2018–19 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

American college basketball season

2018–19 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball

Conference	Conference USA
Record	20–14 (11–7 C-USA)
Head coach	Rick Stansbury (3rd season)
Assistant coaches	Hennssy Auriantal Marc Hsu Nikita Johnson
Home arena	E. A. Diddle Arena
Seasons← 2017–18 2019–20 →

2018–19 Conference USA men's basketball standings
v t e	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.

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.

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

College recruiting information
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
Charles Bassey #3 C	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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
Galen Smith PF	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: 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
Dalano Banton SG	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: 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
Jeremiah Gambrell Jr. SG	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: 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, 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	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	Jr	Northern Kentucky	Owenton, KY

Head coach

Rick Stansbury (Campbellsville)

Assistant coach(es)

Hennssy Auriantal (Wisconsin)
Marc Hsu (Cabrini)
Nikita Johnson (West Georgia)

Legend

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

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: October 5, 2024

Schedule and results

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	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	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	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:

References

"2019-20 Stats (PDF) - Conference USA" (PDF). conferenceusa.com. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
"Hilltoppers Storm Past UAB in C-USA Quarterfinals, 98-70". Western Kentucky University Athletics. March 8, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
"Hilltoppers Beat ODU 57-49 to Reach C-USA Title Game". Western Kentucky University Athletics. March 9, 2024. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
"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.
"Hilltoppers Rout Boston College 79-62 at Home in NIT Opener". Western Kentucky University Athletics. March 13, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
"Hilltoppers Edge Top-Seeded USC to Reach NIT Quarterfinals". Western Kentucky University Athletics. March 20, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
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.
"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.
"2019-20 Hilltopper Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Western Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
"2018-19 Men's Basketball Schedule". wkusports.com. Retrieved October 5, 2024.

v t e Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
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NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

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