Western Kentucky is set to compete in the 2021 Asheville Championship tournament in Asheville, N.C. this weekend as the Hilltoppers tip off the first game tomorrow night against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The Hilltoppers are 0-2 all-time against the Golden Gophers with both meetings taking place during tournaments.
The last meeting between the two teams was at the NIT Season Tip-Off in 2014 where Minnesota edged WKU 76-54.
The Hilltoppers are 13-21 all-time against Big Ten programs.
WKU head coach Rick Stansbury has never faced off against the Golden Gophers but is 3-2 all-time against Big Ten teams and facilitated two wins as WKU's head coach.
The Hilltoppers are 8-4 over the last four seasons in regular-season tournaments as they have grabbed two wins each in the Battle 4 Atlantis in 2017, the Myrtle Beach Invitational in 2018, Paradise Jam in 2019 and the Crossover Classic in 2020.
WKU opened up the regular season with a 79-74 win over Alabama State at Diddle Arena on Tuesday night.
WKU senior forward Jairus Hamilton, a Maryland transfer, led the Hilltoppers with 21 points.
Sophomore guard Dayvion McKnight had 19 points, five rebounds and six assists for the Hilltoppers in the win.
Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson received his first win as the head coach of the Golden Gophers this past Tuesday with a 71-56 win over Kansas City.
Sophomore forward Jamison Battle led the way for the Golden Gophers with 18 points, three rebounds and one assist in his Golden Gophers debut. Prior to Minnesota, Battle spent two seasons at George Washington University where he was a starter in 45 of the 47 games he played in. The Robbinsdale, Minnesota native averaged 35.7 minutes per game, 13.5 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Senior guard Payton Willis had 13 points, one rebound and six assists. The Fayetteville, Arkansas native played started his career playing two seasons at Vanderbilt before transferring to Minnesota for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. Willis played for the College of Charleston in the 2020-21 season, where he averaged 13.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
Senior guard Eylijah Stephens also scored 13 points while also grabbing six rebounds and three assists. Stephens began his career at Lafayette (Penn.), where he started in 32 of the 103 games he played and scored 1,017 points and 307 rebounds.
The Hilltoppers will face off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m. to commence the 2021 Asheville Championship tournament.
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