Toppers travel to face rival MTSU Saturday
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKU SPORTS) – WKU men’s basketball returns to road play this weekend and will travel for a meeting with historic rival Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Feb. 24. The game will be contested in Murphy Center Complex at 2 p.m. CT with ESPN+ set to broadcast.
The Hilltoppers enter the matchup against the Blue Raiders riding a five-game winning streak and coming off a pair of victories at home last week against New Mexico State and UTEP. WKU stands at 19-7 overall and 8-4 in Conference USA league play.
Game Info
WKU (19-7, 8-4) vs. Middle Tennessee (11-16, 5-7)
Saturday, Feb. 24 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Murfreesboro, Tenn. | Murphy Center Complex
Game Links: ESPN+ | 100.7-FM (WKLX)/Varsity Network | Live Stats
The Game at a Glance
Hilltopper Basketball (19-7, 8-4) travels to Murfreesboro for its second matchup with Middle Tennessee in 2023-24. The game will mark the 146th all-time meeting between the programs, with the historic rivalry serving as the third-most played series in Hilltopper Basketball history. A win would give WKU a 20th victory on the season for the 48th time in the program’s history – a mark only six other programs in the nation have achieved. The Hilltoppers hold a 99-46 all-time advantage facing MTSU in a series dating back to 1914.
Seeking a sixth straight win on Saturday, WKU’s back-to-back home wins last week improved the Tops to 12-1 at home in Diddle Arena this season. Junior guard Don McHenry currently stands as the third-leading scorer in CUSA at 16.1 PPG. McHenry earned a second CUSA Player of the Week nod on Feb. 12 following a 2-0 road swing by the Tops that saw victories over CUSA leader LA Tech and Jax State. The pair of road wins marked the first time this season a CUSA team has secured consecutive conference victories on the road.
Freshman Teagan Moore enters the week having earned CUSA Freshman of the Week honors on Monday after helping WKU to its unbeaten 2-0 mark at home last week. Moore posted a season-high 16 points off 5-for-7 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line in Thursday’s 90-80 win over UTEP, then followed the performance with a team-high 12 points off 4-for-7 shooting and 3-of-3 from the stripe in a 72-58 win over New Mexico State on Saturday.
Series History vs. Middle Tennessee
Overall: 99-46
H: 56-17 • A: 39-29 • N: 4-0
LAST 5
02/03/24 Bowling Green, Ky. …W, 88-65
02/09/23 Bowling Green, Ky. …W, 93-89
12/31/22 Murfreesboro, Tenn. …L, 60-65
02/26/22 Murfreesboro, Tenn. …L, 52-69
01/29/22 Bowling Green, Ky. …L, 85-93
Where The Tops Stack Up
→ 8-4 in CUSA standings; 19-7 record overall
→ The Tops boast the top-scoring offense in the conference (80.3 PPG) and chart 40th in the nation in scoring
→ First in the nation in adjusted tempo (74.9 possessions per 40 min)
→ WKU has totaled 80 or more points in 13 games this season, and 90 or more points in six games
→ Top rebounding team in CUSA; 19th nationally in rebounds with 40.15 per game
→ 15th in the nation in three-point percentage defense, limiting teams to a 29.6% mark from range
→ 29th in the nation in bench points per game (27.81)
Top Tops
Junior guard Don McHenry leads the Hilltoppers in points and charts as the CUSA’s third-leading scorer. The Milwaukee native also leads the team in total assists (69) and ranks 12th in the conference with 2.65 per contest. McHenry currently holds the third-best field-goal percentage in CUSA with a .475% mark from the field and is connecting on .859% (73-of-85) of attempts at the charity stripe, good for second best in CUSA.
Starting all 26 outings for the Hilltoppers in 2023-24, McHenry leads the team in minutes at 27.6 per contest. McHenry has also notched 23 steals on the year, good for third best on the team.
Tyrone Marshall Jr. ranks eighth in the conference in both blocks (28) and steals (41). Brandon Newman and Babacar Faye are currently tied for eighth in the conference in rebounding with 153 total for the year and 5.9 per game.
Televised Tops
The Hilltoppers’ game against Middle Tennessee will stream live on ESPN+ with Jake Rose and Daron Park on the call. Fans can tune in live and listen on 100.7-FM (WKLX) or The Varsity Network mobile app as Hal Schmitt and Randy Lee call the game on radio.
