WKU Men’s Basketball has a quick turnaround as they welcome the Florida International Panthers into Diddle Arena Saturday Afternoon.
The Hilltoppers come off a tough loss Thursday night against Jacksonville State, 71-66. With the loss, WKU fell to 12-11 and 5-7 in conference play.
Redshirt sophomore guard Teagan Moore has missed the last four games in concussion protocol. Moore leads the Hilltoppers in points per game (17.2) and is second on the team in assists (2.4). In his absence, senior forward Grant Newell has stepped up. Newell has scored in double-digits in the Hilltoppers’ last seven games.
“My team believes in me, Coach Hank (Plona) believes in me. I put the work in, so I feel like starting or not starting, I will still be able to come in and produce,” Newell said.
FIU comes off an overtime win over MTSU 88-84. The Panthers currently sit ninth in CUSA with an 11-11 (4-7 CUSA) record. FIU has a balanced offense, with four players averaging double figures.
Senior guard Corey Stephenson is the go-to for the Panthers, averaging 18.5 points per game and leading the team in rebounds with 6.8 per game. Stephenson comes off a season-high 34 points against MTSU.
Last season, the Hilltoppers and Panthers split the regular season. Both teams met in the first round of the CUSA tournament last season where FIU defeated WKU.
Tip-off is set for 2 p.m., and can be streamed on ESPN+.
