Hilltoppers Visit Top-Seeded USC in NIT Second Round

WKU Game Notes | USC Game Notes

LOS ANGELES — WKU Hilltopper Basketball will look to win multiple games in the NIT for the first time since 1948 when it travels to top-seeded USC for a second-round matchup at 10:30 p.m. CT Monday in Los Angeles.

The Hilltoppers routed Boston College 79-62 at home in the first round.

USC needed two overtimes to defeat UNC Asheville 103-98 in the first round in California.

WKU has split its two previous meetings with USC, losing the only matchup in Los Angeles in 1987. WKU head coach Rick Stansbury has never faced the Trojans.

GAME 36

NIT Second Round
No. 4 WKU (25-10) at No. 1 USC (24-11)
March 19, 2018 | 10:30 p.m. CT
Galen Center | Los Angeles

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 (Dave Pasch, pxp | Bill Walton, analysis)
Live Stats: USC Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU has made at least one 3-pointer in 973 consecutive games, dating back to March 15, 1987. The 3-point shot was instituted prior to the 1986-87 season. The Hilltoppers' streak is the fifth-longest in the nation behind UNLV, Vanderbilt, Duke and Arkansas.
• The Hilltoppers' 25 wins and 14 conference victories are both their most since 2008-09. This is the 19th 25-win season in program history.
• WKU has 10 wins this season against programs with at least 20 victories: Old Dominion (3 times), UAB (2), Marshall (2), Purdue (1), Wright State (1) and Nicholls (1).
• WKU's current scoring average of 78.4 points per game would be the program's highest since 1994-95.
• WKU ranks 13th in the country in field goal percentage and first in Conference USA at 49.5 percent. That percentage would rank eighth for a single season in program history.
• The Hilltoppers have outscored their opponents 1,348-1,003 in the paint this season.
• WKU ranks 13th in the nation with 129 dunks against Division I competition, according to Ken Pomeroy.
• Justin Johnson has five straight double-doubles and seven in the last nine games. He has 39 career double-doubles and 15 this season.
• Justin Johnson is on pace to become the first Hilltopper to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding in three straight seasons since Jim McDaniels did it from 1968-71.
• Justin Johnson leads C-USA in rebounding at 9.6 boards per game. He could become the first player to lead the league in rebounding average in back-to-back years since Memphis' Joey Dorsey from 2006-08.
• As of Friday, Justin Johnson was ranked sixth among active NCAA players for career rebounds and fifth in career double-doubles. Johnson is the only active player in the nation with at least 1,600 career points and 1,000 rebounds. He ranks 17th in the country this year with 337 total rebounds.
• Justin Johnson is ranked 12th on WKU's all-time scoring list with 1,658 career points. He needs 23 points to pass Clem Haskins to move into 11th.
• Justin Johnson ranks fifth on WKU's all-time rebounding list with 1,035 career boards. Johnson is one of five Hilltoppers in program history ranked in the top 15 in scoring and the top 10 in rebounding.
• Justin Johnson is 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.
• Taveion Hollingsworth has scored more points and played more minutes than any freshman in Hilltopper history. He recently passed WKU great Courtney Lee for the scoring record.
• Darius Thompson needs to play just 65 minutes to rank first on WKU's list for most minutes played in a single season. Thompson ranks ninth in the country in total minutes played this season.

NIT EXPERIMENTAL RULES

The 2018 NIT will feature four rules modifications:

?• The three-point line will be extended by approximately 1 foot 8 inches to the same distance used by FIBA for international competition (22 feet 1.75 inches).
?• The free throw lane will be widened from 12 feet to 16 feet, consistent with the width used by the NBA.
?• The games will be divided into four 10-minute quarters as opposed to two 20-minute halves. Teams will shoot two free throws beginning with the fifth foul of each quarter.
• The shot clock will reset to 20 seconds after an offensive rebound instead of the full 30 seconds.

LAST MEETING WITH USC: DECEMBER 28, 1987

Brett McNeal led WKU with 22 points, but the Hilltoppers shot just 39.1 percent – including 29.2 percent in the second half – in a 53-47 loss to the Trojans in Los Angeles. Fred Tisdale added 14 points for the Hilltoppers.

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.

Players Mentioned

Taveion Hollingsworth

Justin Johnson

Darius Thompson

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