Tops Continue C-USA Road Swing Saturday at Old Dominion

WKU Game Notes | Old Dominion Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball continues a three-game road swing to start Conference USA play at Old Dominion at 6 p.m. CT Saturday in Norfolk, Va. The game will broadcast on Stadium on Facebook.

WKU opened C-USA action with a 68-50 win at Charlotte on Thursday, its third straight victory.

Old Dominion suffered a 70-67 home loss to Marshall on Thursday, snapping an eight-game win streak. The Hilltoppers lead the all-time series 19-18, including three straight wins last season. WKU head coach Rick Stansbury is 4-2 in his career against the Monarchs.

GAME 15

WKU (8-6, 1-0 C-USA) at Old Dominion (10-4, 0-1 C-USA)
January 5, 2019 | 6 p.m. CT
Ted Constant Convocation Center | Norfolk, Va.

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), WKUSports.tv (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: Stadium on Facebook (Chris Hassel, pxp | Doug Gottlieb, analysis | Kristen Balboni, sideline)
Live Stats: Old Dominion Stats

QUICK SHOTS

• This season will be the first time that WKU has 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.
• The Hilltoppers have shot 50 percent or better in three straight games, and six of the last eight overall.
• As of Jan. 2, WKU had as many or more Power Five wins (7) since the start of 2017-18 as eight Power Five programs, despite having just 10 opportunities.
• 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 336th of 353 in experience, per Ken Pomeroy.
• The Hilltoppers have made a 3-pointer in 990 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 are 44-1 under head coach Rick Stansbury when leading with five minutes to play.
• WKU ranks ninth in the country in total blocks and 16th in the country in blocked shots per game, and 18th in percentage of opponents' shots blocked, according to Ken Pomeroy. Its average of 5.5 blocks per game would be its highest on record. Charles Bassey leads C-USA in blocks per game (2.5).
• WKU freshman center Charles Bassey has more blocks himself (35) this year than 79 Division I teams.
• The Hilltoppers have shot 82 more free throws than their opponents this year and made one less free throw than their opponents have even attempted, a calling card of the program.
• As of Friday, Charles Bassey leads the nation among freshmen in total blocks (35) and ranks sixth nationally for rebounds per game (8.8). He ranks third in C-USA in total rebounds per game (8.8).
• As of Friday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 50 in the country in double-doubles (46th), field-goal percentage (22nd), blocks per game (13th), total blocks (12th) and total rebounds (49th).

LAST GAME AGAINST OLD DOMINION: MARCH 9, 2018

Third-seeded WKU survived a 57-49 semifinal slugfest against No. 2 seed Old Dominion, advancing to the Conference USA Championship final in Frisco, Texas. Justin Johnson led WKU with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

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

Justin Johnson