Tops Meet Second-Seeded Old Dominion in Friday's C-USA Semis

WKU Game Notes

FRISCO, Texas — WKU Hilltopper Basketball will play in a conference tournament semifinal for the 12th time in 14 years against Old Dominion at 3 p.m. CT Friday in Frisco, Texas.

The third-seeded Hilltoppers routed UAB 98-70 in Thursday's Conference USA Basketball Championship quarterfinals, while No. 2 seed ODU edged LA Tech 62-58.

The all-time series between WKU and ODU is tied at 18-18, and WKU has won both meetings this season. WKU head coach Rick Stansbury is 3-2 all-time against ODU and 17-13 all-time in conference tourney play.

GAME 33

Conference USA Basketball Championship Semifinals
No. 3 WKU (23-9) vs. No. 2 Old Dominion (25-6)
March 9, 2018 | 3 p.m. CT
Ford Center at The Star | Frisco, Texas

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (free) (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: CBS Sports Network (Carter Blackburn, pxp | Pete Gillen, analysis | Jamie Erdahl, sideline)
Live Stats: Conference USA Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• WKU's 98 points against UAB in the quarterfinals were the team's most in a conference tournament game since scoring 99 in a double overtime win over Charlotte in the 1987 Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The 28-point victory was the Tops' largest margin of victory in a conference tournament win since a 100-65 victory over Middle Tennessee in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in 1964-65.
• The Hilltoppers' 23 overall wins and their 14 league wins are both their most since 2008-09.
• WKU has made at least one 3-pointer in 970 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 sixth-longest in the nation behind Kentucky, UNLV, Vanderbilt, Duke and Arkansas.
• In the last eight games, WKU is averaging 85.8 points and shooting a combined 54.6 percent from the field.
• WKU's current scoring average of 79.4 points per game would be the program's highest since 1994-95.
• WKU ranks in the top 10 in the country in field goal percentage and first in Conference USA at 50.1 percent. That percentage would tie for seventh for a single season in program history.
• WKU leads the country – just ahead of Arizona and Villanova – with 11 games shooting 55 percent or better this season.
• The Hilltoppers have outscored their opponents 1,294-925 in the paint this season.
• Taveion Hollingsworth has scored in double figures in 21 of the last 26 games, and the freshman is the team's second-leading scorer over the last 11 outings at 15.5 points per game.
• 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 9.4 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 Thursday, Justin Johnson was ranked eighth among active NCAA players for career rebounds and tied for ninth in career double-doubles. Johnson is one of four active NCAA players with at least 1,500 career points and 950 rebounds.
• Justin Johnson is ranked 14th on WKU's all-time scoring list with 1,599 career points. He needs 23 points to pass George Fant to move into 13th.
• Justin Johnson ranks fifth on WKU's all-time rebounding list with 998 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 needs two 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 MEETING WITH OLD DOMINION: FEBRUARY 24, 2018

WKU controlled things from the outset against streaking Old Dominion, claiming an 88-66 victory at E.A. Diddle Arena. Freshman guard Taveion Hollingsworth led WKU with 20 points on Senior Night.

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.

Tops Meet Second-Seeded Old Dominion in Friday's C-USA Semis

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Taveion Hollingsworth

Justin Johnson

Tops Meet Second-Seeded Old Dominion in Friday's C-USA Semis

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Taveion Hollingsworth

Justin Johnson

Related Videos