HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – WKU men's basketball is set to open 2025 Conference USA Championship play as the No. 7 seed in the tournament and will face No. 10-seeded FIU on Tuesday, March 11 at 8 p.m. CT. Tipoff from Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala. will stream live on ESPN+ with Matt Warner and Paul Nazigian on the call.
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The Hilltoppers enter the first-round matchup facing the Panthers standing at 17-14 overall with an 8-10 final mark in CUSA regular-season competition and coming off a split in the team's final week of the regular season. WKU secured a 76-67 win over FIU at home last Thursday, then fell hosting Liberty, 90-61, on Saturday.Â
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Don McHenry and Khristian Lander led the Tops' efforts in both outings, with McHenry posting a 13th game of 20-or-more points along with a season-high five assists in the win over FIU, and Lander charting 19 and 18-point performances facing FIU and Liberty respectively. Both Hilltopper guards received All-CUSA merit on Monday, with McHenry being named as an All-CUSA Second-Team selection and Lander earning All-CUSA Honorable Mention. McHenry earns All-CUSA merit for a second straight season with the second-team selection.
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The Tops' leading scorer for the 2024-25 season, McHenry finished the regular season charting as the fifth-leading scorer in CUSA with 17.2 points per contest. The Milwaukee native holds the league's third-highest free-throw percentage at .830% (112-of-135) and has accumulated the 11th-most three pointers in the conference with 64 on the year. McHenry's 45 steals are also good for ninth most in the league. McHenry has posted double figures scoring in 15 consecutive outings and in 27-of-31 games this season.Â
FIU enters Tuesday's first-round matchup at 9-22 overall with a 3-15 conference record and coming off a 78-56 loss hosting Middle Tennessee last time out to wrap the conference regular season. Jayden Brewer led the Panthers' scoring effort in the loss, posting 15 points off 7-for-14 shooting from the field with a team-high seven rebounds. Brewer leads the Panthers in scoring with 14.3 points per contest
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GAME INFO
No. 7 WKU (17-14, 8-10 CUSA) vs. No. 10 FIU (9-22, 3-15 CUSA)
Tuesday, March 11 | 8 p.m. CT
VBC Propst Arena | Huntsville, Ala.
Watch:Â ESPN+Â (Matt Warner & Paul Nazigian)
Listen: Hilltopper Sports Radio Network | 100.7-FM (WKLX)/Varsity Network (Randy Lee & Hal Schmitt)
Tickets: All-Session Passes | WKUTickets.com | 1-800-5-BIG RED
Digital Guide | Championship Central | Bracket (PDF)
Game Notes:Â Media Center
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ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU currently ranks fifth in CUSA in scoring at 75.3 points per gameÂ
- WKU finished the 2024-25 regular season with a 13-5 record at home and a 5-4 home record in league playÂ
- WKU is currently 13th in the nation in adjusted tempo with an average of 72.0 possessions per 40 minutes
- WKU ranks 15th in the nation on the defensive glass with 27.74 defensive rebounds per contest
- The Tops rank 47th in the nation in steals with 8.2 per contest and a total of 253 on the year
- WKU ranks 47th in the nation in FG% defense, limiting opponents to a .413% clip shooting from the field
- Don McHenry leads the Hilltoppers and ranks fifth in CUSA for scoring at 17.2 points per contest;Â McHenry's 45 steals (1.5/G) are ninth most in CUSA
- McHenry holds the conference's eighth-best FG% (min # attempts) at .401%
- McHenry touts the third-highest free throw percentage in CUSA with a .830% (112-of-135) mark from the stripe
- McHenry's 64 made three-pointers are 11th most in CUSA
- Khristian Lander ranks 18th in CUSA in scoring with 12.1 points per contest
- Lander has posted double figures in nine of the Tops' last 11 contests and 17 total games on the season
- Tyrone Marshall Jr. leads WKU and ranks third in CUSA in defensive rebounding with 172 (5.5/G) on the year, good for 78th most in the nation; the graduate forward also leads the team and charts seventh in the league for total rebounds with 204 (6.6/G) on the year
- Marshall Jr. charts second on the team and 18th in CUSA in total blocks with 19 on the year; Marshall Jr. also charts 16th in the league in steals with 37 total for the yearÂ
- Marshall Jr. earned All-CUSA honorable mention on Monday, marking the second straight season the graduate forward has earned postseason meritÂ
- Leeroy Odiahi leads WKU and ranks 10th in CUSA in total blocks with 29 on the year
- Braxton Bayless and Jalen Jackson share a lead for WKU in assists, each dishing out 66 (2.1/G) on the year, good for 18th most in CUSA
- Jackson's 37 steals are good for 15th most in CUSA
SERIES INFORMATION
WKU holds a 41-13 all-time advantage in meetings facing FIU in a series dating back to 1999. The Tops hold a 21-4 record against the Panthers in home games at Diddle Arena. WKU defeated FIU, 76-67, in Diddle Arena on March 6 to mark a split in competition with the Panthers for 2024-25. The Tops fell to the Panthers, 85-66, earlier in the season on Jan. 4 on the road in Miami. 2023-24 also saw the Hilltoppers post a split in matchups with FIU, securing a 105-91 win at home on Jan. 25, then falling on the road, 85-83, on March 2.
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SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
- FIU enters Thursday's game at 9-22 overall with a 3-15 mark in CUSA
- Junior guard Jayden Brewer leads the team and ranks eighth in CUSA in scoring with 14.3 points per game
- Brewer currently ranks 21st in CUSA for rebounding with 148 total and 5.1 per gameÂ
- Jonathan Aybar ranks 22nd in CUSA for rebounding with 144 total and 5.0 per game
- Junior big Vianney Salatchoum leads the team and ranks second in CUSA in blocks with 53 on the year and 1.9 per contestÂ
- Salatchoum was named to the league's All-Defensive Team on Monday
- Ashton Williamson leads the team and ranks 14th in CUSA in assists with 81 total and 2.6 per contest
- Junior guard Asim Jones ranks second on the team and 16th in CUSA in assists with 71 on the year and 2.3 per contest
- Jones currently charts the 10th-highest free-throw percentage in CUSA with a .765% (91-of-119) mark from the line
- FIU leads the league in blocks with an average of 4.65 per game and 144 total for the year
- The Panthers rank second in the league in steals with an average of 9.03 per game and 280 for the year
All-session passes for the 2025 CUSA Championship can be purchased here. All-session passes for the event will be General Admission and are $175. The $175 all-session passes include both men's and women's tournament games.
The full bracket of tournament games can be found here. Visit ConferenceUSA.com/RocketCityHoops for more information on the 2025 CUSA Men's Basketball Championship.
Follow Hilltopper Basketball on social media (@wkubasketball) and visit wkusports.com for the latest news and updates on the team as WKU enters its postseason campaign.
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