2014–15 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

The 2014–15 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by head coach Ray Harper in his third season. They played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena and were first year members of Conference USA. They finished the season 20–12, 12–6 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament where they lost to UAB. Despite having 20 wins they didn't play in a postseason tournament.[1]

2014–15 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
ConferenceConference USA
2014–15 record20–12 (12–6 C-USA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Lawrence Brenneman
  • David Boyden
  • Shawn Forrest
Home arenaE. A. Diddle Arena
2014–15 Conference USA men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Louisiana Tech15–3 .833  27–9  .750
Old Dominion13–5 .722  27–8  .771
UTEP13–5 .722  22–11  .667
WKU12–6 .667  20–12  .625
UAB †12–6 .667  20–16  .556
Middle Tennessee9–9 .500  19–17  .528
FIU8–10 .444  16–17  .485
UTSA8–10 .444  14–16  .467
North Texas8–10 .444  14–17  .452
Rice8–10 .444  12–20  .375
Charlotte7–11 .389  14–18  .438
Marshall7–11 .389  11–21  .344
Southern Miss*4–14 .222  9–20  .310
Florida Atlantic2–16 .111  9–20  .310
*Ineligible for postseason play due to self-imposed postseason ban
† 2015 C-USA Tournament winner

Previous season

The Hilltoppers finished the season 21–11, 12–6 in Sun Belt play to finish in second place. They lost in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament where they lost to Louisiana–Lafayette. Despite having 21 wins, they did not play in a postseason tournament.

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Payton Hulsey0G6'5"206FreshmanMemphis, TNTransferred to Eastern Florida State
Caden Dickerson10F6'5"205RS SeniorArgyle, TXGraduated
Aaron Adeoye11F6'7"237JuniorMarion, ILTransferred to Southeast Missouri State
Brandon Harris12G6'1"173SeniorOklahoma City, OKGraduated
O'Karo Akamune15F6'7"210SeniorMiami, FLGraduated
Daouda Soumaoro33F6'9"236RS SophomoreBamako, MaliTransferred to Mobile

Incoming transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Ayinde Sprewell0G6'3"195JuniorOrlando, FLJunior college transfer from Daytona State College.

Class of 2014 recruits
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jordan Green
SF		 Lexington, KY Henry Clay High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Apr 14, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 70
Justin Johnson
PF		 Hazard, KY Perry County Central High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Oct 14, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 68
Avery Patterson
PG		 Marietta, GA Joseph Wheeler High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 11, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Derrick Clayton
PF		 Castro Valley, CA Elev8 Basketball Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 11, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 10, 2014.

    Class of 2015 recruits
    US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
    Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
    Chris McNeal
    PG    		 Memphis, TN South Side High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jul 7, 2014 
    Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
    Overall recruiting rankings:
    • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
    • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

    Sources:

      Roster
      2014–15 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team
      PlayersCoaches
      Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
      G 0 Ayinde Sprewell 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)188 lb (85 kg) Jr Orlando, Florida
      G 1 Kevin Kaspar 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)173 lb (78 kg) Sr Istanbul, Turkey
      G 2 Derrick Clayton 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)184 lb (83 kg) Fr Castro Valley, California
      G 3 Trency Jackson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)188 lb (85 kg) RS Sr Jackson, Mississippi
      G 5 Brandon Price 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)151 lb (68 kg) So Radcliff, Kentucky
      F 10 Jordan Green 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)193 lb (88 kg) Fr Lexington, Kentucky
      F 14 Benjamin Lawson 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)215 lb (98 kg) So Hitchin, England
      G 15 Avery Patterson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)190 lb (86 kg) Fr Decatur, Georgia
      C 20 Aleksej Rostov 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)225 lb (102 kg) Jr Riga, Latvia
      F 21 Nigel Snipes 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS Jr Marietta, Georgia
      F 23 Justin Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)239 lb (108 kg) Fr Hazard, Kentucky
      F 33 Rob Marberry (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)230 lb (104 kg) Fr Nashville, Tennessee
      F 44 George Fant 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)250 lb (113 kg) Sr Bowling Green, Kentucky
      G 51 Chris Harrison-Docks 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)168 lb (76 kg) RS So Okemos, Michigan
      G 52 T. J. Price 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)223 lb (101 kg) Sr Slidell, Louisiana
      Head coach
      Assistant coach(es)
      • Lawrence Brenneman (Geneva College)
      • David Boyden (Western Kentucky)
      • Shawn Forrest (Arkansas–Pine Bluff)
      Legend
      • (C) Team captain
      • (S) Suspended
      • (I) Ineligible
      • (W) Walk-on

      Roster

      Schedule

      [2]

      Date
      time, TV      		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
      city, state
      Exhibition
      11/10/2014
      7:00 pm      		 Pikeville W 105–84  –
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (3,487)
      Bowling Green, KY
      Regular season
      11/15/2014*
      4:00 pm      		 Austin Peay W 77–70  1–0
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (4,572)
      Bowling Green, KY
      11/18/2014*
      7:00 pm, ESPN3      		 at Minnesota
      NIT Season Tip-Off      		 L 54–76  1–1
      		 Williams Arena (10,763)
      Minneapolis, MN
      11/22/2014*
      7:00 pm      		 Belmont L 63–64  1–2
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (5,194)
      Bowling Green, KY
      11/25/2014*
      6:00 pm      		 at Stony Brook
      NIT Season Tip-Off      		 L 61–71  1–3
      		 Island Federal Credit Union Arena (2,252)
      Stony Brook, NY
      11/27/2014*
      6:00 pm, ESPNU      		 vs. Saint Joseph's
      NIT Season Tip-Off      		 W 62–59  2–3
      		 Madison Square Garden (1,266)
      New York City, NY
      12/03/2014*
      7:00 pm, ASN      		 Bowling Green W 62–52  3–3
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (3,852)
      Bowling Green, KY
      12/06/2014*
      5:30 pm, ASN      		 at Murray State L 81–93  3–4
      		 CFSB Center (5,312)
      Murray, KY
      12/13/2014*
      3:30 pm      		 at Ole Miss W 81–74  4–4
      		 Tad Smith Coliseum (6,692)
      Oxford, MS
      12/17/2014*
      7:00 pm      		 Chicago State W 75–60  5–4
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (2,876)
      Bowling Green, KY
      12/20/2014*
      11:00 am, FS1      		 No. 4 Louisville L 67–76 Vacated 5–5
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (7,598)
      Bowling Green, KY
      12/27/2014*
      7:00 pm      		 Brescia W 89–42  6–5
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (2,903)
      Bowling Green, KY
      12/29/2014*
      7:00 pm      		 Alice Lloyd W 104–62  7–5
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (2,722)
      Bowling Green, KY
      01/04/2015
      2:00 pm      		 Marshall W 81–62  8–5 (1–0)
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (3,597)
      Bowling Green, KY
      01/08/2015
      7:00 pm      		 Charlotte W 74–66  9–5 (2–0)
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (3,606)
      Bowling Green, KY
      01/10/2015
      4:30 pm, ASN      		 No. 25 Old Dominion W 72–65  10–5 (3–0)
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (5,123)
      Bowling Green, KY
      01/15/2015
      6:00 pm      		 at Florida Atlantic W 88–85 OT 11–5 (4–0)
      		 FAU Arena (1,491)
      Boca Raton, FL
      01/17/2015
      5:00 pm      		 at FIU W 65–58  12–5 (5–0)
      		 FIU Arena (1,370)
      Miami, FL
      01/22/2015
      8:00 pm, FSN      		 UTEP W 71–66 OT 13–5 (6–0)
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (6,414)
      Bowling Green, KY
      01/24/2015
      2:00 pm      		 UTSA W 83–74  14–5 (7–0)
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (5,839)
      Bowling Green, KY
      01/29/2015
      6:00 pm, CBSSN      		 at Louisiana Tech L 56–69  14–6 (7–1)
      		 Thomas Assembly Center (4,029)
      Ruston, LA
      01/31/2015
      7:00 pm      		 at Southern Miss W 73–62  15–6 (8–1)
      		 Reed Green Coliseum (3,608)
      Hattiesburg, MS
      02/05/2015
      7:00 pm      		 North Texas W 65–59  16–6 (9–1)
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (3,862)
      Bowling Green, KY
      02/07/2015
      7:00 pm      		 Rice L 68–72  16–7 (9–2)
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (5,071)
      Bowling Green, KY
      02/14/2015
      4:30 pm, ASN      		 at Marshall L 82–87  16–8 (9–3)
      		 Cam Henderson Center (6,135)
      Huntington, WV
      02/19/2015
      7:00 pm      		 at UAB L 66–71  16–9 (9–4)
      		 Bartow Arena (3,892)
      Birmingham, AL
      02/22/2015
      12:00 pm, FSN      		 at Middle Tennessee L 66–68  16–10 (9–5)
      		 Murphy Center (5,227)
      Murfreesboro, TN
      02/26/2015
      7:00 pm      		 Florida Atlantic W 71–68  17–10 (10–5)
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (3,645)
      Bowling Green, KY
      02/28/2015
      7:00 pm      		 FIU W 77–61  18–10 (11–5)
      		 E. A. Diddle Arena (7,119)
      Bowling Green, KY
      03/05/2015
      6:00 pm      		 at Charlotte W 88–84 OT 19–10 (12–5)
      		 Dale F. Halton Arena (3,526)
      Charlotte, NC
      03/07/2015
      4:30 pm, ASN      		 at Old Dominion L 52–75  19–11 (12–6)
      		 Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,472)
      Norfolk, VA
      Conference USA Tournament
      03/11/2015
      6:00 pm, ASN      		 vs. Marshall
      First round      		 W 59–45  20–11
      		 Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex 
      Birmingham, AL
      03/12/2015
      6:00 pm, ASN      		 vs. UAB
      Quarterfinal      		 L 52–53  20–12
      		 Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex 
      Birmingham, AL
      *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
      All times are in Central Time
      Louisville’s win was later vacated by the NCAA due to recruiting violations by the Louisville basketball program.[3].

      See also

      2014–15 WKU Lady Toppers basketball team

      References
      1. C-USA 2019-20 MEN'S BASKETBALL STATS, retrieved 29 April 2020
      2. "Western Kentucky University Athletics". Wkusports.com. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
      3. New York Times: Louisville Must Forfeit Basketball Championship Over Sex Scandal By Marc Tracy Feb. 20, 2018 retrieved 21 April 2020
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