No. 2 Western Kentucky (19-12, 11-7 C-USA) is set to clash with No. 3 Louisiana Tech (22-9, 12-6 C-USA) on Thursday night in the 2022 Heritage Landscape Supply Group C-USA Championships quarterfinals game at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX.
The Hilltoppers, who are 17-12 all-time against the Bulldogs, will be looking to avenge a heartbreaking 74-73 loss in Ruston, LA. in the team's C-USA opener.
The victor will secure a spot in the semifinals game, where they will either face No. 1 North Texas (23-5, 16-2 C-USA) or No. 5 Rice (16-15, 7-11 C-USA) at 11:30 a.m. CT on Friday.
TV: Stadium/WKU PBS
WHO: Western Kentucky at Louisiana Tech
WHEN: Thursday at 6 p.m. CT
WHERE: Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, TX.
RANKINGS COMPARISON - WESTERN KENTUCKY | LOUISIANA TECH
ESPN BPI: No. 108 | No. 107
KENPOM: No. 113 | No. 99
SAGARIN: No. 121 | No. 101
2020-21 NET RANKINGS: No. 121 | No. 103
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Thursday's quarterfinals game will be Western Kentucky's first game in the C-USA Tournament this season as the Hilltoppers secured a bye to the quarterfinals.
The Hilltoppers closed out the regular season with a sweep of Marshall, defeating the Thundering Herd 86-72 on Wednesday followed by a 78-69 win on Saturday.
On Saturday, Western Kentucky's offense was led by both sophomore guard Dayvion McKnight and senior forward Jairus Hamilton, who dropped a combined 32 points and 12 rebounds.
McKnight had 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals while Hamilton recorded 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Junior center Jamarion Sharp and redshirt senior guard Luke Frampton combined for 24 points.
Sharp recorded 12 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks and one steal while Frampton had 12 points, two rebounds and one steal.
Fifth year guard Josh Anderson finished off his final contest at Diddle Arena with 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.
KEY RESERVES: David Green (7.2 ppg), Exavian Christon (3.7 ppg), Kenny Hunter (3.7 ppg).
Louisiana Tech secured the No. 3 seed in C-USA's west division and secured a bye to the second round, where they surged to a 77-67 win over No. 7 Marshall (12-21, 4-14 C-USA) on Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinals.
Freshman forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. led the way for the Bulldogs with 21 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Sophomore guard Keaston Willis was also a crucial component to LA Tech's offense, recording 18 points and four rebounds.
Sophomore guard Cobe Williams dropped 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal.
LOUISIANA TECH RECORD THIS SEASON: 22-9, 12-6 C-USA / KEY WINS: Jackson State, Jarvis Christian College, Northwestern State, ULM, Texas Southern, Santa Clara, UL-Lafayette, LSU-Shreveport, Crowleys Ridge College, Marshall, WKU, UTEP, UTSA, Southern Miss, Rice, FIU, Charlotte, Old Dominion; KEY LOSSES: No. 14 Alabama, NC State, No. 19 LSU, UAB, North Texas, Florida Atlantic, UTEP.
SERIES HISTORY: Western Kentucky is 17-12 all-time against Louisiana Tech, falling short the last three times the two have met. The Hilltoppers are not only looking to snap a three-game losing streak against the Bulldogs, but they are also looking to avenge a one-point loss in Ruston, LA. earlier this season.
Western Kentucky will take on Louisiana Tech in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament on Thursday at Court B to determine who will move on to the semifinals to take on the Rice/North Texas winner. Tipoff is at 6:00 p.m. CT and the game will air on Stadium and WKU PBS.
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