Game Time: 7:30 PM
TV: ESPNU
Line: UW -7.5
Head Coach: Rick Stansbury 2nd year 42-28 .600 winning percentage
Overall 335-193 .634 winning percentage (Miss. State)
Last year:
27-11, 14-4 C-USA
Coach Stansbury racked up 27 wins in his second year at the helm and brought in another solid recruiting class. They were able to get wins against schools from the Pac-12, ACC, Big 12, and Big Ten last year so the environment won’t be intimidating. This was despite the odd case of five-star center Mitchell Robinson. He never suited up for Western Kentucky after he left school before the season opener. There is no doubting his talent and what could have been for WKU as Robinson wound up being a lottery pick by the NBA. Western Kentucky advanced to the NIT Semifinals last year after a gut-wrenching one point loss in the C-USA Tournament to Marshall. They ended their season with a 69-64 loss to Utah. The HIlltoppers led the country in 2pt shots made and attempted last year and were fourth in free throws attempted.
Key Losses:
Justin Johnson 15.7 pts 9.5 reb 1.3 ast
Darius Thompson 13.6 pts 4.2 reb 4.8ast
Dwight Coleby 11.1 pts 8.0 rebs 0.6ast
Key Additions:
Charles Bassey – A 6’10 center who was the #6 player in the country for the class of 2018. He should provide an early test for the UW big men.
Delano Banton – A 6’6 point guard who was rated four stars and the 15th best point guard in the class of 2018. His height should play well against the UW zone and make entry passes into Bassey a difficult situation to defend.
Preseason Hype:
With a strong returning group and C-USA’s top rated recruiting class, the Hilltoppers were picked to win the conference in the preseason and have tournament aspirations. A couple players were suspended for the exhibition season but are not expected to be disciplined for the season opener.
Exhibition Season:
W 91-66 vs Campbellsville
W 96-71 vs Kentucky Wesleyan
Outlook:
This will be a strong test for the Dawgs in the season opener. Luckily, it will be in the warm confines of Alaska Airlines Arena with a full Dawg Pack behind them. WKU likes to attack inside the perimeter and get to the line. They have the length and athletes to get that done with top recruit Charles Bassey’s ability to score inside and out. The 2-3 zone will have to force the Hilltoppers into outside shots, which is an area they really struggle. In their second exhibition game WKU went just 8-31 behind the arc. For the Huskies, they will need to create turnovers and keep the crowd into the game. This is not an opponent that they can take for granted like SPU, so the focus will need to be there all night. Hopefully Dickerson will be ready to go and the half-court offense can let him be a playmaker shooting or passing. The big men will need to defend without fouling or this could be a long night for the Dawgs. With Auburn on the schedule later this week, this team is jumping into the deep-end facing tournament caliber teams to open up the year.
Prediction:
This will be a tough game but the defensive pressure and home crowd allow UW to open 1-0.
UW 78 WKU 73
