2017–18 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

2017–18 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
NIT, Semifinals
ConferenceConference USA
Record27–11 (14–4 C-USA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Marc Hsu
  • Nikita Johnson
Home arenaE. A. Diddle Arena
Seasons
2017–18 Conference USA men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Middle Tennessee 16 – 2   .889 25 – 8   .758
Old Dominion 15 – 3   .833 25 – 7   .781
Western Kentucky 14 – 4   .778 27 – 11   .711
Marshall † 12 – 6   .667 25 – 11   .694
UTSA 11 – 7   .611 20 – 15   .571
UAB 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
North Texas 8 – 10   .444 20 – 18   .526
FIU 8 – 10   .444 14 – 18   .438
Southern Miss 7 – 11   .389 16 – 18   .471
Louisiana Tech 7 – 11   .389 17 – 16   .515
Florida Atlantic 6 – 12   .333 12 – 19   .387
UTEP 6 – 12   .333 11 – 20   .355
Rice 4 – 14   .222 7 – 24   .226
Charlotte 2 – 16   .111 6 – 23   .207
† 2018 C-USA Tournament winner

The 2017–18 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by head coach Rick Stansbury in his second season and played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky as fourth-year members of Conference USA.

On October 16, 2017, assistant coach Ben Hansbrough resigned from WKU following his DUI arrest two days prior.[1]

They finished the season 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.[2] 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.[3]

Previous season

The Hilltoppers finished the 2016–17 season with 15–17, 9–9 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They lost to UTSA in the first round of the C-USA tournament.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Jabari McGhee 00 F 6'7" 205 RS Sophomore Albany, Georgia Left for the team for personal reasons
Tobias Howard 1 G 6'2" 182 Freshman Lithonia, GA Transferred to Chipola College
Damari Parris 3 G 6'0" 160 Sophomore Bowie, MD Transferred to Trinity Valley CC
Junior Lomomba 5 G 6'5" 205 RS Senior Montreal, QE Graduated
Cleveland Thomas 12 G 6'4" 195 RS Senior Baton Rouge, LA Graduated
Benjamin Lawson 14 F/C 7'1" 235 Senior Hitchin, England Graduated
Marko Stajkovski 21 G 6'7" 195 Freshman Novi Sad, Serbia Transferred to Mineral Area College
Willie Carmichael 24 F 6'8" 210 RS Sophomore Apopka, FL Dismissed from the team
Que Johnson 32 G 6'6" 205 RS Senior Pontiac, MI Graduated
Anton Waters 42 F 6'7" 245 Senior Baltimore, MD Graduated
Marty Leahy 43 G 6'5" 210 Freshman Brisbane, Australia Left for the team for personal reasons

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Darius Thompson 15 G 6'4" 196 Graduate Student Murfreesboro, Tennessee Transferred from Virginia. Thompson will play in the 2017–18 season.
Dwight Coleby 22 F 6'9" 240 Graduate Student Nassau, Bahamas Transferred from Kansas. Coleby will play in the 2017–18 season.
Jared Savage 2 G/F 6'5" 190 Junior Bowling Green, Kentucky Transferred from Austin Peay. Will sit out the 2017–18 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

2017 recruiting class

Mitchell Robinson, a McDonald's All-American and a projected first-round pick in the 2018 NBA draft, committed to Western Kentucky a few weeks after the school hired his godfather, Shammond Williams.[4] He signed a National Letter of Intent in November 2016 and enrolled at the school in July 2017.[4] However, later in July, he left the school amid reports that he was unhappy at the school.[5] Head coach Rick Stansbury and the school issued a statement that Robinson was suspended and would not be going on the team's trip to Costa Rica in August.[5] However, asking to be released from his Letter of Intent and being released, he made visits to LSU, Kansas, and New Orleans. At the end of August, he returned to the school and enrolled and stated that he intends to play for Western Kentucky.[6] On September 17, Robinson again left the university announcing he will prepare for the NBA and will not play college basketball.[7][8]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Josh Anderson
F 		Baton Rouge, Louisiana Madison Prep Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 20, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
Taveion Hollingsworth
G 		Lexington, Kentucky Paul Laurence Dunbar HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 9, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Jake Ohmer
G 		Covington, Kentucky Scott HS 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 150 lb (68 kg) Mar 20, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:2/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Marek Nelson
F 		Plano, Texas Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) May 14, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    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:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.

Costa Rica trip

The Hilltoppers announced that they would be participating in a seven-day, three-game foreign tour to Costa Rica in August.[9]

Roster

2017–18 WKU Hilltoppers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Tyler Miller 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr 22ft Academy Louisville, Kentucky
G 1 Lamonte Bearden 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Jr Buffalo Milwaukee, Wisconsin
G/F 2 Jared Savage Current redshirt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Austin Peay Bowling Green, Kentucky
F 4 Josh Anderson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Madison Prep Academy Baton Rouge, Louisiana
F 12 Moustapha Diagne 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS So Northwest Florida State College Rufisque, Senegal
G 13 Taveion Hollingsworth 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Paul Laurence Dunbar HS Lexington, Kentucky
F 14 Marek Nelson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) Plano, Texas
G 15 Darius Thompson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Sr Virginia Murfreesboro, Tennessee
G 21 Jake Ohmer 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Scott HS Covington, Kentucky
F 22 Dwight Coleby 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Sr Kansas Nassau, Bahamas
F 23 Justin Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Perry County Central High School Hazard, Kentucky
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 Site (attendance)
city, state
Costa Rica trip
Aug 8, 2017*
 Laurentian University W 104–98 
BN Arena 
San Jose, Costa Rica
Aug 9, 2017*
9:00 pm 		Costa Rica National Team W 99–69 
BN Arena 
San Jose, Costa Rica
Aug 10, 2017*
5:00 pm 		Laurentian University W 118–63 
BN Arena 
San Jose, Costa Rica
Exhibition
Oct 29, 2017*
1:00 pm 		at Samford
Pack The Pete For Hurricane Relief 		W 78–64 
Pete Hanna Center (608)
Homewood, AL
Nov 1, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Campbellsville W 92–51 
E.A. Diddle Arena (2,789)
Bowling Green, KY
Nov 7, 2017*
7:00 pm, WKYU 		Cumberland W 109–66 
E.A. Diddle Arena (3,081)
Bowling Green, KY
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm, WKYU 		Missouri State L 80–85  0–1
 E.A. Diddle Arena (5,241)
Bowling Green, KY
Nov 15, 2017*
7:00 pm, FCS/WKYU 		Kentucky Wesleyan W 83–53  1–1
 E.A. Diddle Arena (3,844)
Bowling Green, KY
Nov 19, 2017*
5:00 pm, FCS/WKYU 		Nicholls State
Battle 4 Atlantis On Campus Site 		W 100–86  2–1
 E.A. Diddle Arena (3,378)
Bowling Green, KY
Nov 22, 2017*
1:30 pm, ESPN2 		vs. No. 5 Villanova
Battle 4 Atlantis Quarterfinals 		L 58–66  2–2
 Imperial Arena (3,378)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 23, 2017*
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		vs. No. 18 Purdue
Battle 4 Atlantis 		W 77–73  3–2
 Imperial Arena (2,102)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 24, 2017*
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		vs. SMU
Battle 4 Atlantis 5th place game 		W 63–61  4–2
 Imperial Arena (1,252)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, Stadium 		Eastern Kentucky W 83–51  5–2
 E.A. Diddle Arena (5,532)
Bowling Green, KY
Dec 2, 2017*
4:00 pm, FCS/WKYU 		Wright State W 78–60  6–2
 E.A. Diddle Arena (4,165)
Bowling Green, KY
Dec 10, 2017*
1:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Ohio L 84–89  6–3
 Convocation Center (4,501)
Athens, OH
Dec 13, 2017*
7:00 pm, FS1 		at Wisconsin L 80–81  6–4
 Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
Dec 16, 2017*
2:00 pm, FCS/WKYU 		Indiana State W 81–65  7–4
 E.A. Diddle Arena (4,412)
Bowling Green, KY
Dec 19, 2017*
7:00 pm, FCS/WKYU 		Belmont L 72–75  7–5
 E.A. Diddle Arena (5,156)
Bowling Green, KY
Dec 22, 2017*
7:00 pm 		at Austin Peay W 72–55  8–5
 Dunn Center (2,023)
Clarksville, TN
Conference USA regular season
Dec 28, 2017
7:00 pm, beIN Sports 		Louisiana Tech W 69–68  9–5
(1–0) 		E.A. Diddle Arena (4,897)
Bowling Green, KY
Dec 30, 2017
2:00 pm, FCS/WKYU 		Southern Miss W 82–66  10–5
(2–0) 		E.A. Diddle Arena (4,654)
Bowling Green, KY
Jan 6, 2018
6:00 pm, Stadium 		at Marshall W 112–87  11–5
(3–0) 		Cam Henderson Center (6,826)
Huntington, WV
Jan 11, 2018
7:00 pm, beIN Sports 		at Old Dominion W 75–68  12–5
(4–0) 		Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,895)
Norfolk, VA
Jan 13, 2018
6:00 pm, FCS/WKYU 		at Charlotte W 73–63  13–5
(5–0) 		Dale F. Halton Arena (3,845)
Charlotte, NC
Jan 18, 2018
8:00 pm, CBSSN 		UAB W 77–69  14–5
(6–0) 		E.A. Diddle Arena (5,643)
Bowling Green, KY
Jan 20, 2018
6:00 pm, Stadium 		Middle Tennessee L 62–66  14–6
(6–1) 		E.A. Diddle Arena (7,759)
Bowling Green, KY
Jan 27, 2018
6:00 pm, Stadium 		Marshall W 85–74  15–6
(7–1) 		E.A. Diddle Arena (7,362)
Bowling Green, KY
Feb 1, 2018
9:00 pm, CBSSN 		at UTEP W 72–60  16–6
(8–1) 		Don Haskins Center (6,116)
El Paso, TX
Feb 3, 2018
3:00 pm, FCS/WKYU 		at UTSA L 63–74  16–7
(8–2) 		Convocation Center (1,305)
San Antonio, TX
Feb 8, 2018
7:30 pm, FCS/WKYU 		Florida Atlantic W 75–63  17–7
(9–2) 		E.A. Diddle Arena (5,617)
Bowling Green, KY
Feb 10, 2018
6:00 pm, FCS/WKYU 		FIU W 83–76  18–7
(10–2) 		E.A. Diddle Arena (6,429)
Bowling Green, KY
Feb 15, 2018
8:00 pm, beIN Sports 		at North Texas W 102–94 OT 19–7
(11–2) 		The Super Pit (2,306)
Denton, TX
Feb 17, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Rice W 85–66  20–7
(12–2) 		Tudor Fieldhouse (4,246)
Houston, TX
Feb 22, 2018
7:00 pm, beIN Sports 		Charlotte W 93–55  21–7
(13–2) 		E.A. Diddle Arena (5,634)
Bowling Green, KY
Feb 24, 2018
6:00 pm, Stadium 		Old Dominion W 88–66  22–7
(14–2) 		E.A. Diddle Arena (7,387)
Bowling Green, KY
Mar 1, 2018
7:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Middle Tennessee L 64–82  22–8
(14–3) 		Murphy Center (11,307)
Murfreesboro, TN
Mar 3, 2018
7:00 pm, FCS/WKYU 		at UAB L 73–101  22–9
(14–4) 		Bartow Arena (4,363)
Birmingham, AL
Conference USA Tournament
Mar 8, 2018
9:00 pm, Stadium 		(3) vs. (6) UAB
Quarterfinals 		W 98–70  23–9
 The Ford Center at The Star 
Frisco, TX
Mar 9, 2018
3:00 pm, CBSSN 		(3) vs. (2) Old Dominion
Semifinals 		W 57–49  24–9
 The Ford Center at The Star 
Frisco, TX
Mar 10, 2018
7:30 pm, CBSSN 		(3) vs. (4) Marshall
Championship 		L 66–67  24–10
 The Ford Center at The Star 
Frisco, TX
NIT
Mar 13, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		(4) (5) Boston College
First Round – USC Bracket 		W 79–62  25–10
 E.A. Diddle Arena (6,176)
Bowling Green, KY
Mar 19, 2018*
10:30 pm, ESPN2 		(4) at (1) USC
Second Round – USC Bracket 		W 79–75  26–10
 Galen Center (2,130)
Los Angeles, CA
Mar 21, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN 		(4) at (2) Oklahoma State
Quarterfinals – USC Bracket 		W 92–84  27–10
 Gallagher-Iba Arena (11,308)
Stillwater, OK
Mar 27, 2018*
6:00 pm, ESPN 		(4) vs. (2) Utah
Semifinals 		L 64–69  27–11
 Madison Square Garden (7,865)
New York City, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time Source[10][11].

See also

2017–18 WKU Lady Toppers basketball team

References

  1. ^ Stephens, Brad (October 16, 2017). "WKU assistant Hansbrough resigns in wake of arrest". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  2. ^ C-USA 2019-20 MEN'S BASKETBALL STATS, retrieved 29 April 2020
  3. ^ 2019-2020 WKU Basketball Media Guide retrieved 21 April 2020
  4. ^ a b "Mitchell Robinson returns to Western Kentucky a month after leaving campus". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Source: Prized recruit Robinson back at WKU". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  6. ^ "'This is where I want to be': Top recruit Mitchell Robinson is back at Western Kentucky". kentucky. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  7. ^ "Five-star big man Mitchell Robinson will bypass college, begin training for 2018 NBA Draft". ScoutHoops.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  8. ^ "Meet the college basketball coach with more recruiting heartbreak than anyone". SBNation.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  9. ^ "Western Kentucky University Athletics". www.wkusports.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  10. ^ "Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers Official Athletic Site – Men's Basketball". wkusports.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  11. ^ "2021-22 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Schedule".