WKU Basketball: Gameday Info vs. Louisville
How to navigate gameday on The Hill
Talk about bread and circuses!
In ancient Rome, the Caesars would pass out food and provide entertainment to distract from the problems that Rome faced.
Well, there is no better time than right now for a distraction, and there couldn’t be a better one than a nationally televised game in a prime time spot on a Saturday afternoon against an in-state Power Five opponent in the Louisville Cardinals.
This will be the encore to a two part national stage presentation of WKU. WKU Football takes on Appalachian State in the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl at 10 AM CST, followed by WKU and the Cards on CBS at 2:00. WKU fans (and WKU admin and tornado relief organizations) should be salivating at the opportunity to showcase not only WKU, but also to get the word out for disaster relief in western Kentucky.
Diddle should be rocking. It will be a sellout, and it should be all red or black, and (hopefully) 3/4 will be in favor of the red and white.
Western Kentucky (7-4 overall, 0-0 C-USA) looked discombobulated to begin the year, but the insertion of Jamarion Sharp into the starting lineup, as well as the surprise (to the fans) approval of Camron Justice’s 9th (I kid) year in college basketball has really spurned the Tops in to a seemingly good-ish basketball team.
Another good-ish basketball team comes to town to face the Tops in the Louisville Cardinals. Louisville has a couple of atypical losses. One doesn’t expect to look at a Louisville record with losses to mid-majors, but DePaul and Furman found ways to win in the Yum! Center as recent as a week ago (DePaul).
So truly, no one knows how good these teams could be, and WKU is not operating at full strength with possibly two more (or more?) very good players coming onto the roster at some point this season. But this version of WKU seems better than it did at first, and it has Topper fans believing they could win against the Cards. And it probably has Cards fans feeling the same way.
Regardless, this game could be a classic. I will never forget how LOUD Diddle got both times WKU played Louisville. This one should be even better. And Western fans might be a little more hyped up and united because of the tornado.
Location
Diddle Arena
Capacity: 7,326
Diddle Arena is one of the mid-major beauties of college basketball. Named after former legendary coach E.A. Diddle, the arena situated in the west center of campus at the bottom of “The Hill” has been described as a “wall of noise” among other things in its past. With renovations in the early 2000s and more recent additions in the end zones, Diddle combines modern arena feel with an old school atmosphere that will take your breath away when Bowling Green comes out to support the Tops.
Parking
Recent additions of parking garages off of Creason Street, as well as two parking garages directly surrounding the arena should make parking less difficult. However, due to the tornado, the roundabout on the bypass may barely be open. I would suggest getting there early and anticipating some road closures. Bowling Green has been a disaster for traffic that past few days simply because of limited options to get through town.
Time
Saturday, December 18, 2 PM CST
THIS TIME HAS CHANGED FROM PREVIOUS TIME AT 1:30!!!!
Weather Forecast
Who cares? It’s going to be rainy, but it won’t rain in Diddle.
TV
CBS
Play-by-play Rich Waltz; analysis, Steve Lappas; sideline, Jenny Dell
Radio
Play-by-Play: Brett Williams Analyst: Hal Schmitt
Also, you can listen to the radio call anywhere in the world on the WKU Gameday App! WKU All Access is also covering a live video feed from the radio booth on the app now, as well.
Gameday Information
WKU
WKU/Louisville Preview Article
Louisville
Betting Lines from OddsShark.com
Louisville: -2.5
O/U: 139
ESPN.com Match-up Predictor
WKU-45% Chance to Win
Current Records
WKU: 7-4 (0-0 C-USA)
Louisville: 7-3 (0-0 ACC)
Last Time Out…
WKU spanked Centre College 90-52. That’s all I’ll say about that.
Louisville took care of business against Southeastern Louisiana 86-60 Tuesday. In a very balanced effort with a lot of opportunities for the bench, Louisville displayed its depth, shooting exactly the same (51.7%) in both halves. The Cards made more threes in the second half, nailing home seven in the contest.
Coaches
Rick Stansbury- 6th Season- 110-64 at WKU (403-229 overall)
Chris Mack- 4th Season- 63-31 at UofL (278-128 overall)
Series
42-39 Louisville
Last Meeting
Western hung tough for a half, but Louisville blasted the game open to win by 21 on Dec. 1, 2020 in Louisville.
Relevant Reading
Ranking all 358 DI Men’s Basketball
Injury Report
WKU
Out due to eligibility: Cincinnati transfer G Keith Williams
Out due to personal issues: Freshman 4-star G Zion Harmon
Louisville
Out for Season: Freshman F Mike James (Achilles); Impact: Unknown, but was consensus top 100 2021 Prospect
Excitement Level — 9.5
WKU fans should be all kinds of excited for this game. This is the in-state rival that refused to play you for years. Now they’re finally playing you, and since 2008, WKU has been shut out. This feels like the year that it could happen, so to speak. And with the tornado relief effort and this game being bumped up to CBS, it’s all the more exciting.
I get to go, and it’s the most excited I’ve been to go to a game in a while. It should be absolutely electric atmosphere if previous experiences vs. Louisville play any factor at all.
It’s an exciting matchup, but as WKU prognosticators were forecasting, playing on the 18th is just not ideal for the football side of the equation. Fans may not be terribly thrilled that they will be scrambling to see both games. However, WKU as an institution is overjoyed with an all of the exposure this day will bring to this beautiful university, and also to the tornado relief effort, which will surely be blasted and plastered all over both broadcasts. And rightfully so.
To those of you suffering in whatever way from the tornados, God Bless You and we wish you and your families well. From Mayfield to Cave City, to Central City, Dawson Springs, and Smiths Grove, we love you, and this one’s for you.
Take the time to enjoy your family this Saturday and cheer on the Tops, whether in person at one of the games, or at home or at the bar or restaurant of your choice.
God Bless.
Go Tops!
We’ll be providing live coverage and reaction. If you made it in to Diddle, please send us your best pictures from tourist sites, tailgating, and in-game via Twitter at @TheTowelRackWKU or on our Facebook page and we’ll share.