GAME INFO
- Jax State (11-10, 6-4 CUSA) at WKU (12-10, 5-6 CUSA)
- Thursday, Feb. 5 | 8:00 p.m. CT | E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
- Watch: CBS Sports Network (PxP: Alex Del Barrio | Analyst: Pete Gillen)
- Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Hal Schmitt)
- Live Stats: Sidearm | StatBroadcast
- Social: @WKUBasketball | @WKUSports
- Game Notes:Â WKUÂ |Â Jax State
AT THE GAME
- Purchase tickets to Thursday's game against Jax State 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.
- Thursday is Greek Night. Wear your letters, bring your flags and show your chapter pride. The Greek organization with the most attendance will win $1,000 courtesy of Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona. Plus, it's Double Rewards Points Night, so make sure to check in to the Big Red's Rewards App and earn twice the points.
- 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.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. 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.Â
ABOUTÂ THEÂ TOPS
- WKU Hilltopper Basketball earned a 65-60 road win at Middle Tennessee on Saturday afternoon inside the Murphy Center, claiming the victory in the 150th meeting between the programs. After falling behind early, the Hilltoppers surged in front with a 12-2 run before halftime and maintained the lead late to secure the win. Kade Unseld paced WKU with a career-high 17 points on five 3-pointers, while Armelo Boone added 12 points in his return from injury and Blaise Keita anchored the paint with a career-best 14 rebounds. The Hilltoppers improved to 12-10 overall and 5-6 in Conference USA play with the win.
- WKU is among the top rebounding teams in the country, ranking 19th nationally with 41.1 rebounds per game and eighth nationally with 14.2 offensive boards per outing. The Hilltoppers have topped 40 rebounds in 14 of 22 contests this season, including seven of 11 CUSA games. In league play, WKU paces CUSA with 40.1 rebounds and 15.0 offensive rebounds per game.
- Depth has been a major strength for WKU this season, with the Hilltoppers averaging 32.9 bench points per game to rank first in CUSA and 21st 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 six of their last eight 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 and 38 last Saturday at Middle Tennessee.
- 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 three 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 in last Saturday's win 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 three games due to a head injury and is questionable for Saturday's game against Jax State.
- Redshirt freshman guard Armelo Boone returned to action on Saturday at Middle Tennessee after missing two games at Sam Houston and Kennesaw State with an ankle injury. In 24 minutes, he provided a major boost off the bench with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep, along with five rebounds, a block and a steal as WKU outscored the Blue Raiders by 19 when he was on the floor. 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 11.8 points, a team-best 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 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.
- Freshman guard Kade Unseld and graduate forward Blaise Keita played pivotal roles in WKU's 65-60 victory at Middle Tennessee. Unseld turned in a breakout performance with a career-high 17 points, including 14 in the first half, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and 5-of-12 from beyond the arc while adding four rebounds and two steals in a career-best 30 minutes. Keita controlled the glass with a career-high 14 rebounds and added a season-high seven points, two steals and a block in a career-best 29 minutes, finishing a game-best plus-20. The 6-foot-11 big man has now grabbed 22 rebounds over his last two outings.
QUOTABLE
- "Trying to move forward this week and build off of a pretty good win on Saturday. I thought we played better as a basketball team in both games last week. We knew going into the year that the stretch we just kind of completed on the road was going to be a challenging one. Obviously, it was made a little bit more challenging with some injuries and things like that, but I thought from where we were nine days ago at Sam Houston — which probably felt like a little bit of a bottoming out — to right now, I think we're in a better place. You always wish you could have closed both games. Hopefully we learned a little bit. We have to figure out how to keep scoring in the last five minutes with leads, which is something we're going to have to keep working on. Very happy to win at Middle. Very happy for the guys. They put a lot of work in last week and it was good to feel some reward and some positive reinforcement. So, try to build on that and get ready for Jax State on Thursday." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, on Thursday's game against Jax State.
SERIES INFORMATION
- Thursday will mark the ninth meeting all-time between WKU and Jax State and the sixth meeting as Conference USA opponents.
- The Hilltoppers lead the all-time series 5-3, winning the first five matchups. The Gamecocks have won the last three meetings, including a 78-67 victory over WKU in Jacksonville, Alabama, earlier this season on Dec. 29.
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
- Jax State enters Thursday's game with an 11-10 overall record and a 6-4 mark in Conference USA play. The Gamecocks are coming off a 1-1 road swing, earning a 78-74 win at FIU on Jan. 28 and a 76-67 loss at Missouri State on Jan. 31.
- The Gamecocks are led by head coach Ray Harper, who is in his 10th season at the helm and 27th season as a head coach. He owns a 516-245 career record, including a 180-135 mark at Jax State.
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.Â
