GAME INFO
- Middle Tennessee (12-12, 6-7 CUSA) at WKU (13-11, 6-7 CUSA)
- Saturday, Feb. 14 | 7:00 p.m. CT | E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
- Watch: ESPN+ (PxP: Tyler Eaton | Analyst: Craig McCormick)
- Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Hal Schmitt)
- Live Stats: Sidearm | StatBroadcast
- Social: @WKUBasketball | @WKUSports
- Game Notes: WKU | MTSU
AT THE GAME
- Purchase tickets to Saturday's game against Middle Tennessee 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.
- Saturday is Valentine's Day and our annual Red Out game. Wear your red and spread the Hilltopper love.
- 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 Digital Gameday Guide, click HERE.
ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU Hilltopper Basketball used a dominant second half surge to notch an 80-70 win over FIU on Saturday afternoon inside E.A. Diddle Arena. Trailing by eight at the break, the Hilltoppers exploded for 50 second-half points to erase the deficit and pull away from the Panthers, riding a balanced effort that saw four players score in double figures. Grant Newell paced WKU with 23 points and five 3-pointers, while Cam Haffner added 16 off the bench, Blaise Keita posted a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double and Ryan Myers chipped in 11 as WKU improved its all-time record against FIU to 42-14.
- WKU is among the top rebounding teams in the country, ranking top-20 nationally with 40.9 rebounds per game and top-10 nationally with 14.4 offensive boards per outing. The Hilltoppers have topped 40 rebounds in 15 contests this season, including eight CUSA games. In league play, WKU paces CUSA with 15.2 offensive rebounds per game.
- Depth has been a major strength for WKU this season, with the Hilltoppers averaging 32.8 bench points per game to rank first in CUSA and top-20 nationally. The WKU reserves have delivered a consistent scoring spark, topping 40 bench points five times, highlighted by 56 against Bethel, 54 against Evansville and 46 in both the Tennessee Tech and Campbellsville contests. The Hilltoppers have posted over 30 bench points in eight of their last 10 outings, totaling 34 at New Mexico State, 37 at UTEP, 33 against Missouri State, 32 in the first meeting against Kennesaw State, 35 in the second meeting at Kennesaw State, 38 at Middle Tennessee, 31 at home against Jax State and 34 against FIU last Saturday.
- WKU has been forced to navigate a difficult stretch of injuries to key contributors this season, reshaping its rotation in both the frontcourt and backcourt. Graduate forward Bryant Selebangue suffered a torn Achilles against Marshall on Dec. 10 and is out for the season, while junior forward Louie Semona has been sidelined with a back injury since the Dec. 19 game against Tulsa. Graduate guard Terrion Murdix missed eight games after sustaining a knee injury on Nov. 27 against South Florida before returning to action on Jan. 8 at New Mexico State. On the perimeter, redshirt sophomore guard Teagan Moore was injured in the final minute of the Liberty game on Jan. 21 and subsequently missed the last five games. Freshman guard Armelo Boone injured his ankle in practice following the Liberty game, sat out two games against Sam Houston and Kennesaw State and returned to action two weeks ago at Middle Tennessee.
- Redshirt sophomore guard Teagan Moore leads the Hilltoppers with 17.2 points while also grabbing 5.9 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in 16 of 19 games played, reaching at least 15 points in 15 of those outings and producing six 20-point performances. In Moore's most recent appearance, he paced WKU with 19 points against Liberty, going 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Moore has missed the last five games due to a head injury and could potentially return for Saturday's game against Middle Tennessee.
- Since the return of freshman guard Armelo Boone, the Hilltoppers have posted a 2-1 record, including wins over Middle Tennessee and FIU. Boone is averaging 9.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.7 steals in 27.3 minutes of action in those games, posting a plus-21 plus/minus when he's on the court. Boone has emerged as one of the league's top newcomers, tying for a conference-best four CUSA Freshman of the Week honors while averaging 11.5 points, a team-best 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals. The Lexington, Kentucky, native has recorded three double-doubles this season — 16 points and 12 boards against Tulsa, 16 points and 13 rebounds at Sam Houston and 13 points and 13 rebounds against Liberty — to become the first WKU freshman with multiple double-doubles in a season since Charles Bassey in 2018-19.
- Graduate forward Blaise Keita has recently become a steady force in the paint for WKU, grabbing 39 rebounds over his last four games — the best four-game stretch of his Division I career. Against Middle Tennessee, Keita dominated the boards with a career-high 14 rebounds while adding a season-high seven points, two steals and a block in a career-best 29 minutes, finishing with a game-high plus-20 plus-minus. Keita recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds in just 22 minutes for his second career double-double last Saturday against FIU. He shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor and 2-of-2 at the line, added a steal and finished with a team-best plus-15 plus-minus. It was his first double-double since Nov. 20, 2022 during his Nebraska tenure, when he had 14 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
QUOTABLE
- "Happy to get a win on Saturday. A couple days here to kind of gather ourselves and prepare for the home stretch of our season. Hopefully get some rest, hopefully get rejuvenated a little bit and be ready to go Saturday night. — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, on Saturday's game against Middle Tennessee.
SERIES INFORMATION
- Saturday's matchup marks the 151st meeting all-time between WKU and Middle Tennessee. The Hilltoppers hold a 101-49 lead in the series, which dates back over a century.
- WKU defeated the Blue Raiders 65-60 just two weeks ago on Jan. 31 in Murfreesboro, Tenn. in the Murphy Center.
SCOUTING THE BLUE RAIDERS
- Middle Tennessee enters Saturday's contest with an 12-12 overall record and a 6-7 mark in Conference USA play. The Blue Raiders got back in the win column, earning a 90-87 win at Kennesaw State on Thursday, Feb. 12, after suffering five consecutive losses.
- Head coach Nick McDevitt is in his eighth season guiding the Blue Raiders, holding a 105-124 record at the program's helm and a 203-190 record overall in his coaching career.
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.
