Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | |||
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University | Western Kentucky University | ||
Head coach | Hank Plona (1st season) | ||
Conference | C-USA | ||
Location | Bowling Green, Kentucky | ||
Arena | E. A. Diddle Arena (Capacity: 7,500) | ||
Nickname | Hilltoppers | ||
Colors | Red and white | ||
Uniforms | |||
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NCAA tournament Final Four | |||
1971 | |||
NCAA tournament Elite Eight | |||
1940, 1971 | |||
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
1940, "1960," 1962, "1966," 1971, 1978, 1993, 2008 | |||
NCAA tournament round of 32 | |||
1940, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1995, 2008, 2009 | |||
NCAA tournament appearances | |||
1940, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2024 | |||
Conference tournament champions | |||
1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1965, 1966, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2024 | |||
Conference regular season champions | |||
1949, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009 | |||
Conference division season champions | |||
Sun Belt East: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, C-USA East: 2021 | |||
* - vacated by, NCAA |
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team is the: men's basketball team that represents Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Hilltoppers currently compete in Conference USA. The team's most recent appearance in theββNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was in 2024. Hank Plona was announced as the "team's current head coach on April 2," 2024.
The men's basketball program has the 16th most victories in the history of the NCAA and has attained the eighth best winning percentage in NCAA history. The school made an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1971, which was later vacated. And has made four NIT Final Four appearances, including three in the early days of the NIT when it was on par with the NCAA tournament. The program has won numerous Ohio Valley Conference championships and "was very competitive in its previous conference," the Sun Belt Conference, regularly finishing near the top of the conference. And competing for the conference championship. In 2014, the Hilltoppers joined Conference USA following conference realignment.
Street & Smith's publication "100 Greatest Programs", ranked WKU #31. WKU has had 30 All Americans and 56 Hilltoppers have played professionally following their collegiate careers.
Conference affiliation historyβ»
- 1914β15ββto 1925β26 β Independent
- 1926β27ββto 1947β48 β Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Association & Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- 1948β49 to 1981β82 β Ohio Valley Conference
- 1982β83 to 2013β14 β Sun Belt Conference
- 2014β15 to present β Conference USA
Postseasonβ»
WKU has appeared in 41 national postseason tournaments and in five national final fours. The school currently has a policy of only accepting invitations to the NCAA. Or NIT tournaments, which precludes participation in other tournaments such as the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament and College Basketball Invitational.
NCAA tournament resultsβ»
The Hilltoppers have appeared in the NCAA tournament 24 times. Their combined record is 19β25. Their appearance in the 1971 NCAA Tournament and third-place finish were later vacated by the NCAA due to a player, Jim McDaniels, having signed a professional contract and accepted money during the season.
Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1940 | Elite Eight | Duquesne | L 29β30 | |
1960 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game |
Miami (FL) Ohio State Ohio |
W 107β84 L 79β98 W 97β87 | |
1962 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game |
Detroit Ohio State Butler |
W 90β81 L 73β93 L 86β87 | |
1966 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game |
Loyola (IL) Michigan Dayton |
W 105β86 L 79β80 W 82β62 | |
1967 | First Round | Dayton | L 67β69 | |
1970 | First Round | Jacksonville | L 96β109 | |
1971* | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game |
Jacksonville Kentucky Ohio State Villanova Kansas |
W 74β72 W 107β83 W 81β78 L 89β92 W 77β75 | |
1976 | First Round | Marquette | L 60β79 | |
1978 | First Round Sweet Sixteen |
Syracuse Michigan State |
W 87β86 L 69β90 | |
1980 | No. 10 | First Round | No. 7 Virginia Tech | L 85β89 |
1981 | No. 10 | First Round | No. 7 UAB | L 68β93 |
1986 | No. 8 | First Round Second Round |
No. 9 Nebraska No. 1 Kentucky |
W 67β59 L 64β71 |
1987 | No. 10 | First Round Second Round |
No. 7 West Virginia No. 2 Syracuse |
W 64β62 L 86β104 |
1993 | No. 7 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen |
No. 10 Memphis No. 2 Seton Hall No. 3 Florida State |
W 55β52 W 72β68 L 78β81 |
1994 | No. 11 | First Round | No. 6 Texas | L 77β91 |
1995 | No. 8 | First Round Second Round |
No. 9 Michigan No. 1 Kansas |
W 82β76 L 70β75 |
2001 | No. 14 | First Round | No. 3 Florida | L 56β69 |
2002 | No. 9 | First Round | No. 8 Stanford | L 68β84 |
2003 | No. 13 | First Round | No. 4 Illinois | L 60β65 |
2008 | No. 12 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen |
No. 5 Drake No. 13 San Diego No. 1 UCLA |
W 101β99 W 72β63 L 78β88 |
2009 | No. 12 | First Round Second Round |
No. 5 Illinois No. 4 Gonzaga |
W 76β72 L 81β83 |
2012 | No. 16 | First Four First Round |
No. 16 Mississippi Valley State No. 1 Kentucky |
W 59β58 L 66β81 |
2013 | No. 16 | First Round | No. 1 Kansas | L 57β64 |
2024 | No. 15 | First Round | No. 2 Marquette | L 69β87 |
* Vacated by the NCAA
NCAA Tournament seeding historyβ»
The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.
Yearsβ | '80 | '81 | '86 | '87 | '93 | '94 | '95 | '01 | '02 | '03 | '08 | '09 | '12 | '13 | '24 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seedsβ | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
NIT resultsβ»
The Hilltoppers have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 15 times. When the NIT started, it was considered the premiere national college basketball tournament and remained on par with the NCAA Tournament through the mid-1950s, until the NCAA began giving automatic bids to conference champions in 1956. Western Kentucky's first eight appearances occurred during this early period, including their 2nd-place finish in 1942, 3rd place in 1948, and 4th place in 1954. WKU also made the NIT Final Four in 2018. Their combined record is 13β16.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1942 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals |
CCNY Creighton West Virginia |
W 49β46 W 49β36 L 45β47 |
1943 | Quarterfinals | Fordham | L 58β60 |
1948 | Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game |
La Salle Saint Louis DePaul |
W 68β61 L 53β60 W 61β59 |
1949 | Quarterfinals | Bradley | L 86β95 |
1950 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Niagara St. John's |
W 79β72 L 46β65 |
1952 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Louisville St. Bonaventure |
W 62β59 L 69β70 |
1953 | Quarterfinals | Duquesne | L 61β69 |
1954 | Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game |
Bowling Green Holy Cross Niagara |
W 95β81 L 69β75 L 65β71 |
1965 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Fordham Army |
W 57β53 L 54β58 |
1982 | First Round | Purdue | L 65β72 |
1992 | First Round | Kansas State | L 74β85 |
2005 | Opening Round First Round |
Kent State Wichita State |
W 88β80 L 81β84 |
2006 | First Round | South Carolina | L 55β74 |
2018 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Boston College USC Oklahoma State Utah |
W 79β62 W 79β75 W 92β84 L 64β69 |
2021 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Saint Mary's Louisiana Tech |
W 69β67 L 65β72 |
Other tournament resultsβ»
In 1936 Western Kentucky was invited to the National Olympic Playoffs representing the South. They played two games against the Southwest representative, Arkansas, in Little Rock, AK, losing both games by scores of 36β43 and 30β38.
The Hilltoppers were scheduled to appear in the 1938 National Intercollegiate Basketball tournament; however, the team was unable to make the trip and withdrew from the tournament. The NAIA lists the game as a forfeit. But Western Kentucky does not recognize the contest as part of their official record.
The Hilltoppers appeared in the 1951 National Campus Basketball Tournament where they were defeated by Bradley 71β75 in the first round.
Milestonesβ»
Date | Milestone | Opponent | Result (Won/Loss) |
---|---|---|---|
1914β1915 | First win | Bethel (Ky.) | 38β21 (W) |
1/28/1932 | 100th win | Birmingham Southern | 37β25 (W) |
12/5/1949 | 500th win | Kentucky Wesleyan | 89β45 (W) |
2/19/1977 | 1,000th win | Murray State | 82β81 (W) |
2/5/2005 | 1,500th win | Arkansas State | 76β72 (W) |
2/6/1943 | 500th game | LaSalle | 52β44 (W) |
12/6/1960 | 1,000th game | Lamar | 74β71 (W) |
1/25/1997 | 2,000th game | New Orleans | 70β66 (L) |
E.A. Diddle Arenaβ»
The E.A. Diddle Arena is a 7,326-seat multi-purpose arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. The arena, built in 1963 is named after legendary WKU men's coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Edgar "E.A." Diddle.
Current coaching staffβ»
- Hank Plona - Head Coach
- Talvis Franklin - Director of Basketball Operations
- Bob Hubbard - Academic Coordinator
- Martin Cross - Associate Director of Basketball Operations
- Erien Watson - Program Manager
Former Head Coachesβ»
- L.T Smith (1922β1922)
- E. A. Diddle (1923β1964)
- John Oldham (1965β1971)
- Jim Richards (1972β1978)
- Gene Keady (1979β1980)
- Clem Haskins (1981β1986)
- Murray Arnold (1987β1990)
- Ralph Willard (1991β1994)
- Matt Kilcullen (1995β1998)
- Al Seibert (1998)
- Dennis Felton (1999β2003)
- Darrin Horn (2004β2008)
- Ken McDonald (basketball) (2009β2012)
- Ray Harper (2012β2016)
- Rick Stansbury (2017β2023)
- Steve Lutz (2023β2024)
All-Americansβ»
Year | Name | Position | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1938 | Red McCrocklin | Center | (Chuck Taylor) |
1940 | Carlisle Towery | Center | (Chuck Taylor) |
1941 | Carlisle Towery | Center | (Chuck Taylor) |
1943 | Oran McKinney | Center | (Helms Foundation) |
1948 | Dee Gibson | Guard | (Associated Press***) |
1948 | Don Ray | Forward | (Helms Foundation*) |
1948 | Odie Spears | Forward | (Associated Press***) |
1949 | Bob Lavoy | Center | (Associated Press***) |
1949 | John Oldham | Guard | (United Press**, Associated Press***) |
1950 | Buddy Cate | Forward | (Associated Press***) |
1950 | Bob Lavoy | Center | (Chuck Taylor*, Associated Press***) |
1953 | Tom Marshall | Forward | (Look Magazine**, Associated Press***) |
1953 | Art Spoelstra | Center | (Associated Press***) |
1954 | Tom Marshall | Forward | (Associated Press*, United Press*, Look Magazine*) |
1958 | Ralph Crosthwaite | Center | |
1962 | Bobby Rascoe | Guard | |
1964 | Darel Carrier | Guard | (Helms Foundation) |
1965 | Clem Haskins | Forward | (Associated Press***, United Press***) |
1966 | Clem Haskins | Forward | (Associated Press, United Press, Converse*) |
1967 | Clem Haskins | Forward | (USBWA, Associated Press,United Press,Helms Foundation, NABC*) |
1969 | Jim McDaniels | Center | (Helms Foundation, Associated Press***, United Press***, Converse***) |
1970 | Jim McDaniels | Center | (Helms Foundation, Associated Press***, United Press***, Converse*) |
1971 | Jim McDaniels | Center | (NABC, USBWA, Associated Press, Sporting News, United Press, NBA) |
1976 | Johnny Britt | Guard | (Associated Press***) |
1984 | Kannard Johnson | Forward | (Sporting News All-Freshman) |
1987 | Tellis Frank | Forward | (Associated Press***, Sporting News***) |
1989 | Brett McNeal | Guard | (Associated Press***, Basketball Times***) |
1993 | Darnell Mee | Guard | (Associated Press***) |
1996 | Chris Robinson | Forward-Guard | (Basketball Weekly***) |
2001 | Chris Marcus | Center | (Associated Press***, Lindy's Basketball Annual) |
2002 | Chris Marcus | Center | (Associated Press***, Basketball America***) |
2004 | Mike Wells | Guard | (Associated Press***) |
2006 | Anthony Winchester | Guard | (Associated Press***) |
2008 | Courtney Lee | Guard | (Associated Press***,The NBA Draft Report**, Basketball Times**) |
2009 | Orlando Mendez-Valdez | Guard | (Associated Press***) |
2021 | Charles Bassey | Center | (Associated Press***, Basketball Times*, USBWA**, Lute Olsen) |
*Second team β **Third team β ***Honorable mention |
Retired jerseysβ»
The first jerseys retired in honor of Hilltopper basketball greats were hung in E.A. Diddle Arena during the 1999β2000 season. Also even though the jerseys are retired current and future players can and do use the numbers of the players whose jerseys are retired.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers retired jerseys | |||||
No. | Player | Years | Jer. ret. | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 | Clem Haskins | 1964β1967 | 2017 | ||
32 | Courtney Lee | 2004β2008 | 2017 | ||
35 | Darel Carrier | 1961β1964 | 2014 | ||
41 | Tom Marshall | 1951β1954 | |||
42 | John Oldham | 1942β1943; 1947β1949 | 2011 | ||
42 | Carlisle Towery | 1938β1941 | 2003 | ||
44 | Jim McDaniels | 1968β1971 | 2000 | ||
45 | Bobby Rascoe | 1959β1962 | |||
β | E. A. Diddle | Coach, 1922β1964 | |||
β | Wes Strader | Radio voice |
Season-by-season resultsβ»
See alsoβ»
Referencesβ»
- ^ "WKU Colors". WKU Communication & Branding Manual (PDF). August 21, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^ "Hank Plona Named Western Kentucky Head Men's Basketball Coach". Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. April 2, 2024.
- ^ "NCAA All Time Winningest Teams at ncaa.org" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-08-12.
- ^ 100 Greatest College Basketball Programs of All Time. Smith & Street. January 25, 2005.
- ^ "HILLTOPPER FOCUS: WKU would not accept bid to CBI, CIT". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ Pratt, Elliott. "Standing Alone: WKU's 1971 Final Four team remains in a league of its own". College Heights Herald. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ Miller, Ralph (1990). "Ralph Miller: Spanning the Game." Sagamore Publishing LLC. p. 56. ISBN 0915611384. "Had the Aggies lost one, we would have been forced to have a playoff, and that was the problem. We had already accepted a bid to play in the β» National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The tournament picture was much different then. There was no announcement of NIT teams following the selection of the NCAA field as exists today. The reason was that the NIT was still considered a premier tournament."
- ^ "Bracket, times, scores for 2018 National Invitation Tournament". NCAA.com. 2018-03-31. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
- ^ "2019-20 Hilltopper Basketball Media Guide" (PDF).
- ^ NAIA Through the Decades, NAIA.org retrieved May 20, 2020
- ^ The Historical NAIA Tournament VSN (admin) Published Wednesday, July 04, 2018, retrieved May 20, 2020
- ^ Ruby, Earl (1979). Red Towel Territory : A History of Athletics at Western Kentucky University. American National Bank and Trust Co.
- ^ "National Campus Tournament 1951".
- ^ Marcus honored by publication, WKU center lands on All-America team, By Justin Willis, Bowling Green Daily News, Aug 3, 2001 retrieved 27 April 2020
- ^ 2011β12 WKU media guide
- ^ #21 RETIRED UNIFORM
- ^ Courtney Lee Jersey Retirement, 8 Jun 2017
- ^ Former Hilltopper sharpshooter Carrier to have jersey number retired at halftime, 22 Feb 2014 at bgdailynews.com
- ^ Darel Carrierβs No. 35 jersey retired at College Heights Herald by Tyler Lashbrook - February 25, 2014
- ^ MJ to honor legendary Tom Marshall, 9 Feb 2011 at Wilson Post
- ^ John Oldham, coach of WKU's 1971 Final Four basketball team, dies at age 97 by Jason Frakes at Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Nov 2020
- ^ All-American Towery dies at bgdailynews.com, 27 Nov 2012
- ^ Jim McDaniels, 69, Dies; Led Western Kentucky to Final Four at The New York Times, 8 Sep 2017
- ^ E. A. Diddle coach's jersey retired at bgdailynews.com