Tops Visit SEC Foe Arkansas on Saturday Afternoon

WKU Game Notes | Arkansas Game Notes

THE TIP-OFF

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball finishes its two-game road swing at Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark. The game will air on SEC Network.

The Hilltoppers most recently fell 84-78 at Missouri State on Wednesday.

Arkansas routed Colorado State 98-74 on the road Wednesday and has won six straight games. WKU is 2-4 all-time against the Razorbacks, although the teams haven't met since a 74-63 Hilltopper win in Bowling Green in 1974. WKU head coach Rick Stansbury, a longtime SEC head coach, is 16-14 in his career against Arkansas.

GAME 9

WKU (4-4) at Arkansas (6-1)
December 8, 2018 | 2:30 p.m. CT
Bud Walton Arena (19,200) | Fayetteville, Ark.

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: SEC Network (Sam Ravech, pxp | Mark Wise, analysis)
Live Stats: Arkansas Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU is 26-48 all-time against the current SEC membership, while head coach Rick Stansbury is 140-116 against current SEC members. The Hilltoppers' last road win over a SEC opponent was an 81-74 victory at Ole Miss on Dec. 13, 2014.
• With a win over Arkansas, the Hilltoppers would have a win over a team from each Power 5 program since Nov. 23, 2017, of last season.
• This two-game road swing completes a stretch of 7 of 9 games away from Diddle Arena to start the season for WKU. The Hilltoppers play just two home games before Dec. 16. WKU will have traveled nearly 8,000 miles by the time this nine-game opening stretch ends.
• The Hilltoppers have made a 3-pointer in 984 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 27th in the country in blocked shots per game, and 15th in percentage of opponents' shots blocked, according to Ken Pomeroy. Its average of 5.3 blocks per game would be its highest on record since programs began tracking the statistic. Charles Bassey leads C-USA in blocked shots per game (2.4).
• The Hilltoppers rank 20th in the country in free-throw rate, according to Ken Pomeroy. They've shot 36 more free throws than their opponents this year, a calling card of the program.
• Sophomore Taveion Hollingsworth has scored at least 10 points in 33 of his 46 career games. He's scored at least 20 points in 11 of those outings, including a 24-point showing at Missouri State on Dec. 5.
• As of Thursday, Charles Bassey is tied for third in the country among freshmen for rebounds per game (9.6). He leads Conference USA in total (9.6), offensive (3.3) and defensive (6.4) rebounds per game.
• As of Thursday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 50 in the country in double-doubles (18th), blocks per game (28th), total blocks (30th), offensive rebounds per game (42nd) and total rebounds per game (31st).

LAST GAME AGAINST ARKANSAS: DECEMBER 7, 1974

Mike Odemns had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Johnny Britt added 24 points and seven boards as WKU outscored the Razorbacks by 10 in the second half of a 74-63 victory over Arkansas at E.A. Diddle Arena.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Charles Bassey

Taveion Hollingsworth