# 1950–51 Western Kentucky State Hilltoppers basketball team

The 1950–51 Western Kentucky State Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky State College (now known as Western Kentucky University) during the 1950-51 NCAA University Division Basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Edgar Diddle and All-Ohio Valley Conference player Rip Gish. Gish also made the OVC Tournament team. The team participated in the only National Campus Basketball Tournament. This was a new tournament hosted by Bradley University in response to the ongoing point shaving scandal. It was thought that hosting a tournament on a campus site would reduce the opportunity for such scandals.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Opponent | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular Season |||||
| 11/30/1950* | Southeastern Louisiana | W 73–59 | 1–0 | Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY |
| 12/5/1950* | Georgetown (KY) | W 93–44 | 2–0 | Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY |
| 12/9/1950* | at Cincinnati | L 45–70 | 2–1 | Cincinnati Gardens Cincinnati, OH |
| 12/12/1950* | West Texas State | W 74–46 | 3–1 | Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY |
| 12/14/1950* | Tampa | W 103–70 | 4–1 | Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY |
| 12/16/1950* | High Point | W 77–64 | 5–1 | Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY |
| 12/18/1950 | at Morehead State | L 63–70 | 5–2 (0-1) | Button Auditorium Morehead, KY |
| 12/26/1950* | at No. 16 La Salle | W 73–63 | 6–2 | Wister Hall Philadelphia, PA |
| 12/28/1950* | vs. No. 4 Long Island | L 70–77 | 6–3 | Madison Square Garden New York, NY |
| 12/30/1950* | vs. St. Bonaventure | L 57–62 | 6–4 | Memorial Auditorium Buffalo, NY |
| 1/8/1951* | Xavier | W 79–62 | 7–4 | Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY |
| 1/10/1951 | vs. Evansville | W 75–63 | 8–4 (1-1) | Owensboro Sportscenter Owensboro, KY |
| 1/13/1951 | Murray State | W 65–56 | 9–4 (2-1) | Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY |
| 1/16/1951* | Miami | W 89–47 | 10–4 | Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY |
| 1/18/1951 | at Evansville | L 46–77 | 10–5 (2-2) | Evansville, IN |
| 1/20/1951* | vs. Bowling Green State | W 69–68 | 11–5 | Owensboro Sportscenter Owensboro, KY |
| 1/26/1951* | at Miami | W 68–64 | 12–5 | Miami, FL |
| 1/27/1951* | at Tampa | W 67–64 | 13–5 | Tampa, FL |
| 2/3/1951 | at Eastern Kentucky | L 70–84 | 13–6 (2-3) | Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY |
| 2/8/1951* | No. 11 Cincinnati | W 75–70 | 14–6 | Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY |
| 2/10/1951 | at Murray State | L 70–77 | 14–7 (2-4) | Carr Health Building Murray, KY |
| 2/14/1951* | Kentucky Wesleyan | W 86–62 | 15–7 | Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY |
| 2/17/1951 | Eastern Kentucky | W 84–80 | 16–7 (3-4) | Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY |
| 2/19/1951 | Morehead State | W 95–73 | 17–7 (4-4) | Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY |
| 1951 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament |||||
| 2/24/1951 | vs. No. 16 Murray State OVC Tournament Semifinal | L 77–78 | 17–8 | Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY |
| 2/24/1951 | vs. Evansville OVC Tournament Consolation | W 72–71 | 18–8 | Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY |
| Regular Season |||||
| 2/28/1951* | at Xavier | L 64–67 | 18–9 | Schmidt Fieldhouse Cincinnati, OH |
| 3/15/1951* | vs. Bowling Green State | W 78–77 | 19–9 | Toledo, OH |
| 1951 National Campus Basketball Tournament |||||
| 3/27/1951* | at No. 6 Bradley NCBT Quarterfinal | L 71–75 | 19–10 | Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, IL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. |||||