After a two-game conference road trip, WKU Men’s Basketball will return to Bowling Green to host Jacksonville State Thursday Night at Diddle Arena.

The Hilltoppers prevailed at Liberty last Thursday, mounting a 14-point comeback to defeat the Flames 71-70.  They then traveled to Miami and were handled 85-66 by FIU. Now they will take on Jacksonville State in hopes of returning to the win column.

WKU sits at 10-5 on the season with a 1-1 record in conference play. Eight of their 10 wins have come at home. Senior guard Don McHenry leads the Hilltoppers this season with multiple 20-point games. His 17.6 points per game average leads the team and is fifth in Conference USA. 

Freshman guard Julius Thedford scored consecutive 18-point performances in the Hilltopper’s two conference games. With double-digit points in 11 games this season and a 12.6-point per-game average, Thedford has been solid as WKU’s second-leading scorer.

The Gamecocks are 8-6 on the season and have a 0-1 record in conference play, losing to Kennesaw State 83-71. They average 80.8 points per game and allow 70.6 points per game, good for second and sixth in the conference. The Gamecocks also rank third in team shooting percentage and opponent shooting percentage and second in assist/turnover ratio.

This will be the sixth meeting between the two teams, with the series starting in 1939. WKU has won all five previous meetings, with the Hilltoppers going 2-0 last season with an 80-69 home win on Jan. 13 and a 70-59 win on Feb. 10 in Jacksonville.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game can be watched on ESPN+.

Sports Reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at [email protected].