The Wright State men's basketball team returns home to the Nutter Center on Tuesday night to host Western Kentucky out of Conference USA in a non-conference matchup set for a 7 p.m. tipoff on ESPN+. The Raiders and Hilltoppers each enter the game with identical 6-2 records.
 
WATCH ON ESPN+ | FOLLOW LIVE STATS | LISTEN ON WRZX 106.5 FM | | GAME NOTES | TICKETS

Wright State went 2-1 and brought home a third-place finish from the Gulf Coast Showcase last week, winning its opener against Weber State and the final game against Miami (OH) with a loss to La Salle. After three double-digit games in which he averaged just shy of 19 points per contest, senior Bill Wampler was named to the Gulf Coast Showcase All-Tournament Team. He finished the trip with three-game total of 56 points, an 18.67 point/game average, while adding a combined 11 rebounds and eight assists. Jaylon Hall and Grant Basile each had two double digit scoring games (against La Salle and Miami), with Hall's 17 points against Miami matching his career-best. Basile tallied his first career double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds against Miami as well.

LOOKING UP THE HILL(TOPPERS)
Entering Tuesday's game, Wright State and Western Kentucky have only met one other time in program history – a 78-60 Hilltopper win at Western Kentucky on Dec. 2, 2017. Two current Raiders logged minutes in that one – Loudon Love tallied 11 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes of action, while Jaylon Hall finished with 11 points, two rebounds and two assists while playing 29 minutes.

On the season, Western Kentucky enters Tuesday with the same 6-2 record Wright State has. The Hilltoppers opened the campaign with four straight wins before going 2-2 over its last four. Western Kentucky was 2-1 at the Paradise Jam down in the U.S Virgin Islands (Nov. 22-25) before returning to the mainland for a matchup against No. 2 Louisville on Friday. The game, played in Nashville, TN, was 71-54 in favor of Louisville. Wright State and Western Kentucky have one common opponent on the schedule to date, as both teams picked up wins over Tennessee Tech. The Hilltoppers won at home (76-64) on Nov. 5, while the Raiders were victorious on the road (85-80) on Nov. 12.

Western Kentucky is led by sophomore center Charles Bassey, who has 124 points, 77 rebounds, 12 blocks and eight steals this season. As of Monday, he was one of two players in the nation with at least those numbers.

CLOSE ONES
Wright State has lost by a combined three points in its two losses this season to Kent State and La Salle. In both games the opponents finished with 72 points (72-71 vs. Kent State; 72-70 vs. La Salle). In the Raiders' six wins, three games have finished within a 10-point margin of victory, with the remaining three each a 15-plus point margin.

MID-MAJOR POLL
Wright State sits at No. 12 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, released on Nov. 25. The Raiders jumped five spots up in this week's poll and are the lone Horizon team in the rankings, but the poll also features HL foe Northern Kentucky receiving votes. 

BILL FOR 1,000
Senior Bill Wampler entered the Gulf Coast Showcase two points shy of the 1,000-point mark for his career and he left no doubt as he poured in 27 points to lead the Raiders past Weber State 72-57 in the opening game of the tournament. Wampler scored the first 12 points of the night for Wright State, while his 27 points were a season-high and two off his career-best. Wampler scored the first 408 points of his career at Drake (2015-17) before transferring to Wright State.