Toppe returns home for a pair of CUSA games – Bowling Green Daily News

After a challenging three-game road swing, the Western Kentucky men’s basketball team is ready to get back on its home floor when the Hilltoppers host a pair of Conference USA rivals this week at EA Diddle Arena.

First up is Jacksonville State on Thursday night, followed by Kennesaw State on Saturday – these two programs are the top scoring teams in CUSA so far this season.

WKU coach Hank Plona called this week a chance for his team to “regroup” after sandwiching an impressive win at Liberty between two ugly losses — first in the nonconference finale at Michigan (a 112-64 loss on Nov. December), then after rallying past Liberty for a 71-70 victory on Jan. 2 came Saturday’s 85-66 loss at Florida International.

Plona said the Hilltoppers dealt with some lingering injuries and some illness during the recent road swing, but outside of injured forward Babacar Faye, the team is at full strength heading into Thursday night’s 7 p.m. game in Diddle. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

“Everyone except Baba is practicing and ready to go,” Plona said. “We had a little bit of flu last week, a little bit of a stomach bug going around. We haven’t had anyone noticeably sick for the last three or four days, so hopefully the rest of us can sleep in our own beds , the consistency helps with that.”

WKU (10-5 overall, 1-1 CUSA) had a common thread in all three previous road games — miserable first-half offensive performances that left the team with a double-digit deficit at halftime. The Tops managed to overcome it against Liberty with a furious second-half rally that featured four made 3-pointers out of the final five attempts, but no such comeback materialized against Michigan or FIU.

Plona said he and his staff have been tinkering with solutions to that problem because it’s a trend the Tops simply can’t fight in the conference.

“You never want to feel a natural desperation — I felt like at FIU we were desperate to score,” Plona said. “It was like ah, here we go again. When you get behind in games, it changes the original game plan because you’re running against a short clock. In 120 minutes last week, we lost to a large, large majority of them and it’s hard to be patient and to move the ball and rotate and to get to the third side and do all those things when you know you’re running the clock.

“I think our offense wasn’t that good; at the same time, I think it’s because we fell behind. We have to start the games better.”

Plona also wants to see his team get back to the tough defensive group it had been prior to this three-game stretch, when the Tops’ previously tough 3-point defense was roasted by both Michigan and FIU.

Jacksonville State (8-5, 0-1 CUSA) has the potential to do more of the same. Led by former WKU coach Ray Harper, the Gamecocks rank second in CUSA with 80.8 points per game. game and has the league’s leading scorer in senior guard Jaron Pierre Jr., a 6-foot-6 transfer from Wichita State.

Pierre averages 22.9 points per game. game for Jax State. It ranks third in NCAA Division I this season.

“He can score from 3, he can score off the bounce, he can score at the rim … he’s a professional scorer, for sure, but at the same time averaging four or five assists a game,” Plona said. “So kind of a complete lead guard. He’s definitely a focus of what they do on the offensive end. I think everything starts with him. Limiting him and limiting his efficiency and getting the ball out of his hands and getting some other guys to beat us, obviously the numbers show that teams that have been able to do that have been a little bit more efficient.”

The Gamecocks are also the second-best rebounding team in CUSA and have the league’s second- and third-leading rebounders in Michael Houge (8.6 rebounds per game) and Mason Nicholson (7.7 rpg).

WKU continues to rely on senior guard Don McHenry, who is averaging a team-best 17.6 points per game. match. Freshman guard Julius Thedford finished a strong week and is third on the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game. outing, and the Tops got a boost last week with the return from injury of graduated senior guard Khristian Lander (10.6 ppg).

DAMAGE UPDATE

The prognosis remains uncertain for 6-8 senior forward Babacar Faye, who has not played since suffering a knee injury against Murray State on Dec. 14. Faye is second on the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game. outing and pulled down 7.8 rebounds. per game.

Plona said Faye will have a follow-up MRI on the knee after this weekend’s games.

“I’m hoping after this four-week mark that we have some clarity on what the timeline is,” Plona said. “He has a knee injury which we hope will heal on its own, but there will obviously be a four-week follow-up to see if the healing happens and he progresses or if it will take a little longer.”

About Jeff Nations

Sports Editor, Bowling Green Daily News

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