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WKU Hilltopper Basketball Takes On North Texas For C-USA Championship

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Basketball

WKU Hilltopper Basketball returns to the Conference USA title game for the third straight time and will face North Texas at 8 p.m. CT Saturday for the championship in Frisco, Texas. The game will air on CBS Sports Network.

WKU punched its ticket to the title game with a 64-60 win over UAB in Friday's semifinals. North Texas outlasted Louisiana Tech 54-48 in the other semifinal.
 
WKU is 23-6 all-time vs. North Texas, although the Mean Green beat the Hilltoppers for last year's regular-season championship. WKU head coach Rick Stansbury is 6-1 in his career against North Texas.
 
C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP
 
North Texas (16-9) vs. WKU (20-6)
 
March 13, 2021 | 8 p.m. CT
Ford Center at The Star | Frisco, Texas
 
BROADCAST
 
Listen: Hilltopper Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), C-USA.tv Audio (free), TuneIn Radio (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)
 
Watch: CBS Sports Network (Carter Blackburn, pxp | Avery Johnson, analysis)
 
Live Stats: C-USA Stats
 
TOP STORYLINES

• WKU is competing in its third straight C-USA title game after falling in 2018 (Marshall) and 2019 (Old Dominion) and having last year's event canceled. WKU is 27-8 overall in its last 13 league tournaments.

• WKU is 9-6 in conference championship games since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 1982-83. The Hilltoppers are seeking their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2013, and their 24th overall.

• With Friday's semifinal win, WKU secured the 47th 20-win season in program history. Only Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Louisville, UCLA and Kansas have more.

• In the last six games, WKU has held its opponents to just 62 points per game and 39% shooting overall. The Tops have allowed more than 71 points just once since Jan. 15, an 81-57 loss at Houston on Feb. 25.

• WKU has seven top-110 NET wins so far this year over Alabama (7), Memphis (53), Louisiana Tech (73), UAB (80), Marshall twice (88) and Rhode Island (107). Four of its losses were vs. top-80 programs: at Houston (6), vs. West Virginia (25) on a neutral court, at Louisville (57) and at home vs. Louisiana Tech (73).

• Charles Bassey has been named to the Wooden Award National Ballot for National Player of the Year  and All-American consideration. He's also a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist and a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year top-five finalist. On Tuesday, he became the fourth player in C-USA history to win Player of the Year and Defensive POY in the same season.  

LAST GAME AGAINST NORTH TEXAS: MARCH 1, 2020
 
WKU led North Texas by six with 4:10 to play, but the Mean Green rallied to force overtime and ultimately pulled out a 78-72 victory.
 
North Texas scored the last six points of regulation as WKU didn't score again after a free throw by redshirt junior forward Carson Williams made it 63-57 with 4:10 to go.
 
The Hilltoppers still led by one in overtime with 2:29 to go, but the Mean Green took the lead for good with two lob dunks.
 
North Texas secured the regular-season conference championship with the win.