WKU Basketball: Belmont Comes To Diddle For Mid-Major Showdown

For the final time this season, WKU welcomes a non-conference opponent to Diddle Arena, this time in the form of the Belmont Bruins.

Game Info

Time: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
TV: Fox College Sports, WKU PBS, WBNA
Radio: The Hilltopper IMG Sports Network

The Toppers are coming off a convincing win against Indiana State in their rebound game from the travesty that was the Wisconsin loss. It was a game that saw only Dwight Coleby struggle with fouls, and all five starters for the Tops scored in double figures, led by 19 from reigning C-USA Freshman of the Week Taveion Hollingsworth and 17 from Darius Thompson.

Belmont enters this evening with a 7–5 record, and have rattled off two straight wins after dropping three of their last four (two losses to Lipscomb and a loss at TCU with a victory against Green Bay).

Before that stretch, however, the Bruins beat Vandy and MTSU in consecutive outings as apart of winning four in a row.

The Bruins average three double-figure scorers in senior Amanze Egekeze (18.3 points per game), who is the reigning OVC Player of the Week, Dylan Windler (15.6) and Kevin McClain (12.2).

On paper, it’s Windler who looks to give the Tops the most trouble, especially on the interior — to go along with his nearly 16 points per contest, hes also averaging 9.7 rebounds a game. Outside of Egekeze (6.3 RPG), no other Bruin is averaging more than 3.3 boards.

This matchup might be one that doesn’t feature a ton of depth — freshman Nick Hopkins and junior Mack Mercer seem to be the go-to options off the bench — but that might be an edge for the Tops, who can get production out of most everyone.

This should be a fun game. Hopefully it’ll be like what we saw in the second half from the Tops when they opened the season against Missouri State (and not the 20+ point hole the Tops dug for themselves in the first half).

WKU has two more chances to make sure things are as tight as can be before the calendar turns over to the Conference-USA slate, where it begins with a grueling stretch of three C-USA contenders in four games (La Tech, Southern Miss, Marshall, ODU).

But, first thing’s first. Let’s beat the bears.