A 64-61 loss at the hands of the No. 10 seed FIU in the first round of the Conference USA tournament on March 11 ended what was once a promising season for WKU Men’s Basketball.
The Hilltoppers sat at 9-5 headed into the conference slate, including losses to Michigan and Kentucky.
Injuries played a big role in derailing the season, with injuries to sophomore guard Teagan Moore, graduate guard Terrion Murdix and redshirt senior forward Fallou Diagne striking before the first tipoff and Conference USA All-Freshman Julius Thedford and senior forward Babacar Faye going down midseason.
After an impressive 71-70 comeback against Liberty opened the conference slate, the Hilltoppers lost four of their next five. They bounced back and brought a three-game winning streak and a 14-8 record into the halfway point of conference play.
The Hilltoppers then lost four straight before going 3-2 to end the season and getting bounced in the first round of the conference tournament. Following the conference championship win and NCAA tournament bid last season, WKU’s 17-15 record and 8-10 record in conference play was a disappointing end to Head Coach Hank Plona’s first year.
Offense: C+
The Hilltoppers ended the year fifth in CUSA in offense, averaging 74.8 points a game. WKU’s scoring slumped later in the year, ending the season below the 74.8 mark in five of its last seven matchups, including its lowest-scoring game, a 65-47 loss to New Mexico State.
Against NMSU, the Hilltoppers shot just 26%, recovered two offensive rebounds, and secured just one second-chance point.
It’s no secret that shooting hampered the Hilltopper offense. WKU ended the year third in field goals attempted and ninth in field goal percentage. The Hilltoppers fared slightly better in their 3-point percentage, finishing middle of the pack in sixth at 32%.
The Hilltopper offense relied heavily on senior guard Don McHenry, going just 3-7 in games when he scored below 15. WKU did not win a single game when McHenry scored below 12.
It wouldn’t be right to say that the team showed no flashes. WKU dropped 101 in its first NMSU matchup, put up 104 on Campbellsville and 90 on Marshall. Players like graduate guard Braxton Bayless, senior guard Enoch Kalambay and graduate guard Khristian Lander also showed individual flashes but in the end, weren’t consistent enough to bolster the team when McHenry was cold.
The Hilltopper offense struggled to get rolling or even establish an identity, they always seemed on the cusp of greatness but ultimately ended the year on the outside looking in.
Offensive MVP: Don McHenry
McHenry was the team’s leading scorer, averaging 17 points per game which was two ahead of the next player.
Even when McHenry’s shots were dropping, having one player carry an entire offense on his back is never a winning formula. The Hilltoppers went just 3-4 in conference games where he scored over 20 points including a 76-69 loss to Kennesaw State, in which McHenry scored 30 points.
McHenry was named to the All-CUSA second team for his performance this year, ending the year as the fifth leading scorer in CUSA.
Defense: C-
Like many teams that made March Madness appearances this year, when they get hot, they get hot. Last season, WKU went on runs that showed it being one of the best teams in Conference USA. This season, the Hilltoppers defense prevented them from going on as many runs in conference play as possible. The Hilltoppers managed just one win streak of three or more games during conference play.
In that win streak, WKU held teams to under 80 points in five of six games. However, at the conclusion of conference play, the Hilltoppers were second last in points per game, allowing 74.8. WKU was also second to last in the conference in blocked shots per game with 2.66 but made up with a third-place finish in steals per game with 8.09.
Last season’s team did an excellent job at running it’s offense at a high pace and preventing opposing teams from matching it’s speed. This was not necessarily the case this season.
In the season finale versus Liberty on March 8, the loss to Middle Tennessee State on Feb. 15 and the first-round tournament loss to FIU on March 11, the Hilltoppers got beat by their own game. Speedy offense and 24 seconds of defense that forced turnovers and made shots difficult led to a low shooting percentage.
Rounding this out, the Hilltoppers were dead last in opponent rebounds per game with 40.5. With Faye out for the season with an injury, WKU was outrebounded in most games. Many teams had high-scoring affairs because of offensive rebounds. While the Hilltoppers were the best in the conference at team defensive rebounds at 27.8 per game, they were fifth in combined team rebounds at 37.1 per game.
It’d be wrong to say the team played no defense, but in many games, the defensive effort they needed came too late once the game was out of reach. Offensive rebounds leading to second-chance points gave opponents opportunities to take leads and steal momentum.
Defensive MVP: Tyrone Marshall Jr.
With the loss of Faye, the Hilltoppers were down arguably their best defender. Faye not only led the Hilltoppers in defensive rebounds but excelled at protecting the rim with blocks forcing steals. His 7.8 rebounds per game still led the team throughout the season, but filling his shoes on the defensive end wasn’t going to be easy.
Marshall Jr. stepped up on both ends of the floor, but specifically on defense. He averaged 6.6 rebounds per game, including nine boards in three of the last four regular season games. The 6-foot-7 forward grabbed 204 total rebounds, leading the team.
Marshall Jr. recorded multiple games with two or more blocks and three or more steals. His 19 total blocks and 37 total steals both ranked second on the team. In a matchup versus Kennesaw State on Feb. 6, Marshall Jr. recorded two blocks and three steals.
The graduate forward earned All-CUSA Honorable Mentions for this season.
Sports Reporter Nathan Mueller can be reached at nathan.mueller103@topper.wku.edu
Sports Reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at michael.givner589@topper.wku.edu
