2023–24 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

2023–24 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
CUSA tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceConference USA
Record22–12 (8–8 C-USA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Martin Cross
  • Robert Guster
  • Darryl Jackson
  • Tim MacAllister
  • Hank Plona
Home arenaE. A. Diddle Arena
Seasons
2023–24 Conference USA men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
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 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 Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky as tenth-year members of Conference USA.

Previous season

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]

Offseason

Departures

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

Incoming transfers

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

Recruiting classes

2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information
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 
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:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 18, 2023.

Roster

2023–24 WKU Hilltoppers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
C 0 Rodney Howard 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) GS Legacy Charter School
Georgia Tech 		Ypsilanti, MI
F/C 1 Fallou Diagne 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Compass Prep
Northwest Florida State College 		Dakar, Senegal
G 2 Don McHenry 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Jr Milwaukee Academy of Science
Indian Hills CC 		Milwaukee, WI
G 3 Jalen Jackson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Wagner HS
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi 		San Antonio, TX
G 4 Khristian Lander 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr FJ Reitz HS
Indiana 		Evansville, IN
F 5 Babacar Faye 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr NBA Academy Africa
Charleston 		Saly, Senegal
G 10 Brandon Newman 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Sr Valparaiso HS
Purdue 		Valparaiso, IN
G 11 Dontaie Allen 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Sr Pendleton County HS
Kentucky 		Falmouth, KY
G 12 Terrion Murdix 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) GS Springfield Southeast HS
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi 		Springfield, IL
F 13 BJ Marable 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Grace Christian Academy
Triton College 		Knoxville, TN
G 15 Jack Edelen (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Male HS Louisville, KY
F 22 Jaylen Dorsey (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Berea HS Berea, KY
G 23 Enoch Kalambay 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Orangeville Prep
Indian Hills CC 		Gatineau, QC
F 24 Tyrone Marshall Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Pearl Cohn HS
Northwest Florida State College 		Nashville, TN
G 30 Teagan Moore 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Owen County HS Dry Ridge, KY
G 31 Tyler Olden (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Hillcrest Prep Scottsdale, AZ
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 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., ESPN+ 		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.
S=South.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[4]

References

  1. ^ "2022-23 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Men's Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Rick Stansbury resigns as Western Kentucky basketball coach after seven seasons". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  3. ^ "W. Kentucky hires Texas A&M-CC's Lutz as coach". ESPN.com. 2023-03-18. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  4. ^ "Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers Official Athletic Site – Men's Basketball". wkusports.com.