2011–12 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball none 2011–12 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers WKU Hilltoppers wordmark.png 150 Sun Belt Conference East Division Sun Belt 16–19 7–9 Ken McDonald first 16 games Ray Harper remainder of season Lawrence Brenneman Jake Morton Kip Wellman E. A. Diddle Arena Sun Belt Tournament champion NCAA Tournament Round of 64 The 2011–12 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by fourth year head coach Ken McDonald for the first 16 games of the season before he was fired and were then led by former assistant and new head coach Ray Harper for the remainder of the year. They played their home games at E. A. Diddle Arena and are members of the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 16–19, 7–9 in Sun Belt Play to finish in a tie for third place in the East Division. The Hilltoppers were champions of the Sun Belt Basketball tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid into the 2012 NCAA tournament.SBC 2016-17 Basketball Media Guide, retrieved 28 April 2020 It was their 22nd tournament appearance and first since 2009. WKU was also the first sub-.500 team to make the NCAA Tournament since Coppin State in 2008. They defeated Mississippi Valley State in the First Four round before falling in the second round to eventual national champion Kentucky.WKU Basketball Media Guide retrieved 21 April 2020 Derrick Gordon made the All-Conference Team; Gordon and Kahil McDonald were selected to the SBC Tournament Team, and George Fant was tournament MVP.2019-20 SBC Basketball Media Guide, retrieved 23 June 2020 Roster Number Name Position Height Weight Year Hometown 0 Kene Anyigbo Forward 6–5 250 Sophomore Bellaire, Texas 1 Kevin Kaspar Guard 6–0 172 Freshman Istanbul, Turkey 3 Kahlil McDonald Guard 6–3 200 Senior Brooklyn, New York 5 Derrick Gordon Guard 6–3 185 Freshman Plainfield, New Jersey 10 Caden Dickerson Forward 6–4 200 Junior Argyle, Texas 11 Spence Sheldon Guard 5–11 165 Freshman Bowling Green, Kentucky 14 Jamal Crook Guard 6–3 175 Junior Louisville, Kentucky 15 O'Karo Akamune Forward 6–6 205 Sophomore Miami, Florida 21 Nigel Snipes Forward 6–5 205 Freshman Marietta, Georgia 22 Teeng Akol Forward 6–11 217 Junior Wian, Sudan 24 Stephon Drane Forward 6–7 228 Sophomore Raleigh, North Carolina 25 Jay Starks Guard 6–3 187 Junior Scottsville, Kentucky 41 Vinny Zollo Forward 6–8 240 Freshman Winchester, Kentucky 44 George Fant Forward 6–5 245 Freshman Bowling Green, Kentucky 52 T. J. Price Guard 6–3 220 Freshman Slidell, Louisiana Schedule 2011-12 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Schedule and Results, Sports Reference, retrieved 29 April 2020 2011-12 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings 2011 yes yes |- !colspan=9| Exhibition 11/05/2011 7:30 pm yes Xavier (LA) E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY   73–61 |- !colspan=9| Regular Season 11/11/2011 7:00 pm yes Saint Joseph's E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 3,813 FCS 61–72 0–1 11/14/2011 7:00 pm yes Tennessee State E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 3,372 52–49 1–1 11/17/2011 11:30 pm yes yes Tulsa TD Arena Charleston, SC Charleston Classic First Round 2,532 ESPN3 49–65 1–2 11/18/2011 12:00 pm yes yes LSU TD Arena Charleston, SC Charleston Classic Consolation round 1,711 ESPN3 57–76 1–3 11/20/2011 11:00 pm yes yes VCU TD Arena Charleston, SC Charleston Classic 7th place Game 2,455 ESPN3 64–69 1–4 11/23/2011 7:00 pm yes VCU E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 3,285 FCS 45–68 1–5 11/26/2011 7:00 pm yes Southeastern Louisiana E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 2,714 72–67 2–5 12/01/2011 7:00 pm yes Murray State E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 3,845 FCS 59–70 2–6 12/04/2011 2:00 pm yes Bowling Green E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 3,119 FCS 60–53 3–6 12/07/2011 7:00 pm yes yes Southern Illinois SIU Arena Carbondale, IL 3,012 FCS 62–55 4–6 12/10/2011 6:00 pm yes yes IUPUI The Jungle Indianapolis, IN 1,135 FCS 76–84 4–7 12/17/2011 7:00 pm yes Furman E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY BB&T Classic 3,192 FCS 63–76 4–8 12/23/2011 6:00 pm yes yes Louisville 4 KFC Yum! Center Louisville, KY 22,150 ESPN2 60–70 Vacated 4–9 12/29/2011 7:30 pm yes Louisiana–Monroe Fant–Ewing Coliseum Monroe, LA 1,319 FCS 76–71 OT 5–9 (1–0) 12/31/2011 1:00 pm FIU E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 2,375 FCS 63–81 5–10 (1–1) 01/05/2012 7:00 pm Louisiana–Lafayette E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 2,137 FCS 70–72 OT 5–11 (1–2) 01/07/2012 4:00 pm Troy E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY Ray Harper Head Coach 5,172 FCS 65–67 5–12 (1–3) 01/12/2012 7:00 pm yes North Texas The Super Pit Denton, TX 3,941 WKYU 67–84 5–13 (1–4) 01/15/2012 2:00 pm yes Denver Magness Arena Denver, CO 6,232 65–78 5–14 (1–5) 01/21/2012 1:00 pm Arkansas–Little Rock E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 4,254 FCS 65–53 6–14 (2–5) 01/26/2012 6:00 pm yes Florida Atlantic FAU Arena Boca Raton, FL 1,554 FCS 66–67 6–15 (2–6) 01/28/2012 6:30 pm yes FIU U.S. Century Bank Arena Miami, FL 1,171 FCS 61–51 7–15 (3–6) 02/04/2012 7:00 pm South Alabama E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 6,407 FCS 75–66 8–15 (4–6) 02/09/2012 7:00 pm yes Middle Tennessee Murphy Center Murfreesboro, TN 7,080 ESPN3 64–72 8–16 (4–7) 02/11/2012 1:00 pm yes Troy Trojan Arena Troy, AL 1,472 FCS 77–83 8–17 (4–8) 02/16/2012 7:00 pm Florida Atlantic E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 4,588 FCS 64–57 9–17 (5–8) 02/18/2012 7:00 pm yes South Alabama Mitchell Center Mobile, AL 4,126 FCS 61–66 9–18 (5–9) 02/23/2012 7:00 pm Arkansas State E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 4,298 FCS 79–76 10–18 (6–9) 02/25/2012 5:00 pm Middle Tennessee E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 7,326 Sun Belt Network 73–67 11–18 (7–9) |- !colspan=9| 2012 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament 03/03/2012 8:30 pm yes 7 FIU 10 Summit Arena Hot Springs, AR First Round 3,820 67–63 12–18 03/04/2012 8:30 pm yes 7 Arkansas–Little Rock 2 Summit Arena Hot Springs, AR Quarterfinals 4,365 68–63 13–18 03/05/2012 8:30 pm yes 7 Denver 3 Summit Arena Hot Springs, AR Semifinals 3,708 Sun Belt Network 67–63 14–18 03/06/2012 6:00 pm yes 7 North Texas 5 Summit Arena Hot Springs, AR Championship Game 4,216 ESPN2 74–70 15–18 |- !colspan=9| 2012 NCAA tournament 03/13/2012 5:40 pm yes yes 16 S Mississippi Valley State 16 S UD Arena Dayton, OH First Four truTV 59–58 8,510 16–18 03/15/2012 5:50 pm yes yes 16 S Kentucky 1 1 S KFC Yum! Center Louisville, KY Second Round TBS 66–81 22,131 16–19 AP Poll Central Time (#) during NCAA Tournament is seed with Region Louisville’s win was later vacated by the NCAA due to recruiting violations by the Louisville basketball program.New York Times: Louisville Must Forfeit Basketball Championship Over Sex Scandal By Marc Tracy Feb. 20, 2018 retrieved 21 April 2020 References Category:Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball seasons WKU WKU