Note to Western Kentucky fans: The Denver team that plays tonight in E.A Diddle Arena is not the same one youre accustomed to. Since joining the Sun Belt Conference in the 1999-2000 season, the Pioneers have had a hard time fielding a competitive team. This season, Denver (12-10, 4-4 Sun Belt Conference) opened some eyes by winning its first four league games including a 72-55 decision over Arkansas-Little Rock. After the great start, however, Denver has lost four in a row to the likes of South Alabama, New Orleans, Louisiana-Lafayette and New Mexico State. Good teams lose games, too. Theyve had an excellent year, WKU coach Dennis Felton said. They are not the basement-dwelling Denver of the past. Felton said it was easy to see why the Pioneers are playing so much better under second-year coach Terry Carroll. They are improved for a couple of different reasons. Number one, they are playing a lot harder, Felton said. They are also rebounding and defending much better. When you do those things, you have more success. This is Western Kentuckys second chance to prove that the two-hour discussion following Saturdays loss at Detroit has changed the teams attitude. The up-and-down Hilltoppers have struggled with being consistently aggressive all season long. They came out with a strong effort against Division II Kentucky State on Monday, but will have more of a test tonight. Weve had some games that we could have played better and games that we thought we could have won. The big thing is being consistent and coming to work every day and getting the job done. Thats what were struggling with right now, WKU senior forward David Boyden said. (Monday) was a good step in the right direction. (Tonight) is another big step, because Denver is a very formidable team. They are the most improved team in the Sun Belt. With five of their remaining eight games in Diddle Arena where the Toppers have a 31-game win streak the players believe they have a legitimate shot at winning out. We believe we can do it, junior center Caleb Halcomb said. Thats what we are striving to do. Each individual person just needs to play harder. To stop Denver, the first order of business should be shutting down B.J. Pratt. For the third straight season, the 6-foot-2 guard leads the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game. Hes really good from deep and he can also beat you off the dribble. He can flat-out score, Felton said. Hes going to leave there as the schools all-time leading scorer. While Pratt has always been a dynamic scorer, Denvers most improved player is center Brett Starkey. The 6-9 junior is leading the conference with 10.3 rebounds per game and also scoring 11.2 ppg. Last season Starkey averaged just 5.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg. I remember thinking that he was starting to come on last year, Felton said. He made an impact against us last year in the second half of our game out there. Hes very big and physical and he plays hard. The Pioneers have a newcomer at point guard. Dusty Wadlington, a 5-5 transfer from Morningside College, leads the Pioneers with 82 assists and has only 32 turnovers. Hes very little and not much to look at, but hes very, very effective, Felton said. Hes got the best assist to turnover ratio in the league. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.