Hilltoppers Visit Alabama for Saturday Road Test

WKU Game Notes | Alabama Game Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball returns to the road after a three-game homestand to visit Alabama at 1 p.m. CT Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The game will air on ESPNU.

The Hilltoppers have won three straight, most recently beating Rhode Island 68-65 at home. The win streak came after losses to two programs now ranked in the top 25.

Alabama is coming off an 83-80 home victory over Furman on Tuesday. WKU and the Crimson Tide have played twice before on neutral sites, but not since 1989. Hilltopper head coach Rick Stansbury has a long history against Alabama and is 16-14 in his career against his former SEC rival.

GAME 8

WKU (5-2) at Alabama (4-2)
December 19, 2020 | 1 p.m. CT
Coleman Coliseum | Tuscaloosa, Ala.

BROADCAST

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

Watch: ESPNU (Mike Morgan, pxp | Daymeon Fishback, analysis)

Live Stats: Alabama Stats

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 28-48 all-time against the current SEC membership, but has won three of the last four with two victories over Arkansas and one over Ole Miss. WKU head coach Rick Stansbury, who was the head coach at Mississippi State for 14 years, is 146-112 against the current SEC membership.

• One of the top memories of Stansbury's career came at Alabama. In the 2004 regular-season finale, his Mississippi State squad rallied from a 18-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Crimson Tide in overtime and claim the outright SEC title. Stansbury was named SEC Coach of the Year that season.

• Since the start of the 2017-18 season, WKU is 8-6 against Power Five competition.

• As of Thursday, WKU was one of only 72 programs in the nation to have played at least seven games so far this season. That represents just 20% of Division I teams.

• As of Thursday, Charles Bassey leads the nation in total blocks (28) and blocks per game (4.0). He also ranks third in double-doubles (4) and total rebounds (79), ninth in defensive rebounds per game (8.3), 10th in total rebounds per game (11.3) and 20th in total field goals (20). Only 41 programs in the nation have more blocks as a team than Bassey by himself.

• The Hilltoppers are second in the country with 31 dunks this season. Charles Bassey leads the nation with 21 dunks this year – five more than the next closest player, Illinois' Kofi Cockburn.

LAST GAME AGAINST ALABAMA: NOVEMBER 24, 1989

WKU got 20 points from Roland Shelton and 16 points and 13 rebounds from Anthony Smith, but it wasn't enough to knock off nationally ranked Alabama in the 1989-90 season opener.

Alabama made 29 of 37 free throws to control the game and hold off the Hilltoppers' rally attempt in the second half.

WKU outrebounded the Crimson Tide by 10, but also committed 19 turnovers.

PLANET FITNESS

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

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Players Mentioned

Charles Bassey