyball team's conference matchup against UAB at 6 p.m., with the basketball festivities to follow at approximately 7:30 p.m.
The Hilltoppers welcome many new faces to the roster this season, including immediate-impact graduate transfer guards Que Johnson, Junior Lomomba and Pancake Thomas.
They also return two other seniors, forwards Ben Lawson and Anton Waters, as well as junior forward Justin Johnson, who last season became the first WKU player to lead the program in both scoring and rebounding since Derrick Gordon in 2011-12.
The squad will take its guidance from first-year coach Rick Stansbury, who boasts 293 victories and a career home winning percentage of better than 80 percent in his 14 years at the helm at Mississippi State.
The Hilltoppers are 573-162 all-time at Diddle Arena and are one of the nation's most storied programs. WKU ranks third in NCAA history in regular-season league titles (42), seventh in 20-win seasons (43), ninth in all-time winning percentage (.663) and is tied for 16th in all-time wins (1,737).
Led by the reigning C-USA Player and Defensive Player of the Year in redshirt senior Kendall Noble, the Lady Toppers will look to continue building on one of the most successful eras in program history in 2016-17. Over the last two seasons, WKU has posted an impressive 57-12 (.826) record, the second-highest win total over a two-year span in school history, trailing only the 1984-85 and 1985-86 Final Four teams.
In addition to bringing back well-known faces such as redshirt senior Micah Jones and juniors Ivy Brown and Tashia Brown, the Lady Toppers are set to add six newcomers to the mix, including three freshman Kentucky natives in Whitney Creech, Malaka Frank and Sarah Price as well as transfers Kyvin Goodin-Rogers and Naomi Mayes. Sharpshooter Jaycee Coe will also be eligible to compete after sitting out last season due to transfer regulations.
The Lady Toppers will be guided by Michelle Clark-Heard in her fifth season with the program. The former WKU standout player has guided the team to 103 victories since taking the reins prior to the 2012-13 season, the most among C-USA programs. In addition, the Lady Toppers have reached the postseason following all four campaigns, including a trip to the WNIT Quarterfinals in 2015-16.
Lady Topper Basketball holds a rich tradition as one of the traditional powerhouses in women's college basketball. Ranked 10th in NCAA history with 933 victories, WKU has collected more wins in its 53-year history than perennially strong programs such as Notre Dame, North Carolina, Maryland and Baylor. In 2016-17, WKU will seek to return to the NCAA Tournament and collect the program's first tournament victory since the 1999-00 campaign.
Season tickets are now available for Hilltopper and Lady Topper Basketball! Season tickets start at $99 each for the men and $40 for the women. The Big Red Family Plan returns this season with a four-pack of season tickets in Section 201 for the low price of only $340 (less $6 per game)! Family Plan tickets are also available for Lady Topper Basketball in the 200-level of Diddle Arena for only $25 each when purchased in groups of four or more. To order your tickets now, visit WKUTickets.com or call 1-800-5-BIGRED.
Hilltopper Hysteria is presented by Hughes Supply, a local wholesale distributor of Rheem HVAC Systems. Go to Rheem.com to find your local contractor.
