![Students cheer for Senator at Large Jaden Marshall after being announced as the Intercultural Student Engagement Center Senator for the 24th Senate on Wednesday, April 17 in the Senate Chamber in DSU. Ive done everything in my power, Ive said it 100 times, to be for the students, Marshall said. So, not only to win, but to hear that reaction for me by the other students is just something that shows people actually care about me [and] really support me.](https://wkuherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/jadenmarshall-300x211.jpg)
They say that home is where your heart is, but for the Hilltoppers, home has been where they can’t lose a basketball game.
WKU, who are currently tied for third place in Conference-USA, look set to carry on their home winning-streak Thursday, in their first conference rematch game against Sam Houston.
The Bearkats currently sit at 5-1 in Conference-USA play, good enough to be tied for first with Louisiana Tech.
This is the second all-time matchup between the Hilltoppers and the Bearkats, with the first one coming earlier this season at the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. It was there that the Hilltoppers picked up their first of three C-USA losses, with a 78-74 defeat.
Much like the Hilltoppers, the Bearkats have been claimed a majority of their victories in front of their home crowd, donning an 8-2 home record, while they’ve struggled on the road sporting a measly 3-7 record.
Throughout the season, Sam Houston has been rather ‘lucky’. There’s a theory in sports that teams shouldn’t win all of their close games. Ones that do are deemed lucky, ones that don’t claim the opposite title. Up to this point, Sam Houston currently sits 35th in all of college basketball for luck.
Seven of Sam Houston’s 12 wins, including all but one C-USA win, have come from a margin of less than 10. This means that while Sam Houston’s record, especially their in-conference one, looks impressive, their inconsistency tends to make them look beatable.
However, the Hilltoppers have something other than luck on their side: Speed. Western Kentucky comes into Thursday’s game sitting first in tempo. This season, The Hilltoppers are sitting at 75.7 possessions per 40 minutes, while their next closest conference opponent, FIU, sits at 71.0.
The lightning quick Hilltopper offense is led by Milwaukee native, Don McHenry. The junior guard is averaging 14.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 45% shooting from the field through his 27 minutes on the court.
For the Bearkats, Lamar Wilkerson has taken charge. The junior guard from Ashdown, Arkansas is averaging 15.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 43.9% shooting from the field. Against the Hilltoppers, Wilkerson put up 21 points on nearly 60% shooting.
You can watch this game on CBS Sports Network.
