Hilltopper Basketball travels to Evansville on Saturday

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – WKU men’s basketball travels for its third road tilt of the season facing Evansville on Saturday, Dec. 7. Tipoff from Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. is slated for 1 p.m. CT with ESPN+ set to broadcast the event.
The Hilltoppers enter the matchup with the Purple Aces coming off a 90-82 win over Marshall last Saturday to improve to 4-3 on the year. Freshman Julius Thedford received CUSA Freshman of the Week honors on Monday after charting a career-best 19 points off 6-for-8 (.750%) shooting from the field with a 4-of-5 (.800%) clip from three-point range in the Tops’ win over the Thundering Herd. The Memphis native also posted 18 points with a 7-of-10 free-throw mark in a hard-fought loss on the road at No. 8 Kentucky on Nov. 26.
GAME INFO
WKU (4-3, 0-0) vs. Evansville (3-5, 0-1)
Saturday, Dec. 7 | 1 p.m. CT
Ford Center | Evansville, Ind.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Hilltopper Sports Radio Network | 100.7-FM (WKLX)/Varsity Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Game Notes: WKU | UE
Tickets: WKUTickets.com | 1-800-5-BIG RED
ABOUT THE TOPS
Babacar Faye leads the Tops in scoring currently averaging 15 points per game with a team-best (min 10 attempts) .540% mark shooting from the field; Faye currently charts as the sixth-leading scorer in CUSA
Faye’s team-high .814% free-throw percentage is currently the fourth best mark in CUSA
Faye leads WKU in rebounding with 7.3 rebounds per outing, good for sixth-most in CUSA
Faye led the Tops in scoring in the team’s season opener against Wichita State, charting a career-best 28 points with 8 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block
McHenry has finished with 20+ points in three of the Tops’ seven games this season, recording a team-high 23 points on the road at Grand Canyon and 21 points in the team’s season opener against Wichita State and Lipscomb on Nov. 17
McHenry currently charts as the Hilltoppers’ second-leading scorer at 14.4 ppg and has averaged 1.7 assists per game, good for second-most on the team; the Hilltopper guard currently charts as the ninth-leading scorer in CUSA and boasts the eighth-highest shooting clip in CUSA at .400%
Jalen Jackson leads the Tops in assists averaging 2.9 per outing, good for 13th most in CUSA
Tyrone Marshall Jr. currently averages the third-most defensive rebounds per game in CUSA with 5.9 per outing; the total ranks 77th nationally
The Hilltoppers rank fourth in CUSA in made three-pointers per game with 8.6
The Tops lead CUSA in bench points per game with 32.7 per outing; the total ranks 34th nationally
WKU ranks second in CUSA in defensive rebounds with 30 per game; the mark is good for 17th best in the nation
The Tops’ 9.1 steals per game is second in CUSA and ranks top 50 nationally
The Hilltoppers tout the eighth-highest adjusted tempo in the nation, averaging 72.9 possessions per 40 minutes
WKU has posted victories in four of its last five outings; the Hilltoppers tout a 4-1 mark playing at home in Diddle Arena
SERIES INFORMATION
A win would improve WKU to 41-20 all-time in meetings against Evansville and push the Tops over .500% in road outings facing the Purple Aces. Saturday will mark the first time the teams have squared off since Dec. 8, 2009. WKU saw victory, 63-57, in the home matchup in Diddle Arena. The Hilltoppers’ series with the Purple Aces dates back to 1927 and saw the teams face off every year from 1938-1952. During that 15-year stretch, WKU charted a 26-6 overall record against Evansville.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES
Evansville enters the game with a 3-5 record and a 0-1 mark in conference play
Last time out, the Purple Aces fell at Murray State, 61-63, in the team’s MVC opener
Forward Gabriel Pozzato recorded 15 points and six steals in the loss facing the Racers; the native of Italy has averaged 15.4 points on the year
Pozzato is one of three Aces averaging double figures in 2024-25
Forward Josh Hughes recorded four blocks against the Racers and ranks second in the MVC with an average of 1.38 per game