Western Kentucky Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Hilltoppers

By Brian Rauf | Oct 4, 2018

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 27: Head coach Rick Stansbury of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers has a conversation with Lamonte Bearden #1 of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in the second quarter during their 2018 National Invitation Tournament Championship semifinals game at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 27: Head coach Rick Stansbury of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers reacts in the fourth quarter against the Utah Utes during their 2018 National Invitation Tournament Championship semifinals game at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Western Kentucky Basketball has to replace three of their top four scorers but a talented roster, including five-star big man Charles Bassey, is generating excitement.

The Hilltoppers are coming off a very successful 2017-18 campaign in which they won 27 games and made it to the NIT semifinals, yet it felt like something of a disappointment.

Five-star big man Mitchell Robinson left the school on multiple occasions and never suited up for Western Kentucky, taking the year off to prepare for the NBA Draft instead. Several other players ran into issues as well, and the result was head coach Rick Stansbury’s squad starting the year with just seven scholarship players on the roster (they finished with nine after two returned from suspensions).

That team had NCAA Tournament expectations, but all things considered, winning 27 games making the NIT semis was a very solid season.

This year there will be no excuses – the Hilltoppers are one of the most talented and deepest mid-major teams in the country.

Five-star big man Charles Bassey is one of eight new faces in the program eligible to play this year (four freshmen, four transfers). Bassey picked WKU and reclassified to 2018, giving the Hilltoppers a legitimate NBA first-rounder in the middle. Star guard Lamonte Bearden opted to go back to school along with five other key returners, giving them more experience.

As such, it’s no surprise to see expectations so high around the program. Will the be able to fulfill those expectations?

Here’s a full preview for Western Kentucky’s season, including a look at their projected lineup and a breakdown of their non-conference schedule.