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 the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was in 2024. Hank Plona was announced as the team's current head coach on April 2, 2024.[2]
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| University | Western Kentucky University | ||||||||
| First season | 1914 | ||||||||
| Head coach | Hank Plona (2nd season) | ||||||||
| Location | Bowling Green, Kentucky | ||||||||
| Arena | E. A. Diddle Arena (capacity: 7326) | ||||||||
| Conference | Conference USA | ||||||||
| Nickname | Hilltoppers | ||||||||
| Colors | Red and white[1] | ||||||||
| NCAA Division I tournament Final Four | |||||||||
| 1971 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| 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 champions | |||||||||
| Sun Belt East: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, C-USA East: 2021 | |||||||||
| Uniforms | |||||||||
| |||||||||
* - vacated by NCAA | |||||||||
The men's basketball program has the 16th most victories in the history of the NCAA[3] and has attained the eighth best winning percentage in NCAA history.[3] 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.[4]
Conference affiliation history
edit- 1914–15 to 1925–26 – Independent
- 1926–27 to 1947–48 – Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Association & Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- 1948–49 to 1981–82 – Ohio Valley Conference
- 1982–83 to 2013–14 – Sun Belt Conference
- 2014–15 to present – Conference USA
Postseason
editWKU 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.[5]
NCAA tournament results
editThe Hilltoppers have appeared in the NCAA tournament 24 times. Their combined record is 19–25. 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.[6]
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Elite Eight | Duquesne | L 29–30 | |
| 1960 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game | Miami (FL) Ohio State Ohio | W 107–84 L 79–98 W 97–87 | |
| 1962 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game | Detroit Ohio State Butler | W 90–81 L 73–93 L 86–87 | |
| 1966 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game | Loyola (IL) Michigan Dayton | W 105–86 L 79–80 W 82–62 | |
| 1967 | First Round | Dayton | L 67–69 OT | |
| 1970 | First Round | Jacksonville | L 96–109 | |
| 1971* | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game | Jacksonville Kentucky Ohio State Villanova Kansas | W 74–72 W 107–83 W 81–78 OT L 89–92 2OT W 77–75 | |
| 1976 | First Round | Marquette | L 60–79 | |
| 1978 | First Round Sweet Sixteen | Syracuse Michigan State | W 87–86 OT L 69–90 | |
| 1980 | No. 10 | First Round | No. 7 Virginia Tech | L 85–89 OT |
| 1981 | No. 10 | First Round | No. 7 UAB | L 68–93 |
| 1986 | No. 8 | First Round Second Round | No. 9 Nebraska No. 1 Kentucky | W 67–59 L 64–71 |
| 1987 | No. 10 | First Round Second Round | No. 7 West Virginia No. 2 Syracuse | W 64–62 L 86–104 |
| 1993 | No. 7 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | No. 10 Memphis No. 2 Seton Hall No. 3 Florida State | W 55–52 W 72–68 L 78–81 OT |
| 1994 | No. 11 | First Round | No. 6 Texas | L 77–91 |
| 1995 | No. 8 | First Round Second Round | No. 9 Michigan No. 1 Kansas | W 82–76 OT L 70–75 |
| 2001 | No. 14 | First Round | No. 3 Florida | L 56–69 |
| 2002 | No. 9 | First Round | No. 8 Stanford | L 68–84 |
| 2003 | No. 13 | First Round | No. 4 Illinois | L 60–65 |
| 2008 | No. 12 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | No. 5 Drake No. 13 San Diego No. 1 UCLA | W 101–99 OT W 72–63 L 78–88 |
| 2009 | No. 12 | First Round Second Round | No. 5 Illinois No. 4 Gonzaga | W 76–72 L 81–83 |
| 2012 | No. 16 | First Four First Round | No. 16 Mississippi Valley State No. 1 Kentucky | W 59–58 L 66–81 |
| 2013 | No. 16 | First Round | No. 1 Kansas | L 57–64 |
| 2024 | No. 15 | First Round | No. 2 Marquette | L 69–87 |
* Vacated by the NCAA
NCAA Tournament seeding history
editNIT results
editThe 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.[7] 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.[8] Their combined record is 13–16.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals | CCNY Creighton West Virginia | W 49–46 W 49–36 L 45–47 |
| 1943 | Quarterfinals | Fordham | L 58–60 |
| 1948 | Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | La Salle Saint Louis DePaul | W 68–61 L 53–60 W 61–59 |
| 1949 | Quarterfinals | Bradley | L 86–95 |
| 1950 | First Round Quarterfinals | Niagara St. John's | W 79–72 L 46–65 |
| 1952 | First Round Quarterfinals | Louisville St. Bonaventure | W 62–59 L 69–70 |
| 1953 | Quarterfinals | Duquesne | L 61–69 |
| 1954 | Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Bowling Green Holy Cross Niagara | W 95–81 L 69–75 L 65–71 |
| 1965 | First Round Quarterfinals | Fordham Army | W 57–53 L 54–58 |
| 1982 | First Round | Purdue | L 65–72 |
| 1992 | First Round | Kansas State | L 74–85 |
| 2005 | Opening Round First Round | Kent State Wichita State | W 88–80 L 81–84 |
| 2006 | First Round | South Carolina | L 55–74 |
| 2018 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Boston College USC Oklahoma State Utah | W 79–62 W 79–75 W 92–84 L 64–69 |
| 2021 | First Round Quarterfinals | Saint Mary's Louisiana Tech | W 69–67 L 65–72 |
Other tournament results
editIn 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, losing both games by scores of 36–43 and 30–38.[9]
The Hilltoppers were scheduled to appear in the 1938 National Intercollegiate Basketball tournament;[10] however, the team was unable to make the trip and withdrew from the tournament.[11] The NAIA lists the game as a forfeit, but Western Kentucky does not recognize the contest as part of their official record.[12]
The Hilltoppers appeared in the 1951 National Campus Basketball Tournament where they were defeated by Bradley 71–75 in the first round.[13]
Milestones
edit| Date | Milestone | Rival | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1914–1915 | First win | Bethel (Ky.) | 38–21 (W) |
| 1/28/1932 | 100th win | Birmingham Southern | 37–25 (W) |
| 12/5/1949 | 500th win | Kentucky Wesleyan | 89–45 (W) |
| 2/19/1977 | 1,000th win | Murray State | 82–81 (W) |
| 2/5/2005 | 1,500th win | Arkansas State | 76–72 (W) |
| 2/6/1943 | 500th game | LaSalle | 52–44 (W) |
| 12/6/1960 | 1,000th game | Lamar | 74–71 (W) |
| 1/25/1997 | 2,000th game | New Orleans | 70–66 (L) |
E.A. Diddle Arena
edit
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 staff
edit- Hank Plona - Head Coach
Former Head Coaches
edit- L.T Smith (1922–1922)
- E. A. Diddle (1923–1964)
- John Oldham (1965–1971)
- Jim Richards (1972–1978)
- Gene Keady (1979–1980)
- Clem Haskins (1981–1986)
- Murray Arnold (1987–1990)
- Ralph Willard (1991–1994)
- Matt Kilcullen (1995–1998)
- Al Seibert (1998)
- Dennis Felton (1999–2003)
- Darrin Horn (2004–2008)
- Ken McDonald (basketball) (2009–2012)
- Ray Harper (2012–2016)
- Rick Stansbury (2017–2023)
- Steve Lutz (2023–2024)
All-Americans
edit| Year | Name | Position | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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)[14] |
| 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 – **Third team – ***Honorable mention | |||
Retired jerseys
editThe first jerseys retired in honor of Hilltopper basketball greats were hung in E.A. Diddle Arena during the 1999–2000 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 | 1964–1967 | 2017 | [16] | |
| 32 | Courtney Lee | 2004–2008 | 2017 | [17] | |
| 35 | Darel Carrier | 1961–1964 | 2014 | [18][19] | |
| 35 | Dwight Smith | 1964–1967 | 2023 | [20] | |
| 41 | Tom Marshall | 1951–1954 | [21] | ||
| 42 | John Oldham | 1942–1943; 1947–1949 | 2011 | [22] | |
| 42 | Carlisle Towery | 1938–1941 | 2003 | [23] | |
| 44 | Jim McDaniels | 1968–1971 | 2000 | [24] | |
| 45 | Bobby Rascoe | 1959–1962 | |||
| — | E. A. Diddle | Coach, 1922–1964 | [25] | ||
| — | Wes Strader | Radio voice | |||
Season-by-season results
editCumulative all-time statistics and achievements
edit- All Time Wins: 1,911 (18th All-time) [26]
- All Time Winning Percentage%: .656 (8th All-Time) [3]
- Conference Championships: 44 (3rd All-Time) [26]
- Final Four Appearances: 1*
- Elite 8 Appearances: 2
- Sweet 16 Appearances: 8
- Round of 32 Appearances: 11
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 24
- NBA Draft Picks: 48 [26]
- All-Americans: 30 [4]
- AP Poll Appearances 111 times [27]
- First 30-win season by any program in NCAAB history (1937-38) [28]
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "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.
- 1 2 3 "NCAA All Time Winningest Teams at ncaa.org" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-08-12.
- 1 2 100 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 [1954] 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
- ↑ 2011–12 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 Carrier’s No. 35 jersey retired at College Heights Herald by Tyler Lashbrook - February 25, 2014
- ↑ "WKU Athletics to Retire Jersey in Honor of Hilltopper Basketball Great Dwight Smith". Western Kentucky University. January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ↑ 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
- 1 2 3 "WKU Hilltopper Basketball x Page". x.com.
- ↑ "Western Kentucky Men's Basketball AP Poll History". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
- ↑ "Coach E.A. Diddle | Western Kentucky University". www.wku.edu. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
External links
edit
