Jump to content

2018–19 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2018–19 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
ConferenceConference USA
Record20–14 (11–7 C-USA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Hennssy Auriantal
  • Marc Hsu
  • Nikita Johnson
Home arenaE. A. Diddle Arena
Seasons
2018–19 Conference USA men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Old Dominion 13 5   .722 26 9   .743
Western Kentucky 11 7   .611 20 14   .588
Southern Miss 11 7   .611 20 13   .606
UTSA 11 7   .611 17 15   .531
UAB 10 8   .556 20 15   .571
Marshall 11 7   .611 23 14   .622
FIU 10 8   .556 20 13   .606
Louisiana Tech 9 9   .500 20 13   .606
Florida Atlantic 8 10   .444 17 16   .515
North Texas 8 10   .444 21 12   .636
Rice 8 10   .444 13 19   .406
Middle Tennessee 8 10   .444 11 21   .344
Charlotte 5 13   .278 8 21   .276
UTEP 3 15   .167 8 21   .276
2019 C-USA tournament winner

The 2018–19 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers, led by third-year head coach Rick Stansbury, played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky as fifth-year members of Conference USA (C-USA). The team finished the season tied for second place in the conference and were defeated in the championship game of the conference tournament.[1]

Previous season

[edit]

The Hilltoppers finished the 2017–18 season with 27–11, 14–4 in C-USA play, to finish in third place. They defeated UAB[2] and Old Dominion[3] to advance to the championship game of the C-USA tournament where they lost to Marshall.[4] They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Boston College,[5] USC[6] and Oklahoma State[7] to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Utah.[8][9]

Offseason

[edit]

Departures

[edit]
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Tyler Miller 0 G 6' 4" 190 Senior Louisville, KY Graduated
Darius Thompson 15 G 6' 4" 190 RS Senior Murfreesboro, TN Graduated
Dwight Coleby 22 F 6' 9" 245 RS Senior Nassau, Bahamas Graduated
Justin Johnson 23 F 6' 7" 245 Senior Hazard, KY Graduated

Incoming transfers

[edit]
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Matthew Horton 5 F 6' 11" Junior Tuscaloosa, AL Junior college transferred from Shelton State CC
Desean Murray 13 F 6' 3" 225 Graduate student Stanley, NC Transferred from Auburn. Will be eligible to play immediately since Murray graduated from Auburn.
Patrick Murphy F 6' 6" 170 Junior Franklin, TN Junior college transferred from Martin Methodist College
Carson Williams F 6' 5" 230 Junior Owenton, KY Transferred from Northern Kentucky. Under NCAA transfer rules, Williams will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.

2018 recruiting class

[edit]
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Charles Bassey
#3 C
San Antonio, TX ASPIRE Academy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jun 13, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 92
Galen Smith
PF
Bay St. Louis, MS Bay High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Nov 9, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: NR
Dalano Banton
SG
Toronto, ON Redemption Christian Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 14, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: NR
Jeremiah Gambrell Jr.
SG
Houston, TX Madison High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 14, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.

Roster

[edit]
2018–19 WKU Hilltoppers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 00 Tolu Smith 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Kahuku HS Bay St. Louis, MS
G 1 Lamonte Bearden 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Sr Buffalo Milwaukee, WI
G/F 2 Jared Savage 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Austin Peay Bowling Green, KY
F 4 Josh Anderson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Madison Prep Academy Baton Rouge, LA
F 5 Matt Horton 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Shelton State Community College Tuscaloosa, AL
G 10 Jeremiah Gambrell 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Madison HS Houston, TX
G 11 Taveion Hollingsworth 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Paul Laurence Dunbar HS Lexington, KY
F 12 Moustapha Diagne 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Jr Northwest Florida State College Rufisque, Senegal
F 13 DeSean Murray 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) GS Auburn Stanley, NC
F 14 Marek Nelson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) Plano, TX
G 20 Dalano Banton 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Redemption Christian Academy (NY) Toronto, ON
C 23 Charles Bassey 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr Aspire Academy Lagos, Nigeria
G Patrick Murphy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Martin Methodist College Franklin, TN
F Carson Williams Current redshirt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Northern Kentucky Owenton, KY
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 5, 2024

Schedule and results

[edit]
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2018*
7:00 p.m.
Campbellsville W 91–66 
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
November 3, 2018*
2:00 p.m.
Kentucky Wesleyan W 96–71 
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2018*
9:30 p.m., ESPNU
at No. 25 Washington L 55–73  0–1
Alaska Airlines Arena (5,721)
Seattle, WA
November 10, 2018*
6:00 p.m., ESPN3
UT Martin
Myrtle Beach Invitational campus-site game
W 86–71  1–1
E. A. Diddle Arena (5,815)
Bowling Green, KY
November 15, 2018*
4:00 p.m., ESPNU
vs. Valparaiso
Myrtle Beach Invitational quarterfinals
W 81–73  2–1
HTC Center (3,620)
Conway, SC
November 16, 2018*
8:00 p.m., ESPNU
vs. West Virginia
Myrtle Beach Invitational semifinals
W 63–57  3–1
HTC Center (3,370)
Conway, SC
November 18, 2018*
6:30 p.m., ESPN2
vs. UCF
Myrtle Beach Invitational championship
L 62–78  3–2
HTC Center (3,018)
Conway, SC
November 24, 2018*
1:00 p.m., ESPN3
at Indiana State L 54–63  3–3
Hulman Center (3,032)
Terre Haute, IN
December 1, 2018*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
Tennessee State W 88–74  4–3
E. A. Diddle Arena (6,071)
Bowling Green, KY
December 5, 2018*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Missouri State L 78–84  4–4
JQH Arena (4,893)
Springfield, MO
December 8, 2018*
2:30 p.m., SECN
at Arkansas W 78–77  5–4
Bud Walton Arena (14,488)
Fayetteville, AR
December 16, 2018*
2:00 p.m., ESPN3
Troy L 81–87  5–5
E. A. Diddle Arena (5,285)
Bowling Green, KY
December 19, 2018*
6:30 p.m., ESPN3
at Belmont L 74–80  5–6
Curb Event Center (4,124)
Nashville, TN
December 22, 2018*
2:00 p.m., Facebook
Saint Mary's W 71–68  6–6
E. A. Diddle Arena (5,026)
Bowling Green, KY
December 29, 2018*
4:30 p.m., CBSSN
No. 15 Wisconsin W 83–76  7–6
E. A. Diddle Arena (7,614)
Bowling Green, KY
Conference USA regular season
January 3, 2019
6:30 p.m., beIN
at Charlotte W 68–50  8–6
(1–0)
Dale F. Halton Arena (3,019)
Charlotte, NC
January 5, 2019
6:00 p.m., Facebook
at Old Dominion L 66–69  8–7
(1–1)
Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,928)
Norfolk, VA
January 12, 2019
6:00 p.m., Facebook
at Marshall L 69–70  8–8
(1–2)
Cam Henderson Center (7,687)
Huntington, WV
January 17, 2019
7:00 p.m., beIN
FIU L 76–77  8–9
(1–3)
E. A. Diddle Arena (5,102)
Bowling Green, KY
January 19, 2019
2:00 p.m., Facebook
Florida Atlantic W 72–66  9–9
(2–3)
E. A. Diddle Arena (4,963)
Bowling Green, KY
January 21, 2019
8:00 p.m., CBSSN
Marshall W 68–59  10–9
(3–3)
E. A. Diddle Arena (6,369)
Bowling Green, KY
January 24, 2019
7:00 p.m., Stadium
at Southern Miss W 66–63  11–9
(4–3)
Reed Green Coliseum (2,568)
Hattiesburg, MS
January 26, 2019
4:00 p.m., Facebook
at Louisiana Tech L 50–62  11–10
(4–4)
Thomas Assembly Center (3,917)
Ruston, LA
January 31, 2019
7:00 p.m., Facebook
UTSA W 96–88 1OT 12–10
(5–4)
E. A. Diddle Arena (4,983)
Bowling Green, KY
February 2, 2019
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
UTEP W 76–59  13–10
(6–4)
E. A. Diddle Arena (6,397)
Bowling Green, KY
February 7, 2019
8:00 p.m., CBSSN
at Rice W 92–85 2OT 14–10
(7–4)
Tudor Fieldhouse (1,757)
Houston, TX
February 9, 2019
5:00 p.m., Facebook
at North Texas W 62–59  15–10
(8–4)
UNT Coliseum (8,195)
Denton, TX
February 14, 2019
7:00 p.m., Facebook
Middle Tennessee
100 Miles of Hate
W 71–63  16–10
(9–4)
E. A. Diddle Arena (6,044)
Bowling Green, KY
February 16, 2019
2:00 p.m., Facebook
UAB L 60–68  16–11
(9–5)
E. A. Diddle Arena (6,839)
Bowling Green, KY
February 23, 2019
12:00 p.m., Stadium
at Old Dominion L 63–67  16–12
(9–6)
Ted Constant Convocation Center (7,324)
Norfolk, VA
February 28, 2019
6:30 p.m., beIn
at UAB W 73–67  17–12
(10–6)
Bartow Arena (3,021)
Birmingham, AL
March 3, 2019
2:00 p.m., Facebook
Southern Miss W 76–71  18–12
(11–6)
E. A. Diddle Arena (5,408)
Bowling Green, KY
March 6, 2019
6:30 p.m., beIn
UTSA L 76–81 OT 18–13
(11–7)
E. A. Diddle Arena (5,411)
Bowling Green, KY
Conference USA tournament
March 14, 2019
8:30 p.m., Stadium
(2) vs. (10) North Texas
Quarterfinals
W 67–51  19–13
Ford Center at The Star 
Frisco, TX
March 15, 2019
3:00 p.m., CBSSN
(2) vs. (3) Southern Miss
Semifinals
W 70–59  20–13
Ford Center at The Star 
Frisco, TX
March 16, 2019
7:30 p.m., CBSSN
(2) vs. (1) Old Dominion
Championship
L 56–62  20–14
Ford Center at The Star (3,017)
Frisco, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central.

Source:[10]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2019-20 Stats (PDF) - Conference USA" (PDF). conferenceusa.com. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "Hilltoppers Storm Past UAB in C-USA Quarterfinals, 98-70". Western Kentucky University Athletics. March 8, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "Hilltoppers Beat ODU 57-49 to Reach C-USA Title Game". Western Kentucky University Athletics. March 9, 2024. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  4. ^ "Tops' Comeback Falls Short in 67-66 Loss to Marshall in C-USA Final". Western Kentucky University Athletics. March 10, 2024. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  5. ^ "Hilltoppers Rout Boston College 79-62 at Home in NIT Opener". Western Kentucky University Athletics. March 13, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  6. ^ "Hilltoppers Edge Top-Seeded USC to Reach NIT Quarterfinals". Western Kentucky University Athletics. March 20, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  7. ^ Neaves, Kyle (March 21, 2018). "WKU Headed to New York City; Defeats Oklahoma State 92-84 in NIT Quarterfinals". Western Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  8. ^ "Tops' Season Comes to an End with 69-64 Loss to Utah in NIT Semifinals". Western Kentucky University Athletics. March 27, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  9. ^ "2019-20 Hilltopper Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Western Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  10. ^ "2018-19 Men's Basketball Schedule". wkusports.com. Retrieved October 5, 2024.