Lyon County (Ky.) 2024 PG Travis Perry, a...

Some key Hilltoppers to watch throughout the season as WKU begins their season against Kentucky Wesleyan

@DerrickDeen gives his thoughts on the Tops

Stopped by E.A. Diddle Arena this past Thursday night to catch Western Kentucky during Hilltopper Hysteria. Here's a few players that caught my attention during the preseason event.

Login to view embedded media
The in-state point guard out of Male (Ky.) stood out during warmups, catching my attention with his size and shooting from beyond the arc, sinking a number of three-pointers. Edelen is definitely an intriguing prospect to keep an eye on this season.

Login to view embedded media
The former five-star guard and transfer from Indiana was the most impressive Hilltopper on the court during Hilltopper Hysteria, claiming victory in the three-point contest. Lander additionally won an additional three-point game at the end of the event as the two best teams faced off.

Login to view embedded media
The four-star transfer from Kentucky stood out with his shooting performance as well, facing off against Lander in the three-point contest. Allen made his presence known from beyond the arc with his ability to hit consecutive long-range jumpers. Allen will also be a returning Hilltopper to watch for this season.

Login to view embedded media
The former four-star shooting guard transferred to Western Kentucky from Purdue over the offseason and is definitely an incoming star to keep an eye on this season. With the Boilermakers in the 2022-23 campaign, Newman averaged 6.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.3 bpg and 0.5 spg. Newman and his teammates also helped Purdue to the NCAA Tournament.

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media

Looking at what went right and what went wrong for the Hilltoppers, via @DerrickDeen

The full broadcast schedule for the 2023-24 WKU men's basketball season has been released, as announced by Conference USA on Thursday. The Hilltoppers' slate of matchups will include five nationally televised games airing live on CBS Sports Network and ESPNU, with all other home regular season outings set to stream live on ESPN+.

WKU will host CUSA rival Middle Tennessee on Feb. 3 at E.A. Diddle Arena, with the contest set to air live on ESPNU beginning at 7 p.m. CT. The Tops' home outings facing conference foes Liberty on Jan. 6, Jax State on Jan. 13, Sam Houston on Feb. 1 and UTEP on Feb. 15 will all broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.

CUSA's initial broadcast schedule for the 2023-24 men’s basketball season features 145 nationally-televised and digital games played at CUSA home venues. CBS Sports Network will air 18 games, including the two CUSA Championship semifinals and the title game in March, with a total of five games set to air on ESPNU.

ESPN+ will stream 122 of the league’s remaining home contests, including the championship’s first-round game and four quarterfinal contests.

The Conference USA Men’s Basketball Championship will take place at Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala. The nine-team, single-elimination tournament tips on Tuesday, March 12 and culminates in the title game, to be televised on CBS Sports Network on Saturday, March 16.

Hilltopper basketball will open the 2023-24 season at home hosting Kentucky Wesleyan on Nov. 6. The home opener is set to stream live on ESPN+.

@DerrickDeen with his takeaways from WKU's win over La Tech on Thursday night

An in-depth look at the Bulldogs

Washington State, Georgia Southern see success with former WKU play callers

@DerrickDeen takes a closer look at WKU's offense after Saturday's rout of Houston Christian

A look at WKU's defensive performance against USF, courtesy of @DerrickDeen