# 2020–21 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

The 2020–21 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by head coach Rick Stansbury in his fifth season and played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky as seventh-year members of Conference USA. The team finished the season in first place in the C-USA East Division and with the best conference record overall at 18-6 . They defeated UTSA and UAB to advance to the finals where they lost to North Texas. They received a bid to the 2021 National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Saint Mary’s in the First Round before losing to fellow conference member Louisiana Tech in the quarterfinals. Center Charles Bassey was named the Conference USA Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year. Taveion Hollingsworth joined Bassey on the All-Conference Team, while Josh Anderson joined him on C-USA’s All-Defensive Team, and Dayvion McKnight made the All-Freshman Team.

## Previous season

The Hilltoppers finished the 2019–20 season with 20–10, 13–5 in C-USA play to finish in second place. The 2020 Conference USA men's basketball tournament, and the remainder of the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 25, 2020* 3:30 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Northern Iowa Crossover Classic quarterfinals | W 93–87 | 1–0 | 26 – Hollingsworth | 8 – Bassey | 3 – McKnight | Sanford Pentagon (0) Sioux Falls, SD |
| November 26, 2020* 11:00 a.m., ESPN | | vs. Memphis Crossover Classic semifinals | W 75–69 | 2–0 | 21 – Bassey | 14 – Bassey | 4 – Cooper | Sanford Pentagon (0) Sioux Falls, SD |
| November 27, 2020* 12:30 p.m., ESPN | | vs. No. 15 West Virginia Crossover Classic championship | L 64–70 | 2–1 | 15 – Bassey | 8 – Bassey | 3 – Hollingsworth | Sanford Pentagon (0) Sioux Falls, SD |
| December 1, 2020* 5:00 p.m., ACCN | | at No. 24 Louisville Wade Houston Tip-Off Classic | L 54–75 | 2–2 | 19 – Hollingsworth | 15 – Bassey | 3 – McKnight | KFC Yum! Center (3,013) Louisville, KY |
| December 6, 2020* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Mississippi Valley State | W 96–69 | 3–2 | 16 – Hollingsworth | 11 – Bassey | 7 – McKnight | Diddle Arena (1,009) Bowling Green, KY |
| December 10, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Gardner–Webb | W 86–84 | 4–2 | 29 – Bassey | 14 – Bassey | 7 – Cooper | Diddle Arena (1,009) Bowling Green, KY |
| December 13, 2020* 11:00 a.m., CBSSN | | Rhode Island | W 68–65 | 5–2 | 15 – Anderson | 9 – Bassey | 7 – Hollingsworth | Diddle Arena (1,070) Bowling Green, KY |
| December 19, 2020* 1:00 p.m., SECN | | at Alabama | W 73–71 | 6–2 | 27 – Bassey | 12 – Bassey | 6 – McKnight | Coleman Coliseum (2,025) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| December 22, 2020* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Tennessee Tech | W 88–68 | 7–2 | 22 – Frampton | 7 – Hollingsworth | 4 – Anderson,Cooper,McKnight | Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY |
| January 1, 2021 3:30 p.m., FS South | | at Charlotte | W 67–63 | 8–2 (1–0) | 14 – Hollingsworth | 12 – Bassey | 6 – McKnight | Dale F. Halton Arena Charlotte, North Carolina |
| January 2, 2021 3:30 p.m., Stadium | | at Charlotte | L 71–75 $^{OT}$ | 8–3 (1–1) | 23 – Hollingsworth | 8 – Bassey | 3 – Hollingsworth,Cooper | Dale F. Halton Arena Charlotte, NC |
| January 8, 2021 7:00 p.m., CBSSN on Facebook | | Louisiana Tech | W 66–64 | 9–3 (2–1) | 24 – Bassey | 12 – Bassey | 4 – Rawls | Diddle Arena (1,102) Bowling Green, KY |
| January 9, 2021 6:00 p.m., CBSSN on Facebook | | Louisiana Tech | L 58–63 | 9–4 (2–2) | 16 – Hollingsworth | 13 – Bassey | 6 – McKnight | Diddle Arena (1,123) Bowling Green, KY |
| January 14, 2021 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Marshall | W 81–73 | 10–4 (3–2) | 22 – Anderson | 19 – Bassey | 4 – Hollingsworth | Diddle Arena (1,117) Bowling Green, KY |
| January 17, 2021 2:00 p.m., CBSSN on Facebook | | at Marshall | W 69–67 | 11–4 (4–2) | 24 – Bassey | 9 – Bassey | 2 – Williams,McKnight,Cooper | Cam Henderson Center (1,274) Huntington, West Virginia |
| January 23, 2021 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Middle Tennessee | W 82–67 | 12–4 (5–2) | 16 – Bassey | 12 – Bassey | 4 – McKnight | Murphy Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee |
| January 24, 2021 1:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Middle Tennessee | W 68–52 | 13–4 (6–2) | 23 – Bassey | 14 – Bassey | 3 – Anderson | Murphy Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee |
| January 29, 2021 7:00 p.m., CBSSN on Facebook | | Old Dominion | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY |
| January 30, 2021 4:00 p.m., CBSSN on Facebook | | Old Dominion | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY |
| February 5, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at FAU | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | FAU Arena Boca Raton, FL |
| February 6, 2021 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at FAU | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | FAU Arena Boca Raton, FL |
| February 12, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Rice | W 77–71 | 14–4 (7–2) | 18 – Bassey | 12 – Bassey | 9 – McKnight | Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY |
| February 13, 2021 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Rice | W 89–66 | 15–4 (8–2) | 21 – Bassey | 7 – Williams | 9 – McKnight | Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY |
| February 20, 2021 4:00 p.m., CBSSN on Facebook | | at North Texas | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | UNT Coliseum Denton, TX |
| February 21, 2021 1:00 p.m., CBSSN on Facebook | | at North Texas | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | UNT Coliseum Denton, TX |
| February 25, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 12 Houston | L 57–81 | 15–5 | 17 – Hollingsworth | 7 – Bassey | 4 – McKnight | Fertitta Center Houston, TX |
| February 28, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | FIU | W 91–58 | 16–5 (9–2) | 21 – Williams | 14 – Bassey | 5 – Rawls | Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY |
| March 1, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | FIU | W 71–59 | 17–5 (10–2) | 22 – Bassey | 15 – Bassey | 6 – McKnight | Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY |
| March 5, 2021 7:00 p.m. | | Old Dominion | L 69–71 | 17–6 (10–3) | 23 – Bassey | 15 – Bassey | 5 – Hollingsworth,McKnight | Diddle Arena (1,275) Bowling Green, KY |
| March 6, 2021 4:00 p.m. | | Old Dominion | W 60–57 | 18–6 (11–3) | 19 – Hollingsworth | 9 – Bassey | 3 – Rawls | Diddle Arena (1,286) Bowling Green, KY |
| CUSA conference tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2021 5:30 p.m., Stadium | (E1) | vs. (W4) UTSA Quarterfinals | W 80–67 | 19–6 | 21 – Bassey | 9 – Bassey,Williams | 4 – McKnight | Ford Center at The Star Frisco, Texas |
| March 12, 2021 12:00 p.m., CBSSN | (E1) | vs. (W2) UAB Semifinals | W 64–60 | 20–6 | 22 – Bassey | 7 – Bassey | 9 – McKnight | Ford Center at The Star Frisco, Texas |
| March 13, 2021 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | (E1) | vs. (W3) North Texas Championship | L 57–61 $^{OT}$ | 20–7 | 14 – Anderson | 11 – Bassey | 3 – Hollingsworth | Ford Center at The Star Frisco, Texas |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 17, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | (3) | vs. (2) Saint Mary's First Round – Ole Miss bracket | W 69–67 | 21–7 | 21 – Hollingsworth | 11 – Bassey | 7 – Rawls | Comerica Center Frisco, TX |
| March 25, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | (3) | vs. (4) Louisiana Tech Quarterfinals | L 65–72 | 21–8 | 20 – Rawls | 16 – Bassey | 8 – Rawls | Comerica Center (737) Frisco, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||