Hilltoppers Welcome Old Dominion on Thursday in Title Game Rematch

WKU Game Notes | Old Dominion Game Notes | WKU Gameday Information

VIDEO: Old Dominion Preview — Stansbury | Hollingsworth/Cozart

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball returns home to host Old Dominion at 7 p.m. CT Thursday at E.A. Diddle Arena in a rematch of the 2019 Conference USA Tournament title game. The game will air on CBS Sports Network.

WKU split on the road last week, losing at UAB on Thursday and beating Middle Tennessee 69-53 on Saturday.

Old Dominion has won three of its last four after an eight-game losing streak. WKU trails in the all-time series 19-21, but leads 15-5 at home. The last four meetings have come away from Bowling Green, including all three last year. Rick Stansbury is 4-5 in his career against ODU.

GAME 17

Old Dominion (6-10, 2-1 C-USA) at WKU (10-6, 3-1 C-USA)
January 16, 2019 | 7 p.m. CT
E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), C-USA.tv Audio (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
Watch: CBS Sports Network (John Schriffen, pxp | Chris Walker, analysis)
Live Stats: WKU Stats

TOP STORYLINES

• Games in Bowling Green between WKU and Old Dominion have been scarce since the series resumed in 2015 after a 24-year hiatus. Since then, only 4 of 13 have been in Bowling Green, and one of the last seven.

• Over the last three games, WKU is allowing just 62 points per game. Over the last five games, the Tops averaged just 9.4 turnovers per contest. They've had less turnovers than their opponent in each of those games.

• Freshman guard Jordan Rawls made his first two college starts last week with senior Camron Justice sidelined by a back injury. Rawls averaged seven points, four assists and 38 minutes in the two road games.

• Since the season-ending injury to Charles Bassey, redshirt junior forward Carson Williams is averaging 16.7 points and 8.7 rebounds over the last six contests. Williams is shooting 59.3 percent from the field this season, which leads C-USA and ranks 29th nationally. He needs just 23 points for 1,000 in his career.

• Junior guard Josh Anderson has entered the starting lineup with Bassey out. After reaching double figures in two of the first nine games of the year, Anderson has scored at least 10 points in seven straight contests.

• As of Tuesday, WKU ranked 35th in the country in field-goal percentage (47.0), 20th in free-throw percentage (77.0), ninth in fouls per game (14.0) and 54th in scoring offense (77.4 ppg).

• WKU has made 43 more free throws (258) than its opponents have even attempted (215) through 16 games.

TICKETS

WKU Ticket Office: Single-game tickets for the Old Dominion game remain available in person at the WKU Ticket Office, by phone at 1-800-5-BIGRED or online at WKUTickets.com.

PROMOTIONS

• Pregame Light Show – download the WKU Hilltoppers app!
• American Bank and Trust putt from 3pt line to win $1,000 cash
• Wendy's Freeze Out Promo - If an opposing player misses two free throws in a row, every fan in the arena gets a free Wendy's Frosty
• Smart Start Post Game Shootaround on court for all kids
• Taco Bell Challenge – When WKU scores 70 points or more, all fans can redeem a free taco at Taco Bell

LAST GAME AGAINST OLD DOMINION: MARCH 16, 2019

WKU struggled offensively despite a stout defensive showing, falling 62-56 to top-seeded Old Dominion in the Conference USA title game at Ford Center at The Star.

The Hilltoppers returned to the title game for the second straight year, but they shot 34.6 percent from the field as ODU denied them their 24th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

WKU netted just 4 of 18 3-pointers and 16 of 24 free throws, while ODU guard Xavier Green – the tournament MVP – finished with 16 points, including 14 in the last 10:40 of the game. Charles Bassey led WKU with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

MED CENTER HEALTH

The 2019-20 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.

Hilltoppers Welcome Old Dominion on Thursday in Title Game Rematch

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Players Mentioned

Josh Anderson

Charles Bassey

Camron Justice

Jordan Rawls

Carson Williams