Coach Stansbury Press Conference | Banton/Smith Press Conference
WKU Game Notes | FIU Game Notes
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball begins a stretch of three home games in five days – and five games in 10 days overall – against FIU at 7 p.m. CT Thursday at E.A. Diddle Arena. The game will air on beIN SPORTS.
WKU played its first three Conference USA games on the road, most recently falling 70-69 at defending league tournament champion Marshall on Saturday.
FIU is coming off a one-point home loss to Old Dominion on Saturday. WKU is 34-7 all-time against the Panthers, including a 16-3 mark at home. Hilltopper head coach Rick Stansbury is 2-0 in his career against FIU.
GAME 17
FIU (11-6, 2-2 C-USA) at WKU (8-8, 1-2 C-USA)
January 17, 2019 | 7 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: beIN SPORTS (Phil Schoen, pxp | Megan Perry, analysis)
Live Stats: WKU Stats
QUICK SHOTS
• WKU is 29-7 (.806) at Diddle Arena under head coach Rick Stansbury and 602-170 overall in the venue.
• The Hilltoppers are the only team in Conference USA that hasn't played a league home game to this point.
• WKU has played 11 of 16 games away from home this season, its most over a 16-game span to start a season since 2002-03, when it also started with 11 of 16 away from home.
• This season was the first time that WKU opened conference play with three straight road games since 2002-03, when it began Sun Belt action at Middle Tennessee, Little Rock and Arkansas State.
• WKU finished non-conference play with the 19th-best strength of schedule in the nation, according to the Sagarin Ratings, and the 33rd-best non-conference slate per Ken Pomeroy.
• WKU is one of the youngest teams in the country, ranking 335th of 353 in experience, per Ken Pomeroy.
• The Hilltoppers have made a 3-pointer in 992 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.
• The Hilltoppers have shot 85 more free throws than their opponents this year and nearly made as many free throws (246) as their opponents have even attempted (252).
• WKU ranks 18th in the country in total blocks and blocked shots per game, and in percentage of opponents' shots blocked, according to Ken Pomeroy. Its average of 5.3 blocks per game would be its highest on record. Charles Bassey ranks second in C-USA in blocks per game (2.4).
• WKU freshman center Charles Bassey has more blocks himself (39) this year than 54 Division I teams.
• As of Tuesday, Charles Bassey ranked fourth in the nation among freshmen in total blocks (39) and field-goal percentage (64.9 percent), and eighth nationally for rebounds per game (8.9).
• As of Tuesday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 50 nationally in double-doubles (40th), field-goal percentage (15th), blocks per game (17th), total blocks (21st) and rebounds per game (45th).
TICKETS
WKU Ticket Office: Single-game tickets for the FIU game remain available in person at the WKU Ticket Office, by phone at 1-800-5-BIGRED or online at WKUTickets.com.
PROMOTIONS
• Eighth piece of 16-piece 100th season commemorative poster (Tolu Smith/Carlislie Towery) for first 3,000 fans
LAST GAME AGAINST FIU: FEBRUARY 10, 2018
WKU shot 56.5 percent from the field and netted 28 of 39 free throws in an 83-76 home win. Justin Johnson led WKU with 25 points, while Darius Thompson finished with 18 points, four assists and three steals.
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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