Hilltoppers Open 2020-21 Season vs. Northern Iowa in Crossover Classic

Wednesday, November 25

Sioux Falls, S.D.

3:30 p.m.

Western Kentucky University

Northern Iowa

Hilltoppers Open 2020-21 Season vs. Northern Iowa in Crossover Classic

11/24/2020 1:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball

WKU Game Notes | Northern Iowa Game Notes

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball opens its 102nd season against Northern Iowa at 3:30 p.m. CT Wednesday in the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Hilltoppers will open their campaign with three games in as many days – the start of six games in 10 days at two locations on a slate drastically changed by COVID-19.

Northern Iowa returns three starters from last year's squad that went 25-6 and won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title.

WKU is 3-0 all-time vs. the Panthers, but the teams haven't met since 1982. Rick Stansbury has never faced UNI as a head coach, but he was on the bench as an assistant for Texas A&M when the Aggies came back from 12 down with 35 seconds to go to beat the Panthers in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

GAME 1

WKU (0-0) vs. Northern Iowa (0-0)
November 25, 2020 | 3:30 p.m. CT
Sanford Pentagon | Sioux Falls, S.D.

BROADCAST

Listen: Hilltopper Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), C-USA.tv Audio (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)

Watch: ESPNU (Rich Hollenberg, pxp | Dan Dakich, analysis)

Live Stats: Crossover Classic Stats Page

THE HILL AT HOME

The Hilltoppers' game will be featured on The Hill at Home presented by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, a live video feed of Hal Schmitt and Voice of the Hilltoppers Randy Lee on the radio call. This broadcast of The Hill at Home can be found here (facebook.com/WKUAthletics) and will be live 30 minutes prior to tipoff. A Facebook login is required for viewing.

For more information on The Hill at Home, visit the following link: https://goto.ps/3kU1OrX

TOP STORYLINES

• WKU is 69-32 all-time in season openers, including a 76-64 home win over Tennessee Tech last year.

• This is the latest WKU has started a season since opening on Dec. 3 in 1994-95, and the first time starting play on a neutral court since opening the 2009-10 season in the NIT Tip-Off in Baton Rouge, La.

• The Hilltoppers received one vote in the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll. It's the first time WKU has received a vote in a national poll since Nov. 19, 2018.

• WKU returns 70.8 percent of its scoring, 59.2 percent of its rebounding, 75.7 percent of its assists, 66.4 percent of its blocks and 70.1 percent of its steals from 2019-20. The Hilltoppers return four players – Taveion Hollingsworth, Charles Bassey, Carson Williams and Josh Anderson – who averaged double figures in scoring last season.

• Since the start of the 2017-18 season, WKU is 8-4 against Power Five teams and 3-2 vs. ranked Power Five teams. The Hilltoppers had seven total wins against Power Five teams from 2007-08 to 2016-17.

• WKU is one of 44 programs in the nation to win at least 20 games in each of the last three seasons.

• Taveion Hollingsworth was named to the All-C-USA Preseason Team for the third straight year. Hollingsworth enters this season just six points shy of 1,500 for his career and is the nation's active leader in consecutive starts with 102 – every game of his college career.

• Charles Bassey was named a Preseason Second-Team All-American by Lindy's as he returns from a tibial plateau fracture in his left leg that ended his 2019-20 season after 10 games. Bassey, the nation's active career rebounding average leader, is on the watch list for the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year award.

LAST GAME AGAINST NORTHERN IOWA: DECEMBER 3, 1982

The Hilltoppers used a hot second half to edge past Northern Iowa by six in the Wendy's Classic at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Percy White led WKU with 20 points, while Tony Wilson contributed a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Ray Storck scored 23 points to lead Northern Iowa.

PLANET FITNESS

Your 2020-2021 Hilltopper Men's Basketball Season is presented by Planet Fitness - Bowling Green's original Judgement Free Zone.