BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — After months of anticipation, WKU Hilltopper Basketball will officially be underway with the 2025-26 season on Monday night, hosting Tennessee Tech in E.A. Diddle Arena at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will stream live on ESPN+.
ÂGAME INFO
- Tennessee Tech (0-0) at WKU (0-0)
- Monday, Nov. 3 | 6:30 p.m. CT | E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
- Watch:Â ESPN+Â (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 |Â Tennessee Tech
AT THE GAME
- Purchase WKU Hilltopper Basketball season tickets HERE.
- Purchase tickets to Monday's game against Tennessee Tech 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.Â
- Monday will be Wild Wild Western night. Join us as we tip off the 2025-26 season. Saddle up for a night of country fun in Diddle Arena!Â
- Schedule cards and posters will be available at the marketing table near the entrance while supplies last.Â
- WKU Athletics offers a kid's corner in Diddle Arena, an area for kids to enjoy. This area includes bean bag tic-tac-toe, inflatable axe throwing and more. The kid's 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.Â
- 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.
- For the full WKU Basketball Gameday Information page, click HERE.
- For the full WKU Basketball Winter Sports Yearbook, click HERE.
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 blocks 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
- WKUÂ closed out exhibition play with a 78-76 win over UAB Wednesday night in Birmingham.
- The Hilltoppers led for much of the second half before LJ Hackman drove down the lane for the go-ahead layup with eight seconds left, then blocked the Blazers' final shot to seal the victory.
- Teagan Moore led all scorers with 26 points, going 8-for-11 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 at the line. Hackman added 12 points, while Bryant Selebangue grabbed nine rebounds.
- The Hilltoppers outscored UAB 44-30 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 52-49 to move to 2-0 in preseason play.Â
QUOTABLE
- "I think the experience of winning together, winning on the road and putting ourselves in a very challenging situation. You learn from these experiences. Hopefully, we learn something about ourselves when we watch the film. I'm sure we'll figure out how we can improve, but having 14 guys play, everybody care about winning and different guys step up. You want to build successful experiences. Hopefully coming down here (UAB) is something that helps us get off to a great start this season." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, on what they'll bring from the UAB exhibition into the season opener against Tennessee Tech on Monday.
SERIES INFORMATION
- WKU and Tennessee Tech have previously met 103 times with the most recent meeting coming in the 2020-21 season. The Hilltoppers lead the all-time series 83-20.
- WKU defeated the Golden Eagles, 88-68, on Dec. 12, 2020 in Diddle Arena.
- The Hilltoppers won four of the last five against Tennessee Tech, including wins in the last three contests. The Hilltoppers won by at least a 12-point margin in all three games.Â
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
- Tennessee Tech compiled a 15-17 overall record in 2024-25, including a 10-10 mark in OVC play.
- The Golden Eagles return three players from last year's team while welcoming 13 newcomers to the program.
- Tennessee Tech finished fifth in the OVC regular season standings and lost to UT Martin, 70-67, in the OVC Tournament Quarterfinals last year.
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.
