Tops Set to Close Regular Season at Liberty

LYNCHBURG, Va. – WKU men's basketball wraps regular-season competition this weekend with a road matchup facing Liberty on Saturday, March 9. Tipoff from Liberty Arena is slated for Noon CT with ESPN+ set to broadcast the event.

The Hilltoppers enter the regular-season finale against the Flames standing at 19-10 overall and 8-7 in Conference USA league play.

Game Info
WKU (19-10, 8-7) vs. Liberty (17-13, 6-9)
Saturday, March 9 | Noon CT
Lynchburg, Va. | Liberty Arena
Game Links: ESPN+ | 100.7-FM (WKLX)/Varsity Network | Live Stats

The Game at a Glance
Hilltopper Basketball (19-10, 8-7) travels to Lynchburg, Virginia for its final game of the 2023-24 regular season on Saturday. The Hilltoppers previously defeated the Flames, 70-68, earlier this season playing at home in Diddle Arena on Jan. 6. The matchup marked the first-ever meeting between WKU and Liberty and the inaugural CUSA game for the Flames.

Saturday's game will serve as the second all-time meeting between the programs and will feature two of the league's top performers in junior guard Don McHenry and Liberty's redshirt senior forward Kyle Rode. McHenry currently charts as the third-leading scorer in CUSA with 15.4 points per game, while Rode charts eighth in scoring with 13.8 points per game. McHenry holds the conference's second-best free throw percentage with a .859% mark from the stripe, and the third-best mark shooting from the field at .466%. Rode holds the third-best three-point shooting percentage in the conference with a .381% mark from range.

A win would give WKU a 20th victory on the season for the 48th time in the program's history - a mark only six other programs in the nation have achieved.

Series History vs. Liberty
Overall: 1-0
H: 1-0 • A: 0-0 • N: 0-0

LAST 5
01/06/24 Bowling Green, Ky. …W, 70-68

Where The Tops Stack Up
→ 8-7 in CUSA standings; 19-10 record overall
→ The Tops boast the top-scoring offense in CUSA (80.3 PPG) and chart 41^st in the nation in scoring
→ WKU ranks first in the nation in adjusted tempo (75.2 possessions per 40 min)
→ WKU has totaled 80 or more points in 15 games this season, and 90 or more points in six games
→ Top rebounding team in CUSA; 13^th nationally in rebounds with 40.14 per game
→ 23^rd in the nation in bench points per game (28.28)

Top Tops
McHenry leads the Hilltoppers in points and charts as the CUSA's third-leading scorer, while also leading the team and ranking 13th in the conference in total assists (73). McHenry currently holds the third-best field-goal percentage in CUSA with a .466% mark from the field and is connecting on .859% of attempts at the charity stripe, good for second best in CUSA.

Starting all 29 outings for the Hilltoppers in 2023-24, McHenry leads the team in minutes at 27.6 per contest. McHenry has also notched 24 steals on the year, good for third best on the team.

Tyrone Marshall Jr. ranks eighth in the conference in blocks (29) and sixth in steals (45). Babacar Faye and Brandon Newman rank eighth and 10^th in the conference for rebounding respectively. Newman charts 10^th in CUSA for steals with a total of 28 on the year.

Televised Tops
The Hilltoppers' game against Liberty will stream live on ESPN+ with Matt Warner and Paul Nazigian on the call. Fans can tune in live and listen on 100.7-FM (WKLX) or The Varsity Network mobile app as Hal Schmitt and Randy Lee call the game on radio.

Social Tops
Follow the team on social media (@wkubasketball) for the latest news and updates on all things Hilltopper Basketball. Visit wkusports.com for more information.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Babacar Faye

Tyrone Marshall Jr.

Don McHenry

Brandon Newman