WKU Basketball: November Predictions
MBB: We ask our staff to give us a rundown of their thoughts on WKU's November schedule. How many wins and losses?
With basketball season comes many games, all a few days apart. Rather than asking our staff for an individual prediction on every game this season with a long explanation, we’re asking them to tell us whether they think each game is a win or a loss.
Now, don’t you fret. You’ll still get some deep breakdowns, especially on some big games. We’ll focus on the detail way more in conference play as well. For now, though, we are asking our staff to give us a 30,000 foot view of how they think the first month of the season will go. We’re one game in, and we had predictions and details on Wichita State.
But let’s ask you, the reader? What is your prediction for November? Shoot, if you didn’t give it to us already, what is your prediction for 2024-25? Do you have a bold prediction? Comment below, or comment on the social media post where you saw this article. We would love to know your opinion! Also, if you love what the Towel Rack does and don’t want to miss another article…
Explaining the Staff Win-Loss Records
You’ll notice an overall record and a specific record for the sport we are predicting from here on out. This is just to show the person has done overall for the 2024-25 academic/athletic year, and it also shows how good they are at predicting the specific sport at hand.
November Predictions
Matt McCay (8-1, 1-0 MBB)
@Grand Canyon: L 95-89
vs. Campbellsville: W 103-59
vs. Lipscomb: W 77-67
vs. Jackson State: W 97-71
@Kentucky: L 82-69
vs. Marshall: W 103-71
I’ve got WKU at 4-3 in November. WKU is definitely going to struggle against teams with size. I also think the lack of size allows any team to hang around if they can find some kind of way to score. WKU really only has three options at the five position, one is already banged up (Blaise Keita) and another may never offer more than a few putback buckets a game (Leeroy Odiahi). That leaves Babacar Faye, who apparently plans on averaging over 20 points per game. Western also misses offensive weapon Teagan Moore (offseason hip surgery), who at minimum is not in basketball shape, and who sources say will likely play minimal minutes all the way through the end of the calendar year.
I firmly believe WKU could go unbeaten the rest of the way, but Grand Canyon, Lipscomb, UK, and Marshall should all be seriously threatening opponents. Call me negative, but keep in mind that I was the only writer to predict a WKU loss against Wichita State. This team has work to do, but the potential is sky high. Give them two months before you start making serious judgments against this current version of the Toppers.
Alex Sherfield (8-1, 0-1 MBB)
@ Grand Canyon: L 81-74
vs. Campbellsville: W 101-62
vs. Lipscomb: W 84-73
vs. Jackson State: W 89-58
@ Kentucky: L 91-70
vs. Marshall: W 81-65
I’m also picking a 4-3 slide in November. Grand Canyon and Kentucky are tough atmospheres on the road, but The Tops can get some footing going with three home games in between.
Jake Gary (8-1, 0-1 MBB)
Its November, AKA Topvember, and WKU Men’s Basketball has officially tipped off. Tops are 0-1 after a close game/shootout with Wichita State (albeit, down one of their best players in Teagan Moore). How do I think the other 6 games play out? They'll show out in the WAC/CUSA challenge and beat Grand Canyon. They'll handle Campbellsville, Lipscomb, and Jackson State as well, though Lipscomb should be a pretty good game. Sadly I think they will drop a game to Kentucky, just too much star power there. And finally, they'll give their old rival Marshall a good gut punch to end the November slate. My final prediction for Topvember is a November record of 5-2, though 4-3 may happen if they have a bad game vs Lipscomb or Marshall, but I have faith they will play to their potential. As always, Go Tops!
Devin Stewart (7-0, 0-0 MBB)
@Grand Canyon: L 89- 74
vs. Campbellsville: W 103-65
vs. Lipscomb: W 81- 73
vs. Jackson State: W 95 - 73
@Kentucky: L 95 - 71
vs. Marshall: W 94 - 78
I think the Tops are going to have some speed bumps but are going to generally perform well this month. But I’m more of a football guy than basketball, so take it with a grain of salt.
Bret Combest (4-1, 0-1 MBB)
Grand Canyon: W
Cambellsville: W
Lipscomb: W
Jackson State: W
UK: L
Marshall: W
David McCay (8-1, 0-1 MBB)
Fletcher Keel (1-0, 0-0 MBB)
Drawing the Conclusion
Ultimately, we all see WKU having a winning record at the end of November. Going 3-4 would mean losing to at least two of Campbellsville, Jackson State, Marshall, Lipscomb, and Grand Canyon University. Would you, the reader, think it would be acceptable to drop two against those teams?
We all agree the Tops lose to UK. That’s pretty straightforward. We would likely disagree some on whether we think Western has a realistic shot at UK, but the consensus seems to be the Tops should end November with a winning record, one way or another. Winning at least four of the next six would be fairly acceptable and put the Tops in decent position heading into the second half of the non-conference slate.
We will see how this shakes out starting Saturday at 7 PM CST on ESPN+. The Tops take on Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.
It’s now the meat of Conference USA season in football, basketball is finally here, Volleyball is deep in CUSA play and prepping for the postseason, and the Topper fall calendar is in full swing. And good luck finding an outlet that provides comprehensive Lady Topper coverage.
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