2018–19 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

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2018–19 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
WKU Hilltoppers wordmark.png
ConferenceConference USA
2018–19 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 head coach Rick Stansbury in his third season, played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky as fifth-year members of Conference USA. The team finished the season tied for 2nd place in the conference and were defeated in the championship game of the conference tournament.[1]

Previous season[]

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

Offseason[]

Departures[]

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[]

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[]

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, MO 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    ESPN: N/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    ESPN: N/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    ESPN: N/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[]

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, Mississippi
G 1 Lamonte Bearden 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Sr Buffalo Milwaukee, Wisconsin
G/F 2 Jared Savage 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Austin Peay Bowling Green, Kentucky
F 4 Josh Anderson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Madison Prep Academy Baton Rouge, Louisiana
F 5 Matt Horton 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Shelton State Community College Tuscaloosa, Alabama
G 10 Jeremiah Gambrell 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Madison HS Houston, Texas
G 11 Taveion Hollingsworth 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Paul Laurence Dunbar HS Lexington, Kentucky
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, North Carolina
F 14 Marek Nelson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) Plano, Texas
G 20 Dalano Banton 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Redemption Christian Academy (NY) Toronto, Ontario
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, Tennessee
F Carson Williams Current redshirt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Northern Kentucky Owenton, Kentucky
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results[]

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

Source[3]

See also[]

2018–19 Western Kentucky Lady Toppers basketball team

References[]

  1. ^ C-USA 2019-20 MEN'S BASKETBALL STATS, retrieved 29 April 2020
  2. ^ 2019-2020 WKU Basketball Media Guide retrieved 21 April 2020
  3. ^ "Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers Official Athletic Site – Men's Basketball". wkusports.com.
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