GAME INFO
- No. 6 Kennesaw State (18-13, 10-10 CUSA) vs. No. 3 WKU (18-13, 11-9 CUSA)
- Thursday, March 12 | 8 p.m. CT | Propst Arena | Huntsville, Alabama
- Watch: ESPN+ (PxP: Matt Warner | Analyst: Paul Nazigian | Sideline: Lexi Bowden)
- Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Hal Schmitt)
- Live Stats: StatBroadcast
- Social: @WKUBasketball | @WKUSports
- Game Notes: WKU | Kennesaw State
ABOUT THEÂ TOPS
- WKU Hilltopper Basketball closed the regular season with an 18-13 overall record and an 11-9 mark in Conference USA play, earning the No. 3 seed in the Conference USA Championship. The Hilltoppers dropped their final two games of the regular season, falling 87-74 at Missouri State on March 5 and 92-67 at FIU on March 7. Prior to that, WKU had won six in a row from Feb. 7-14, its longest streak of the 2025-26 campaign.
- Depth has been a major strength for WKU this season as the Hilltoppers are averaging 32.4 bench points per game to rank first in CUSA and 14th 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 12 of their last 17 outings, including eight of the last 11 games.
- WKU has established itself as one of the nation's premier free throw teams, ranking ninth nationally with 19.4 makes on 25.6 attempts per game. The Hilltoppers have earned at least 21 attempts in 27 contests, including eight games with 30 or more. WKU shot a season-high 41 attempts in a 97-67 win over Bethel (Tenn.) on Nov. 18. It marked the program's most free throws made and attempted in a game since going 36-of-45 in an 88-74 win over Tennessee State on Dec. 1, 2018.
- Redshirt sophomore guard Teagan Moore was named to the All-Conference USA First Team, solidifying himself as WKU's go-to offensive option. He is pacing the Hilltoppers with 18.4 points while grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game through the regular season. He has reached double figures in 22 of 26 contests, including 21 games with at least 15 points and 12 performances of 20 or more. The Dry Ridge, Kentucky, native is in the midst of an elite all-around shooting campaign, knocking down 53.0% from the field, 42.4% from 3-point range and 80.1% at the free throw line, marks that rank him second in CUSA in scoring, third in field goal percentage and eighth in free throw percentage. Since returning from a five-game midseason absence, Moore has helped ignite a 5-2 stretch for WKU with wins over Middle Tennessee, Delaware, Liberty, New Mexico State and UTEP, averaging 21.7 points and 4.4 rebounds during that span on 61.0% shooting from the floor, 70.0% from beyond the arc and 79.7% at the stripe across those seven games. He earned back-to-back CUSA Player of the Week honors after steering the Hilltoppers to a 4-0 run that featured road victories at Delaware and Liberty and home wins over New Mexico State and UTEP, averaging 24.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in the road sweep before following with 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in the home stand while connecting on nearly 70% of his attempts in the two contests.
- Senior forward Grant Newell was named All-Conference USA Honorable Mention after providing a steady scoring presence for the Hilltoppers, averaging a career-high 12.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, appearing in all 31 games. He reached double figures in 23 contests, including five 20-point performances. The Chicago, Illinois, native elevated his play down the stretch, averaging 17.9 points and 5.0 rebounds over the final eight games of the regular season, a span that featured standout outings of 25 points against UTEP, 23 against FIU, 21 at Liberty and 20 against Middle Tennessee. During that surge, he shot an efficient 52.0% from the field, 44.2% from 3-point range and 76.9% at the free throw line. Earlier in the year, Newell turned in a career-best 28-point performance against Tulsa, going 8-of-15 from the floor and 6-of-8 from beyond the arc while adding a season-high nine rebounds in 34 minutes.
- Freshman guard Armelo Boone was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team, emerging as one of the league's most impactful newcomers. In the regular season, he averaged 10.9 points, a team-leading 6.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 24.3 minutes per game. The Lexington, Kentucky, native recorded three double-doubles during his debut campaign — 16 points and 12 rebounds against Tulsa, 16 and 13 at Sam Houston, and 13 and 13 against Liberty — becoming the first WKU freshman with multiple double-doubles in a season since Charles Bassey in 2018-19. Boone made an immediate impact from his collegiate debut, tallying four steals in a season-opening win over Tennessee Tech to become the first WKU freshman ever to record four or more steals in a debut and the first Hilltopper with at least four steals in any game since Kevin Kaspar in 2011, then following with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in a road victory at Eastern Kentucky. His breakout performance came on the national stage at Battle 4 Atlantis, where he poured in a season-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 5-of-6 at the free throw line in a 75-70 win over Wichita State.Â
QUOTABLE
- "As a basketball coach, and certainly in our league here at WKU, you work about 51 weeks of the year to get to this one and to see what we can do. This team has been together now and through a lot of ups and downs and had a pretty, pretty serious high there probably a week ago, and had to come back from a disappointing road trip for us. I think we've proved that we can play and beat anybody, but we've also proved that if we're not at our best, we can struggle. We'll work on bouncing back from this week. New season for all 10 teams in Huntsville this week, and we'll go down there and work between now and Thursday night at 8 p.m. to get ready for Kennesaw and play a very good Kennesaw State team on Thursday night to try to get going." — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona, on beginning Conference USA Championship play against Kennesaw State on Thursday.
SERIES INFORMATION
- Thursday's quarterfinal will be just the seventh all-time meeting between WKU and Kennesaw State, and the fifth between the programs as Conference USA opponents.
- The all-time series is tied 3-3. The Hilltoppers won the first three meetings, dating back to the 2006 season, while the Owls have won the last three, including two victories over WKU earlier this season. Kennesaw State defeated the Hilltoppers 81-65 on Jan. 17 in Bowling Green and 72-69 in Kennesaw, Georgia, on Jan. 28.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
- Kennesaw State finished the regular season 18-13 overall and 10-10 in Conference USA play. The Owls dropped back-to-back road games to close the regular season, falling 78-71 at UTEP on March 5 and 79-76 at New Mexico State on March 7.
- Kennesaw State is led by head coach Antoine Pettway, who is in his third season at the helm. He holds a 51-42 career record with the Owls.
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
