BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball opens exhibition play ahead of the 2026-27 season with the "Battle for Bowling Green" against the Bowling Green State Falcons on Oct. 20 at 6:30 p.m. CT inside E.A. Diddle Arena.
GAME INFO
- Bowling Green at WKU (Exh.)
- Tuesday, Oct. 20 | 6:30 p.m. CT | E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
- Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Cruz Martin | Analyst: Hal Schmitt)
- Live Stats: StatBroadcast
- Social: @WKUBasketball | @WKUSports
- Game Notes: WKU
AT THE GAME
- Purchase tickets to Tuesday's exhibition game against Bowling Green HERE.
- The ticket booths at Diddle Arena will be open during normal business hours. Doors will open 90 minutes prior to tipoff for the public.
- The first 400 fans at Tuesday's exhibition game will receive a free "Battle for Bowling Green" foam finger.
- 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.
- For the full WKU Basketball Gameday Information page, click HERE.
- For the full WKU Basketball Winter Sports Yearbook, click HERE.
ABOUT THE TOPS
- YEAR THREE FOR PLONA: WKU Hilltopper Basketball begins the 2026-27 campaign under third-year Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, looking to build on an 18-14 record and third-place finish in Conference USA in 2025-26. Plona compiled a 35-29 record in his first two seasons as head coach.
- RETURNING CORE: The Hilltoppers return five players and welcome nine newcomers, including six transfers and three freshmen. WKU's five returners are guards Teagan Moore, Armelo Boone, LJ Hackman, Kade Unseld and Lawson Rice. That group combined for 61 starts and accounted for 46.0% of WKU's scoring, 36.7% of its rebounding, 37.9% of its minutes, 39.9% of its assists and 46.7% of its steals last season.
- MOORE TO COME: Moore enters his fourth year on The Hill as the 2026-27 CUSA Preseason Player of the Year and the 2026-27 Blue Ribbon Yearbook CUSA Preseason Player of the Year, while earning an All-CUSA Preseason Team selection. He averaged 18.7 points and 5.6 rebounds across 27 games with 25 starts last season, ranking second in CUSA in scoring and third in field-goal percentage (52.9%) while shooting 42.9% from 3-point range and 80.0% at the free throw line. His scoring average was WKU's highest since Courtney Lee in 2007-08. Moore earned All-CUSA First Team and NABC All-District Second Team honors, along with back-to-back CUSA Player of the Week awards.
- BOONE LOOKING TO BUILD: Boone enters his sophomore season as a 2026-27 All-CUSA Preseason Team selection after averaging 10.9 points, a team-high 6.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals across 29 games with 11 starts last season. He earned CUSA All-Freshman Team honors and tied for the league lead with four CUSA Freshman of the Week awards. Boone recorded three double-doubles, becoming the first WKU freshman with multiple double-doubles in a season since Charles Bassey in 2018-19, and scored a season-high 22 points in the Hilltoppers' win over Wichita State at Battle 4 Atlantis.
- HACKMAN'S BACK: Hackman returns starting experience to WKU's backcourt after appearing in all 32 games with 21 starts last season, averaging 8.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He scored in double figures 13 times, highlighted by a season-high 21 points against UTEP, and averaged 13.4 points over seven games in February while shooting 50.0% from the field and 86.1% at the free throw line. Hackman also recorded his first Division I double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in a win over New Mexico State.
- FRONTCOURT TRANSFERS: WKU bolstered its frontcourt with three transfers expected to play significant roles this season: Emondrek Erkins-Ford from Jax State, EJ Walker from South Carolina and Moussa Konare from Trinity Valley Community College.
- BACKCOURT TRANSFERS: The Hilltoppers added backcourt experience with transfers Sharron Young from Akron, Noah Norgaard from UNC Greensboro and Trevion LaBeaux from East Carolina. LaBeaux reunites with Plona after playing for him at Indian Hills Community College.
- FRESH FACES: WKU welcomes three freshmen in guard Gavin Murphy and forwards Gabe Weis and Joseph Adebayo. Weis, an ESPN four-star prospect, is expected to contribute immediately in the frontcourt after playing his senior season at La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana.
QUOTABLE
- "I think that we have an interchangeable and versatile team, and we've been trying to play a way that benefits that. Playing these two new opponents this week, hopefully it'll show us exactly what's been working and where we have to make some changes." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, on WKU's versatility and facing new opponents.
- "Coach Hank has been calling them checkpoints. So, tomorrow is a checkpoint because it's not the end goal. We're not going to look the same March 7th as we are tomorrow night. So, I think it's a good test for us before we start official play, just to see where we're at and see where we still need to improve for the season going forward." — Redshirt junior guard Teagan Moore, on tomorrow's exhibition against Bowling Green.
- "We're like 10 times hungrier than we was last year. We lost the first round, so we're more hungry and ready just to go for it." — Sophomore guard Armelo Boone, on the team's approach this season.
- "Just picking back up on what Melo said, we're way more hungry than last year. I feel like the last game we played, it didn't go like how we wanted it. So, we just want to come back out and just go way harder." — Senior guard LJ Hackman, on the team's approach this season.
SERIES INFORMATION
- WKU and Bowling Green have met 35 times, with the Hilltoppers holding a 24-11 all-time series lead, including a 12-2 record inside Diddle Arena.
- In the most recent meeting, WKU defeated the Falcons 72-65 at the Northern Classic in Laval, Quebec, on Nov. 24, 2023.
- Tuesday's exhibition will not count toward the all-time series record.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
- Bowling Green finished the 2025-26 season with an 18-14 overall record, including a 9-9 mark in MAC play.
- The Falcons return six players from last season's team and welcome nine newcomers to the program.
- Bowling Green entered the MAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed before falling to fourth-seeded Toledo, 77-76, in the quarterfinals.
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.
