TV: Stadium/WKU PBS
WHO: North Texas at Western Kentucky
WHEN: Saturday at 3:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: E.A. Diddle Arena - Bowling Green, KY.
RANKINGS COMPARISON - WESTERN KENTUCKY | NORTH TEXAS
ESPN BPI: No. 104 | No. 73
KENPOM: No. 110 | No. 80
SAGARIN: No. 116 | No. 92
2020-21 NET RANKINGS: No. 120 | No. 60
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Western Kentucky (10-6, 2-1 C-USA) has less than 48 hours of turnaround time before conference foe North Texas (10-4, 3-1 C-USA) comes to town for a Saturday afternoon showdown.
The Hilltoppers have won their last two games in conference play, including Thursday's 80-66 win over Rice.
WKU has established a 23-7 all-time record against North Texas, while head coach Rick Stansbury is 6-2 in his career against the Mean Green.
Saturday's matchup will be a rematch of the 2021 C-USA Championship game, where WKU fell short to North Texas in overtime.
Against Rice, sophomore guard Dayvion McKnight kickstarted the Hilltoppers' offense in the first half, hitting a jumper at the buzzer heading into the locker room for halftime. McKnight finished off the evening with a double-double, grabbing 13 points, five rebounds, 12 assists and two steals.
Fifth year guard Josh Anderson came off the bench for another explosive performance as he finished with 17 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Senior forward Jairus Hamilton led Western Kentucky's offense in the second half, finishing the night with 22 points, 10 rebounds and one assist for a double-double.
KEY RESERVES: JJ Murray (4.9 ppg), Aaron Scott (4.4 ppg), Hameir Wright (2.5 ppg).
Sophomore forward Abou Ousmane led the Mean Green's offense in Thursday night's 69-65 win over Marshall.
At the end of the game, Ousmane had a double-double as he finished with a career-high 22 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
Fifth year forward Thomas Bell was also an important piece to the Mean Green's offense as he finished the night with 10 points, 12 rebounds, a career-high five and three blocks.
NORTH TEXAS RECORD THIS SEASON: 10-4, 3-1 C-USA / KEY WINS: Oklahoma Christian, UT Arlington, (RV) Drake, LSU Shreveport, UMASS, Sam Houston, Wichita State, Rice, Middle Tennessee, Marshall; KEY LOSSES: Buffalo, No. 4 Kansas, Miami, UAB.
SERIES HISTORY: The Hilltoppers are 23-7 all-time against North Texas while head coach Rick Stansbury is 6-2 against the Mean Green. Saturday's matchup will be a rematch of the 2021 C-USA Championship game where the Hilltoppers fell short in overtime.
Western Kentucky takes on North Texas on Saturday afternoon at E.A. Diddle Arena with a 3 p.m. CT tipoff scheduled.
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