The 2023–24 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers, led by first year head coach Steve Lutz, played their home games at E. A. Diddle ArenainBowling Green, Kentucky as tenth-year members of Conference USA.
| 2023–24 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball | |
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CUSA tournament champions | |
NCAA tournament, First Round | |
| Conference | Conference USA |
| Record | 22–12 (8–8 C-USA) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | E. A. Diddle Arena |
Seasons
← 2022–23
2024–25 →
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Conf | Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sam Houston | 13 | – | 3 | .813 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 12 | – | 4 | .750 | 22 | – | 10 | .688 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky † | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 22 | – | 12 | .647 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liberty | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 18 | – | 14 | .563 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 18 | – | 16 | .529 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico State | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 13 | – | 19 | .406 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 14 | – | 19 | .424 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville State | 6 | – | 10 | .375 | 14 | – | 18 | .438 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIU | 5 | – | 11 | .313 | 11 | – | 22 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2024 CUSA tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Hilltoppers finished the 2022–23 season 17–16, 8–12 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for seventh place. As the No. 8 seed in the C-USA tournament, they defeated UTEP in the first round before losing to Florida Atlantic in the quarterfinals.[1]
On March 11, 2023, the school announced that head coach Rick Stansbury had decided to resign.[2] On March 18, the school named Texas A&M–Corpus Christi head coach Steve Lutz the team's new head coach.[3]
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darrius Miles | 0 | C | 6'10" | 250 | Junior | Oak Cliff, TX | Transferred to UT Arlington |
| Jordan Rawls | 2 | G | 6'1" | 185 | Senior | Chattanooga, TN | Graduated |
| Jarius Hamilton | 3 | F | 6'8" | 230 | RS Senior | Charlotte, NC | Graduated |
| Noah Stansbeury | 5 | G | 6'0" | 170 | RS Sophomore | Bowling Green, KY | Walk-on; transferred to Memphis |
| Elijah Hughey | 10 | G | 6'4" | 200 | RS Freshman | Dallas, TX | Transferred to Southeastern Oklahoma State |
| Emmanuel Akot | 13 | G | 6'8" | 215 | RS Senior | Winnipeg, MB | Graduated/signed to play professionally in Netherlands with Heroes Den Bosch |
| Luke Frampton | 14 | G | 6'5" | 205 | RS Senior | Poca, WV | Graduated |
| Dayvion McKnight | 20 | G | 6'1" | 195 | Junior | Shelbyville, KY | Transferred to Xavier |
| Jamarion Sharp | 33 | C | 7'5" | 235 | Senior | Hopkinsville, KY | Graduate transferred to Ole Miss |
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rodney Howard | 0 | C | 6'10" | 250 | GS Senior | Ypsilanti, MI | Georgia Tech |
| Don McHenry | 2 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Junior | Milwaukee, WI | Indian Hills CC |
| Jalen Jackson | 3 | G | 5'11" | 180 | GS Senior | San Antonio, TX | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi |
| Babacar Faye | 5 | F | 6'8" | 210 | Junior | Saly, Senegal | Charleston |
| Brandon Newman | 10 | G | 6'5" | 200 | RS Senior | Valparaiso, IN | Purdue |
| Terrion Murdix | 12 | G | 6'1" | 170 | GS Senior | Springfield, IL | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi |
| BJ Marable | 13 | F/C | 6'9" | Junior | Knoxville, TN | Triton College | |
| Enoch Kalambay | 23 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Junior | Gatineau, QC | Indian Hills CC |
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teagan Moore SG |
Owenton, KY | Owen County High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jul 13, 2022 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR
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| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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| 2023–24 WKU Hilltoppers men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-conference Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
Kentucky Wesleyan | W 90–64 | 1–0 |
14 – Newman | 10 – Faye | 4 – McHenry | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,890) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| November 9, 2023* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Wichita State | L 61–71 | 1–1 |
12 – McHenry | 8 – Marshall | 1 – Tied | Charles Koch Arena (6,351) Wichita, KS | ||||
| November 14, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Murray State | W 86–81 | 2–1 |
22 – McHenry | 7 – Newman | 2 – Tied | CFSB Center (5,677) Murray, KY | ||||
| November 18, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Kentucky State | W 95–75 | 3–1 |
17 – Newman | 10 – Newman | 6 – McHenry | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,411) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| November 24, 2023* 6:00 p.m., − |
vs. Bowling Green Northern Classic |
W 72–65 | 4–1 |
17 – McHenry | 8 – Newman | 3 – McHenry | Place Bell (−) Laval, QC | ||||
| November 25, 2023* 1:00 p.m., − |
vs. Canisius Northern Classic |
L 77–85 | 4–2 |
16 – McHenry | 10 – Faye | 3 – Allen | Place Bell (−) Laval, QC | ||||
| November 26, 2023* 10:00 a.m., − |
vs. UNC Asheville Northern Classic |
L 67–77 | 4–3 |
14 – Jackson | 7 – Faye | 2 – Tied | Place Bell (−) Laval, QC | ||||
| November 29, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Campbellsville | W 101–77 | 5–3 |
22 – Lander | 9 – Faye | 6 – Jackson | E. A. Diddle Arena (2,702) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| December 3, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Eastern Kentucky | W 79–69 | 6–3 |
19 – Newman | 9 – Tied | 5 – Newman | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,511) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| December 9, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Buffalo | W 82–65 | 7–3 |
16 – McHenry | 8 – Newman | 5 – Lander | Alumni Arena (2,186) Amherst, NY | ||||
| December 12, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Wright State | W 91–84 | 8–3 |
30 – McHenry | 7 – Marshall | 4 – Howard | Nutter Center (3,138) Fairborn, OH | ||||
| December 16, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Austin Peay | W 65–64 | 9–3 |
16 – McHenry | 6 – Tied | 3 – McHenry | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,109) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| December 19, 2023* 9:00 p.m. |
at California Baptist C-USA/WAC Alliance |
W 73–70 | 10–3 |
17 – Allen | 12 – Newman | 4 – McHenry | CBU Events Center (2,522) Riverside, CA | ||||
| December 30, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Abilene Christian C-USA/WAC Alliance |
W 86–84 | 11–3 |
20 – Marshall Jr. | 8 – McHenry | 3 – Lander | E. A. Diddle Arena (4,011) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| Conference USA regular season | |||||||||||
| January 6, 2024 5:00 p.m., CBSSN |
Liberty | W 70–68 | 12–3 (1–0) |
18 – McHenry | 9 – Howard | 5 – Lander | E. A. Diddle Arena (5,057) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| January 10, 2024 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Sam Houston | L 74–78 | 12–4 (1–1) |
15 – McHenry | 6 – Tied | 6 – Lander | Bernard Johnson Coliseum (714) Huntsville, TX | ||||
| January 13, 2024 4:00 p.m., CBSSN |
Jacksonville State | W 80–69 | 13–4 (2–1) |
25 – Newman | 8 – Kalambay | 4 – Tied | E. A. Diddle Arena (4,580) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| January 18, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at New Mexico State | L 70–72 | 13–5 (2–2) |
19 – Lander | 8 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Pan American Center (5,243) Las Cruces, NM | ||||
| January 20, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at UTEP | L 87–93 | 13–6 (2–3) |
18 – McHenry | 9 – Kalambay | 5 – McHenry | Don Haskins Center (4,151) El Paso, TX | ||||
| January 25, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
FIU | W 105–91 | 14–6 (3–3) |
30 – Allen | 8 – Tied | 6 – McHenry | E. A. Diddle Arena (4,144) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| February 1, 2024 8:00 p.m., CBSSN |
Sam Houston | L 77–79 | 14–7 (3–4) |
21 – McHenry | 10 – Allen | 3 – Tied | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,757) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| February 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU |
Middle Tennessee | W 88–65 | 15–7 (4–4) |
22 – McHenry | 7 – Kalambay | 3 – Tied | E. A. Diddle Arena (5,527) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| February 7, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Louisiana Tech | W 81–76 | 16–7 (5–4) |
20 – McHenry | 8 – Faye | 3 – McHenry | Thomas Assembly Center (2,221) Ruston, LA | ||||
| February 10, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Jacksonville State | W 70–59 | 17–7 (6–4) |
24 – McHenry | 11 – Faye | 5 – Newman | Pete Mathews Coliseum (2,433) Jacksonville, AL | ||||
| February 15, 2024 6:00 p.m., CBSSN |
UTEP | W 90–80 | 18–7 (7–4) |
25 – McHenry | 10 – Faye | 5 – McHenry | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,305) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| February 17, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
New Mexico State | W 72–58 | 19–7 (8–4) |
12 – Moore | 5 – Tied | 5 – Marshall | E. A. Diddle Arena (5,102) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| February 24, 2024 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Middle Tennessee | L 72–74 | 19–8 (8–5) |
14 – Newman | 7 – Howard | 3 – Tied | Murphy Center (5,038) Murfreesboro, TN | ||||
| February 28, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Louisiana Tech | L 84–90 | 19–9 (8–6) |
22 – Moore | 6 – Faye | 3 – Marshall Jr. | E. A. Diddle Arena (5,658) Bowling Green, KY | ||||
| March 2, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at FIU | L 83–85 | 19–10 (8–7) |
14 – Faye | 10 – Marshall Jr. | 4 – Edelen | Ocean Bank Convocation Center (990) Miami, FL | ||||
| March 9, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Liberty | L 79–82 | 19–11 (8–8) |
16 – Moore | 6 – Kalambay | 3 – Lander | Liberty Arena (3,023) Lynchburg, VA | ||||
| Conference USA Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 14, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
(3) | vs. (6) New Mexico State Quarterfinals |
W 89–69 | 20–11 |
20 – Howard | 8 – Kalambay | 4 – Edelen | Von Braun Center (2,333) Huntsville, AL | |||
| March 15, 2024 2:00 p.m., CBSSN |
(3) | vs. (7) Middle Tennessee Semifinals |
W 85–54 | 21–11 |
18 – McHenry | 10 – Moore | 2 – Tied | Von Braun Center (3,272) Huntsville, AL | |||
| March 16, 2024 7:30 p.m., CBSSN |
(3) | vs. (5) UTEP Championship |
W 78–71 | 22–11 |
25 – McHenry | 10 – Faye | 3 – Marshall Jr. | Von Braun Center (4,541) Huntsville, AL | |||
| NCAA Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 22, 2024* 1:00 p.m., TBS |
(15 S) | vs. (2 S) No. 8 Marquette First Round |
L 69–87 | 22–12 |
21 – Marshall | 8 – McHenry | 5 – Marshall | Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. | |||||||||||
Source[4]
