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3 weeks ago | 
wkuherald.com | Nathan Mueller |Michael Givner Jr.
A 64-61 loss at the hands of the No. 10 seed FIU in the first round of the Conference USA tournament on March 11 ended what was once a promising season for WKU Men’s Basketball. The Hilltoppers sat at 9-5 headed into the conference slate, including losses to Michigan and Kentucky.
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1 month ago | 
wkuherald.com | Nathan Mueller |Michael Givner Jr.
WKU Men’s Basketball will travel to Huntsville, Alabama for the Conference USA Tournament as the No. 7 seed, looking to repeat as conference champions and punch their automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Hilltoppers enter the tournament off a 90-61 roasting by the Liberty Flames on Saturday. Liberty shot 52.5% from the field on 61 attempts and outscored WKU 49-22 in the first half.
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2 months ago | 
wkuherald.com | Nathan Mueller |Michael Givner Jr.
As the men’s basketball season inches closer to the postseason, WKU sits at 5-4 in Conference USA play. The narrative of WKU’s season is injury-related, losing players like last year’s CUSA All-Freshman Teagen Moore before the season. Team leaders like Babacar Faye and Julius Thedford suffered injuries during the season. “We’re in decent shape, we’re moving forward. I think our team is getting better,” Head Coach Hank Plona said. “We’re surviving the ups and downs.
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Jan 11, 2025 | 
wkuherald.com | Nathan Mueller
WKU Men’s Basketball returned to the win column Saturday defeating the Kennesaw State Owls 85-69 splitting their two-game home stand. With the win, WKU ended a two-game losing streak and returned to .500 in conference play at 2-2. The Hilltoppers sit at 11-6 overall. The Hilltoppers’ first-half defense allowed them to open up a 15-point lead going into intermission. The Owls fought back in the second half but ultimately lost by 16.
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Jan 10, 2025 | 
wkuherald.com | Nathan Mueller
WKU Men’s Basketball will return to Diddle Arena Saturday to take on the Kennesaw State Owls, looking to rebound after a 73-67 loss to Jacksonville State. Senior guard Enoch Kalambay broke out against JSU with a career-high 24 points. Freshman guard Julius Thedford had 17 points with WKU’s leading scorer, graduate guard Don McHenry, being held to just eight. The Hilltoppers must improve their shooting if they want to make noise in Conference USA.
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Jan 4, 2025 | 
wkuherald.com | Nathan Mueller
Poor shooting and a slow start plagued WKU Men’s Basketball Saturday as the Hilltoppers dropped to 1-1 in CUSA play at FIU with an 85-66 loss. Head Coach Hank Plona’s offense suffered an early scoring slump, allowing a quick 11- 0 run in the early stages of the first half. With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, the Panthers had a 26-9 lead and led 52-29 at halftime. The Panthers shot 50% from three while the Hilltoppers went just 4-22 from downtown.
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Jan 3, 2025 | 
wkuherald.com | Nathan Mueller
After a thrilling win in their Conference USA opener, WKU Men’s Basketball will travel to Miami Saturday with hopes of going 2-0 in conference play against the Florida International Panthers. The Hilltoppers are coming off a 71-70 victory at Liberty. Down 12 late, freshman guard Julius Thedford and graduate guard Don McHenry led the Hilltoppers’ comeback. Thedford led WKU in scoring with 18, followed by McHenry’s 12.
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Dec 29, 2024 | 
wkuherald.com | Nathan Mueller
WKU Men’s Basketball’s staple fast-paced, efficient offense was nowhere to be found on the court of the Crisler Center Sunday night as the Hilltoppers fell at Michigan 112-64. Each of the nine Wolverines who played before the 7:48 mark in the second half had at least six points. Michigan shot 48% from three and 52% from the field, led by center Vladislav Goldin and guard Nimari Burnett, both scoring 17.
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Dec 17, 2024 | 
wkuherald.com | Nathan Mueller
WKU took care of the Seattle Redhawks Tuesday at E.A. Diddle Arena 86-73. Despite a shaky start, WKU took the lead eight minutes into the game and never let go. The Hilltoppers shot 59% from the field and 60% from three. Freshman Julius Thedford had a great bounce-back game following a rough showing against Murray State, scoring 15 points. Senior guard Don McHenry stole the show, however, scoring 28 while shooting 80% from three.
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Dec 10, 2024 | 
wkuherald.com | Nathan Mueller
WKU Men’s Basketball took care of business at home Tuesday with a dominant 84-60 victory over the Tennesse State Tigers, continuing their five-game home win streak. The Hilltoppers forced 21 turnovers which resulted in 28 points allowing WKU to hold a comfortable lead all night in a game in which they never trailed. “They don’t play very well with the pressure so we just didn’t want to let them get comfortable,” guard Don McHenry said.
