Tops Return Home to Host Tennessee State, Honor All-Century Squad

WKU Game Notes | Tennessee State Game Notes

Stansbury Video Interview (VIDEO) | Hollingsworth/Nelson Interview (VIDEO)

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball plays its first home game in three weeks against Tennessee State at 6 p.m. CT Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. WKU will honor its All-Century Team during a ceremony at halftime and in an autograph session before the game.

The Hilltoppers have lost two straight games, most recently a 63-54 defeat at Indiana State on Nov. 24.

Tennessee State is 2-4 this season and last fell 77-62 at No. 10 Kentucky on Nov. 23. WKU is 8-0 all-time against the Tigers, the last matchup coming in 2011. Head coach Rick Stansbury is 1-0 in his career against Tennessee State.

GAME 7

Tennessee State (2-4) at WKU (3-3)
December 1, 2018 | 6 p.m. CT
E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: ESPN+ ($, subscription service) (Graham Doty, pxp | Jay Walton, analysis)
Live Stats: WKU Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU will be looking for its 600th all-time victory inside E.A. Diddle Arena, which opened in 1963.
• WKU is 26-6 (.813) at E.A. Diddle Arena under head coach Rick Stansbury, including 13-2 against non-conference opponents. The Tops are 599-169 all-time at Diddle Arena for a .780 winning percentage.
• WKU is coming out of a three-week stretch of four games away from Diddle Arena. The Hilltoppers went from Nov. 10 to Dec. 1 without playing at home and only have two home games before Dec. 16.
• E.A. Diddle Arena is sold out of general season tickets in the preseason for what's believed to be the first time since the venue opened in 1963. A handful of premium season tickets remain.
• The Hilltoppers have made a 3-pointer in 982 straight games dating back to March 15, 1987. WKU entered the season tied with Arkansas for the fourth-longest streak in the nation of consecutive games with a made 3. Only UNLV (1,039), Vanderbilt (1,031) and Duke (1,021) had longer streaks to start the year.
• WKU ranks 18th this season in strength of schedule, according to Ken Pomeroy, and 19th per Sagarin. The Hilltoppers are currently scheduled to play seven nonconference opponents ranked in the KenPom Top 75.
• The Hilltoppers rank 29th in the country in blocked shots per game. WKU's average of 5.3 blocks per game would be its highest on record since programs began consistently tracking the statistic.
• Sophomore Taveion Hollingsworth has scored at least 10 points in 31 of his 44 career games. He's scored at least 20 points in 10 of those outings, including a 23-point showing against Valparaiso on Nov. 15.
• Center Charles Bassey won two straight C-USA Freshman of the Week awards to start his college career. As of Thursday, he was one of just two freshmen in the nation averaging a double-double. He was also ranked second in the country among freshmen for rebounds per game (10.0).
• As of Thursday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 25 in the country in double-doubles (24th), blocks per game (28th), total blocks (36th), offensive rebounds per game (21st) and total rebounds per game (26th).
• Not only is Charles Bassey the highest-rated recruit to play for WKU in several decades, he's also one of the top-five youngest players in college basketball this season.

TICKETS

WKU Ticket Office: The WKU Ticket Office will not be open on gameday for any games this season. Limited tickets remain for the Tennessee State game by calling 1-800-5-BIGRED, visiting WKUTickets.com or coming to the WKU Ticket Office in person before gameday.

PROMOTIONS

• Doors open early at 4 p.m. for All-Century Team autograph session in Hall of Champions
• Recognition of 100th Season All-Century Team at halftime
• Fourth piece of 16-piece 100th season commemorative poster (Moustapha Diagne/Art Spoelstra) for first 3,000 fans

LAST GAME AGAINST TENNESSEE STATE: NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Jamal Crook scored 13 points to lead WKU as the Hilltoppers overcame a halftime deficit and 25 turnovers to pull out a 52-49 victory over Tennessee State at E.A. Diddle Arena. Derrick Gordon added 10 points.

MED CENTER HEALTH

The 2018-19 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.

Tops Return Home to Host Tennessee State, Honor All-Century Squad

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Players Mentioned

Charles Bassey

Moustapha Diagne

Taveion Hollingsworth