BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – WKU Men's Basketball concludes preseason play with its second exhibition game at UAB on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at Bartow Arena.
GAME INFO
- WKU at UAB (EXH)
- Wednesday, Oct. 29 | 6:30 p.m. CT | Bartow Arena | Birmingham, Ala.
- Listen: 100.7 FM/The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Hal Schmitt)
- Social: @WKUBasketball | @WKUSports
- Live Stats: There will be no live stats provided
- Game Notes:Â WKU
ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU Hilltopper Basketball begins the 2025-26 campaign under second-year Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona with a dramatically retooled roster.
- Seven players return to the team for the 2025-26 season, five guards and two big men, while nine newcomers join the squad – five guards and four big men.
- Guards Teagan Moore, Jack Edelen, Terrion Murdix, Cade Stinnett and Kade Unseld return for WKU this season. Edelen is the lone returning guard to see floor time in 2024-25, averaging 2.9 points per game. Moore, Murdix, Stinnett and Unseld redshirted and did not see time on the floor in 2024-25. Moore is looking to build on a promising freshman campaign in 2023-24, where he was twice named CUSA Freshman of the Week and earned a spot on the CUSA All-Freshman Team.
- Blaise Keita and Leeroy Odiahi are the two returning big men for the Hilltoppers. Keita started 12 of 24 appearances, averaging 2.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while Odiahi led the squad with 29 blocked in 31 games.
- Transfer guards LJ Hackman, Cam Haffner and Ryan Myers are expected to have significant roles in WKU's backcourt while transfer big men Bryant Selebangue, Noah Boyde, Grant Newell and Louie Semona will be vital to WKU's success in the frontcourt.
- WKU signed freshmen guards Armelo Boone and Lawson Rice. They come to WKU after standout high school careers in Kentucky.
LAST TIME OUT
- WKU defeated Kentucky Wesleyan, 82-43, in an exhibition game last Wednesday, Oct. 22 in Diddle Arena.
- The Hilltoppers started the game with a 14-2 run and never trailed, outscoring the Panthers 46-19 in a commanding second half to earn the 39-point win.Â
- WKU forced 22 turnovers and scored 50 of its 82 points off the bench.Â
- Teagan Moore led the Hilltoppers with 11 points, while LJ Hackman and Bryant Selebangue each added 10. Twelve WKU players logged at least 12 minutes.Â
QUOTABLE
- "We're trying to build on last Wednesday's exhibition game as we prepare to go for kind of a real, fake test this Wednesday at UAB. So, we kind of wrapped up Kentucky Wesleyan Thursday, Friday, Saturday and here today, tomorrow and into Wednesday, trying to do all we can to prepare. We'll treat this one, as far as preparation goes, as approaching it just like we would a true road game. UAB has played one exhibition game as well. We have a little bit of information on UAB, but we'll stay more focused on ourselves. We'll do everything we can to treat it like a test run for a road game this week and hopefully feel good about how we play on Wednesday." – Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona on the exhibition at UAB on Wednesday.
SERIES INFORMATION
- WKU and UAB have previously met 45 times with the most recent meeting coming in the 2022-23 season.
- The Hilltoppers and Blazers have gone back-and-forth in the last five meetings with neither team winning consecutive games in a row.Â
- WKU dropped an exhibition to UAB last season, 88-79, on Oct. 27 in Diddle Arena.Â
- This year's game will not count towards the all-time series as it is an exhibition.
SCOUTING THE BLAZERS
- UAB compiled a 24-13 overall record in 2024-25, including a 13-5 mark in American play.
- The Blazers return three players from last year's team while welcoming 12 newcomers to the program.
- UAB finished third in the American regular season standings and lost to Memphis, 84-72, in the American Conference Championship last year. The Blazers were one of the final eight teams in the NIT, falling to UC Irvine in overtime, 81-77, in the NIT Quarterfinals.Â
How to follow WKU Hilltopper Basketball: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Basketball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKUBasketball on Instagram and X.
