2024–25 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

The 2024–25 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team led by first-year head coach Hank Plona, played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky as eleventh-year members of Conference USA (C-USA).

2024–25 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
Conference	Conference USA
Record	17–15 (8–10 CUSA)
Head coach	Hank Plona (1st season)
Assistant coaches	Martin Cross Tim MacAllister Eric Murphy Josh Newman Darryl Jackson
Home arena	E. A. Diddle Arena
Seasons ← 2023–24 2025–26 →

2024–25 Conference USA men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Liberty †	13	–	5		.722			28	–	7		.800
Jacksonville State	12	–	6		.667			23	–	13		.639
Middle Tennessee	12	–	6		.667			22	–	12		.647
Kennesaw State	10	–	8		.556			19	–	14		.576
New Mexico State	10	–	8		.556			17	–	15		.531
Louisiana Tech	9	–	9		.500			20	–	12		.625
Western Kentucky	8	–	10		.444			17	–	15		.531
UTEP	7	–	11		.389			18	–	15		.545
Sam Houston	6	–	12		.333			13	–	19		.406
FIU	3	–	15		.167			10	–	23		.303
† 2025 CUSA tournament winner

Previous season

The Hilltoppers finished the 2023–24 season 22–12, 8–8 in C-USA play, to finish in third place. As the No. 3 seed in the C-USA tournament, they defeated New Mexico State in the quarterfinals,^[1] Middle Tennessee in the semifinals,^[2] and UTEP in the finals to win the C-USA championship.^[3] As an automatic qualifier in the NCAA tournament, they earned the No. 15 seed, where they lost to No. 2 seed Marquette in the first round.^[4][5]

On April 1, 2024, Steve Lutz left the program to accept the head coaching job at Oklahoma State.^[6]

A day later, on April 2, 2024, the school named Hank Plona as the new head coach to lead the Hilltoppers.^[7]

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Rodney Howard	0	F	6' 11"	250	5th year	Ypsilanti, MI	Graduated
Brandon Newman	10	G	6' 5"	195	RS Senior	Valparaiso, IN	Graduate transferred to Oklahoma State
Dontaie Allen	11	G/F	6' 6"	210	RS Senior	Falmouth, KY	Transferred to Wyoming
BJ Marable	13	F	6' 9"	230	Senior	Knoxville, TN	Entered transfer portal

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Braxton Bayless	0	G	6' 2"	175	Graduate student	Ankeny, IA	Niagara
Blaise Keita	1	F/C	6' 11"	250	RS Senior	Bamako, Mali	Nebraska[8]
Cade Stinnett	10	G	6' 3"	198	Junior	Bowling Green, KY	Centre College
Leeroy Odiahi	21	F/C	6' 11"	218	Senior	Tralee, Ireland	Old Dominion

Recruiting classes

2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Kade Unseld G/F	Bowling Green, KY	Warren Central HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	Oct 23, 2023
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Julius Thedford G	Memphis, TN	Cordova HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Apr 15, 2024
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved October 25, 2024.

Roster

2024–25 WKU Hilltoppers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Braxton Bayless 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Ankeny HS Niagara Ankeny, IA F/C 1 Blaise Keita 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Sr Sunrise Christian Nebraska Bamako, Mali G 2 Don McHenry 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 168 lb (76 kg) Sr Milwaukee Academy of Science Indian Hills CC Milwaukee, WI G 3 Jalen Jackson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Wagner HS Texas A&M-CC San Antonio, TX G 4 Khristian Lander 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) GS Reitz HS Indiana Evansville, IN F 5 Babacar Faye 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr NBA Academy Africa Saly, Senegal G 6 Kade Unseld 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 202 lb (92 kg) Fr Warren Central HS Bowling Green, KY F/C 7 Fallou Diagne 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Compass Prep Northwest Florida State College Dakar, Senegal G 10 Cade Stinnett 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Jr Greenwood HS Centre College Bowling Green, KY G 12 Terrion Murdix 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) GS Springfield Southeast HS Texas A&M-CC Springfield, IL G 13 Julius Thedford 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Cordova HS (TN) Memphis, TN G 15 Jack Edelen 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 172 lb (78 kg) So Male HS Louisville, KY F/C 21 Leeroy Odiahi 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Sr George Harris Prep Academy Tralee, Ireland G 22 Jaylen Dorsey 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Berea HS (KY) Berea, KY G 23 Enoch Kalambay 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Orangeville Prep Gatineau, QC F 24 Tyrone Marshall Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) GS Pearl-Cohn HS Nashville, TN G 30 Teagan Moore 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Owen County HS (KY) Dry Ridge, KY G 31 Tyler Olden 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Sr Hillcrest Prep Scottsdale, AZ	Head coach Hank Plona (Providence) Assistant coach(es) Martin Cross (Western Kentucky) Tim MacAllister (Murray State) Eric Murphy (Slippery Rock) Josh Newman (Arizona State) Darryl Jackson (Valparaiso) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: December 7, 2024

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 27, 2024* 2:00 p.m.		UAB	L 79–88	–	20 – Faye	8 – Faye	4 – Tied	E. A. Diddle Arena (1,724) Bowling Green, KY
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		Wichita State	L 84–91	0–1	28 – Faye	8 – Faye	4 – McHenry	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,547) Bowling Green, KY
November 9, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Grand Canyon	L 72–74	0–2	23 – McHenry	8 – Tied	2 – Tied	Global Credit Union Arena (7,332) Phoenix, AZ
November 12, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Campbellsville	W 104–76	1–2	23 – Lander	9 – Faye	8 – Jackson	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,312) Bowling Green, KY
November 17, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		Lipscomb	W 66–61	2–2	21 – McHenry	10 – Kalambay	3 – Kalambay	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,712) Bowling Green, KY
November 20, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Jackson State BBN Invitational	W 79–62	3–2	15 – Lander	10 – Marshall	5 – Jackson	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,347) Bowling Green, KY
November 26, 2024* 5:30 p.m., ESPNU		at No. 8 Kentucky BBN Invitational	L 68–87	3–3	18 – Thedford	8 – Tied	3 – Lander	Rupp Arena (20,049) Lexington, KY
November 30, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Marshall	W 90–82	4–3	19 – Thedford	6 – Faye	5 – Jackson	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,120) Bowling Green, KY
December 7, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Evansville	W 79–65	5–3	19 – Faye	12 – Faye	5 – Bayless	Ford Center (5,316) Evansville, IN
December 10, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Tennessee State	W 84–60	6–3	19 – Lander	6 – Tied	4 – Lander	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,312) Bowling Green, KY
December 14, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+		Murray State	W 81–76 OT	7–3	29 – McHenry	11 – Marshall Jr.	2 – Kalambay	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,707) Bowling Green, KY
December 17, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Seattle	W 86–73	8–3	28 – McHenry	8 – Bayless	5 – Kalambay	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,702) Bowling Green, KY
December 21, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		Kentucky Wesleyan	W 91–77	9–3	29 – McHenry	7 – Marshall Jr.	5 – Jackson	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,712) Bowling Green, KY
December 29, 2024* 7:00 p.m., BTN		at Michigan	L 64–112	9–4	18 – McHenry	5 – Tied	1 – Tied	Crisler Center (12,707) Ann Arbor, MI
Conference regular season
January 2, 2025 6:00 p.m., CBSSN		at Liberty	W 71–70	10–4 (1–0)	18 – Thedford	8 – Marshall	3 – Tied	Liberty Arena (3,115) Lynchburg, VA
January 4, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+		at FIU	L 66–85	10–5 (1–1)	18 – Thedford	4 – Tied	4 – Jackson	Ocean Bank Convocation Center (580) Miami, FL
January 9, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Jacksonville State	L 67–73	10–6 (1–2)	24 – Kalambay	8 – Marshall	3 – Tied	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,823) Bowling Green, KY
January 11, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		Kennesaw State	W 85–69	11–6 (2–2)	20 – Marshall	8 – Kalambay	3 – Tied	E. A. Diddle Arena (3047) Bowling Green, KY
January 18, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Middle Tennessee	L 57–71	11–7 (2–3)	16 – McHenry	7 – Keita	3 – Kalambay	Murphy Center (6,512) Murfreesboro, TN
January 23, 2025 6:00 p.m., CBSSN		at Louisiana Tech	L 67–77	11–8 (2–4)	21 – McHenry	8 – Tied	4 – McHenry	Thomas Assembly Center (1,894) Ruston, LA
January 25, 2025 2:30 p.m., ESPN+		at Sam Houston	W 75–66	12–8 (3–4)	20 – McHenry	7 – Tied	4 – Bayless	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (847) Huntsville, TX
January 30, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		UTEP	W 78–74	13–8 (4–4)	28 – Lander	8 – Marshall	3 – Tied	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,947) Bowling Green, KY
February 1, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		New Mexico State	W 101–69	14–8 (5–4)	27 – McHenry	7 – Marshall	5 – Lander	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,745) Bowling Green, KY
February 6, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Kennesaw State	L 69–76	14–9 (5–5)	30 – McHenry	6 – Tied	1 – Tied	KSU Convocation Center (2,242) Kennesaw, GA
February 8, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Jacksonville State	L 83–85	14–10 (5–6)	30 – Lander	7 – Marshall	4 – Bayless	Pete Mathews Coliseum (2,169) Jacksonville, AL
February 15, 2025 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		Middle Tennessee	L 77–87	14–11 (5–7)	20 – McHenry	10 – Keita	3 – Tied	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,647) Bowling Green, KY
February 20, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPNU		Sam Houston	L 62–78	14–12 (5–8)	11 – Tied	9 – Keita	5 – Jackson	E. A. Diddle Arena (2,945) Bowling Green, KY
February 22, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Louisiana Tech	W 64–63	15–12 (6–8)	27 – Bayless	6 – Marshall	4 – Tied	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,123) Bowling Green, KY
February 27, 2025 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		at UTEP	W 80–73	16–12 (7–8)	16 – Marshall	11 – Lander	3 – Bayless	Don Haskins Center (4,322) El Paso, TX
March 1, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN+		at New Mexico State	L 47–65	16–13 (7–9)	16 – Marshall	6 – Odiahi	3 – Tied	Pan American Center (4,864) Las Cruces, NM
March 6, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		FIU	W 76–67	17–13 (8–9)	20 – McHenry	9 – Marshall	5 – McHenry	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,645) Bowling Green, KY
March 8, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		Liberty	L 61–90	17–14 (8–10)	18 – Lander	9 – Marshall	3 – Lander	E. A. Diddle Arena (4,247) Bowling Green, KY
Conference USA tournament
March 11, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN+	(7)	vs. (10) FIU First round	L 61–64	17–15	12 – Bayless	8 – Marshall Jr.	2 – Bayless	Von Braun Center (1,244) Huntsville, AL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central.

Source:^[9]