BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball hosts Bethel (Tenn.) tomorrow night, Nov. 18, inside E.A. Diddle Arena at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will stream live on ESPN+.
GAME INFO
- Bethel (Tenn.) (4-1) at WKU (3-0)
- Tuesday, Nov. 18 | 6:30 p.m. CT | E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
- Watch: ESPN+ (PxP: Tyler Eaton | Analyst: Greg Davis)
- Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Hal Schmitt)
- Live Stats: Sidearm | StatBroadcast
- Social: @WKUBasketball | @WKUSports
- Game Notes: WKU
AT THE GAME
- Purchase WKU Hilltopper Basketball season tickets HERE.
- Purchase tickets to Tuesday's game against Bethel (Tenn.) HERE.
- The ticket booths at E.A. Diddle Arena will be open prior to doors opening. Doors will open 90 minutes prior to tipoff for the public.
- Tuesday will be Mental Health Awareness Night — join us as we come together to support wellness and the importance of taking care of yourself.
- The halftime show will include a Corgi Race.
- Schedule cards, posters and roster cards will be available at the marketing table near the entrance while supplies last.
- WKU Athletics offers a kids' corner in Diddle Arena, an area for kids to enjoy. This area includes bean bag tic-tac-toe, inflatable axe throwing and more. The kids' corner is located on the upstairs concourse by the concessions stand.
- After the game, stick around for postgame fist bumps from the WKU Hilltopper Basketball team and listen to the live postgame interview with Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona.
- The full 2025-26 WKU Hilltopper Basketball promotional schedule can be found HERE.
- Want to make your gameday special? Check out our Hilltopper Highlights premium fan experiences for basketball season, including videoboard messages, Big Red visits, fan tunnels and more! Check out our Hilltopper Highlights HERE. Purchase WKU Hilltopper Basketball experiences HERE.
- For the full WKU Basketball Gameday Information page, click HERE.
- For the full WKU Basketball Winter Sports Yearbook, click HERE.
- For the full WKU Hilltopper Basketball Gameday Guide, click HERE.
ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU improved to 3-0 with a 95-82 win over Tennessee State on Sunday afternoon at E.A. Diddle Arena. The Hilltoppers built a double-digit lead in the first half and held control throughout, using a balanced offensive effort that saw five players score in double figures. Teagan Moore led the team with 20 points and six rebounds, while Grant Newell and Bryant Selebangue each added 12. Armelo Boone and Cam Haffner contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. WKU shot a season-best 54.7% from the field and dominated statistically, winning categories such as points in the paint (62-24), points off turnovers (19-5) and bench points (42-21), leading for over 38 minutes of game time.
- Through the first three games of the season, WKU stands among the nation's elite in turnover statistics, ranking seventh nationally with just 7.7 turnovers per game and 13th in turnover margin at +8.0 per game. The Hilltoppers have decisively won the turnover battle in every contest, posting a 19-11 advantage against Tennessee Tech, 14-3 against Eastern Kentucky and 14-9 against Tennessee State. WKU has kept turnovers under double digits in consecutive games, highlighted by a season-low three turnovers committed versus EKU — including a flawless second half with zero turnovers. That EKU performance marked only the second time in program history, since turnover data has been tracked, that WKU registered three or fewer turnovers in a game. Remarkably, both occurrences have come under Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, including a two-turnover game against Jax State on Jan. 8, 2025. The EKU contest also marked the first time WKU has achieved three or fewer turnovers in a road game.
- Teagan Moore has played a big part in the Hilltoppers 3-0 start, averaging a team-best 19.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. Moore has posted 20-plus point efforts in back-to-back games, matching his personal best with 22 points against Eastern Kentucky. The Hilltoppers are plus-47 when Moore has been on the floor this season. The Dry Ridge, Kentucky native missed all of last season due to injury after making the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in the 2023-24 campaign.
- Freshman guard Armelo Boone was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week on Monday after helping WKU to a 2-0 week with an 87-79 win on the road at Eastern Kentucky and a 95-82 home victory over Tennessee State. The Lexington, Kentucky, native averaged 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 52.4% (11-of-21) from the field. The high-flying freshman threw down four dunks across the two wins, including a pair of posterizing finishes. At Eastern Kentucky, Boone fueled a strong second-half surge, scoring 12 of his 14 points after the break while adding six boards, five assists and three steals in 24 minutes. He became the first WKU freshman in at least the past 20 years with 10-plus points, five-plus rebounds, five-plus assists and three-plus steals in a single game. Against Tennessee State, Boone added 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting with four rebounds, three assists and a steal in 19 minutes off the bench. Through three games, Boone is averaging 9.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a team-best 2.7 steals per contest. He recorded four steals in the season opener against Tennessee Tech, becoming the first WKU freshman with four or more steals in a game since Kevin Kaspar in 2011 — and the only one to do so in his debut.
- After sitting the last two seasons due to injury, Terrion Murdix has totaled 31 points, 12 rebounds, 13 assists, six steals and just three turnovers in 68 minutes. He's made 9-of-21 field goal attempts (42.9%) and 13-of-16 free throws (81.3%). WKU is plus-57 in the points category when Murdix is on the floor.
- Grant Newell has been a steady offensive threat through two games for the Hilltoppers, averaging 14.3 points on 45.2% shooting. He's 14-of-31 from the floor, connecting on a team-high three 3-pointers and knocking down 12-of-15 free throw attempts (80.0%).
QUOTABLE
- "We have so many guys that can bring the ball up the court. I think that's very hard to guard. When we're able to pass it across halfcourt and Terrion [Murdix] gets it and kicks it to LJ [Hackman], man, now teams are on their heels. I thought we had an energy, an aggressiveness and an unselfishness on offense. I think we're playing with the right intent, but I think we're kidding ourselves if we don't think we have to get better and better and figure out how to be a better half-court offense team." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, following Sunday's win against Tennessee State.
SERIES INFORMATION
- Tuesday will mark the second meeting between WKU and Bethel (Tenn.), with the only other meeting coming in the 1922-23 season.
- The Hilltoppers lead the all-time series, 1-0. WKU defeated Bethel (Tenn.) 43-17 on Feb. 7, 1923 in Bowling Green.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
- Bethel (Tenn.) enters Tuesday's game with a 4-1 overall record, including three consecutive wins over Blue Mountain Christian, Midway and West Virginia Tech.
- The Wildcats are led by Jeff Britt, who is in his 26th year at the helm and 37th year coaching at the collegiate level. He owns a 542-340 career record as a head coach.
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.
