In-state stars expected to shine bright in EKU-WKU Battle of the Bluegrass
Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky have been playing each other in men’s basketball for more than 100 years.
So, you’d think a rivalry big enough for a nickname and long enough to last 160 games would be hard-pressed to still deliver entertainment in the always-something-better-to-do 2020s.
You’d be wrong.
When the Colonels (1-0) and Hilltoppers (0-0) renew the Battle of the Bluegrass on Thursday night, both teams will be operating with new-look rosters, high hopes and large amounts of in-state talent.
Eastern Kentucky boasts 2022 Mr. Basketball Turner Buttry from Bowling Green, along with former Scott County stars Michael Moreno and Cooper Robb, and ex-Frederick Douglass standout DeShawn Jackson. The Colonels also have a transfer from WKU who could play a prominent role in senior center Isaiah Cozart from Madison Central High School.
The Colonels were voted by the league’s coaches to finish 10th in a daunting 14-team Atlantic Sun Conference that features the likes of Liberty, Jacksonville, Jacksonville State, Florida Gulf Coast and Bellarmine. Moreno was a preseason All-ASUN pick by the coaches.
EKU defeated Miami-Middletown of Ohio 137-52 in its season opener on Monday night, a game in which seven Colonels scored in double figures.
Western Kentucky, which will be playing its 2022-23 season opener Thursday night, counters with a roster that includes two Kentucky Mr. Basketballs in 2020 winner Dayvion McKnight (Collins) and University of Kentucky transfer and 2019 winner Dontaie Allen (Pendleton County).
The Hilltoppers revolve around another Kentuckian, 7-foot-5 senior center Jamarion Sharp (Hopkinsville), who blocked a nation’s best 4.62 shots per game as the tallest player in NCAA Division I last season.
The coaches in Conference USA voted Western Kentucky to finish second in the league this season behind UAB in their preseason poll. McKnight, Sharp and Boise State transfer Emmanuel Akot were named the All-CUSA preseason team.
Western Kentucky, which finished 19-13 overall and 11-7 in C-USA for Coach Rick Stansbury last season, beat EKU in Bowling Green, 85-80, on Dec. 4, 2021, in the teams’ most recent meeting. Eastern Kentucky, led by A.W. Hamilton, finished 13-18 overall and 5-11 in its first year in the ASUN last season.
The Hilltoppers enjoy a 116-44 advantage in a series that dates to the 1914-15 season.
Thursday
Western Kentucky at Eastern Kentucky
When: 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN Plus (online only)
Radio: WCYO-FM 100.7 FM locally or on EKUSports.com
Series: Western Kentucky leads 116-44.
Last meeting: Western Kentucky won 85-80 on Dec. 4, 2021, in Bowling Green.
