# 2021–22 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

The 2021–22 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by sixth-year head coach Rick Stansbury and played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky as eighth-year members of Conference USA (C-USA).

## Previous season

The Hilltoppers finished the 2021–22 season 21–8, 11–3 in C-USA play, to win the West Division. They defeated UTSA and UAB in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, in the C-USA tournament before losing to North Texas in the championship. They received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated Saint Mary's losing to C-USA member Louisiana Tech in the quarterfinals.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Kylen Milton | 1 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Freshman | Monticello, AR | Transferred to Arkansas–Pine Bluff |
| Kevin Osawe | 2 | F | 6'6" | 205 | Junior | Toronto, ON | Graduate transferred to Little Rock |
| Jordan Rawls | 3 | G | 6'1" | 180 | Sophomore | Chattanooga, TN | Transferred to Georgia State |
| Taveion Hollingsworth | 11 | G | 6'2" | 165 | Senior | Lexington, KY | Graduated/went undrafted in 2021 NBA draft |
| Jackson Harlan | 12 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Sophomore | Albany, KY | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Patrick Murphy | 15 | G | 6'5" | 180 | RS Senior | Franklin, TN | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Zion Harmon | 15 | G | 5'11" | 170 | Freshman | Benton, KY | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Kenny Cooper | 21 | G | 6'0" | 190 | RS Senior | Nashville, TN | Graduate transferred to Tennessee State |
| Carson Williams | 22 | F | 6'5" | 240 | RS Senior | Owenton, KY | Graduated |
| Charles Bassey | 23 | C | 6'11" | 235 | Junior | Lagos, Nigeria | Declared for 2021 NBA draft |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Darrius Miles | 0 | C | 6'10" | | Sophomore | Dallas, TX | Odessa College |
| Jaylen Butz | 1 | F | 6'9" | 224 | GS Senior | Fort Wayne, IN | DePaul |
| Keith Williams | 2 | G | 6'5" | 215 | GS Senior | Brooklyn, New York | Cincinnati |
| Jairus Hamilton | 3 | F | 6'8" | 235 | Senior | Charlotte, NC | Maryland |
| Sherman Brashear | 13 | G | 6'3" | | Sophomore | Dallas, TX | Panola College |
| Jamarion Sharp | 33 | F/C | 7'3" | 238 | Junior | Hopkinsville, KY | John A. Logan College |

### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Zion Harmon #9 PG | Benton, KY | Marshall County High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Mar 24, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 ||||||
| Elijah Hughey SG | Lancaster, TX | Lancaster High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Sep 28, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 3, 2021. ||||||

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m. | | Campbellsville | W 82–61 | | 19 – Hamilton | 14 – Hamilton | 4 – tied | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,222) Bowling Green, KY |
| November 5, 2021* 7:00 p.m. | | Cumberlands | W 88–59 | | 22 – Hamilton | 11 – Hamilton | 11 – McKnight | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,425) Bowling Green, KY |
| Non-conference Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+/WKU PBS | | Alabama State | W 79–74 | 1–0 | 21 – Hamilton | 8 – Sharp | 6 – McKnight | E. A. Diddle Arena (4,023) Bowling Green, KY |
| November 12, 2021* 5:30 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Minnesota Asheville Championship semifinals | L 69–73 | 1–1 | 34 – McKnight | 9 – McKnight | 4 – McKnight | Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, NC |
| November 14, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. South Carolina Asheville Championship consolation | L 64–75 | 1–2 | 16 – Anderson | 6 – tied | 5 – McKnight | Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, NC |
| November 19, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 11 Memphis | L 62–74 | 1–3 | 18 – Justice | 8 – McKnight | 4 – McKnight | FedExForum (13,375) Memphis, TN |
| November 24, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Alabama A&M | W 88-62 | 2–3 | 18 – Brashear | 12 – Sharp | 9 – Anderson | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,152) Bowling Green, KY |
| November 27, 2021* 12:00 p.m., ESPN+/WKU PBS | | UT Martin | W 81-66 | 3–3 | 24 – Hamilton | 11 – Hamilton | 6 – McKnight | E. A. Diddle Arena (2,927) Bowling Green, KY |
| November 30, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3/WKU PBS | | Rhodes College | W 105–35 | 4–3 | 24 – Hamilton | 8 – McKnight | 10 – McKnight | E. A. Diddle Arena (2,737) Bowling Green, KY |
| December 4, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+/WKU PBS | | Eastern Kentucky | W 85–80 | 5–3 | 22 – McKnight | 14 – Sharp | 6 – Justice | E. A. Diddle Arena (4,249) Bowling Green, KY |
| December 8, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Buffalo | L 67–77 | 5–4 | 18 – McKnight | 8 – Sharp | 4 – McKnight | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,689) Bowling Green, KY |
| December 11, 2021* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Ole Miss Holiday Hoopsgiving | W 71–48 | 6–4 | 16 – Sharp | 12 – Hamilton | 11 – McKnight | State Farm Arena (6,157) Atlanta, GA |
| December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+/WKU PBS | | Centre College | W 90–52 | 7–4 | 18 – Anderson | 11 – Hamilton | 10 – McKnight | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,240) Bowling Green, KY |
| December 18, 2021* 2:00 p.m., CBS | | Louisville | W 82–72 | 8–4 | 25 – Justice | 10 – Anderson | 9 – McKnight | E. A. Diddle Arena (7,053) Bowling Green, KY |
| December 22, 2021* 5:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 20 Kentucky | L 60–95 | 8–5 | 18 – Anderson | 8 – McKnight | 4 – McKnight | Rupp Arena (20,221) Lexington, KY |
| Conference USA regular season |||||||||
| January 1, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Louisiana Tech | L 73–74 | 8–6 (0–1) | 22 – Justice | 7 – tied | 4 – McKnight | Thomas Assembly Center (2,348) Ruston, LA |
| January 8, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | FIU | W 84–71 | 9–6 (1–1) | 16 – Anderson | 8 – Sharp | 8 – McKnight | E. A. Diddle Arena (4,411) Bowling Green, KY |
| January 13, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Rice | W 80–66 | 10–6 (2–1) | 22 – Hamilton | 10 – Hamilton | 12 – McKnight | E. A. Diddle Arena (2,933) Bowling Green, KY |
| January 15, 2022 3:00 p.m., Stadium/WKU PBS | | North Texas | L 60–65 | 10–7 (2–2) | 23 – McKnight | 7 – tied | 5 – McKnight | E. A. Diddle Arena (4,012) Bowling Green, KY |
| January 20, 2022 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Florida Atlantic | L 69–78 | 10–8 (2–3) | 22 – McKnight | 9 – McKnight | 4 – McKnight | FAU Arena (1,305) Boca Raton, FL |
| January 22, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at FIU | L 83–86 | 10–9 (2–4) | 23 – Anderson | 6 – Sharp | 6 – McKnight | Ocean Bank Convocation Center (2,712) Miami, FL |
| January 27, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | UAB | L 65–68 | 10–10 (2–5) | 16 – Anderson | 6 – Anderson | 5 – Justice | E. A. Diddle Arena (4,136) Bowling Green, KY |
| January 29, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+/WKU PBS | | Middle Tennessee | L 85–93 | 10–11 (2–6) | 24 – McKnight | 7 – Hamilton | 10 – McKnight | E. A. Diddle Arena (4,435) Bowling Green, KY |
| February 3, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Charlotte | W 78–59 | 11–11 (3–6) | 22 – Justice | 8 – Anderson | 5 – McKnight | Dale F. Halton Arena (3,024) Charlotte, NC |
| February 5, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Old Dominion | W 77–60 | 12–11 (4–6) | 18 – Justice | 8 – Anderson | 6 – McKnight | Chartway Arena (5,914) Norfolk, VA |
| February 10, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Florida Atlantic | W 76–69 | 13–11 (5–6) | 19 – Justice | 9 – tied | 4 – tied | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,547) Bowling Green, KY |
| February 12, 2022 3:00 p.m., CUSA.tv | | at UTSA | W 71-65 | 14–11 (6–6) | 18 – tied | 12 – Sharp | 6 – McKnight | Convocation Center (1,123) San Antonio, TX |
| February 14, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Southern Miss Rescheduled from December 30 | W 87–77 | 15–11 (7–6) | 26 – McKnight | 9 – Sharp | 5 – McKnight | Reed Green Coliseum (2,726) Hattiesburg, MS |
| February 17, 2022 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Charlotte | W 77–67 | 16–11 (8–6) | 22 – McKnight | 7 – Hamilton | 7 – Justice | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,421) Bowling Green, KY |
| February 19, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Old Dominion | W 73–64 | 17–11 (9–6) | 23 – McKnight | 10 – Sharp | 3 – Justice | E. A. Diddle Arena (5,015) Bowling Green, KY |
| February 26, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Middle Tennessee | L 52–69 | 17–12 (9–7) | 13 – McKnight | 11 – Sharp | 5 – Justice | Murphy Center (6,192) Murfreesboro, TN |
| March 2, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Marshall | W 86–72 | 18–12 (10–7) | 27 – Justice | 11 – Sharp | 4 – Justice | Cam Henderson Center (4,963) Huntington, WV |
| March 5, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Marshall | W 78–69 | 19–12 (11–7) | 16 – tied | 12 – Sharp | 4 – tied | E. A. Diddle Arena (6,098) Bowling Green, KY |
| Conference USA tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 8:00 p.m., Stadium | (E2) | vs. (W3) Louisiana Tech Quarterfinals | L 57–59 | 19–13 | 20 – McKnight | 10 – Sharp | 1 – tied | Ford Center at The Star Frisco, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. |||||||||
Source: