The Western Kentucky Lady Toppers basketball team represents Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The team currently competes in the NCAA Division I as a member of Conference USA. Greg Collins is entering his seventh season as the head coach of the Lady Toppers in 2024–25 after previously serving as the team's associate head coach under Michelle Clark-Heard.[2]
| Western Kentucky Lady Toppers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | Western Kentucky University | ||
| First season | 1914–15 | ||
| All-time record | 1026–499 (.673) | ||
| Head coach | Greg Collins (7th season) | ||
| Conference | C-USA | ||
| Location | Bowling Green, Kentucky | ||
| Arena | E. A. Diddle Arena (capacity: 7,326) | ||
| Nickname | Lady Toppers | ||
| Colors | Red and white[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA tournament runner-up | |||
| 1992 | |||
| NCAA tournament Final Four | |||
| 1985, 1986, 1992 | |||
| NCAA tournament Elite Eight | |||
| 1985, 1986, 1992 | |||
| NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
| 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995 | |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| Sun Belt: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2003, 2008, 2014 C-USA: 2015, 2017, 2018 | |||
| Conference regular season champions | |||
| Kentucky State Champions: 1923 KIAC: 1929 Sun Belt: 1989, 1992, 1993, 1997 Sun Belt East: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 C-USA: 2015, 2017 | |||
Postseason
editWestern Kentucky University's women's basketball team has appeared in 32 national postseason tournaments, all since 1984.
NCAA tournament results
editThe Lady Toppers have appeared in the NCAA tournament 20 times, with a record of 17–20. They were NCAA runners-up in 1992 and made Final Four appearances in 1985 and 1986.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Final Four | Middle Tennessee Texas Mississippi vs. Georgia |
W 77–55 W 92–90 W 72–68 L 78–91 |
| 1986 | Final Four | St. Joseph’s vs. James Madison vs. Rutgers vs. Texas |
W 74–65 W 72–51 W 89–74 L 65–90 |
| 1987 | First Round | at USC | L 69–81 |
| 1988 | First Round | at Georgia | L 66–84 |
| 1989 | First Round | West Virginia | L 57–66 |
| 1990 | First Round | at DePaul | L 63–73 |
| 1991 | Sweet Sixteen | Florida State at Tennessee |
W 72–69 L 61–68 |
| 1992 | NCAA Finals | Alabama vs. Tennessee vs. Maryland vs. Southwest Missouri State vs. Stanford |
W 98–68 W 75–70 W 75–70 W 84–72 L 62–78 |
| 1993 | Sweet Sixteen | Miami (FL) vs. Ohio State |
W 78–63 L 73–86 |
| 1994 | Second Round | at Rutgers at Southern Mississippi |
W 84–73 L 69–72 |
| 1995 | Sweet Sixteen | Toledo Oregon State at Tennessee |
W 77–63 W 85–78 L 67–87 |
| 1997 | First Round | vs. Arizona | L 54–76 |
| 1998 | Second Round | vs. Stephen F. Austin at Tennessee |
W 88–76 L 62–82 |
| 2000 | Second Round | vs. Marquette at Duke |
W 68–65 L 70–90 |
| 2003 | First Round | vs. Rutgers | L 52–64 |
| 2008 | First Round | vs. UTEP | L 60–92 |
| 2014 | First Round | at Baylor | L 74–87 |
| 2015 | First Round | vs. Texas | L 64–66 |
| 2017 | First Round | vs. Ohio State | L 63–70 |
| 2018 | First Round | vs. Oregon State | L 58–82 |
WNIT results
editThe Lady Toppers have appeared in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) 13 times, with an overall record of 18-15. They made the semifinals of the tournament in 2006 and 2007.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984* | Third Round | vs. California vs. Vanderbilt vs. Clemson |
W 82–76 L 68–79 L 106–110 (OT) |
| 1996* | Third Round | vs. Arizona vs. Princeton vs. UC Santa Barbara |
L 72–80 W 74–41 L 61–77 |
| 2001 | Quarterfinals | Mississippi Indiana Ohio State |
W 95–92 W 64–63 L 61–70 |
| 2002 | First Round | at Illinois | L 84–91 |
| 2004 | Quarterfinals | Cincinnati Memphis at UNLV |
W 80–78 (OT) W 104–87 L 75–78 |
| 2005 | First Round | Xavier | L 85–87 |
| 2006 | Semifinals | Tennessee Tech Charlotte at Villanova at Kansas State |
W 83–66 W 81–68 W 94–81 L 56–57 (OT) |
| 2007 | Semifinals | Minnesota Mississippi State Hofstra at Wisconsin |
W 73–57 W 56–53 W 72–54 L 72–79 |
| 2010 | First Round | Illinois | L 51–68 |
| 2013 | Second Round | East Carolina at Auburn |
W 88–77 (OT) L 66–84 |
| 2016 | Quarterfinals | Dayton Tennessee-Martin at Saint Louis at South Dakota |
W 89–72 W 64–57 W 78–76 (OT) L 54–68 |
| 2019 | Third Round | at Miami (OH) Morehead State at Ohio |
W 67–63 W 68–65 L 60–68 |
| 2023 | First Round | at Kansas | L 72–86 |
- Note: Appearances were in the National Women's Invitational Tournament (NWIT), prior to the start of the WNIT.
Rivalries
edit- Source
- [3]
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
edit| Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | WKU wins | WKU losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78 | 1924–25 (lost 7–41) | January 23, 2021 (lost 60–77) | 33 | 45 | .423 |
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters
edit| Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | WKU wins | WKU losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | December 3, 1983 (lost 50–82) | January 9, 2021 (lost 52–58) | 23 | 27 | .460 |
Louisville Cardinals
edit| Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | WKU wins | WKU losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | 1921–22 (won 26–6) | November 5, 2019 (lost 56–75) | 25 | 22 | .532 |
Home venue
editE. A. Diddle Arena
edit
Players
editWNBA draft
edit| Year | Rnd | Pick | Overall | Player name | Position | WNBA team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 3 | 1 | 33 | ShaRae Mansfield | F | Houston Comets |
| 2006 | 3 | 8 | 36 | Tiffany Porter-Talbert | G | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2008 | 3 | 3 | 31 | Crystal Kelly | F | Houston Comets |
Coaches
edit- J. L. Author (1914–16) 1–0 record in 2 seasons as head coach (incomplete records)
- No Team 1916–21
- Josephine Cherry and W.J. Craig (1921–22) 4–0 record in 1 season as co-head coaches
- Edgar Diddle (1922–24) 11–6 record in 2 seasons as head coach
- Jane Culbert (1924–25) 3–6 record in 1 season as head coach
- Nell Robbins (1925–26) 3–6 record in 1 season as head coach
- Elizabeth Dabbs (1926–30) 20–11 record in 4 seasons as head coach (incomplete records)
- No Team (1930–73)
- Pam Dickson (1973–1974) 4–7 record in 1 season as head coach
- Dr. Carol Hughes (1974–1976) 22–20 record in 2 seasons as head coach
- Julia Yeater (1976–1978) 44–18 in 2 seasons as head coach
- Eileen Canty (1978–1982) 50–62 in 4 seasons as head coach
- Paul Sanderford (1982–1997) 365–120 in 15 seasons as head coach
- Steve Small (1997–2001) 88–40 in 4 seasons as head coach
- Shawn Campbell (2001–2002) 14–12 in 1 season as head coach
- Marti Whitmore (2002) 2–2 in 1 season as head coach (finished 2002 season after Campbell's departure)
- Mary Taylor Cowles (2002–2012) 199–119 in 10 seasons as head coach
- Michelle Clark-Heard (2012–2018) 154–48 in 6 seasons as head coach
- Greg Collins (2018–present) 49–38 in 3 seasons as head coach
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "WKU Colors". WKU Communication & Branding Manual (PDF). August 21, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^ "Source: Greg Collins to be named WKU women's basketball coach". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- ^ "Western Kentucky University Athletics" (PDF). www.wkusports.com.
