WKU Hilltoppers | |||
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University | Western Kentucky University | ||
Conference | C-USA | ||
Location | Bowling Green, KY | ||
Head coach | Rick Stansbury (1st year) | ||
Arena |
E. A. Diddle Arena (Capacity: 7,500) |
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Nickname | Hilltoppers | ||
Colors | Red and White |
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Uniforms | |||
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NCAA Tournament Final Four | |||
1971* | |||
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight | |||
1940, 1971* | |||
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
1960, 1962, 1966, 1971*, 1978, 1993, 2008 | |||
NCAA Tournament Round of 32 | |||
1976, 1978, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1995, 2008, 2009 | |||
NCAA Tournament appearances | |||
1940, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971*,1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 *vacated by NCAA |
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Conference tournament champions | |||
1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1966, 1967, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 | |||
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 season champions | |||
Sun Belt East: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 |
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 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 2013. Rick Stansbury was announced as the teams current head coach on March 28, 2016.
The men's basketball program has the 16th most victories in the history of the NCAA and has attained the 8th best winning percentage in NCAA history. The school made an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1971, which was later vacated, and has made three NIT Final Four appearances. 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. 2014–15 season is their first season as members of Conference USA. 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.
National champion Postseason invitational champion
Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion
Conference tournament champion