WKU Basketball: Gardner Webb Preview
Tonight the Hilltoppers take on the Runnin’ Bulldogs of Gardner Webb at 7 PM Central time in Diddle Arena (ESPN+/WKU PBS). It is the…
Tonight the Hilltoppers take on the Runnin’ Bulldogs of Gardner Webb at 7 PM Central time in Diddle Arena (ESPN+/WKU PBS). It is the return to action for Gardner Webb, as they have yet to play a game this season due to Covid. They finally take the court against the Hilltoppers, who are coming off of a high scoring affair against Mississippi Valley State where they were four points short of dropping one hundred. Western should be able to handle this opponent (16 point favorites), but let’s break them down anyway.
Gardner Webb is a small private Baptist school (3600 students) in Boiling Springs, North Carolina (population 4,647)
They have been Division-1 since 2000. Prior to that, they worked their way up from junior college up to a full-fledged university. NBA Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore (WKU would knock out of the NCAA tournament at Jacksonville in 1971 on their way to the Final Four) played two seasons at Gardner Webb.
They are known for their 2007 win over Kentucky
Gardner Webb is coached by Tim Craft, who has been there since 2013 with a 127–106 overall record. Their last tournament appearance was 2019 (a first round loss to eventual champion Virginia). They didn’t qualify for last year’s canceled big dance, finishing with a 16–16 record and semifinal exit of the Big South tournament.
They were picked 4th in the Preseason Big South Poll behind Winthrop, UNC Asheville & Charleston Southern, garnering one first-place vote.
Preseason All-Conference guard Jaheam Cornwall is a shooter! He led the Big South last year in 3pt field goals made and 3pt field goal percentage with 87 made three-pointers shotting 44% from deep. The Hilltoppers will need to chase him all over the court and never be caught with a hand down when he has the basketball in his hands or is coming off a screen.
Ludovic Dufeal is another returnee for Gardner Webb to watch on the other end of the court, as he led the Big South in blocks and blocks per game. The 6–8 forward will have his hands full in the paint when Western throws Bassey and Williams at him.
Overall WKU gets a good tuneup with a team that is looking to become a mid-major household name in men’s college hoops. This should help Stansbury continue to tweak the lineup and experiment before Sunday’s crucial matchup with Rhode Island.
Prediction
Gardner Webb hasn’t played a game yet and they come out excited, but slow down over the stretch of the game as game fatigue is a lot different from practice fatigue. Bassey has 17 & 10 and Hollingsworth adds another 15 as Western Kentucky takes this one by a spread of 15. Roll tops!