The men’s basketball team is coming off a 1-2 performance in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida this past week with losses to Drake and Duquesne and a win over Central Michigan. 

On the women’s side, the Lady Toppers stayed perfect in their trip to Anchorage, Alaska, over the break with wins over George Mason and Alaska-Anchorage. 

The Hilltoppers (3-3) host Eastern Kentucky (6-1) Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Battle of the Bluegrass.  

“I feel like we found ourselves again in these few practices that we have had together. I feel like we kind of lost our way in Florida, both players and coaches,” junior forward Ben Lawson said. “I think we have come back and re-evaluated ourselves, and I think you will see a big difference.” 

WKU and EKU have played 154 times in the series dating back to the 1914-15 season. 

WKU leads the series 111-43, marking the most wins for the Hilltoppers against a single opponent in program history. The two have not faced each other since 2007.  

Head Coach Ray Harper is hoping to see a lot of energy out of his team against the Colonels.  

“I think EKU is probably the most high-octane offense we have faced. They want to get it down and get it up quick and rely on their pressure defense,” Harper said. “They just break you down off the dribble. It has been an emphasis for us this week to eliminate those straight-line drives.”

Meanwhile, the Lady Toppers beat George Mason by 26 points and host school Alaska-Anchorage by four. With a 3-1 record and a three-game winning streak, they will travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to take on Ole Miss on Wednesday at 6 p.m.  

While Micah Jones has been ruled out for the season with a knee injury sustained against Louisville, Head Coach Michelle Clark-Heard will look for veterans Kendall Noble and Tashia Brown to lead.