WKU mens basketball seeks revenge over UTEP on Thursday, after a triumphant two-game road stint.

This season, conference road games have been the primary struggle for the Hilltoppers. Opening up conference play with losses at Sam Houston, New Mexico State, and UTEP, the road looked gloomy with back-to-back away games against conference leader Louisiana Tech and a rematch against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.

Yet, WKU put together one of their best stretches of basketball all year, and were able to bring back two victories to Bowling Green.

Thursday, the Hilltoppers look to make it four wins in a row, with revenge on their mind against the UTEP Miners.

Just under a month after their six-point loss to the Miners, a game that was undecided until the final four and a half minutes, the Hilltoppers have hopes to keep their undefeated home record against UTEP alive.

As it stands, the Hilltoppers hold an 8-2 record over the Miners, with both losses coming in El Paso. The Hilltoppers also boast a 10-1 home record this season, adding to the team’s advantage.

This game will feature two of the top four leading scorers in the conference, WKU’s Don McHenry and UTEP’s Tae Hardy.

McHenry was the driving factor in the Hilltopper offense during WKU’s previous meeting at UTEP. The guard from Milwaukee, Wisconsin had 18 points, five assists, and three rebounds on 53% shooting from the field.

Hardy, however, had his best game of the season against the WKU defense. The senior guard had 27 points, the third most in his career, with four rebounds and four steals. The Georgia native shot 50% from the field and 57% from three.

The primary explanation for the Hilltoppers’ loss earlier in the year boiled down to two things: fouls and turnovers. 

This season, WKU sits in the top 30 for most turnovers a game, averaging 14 per contest. However, the Hilltoppers’ 19 turnovers against the Miners led to 19 UTEP points.

WKU also struggled to keep out of foul trouble against the Miners. The Hilltoppers’ 21 fouls sent the Miners to the free-throw line 29 times, where they converted on 24 of them.

The bright spot for WKU was Teagan Moore. The true freshman had a career-high 15 points against the Miners but fouled out in the final minute of the game. Since then, the Kentucky Kid has become a consistent presence off the bench. 

ESPN has the Hilltoppers opening as 7.5 point favorites. 

The game starts a 6:00 CST, and will be available to stream on CBS Sports Network