Hilltoppers Open Battle 4 Atlantis Against Top-Five Villanova

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball plays away from home for the first time this season when it faces No. 5/3 Villanova at 1:30 p.m. CT Wednesday in an opening-round game of the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas, on ESPN2.

The Hilltoppers have won two straight games over Kentucky Wesleyan and Nicholls after dropping the season opener to Missouri State.

Villanova, the 2016 national champion, is 3-0 with six players averaging in double figures. The Wildcats and Hilltoppers have met just once before, but it was a classic – a 92-89 double overtime win by Villanova in the 1971 Final Four in Houston, Texas.

WKU head coach Rick Stansbury has never faced Villanova.

GAME 4

No. 5/3 Villanova (3-0) vs. WKU (2-1)
November 22, 2017 | 1:30 p.m. CT
Paradise Island, Bahamas | Imperial Arena

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (free) (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: ESPN2 (Karl Ravech (pxp), Dick Vitale (analysis))
Live Stats: Atlantis Stats Central

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU is 1-12 in its last 13 games against ranked opponents, with the lone win in that stretch coming at home against No. 25 Old Dominion on Jan. 10, 2015. The Hilltoppers' last win over a ranked team on a neutral court was a 76-69 victory over No. 24 Vanderbilt at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
• Villanova is the highest-ranked team WKU has faced since taking on No. 3 Kansas on March 22, 2013, in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats are the highest-ranked team WKU has faced in the regular season other than Louisville since facing No. 1 Florida on Nov. 24, 2006.
• WKU is 4-7 all-time in games played outside the United States. The Hilltoppers are 3-6 in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico and 1-1 in Cancun, Mexico.
• WKU has made at least one 3-pointer in 941 consecutive games, dating back to March 15, 1987. The 3-point shot was instituted prior to the 1986-87 season.
• The Hilltoppers have made 73 of 105 free throws through three games, while their opponents have made just 32 of 44. WKU's 45 free throws attempted against Nicholls were its most since shooting 50 against Alabama A&M on Nov. 15, 2010. Nicholls' 32 fouls were the most by a Hilltopper opponent since Alabama A&M was whistled 37 times against WKU on Nov. 15, 2010.
• Taveion Hollingsworth's 24 points against Nicholls were the most by a WKU freshman since Derrick Gordon scored 25 against Little Rock on March 4, 2012.
• All seven of WKU's active scholarship players are averaging in double figures, between 10 and 14.7 points.
• As of Saturday, Justin Johnson was tied for ninth among active NCAA players for career rebounds and tied for seventh in career double-doubles. He's one of just eight active NCAA players with at least 1,000 career points and 700 rebounds.
• Justin Johnson is 33rd on WKU's all-time scoring list with 1,155 career points. He needs just 10 points to pass Sergio Kerusch to move into 32nd.
• Justin Johnson currently ranks eighth on WKU's all-time list for career field goal percentage at 54.7 percent. He's just over a percentage point from fifth place.
• Justin Johnson needs 268 rebounds to reach 1,000 for his career. That would make him just the fifth player in WKU history with 1,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds, joining Tom Marshall, Art Spoelstra, Ralph Crosthwaite and Jim McDaniels, the last to accomplish the feat in 1971.

LAST GAME AGAINST VILLANOVA: MARCH 25, 1971

WKU legend Jim McDaniels scored 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, but the Hilltoppers fell in double overtime in the program's only Final Four appearance in Houston, Texas. Jim Rose had 18 points and eight rebounds for WKU, and Clarence Glover contributed 12 points and 20 rebounds.

MED CENTER HEALTH

The 2017-18 WKU Basketball season is presented by Med Center Health. With The Medical Center at its core, Med Center Health has served Southcentral Kentucky for more than 90 years, and its system of care includes six acute care hospitals, a complete network of immediate to emergency services and services in dozens of specialties. Whether it is emergency treatment for heart attack victims or preventative programs to improve the health of the communities it serves, Med Center Health is committed to providing the highest level of care and service.

How to follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Basketball, follow the team's social media channels, @WKUBasketball on Twitter, @WKUBasketball on Instagram, and WKU Basketball on Facebook.

Hilltoppers Open Battle 4 Atlantis Against Top-Five Villanova

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Taveion Hollingsworth

Justin Johnson

Hilltoppers Open Battle 4 Atlantis Against Top-Five Villanova

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Taveion Hollingsworth

Justin Johnson

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