Western Kentucky’s men’s basketball team gets a shot at facing what the Atlantic Sun Conference thinks is the best it has to offer Sunday at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Hilltoppers host Lipscomb (2-2) in a 2 p.m. game at Diddle, with ESPN+ set to broadcast. The Bisons, who went 20-12 last season under veteran head coach Lennie Acuff, are coming off an 80-79 home loss to crosstown rival Belmont on Tuesday in Nashville.

Lipscomb, picked to win the league in the ASUN preseason coaches and media polls, features a pair of unanimous preseason all-conference picks in senior guard Will Pruitt and senior forward Jacob Ognacevic.

“They are an elite-level team,” WKU first-year head coach Plona said of the Bisons. “Belmont and Arkansas, they’ve lost to close. They beat Duquesne and Wofford, who are two very good teams as well. They’ve had four very, very challenging tests so far. Picked to win their league, we respect the heck out of them and we know that it’s going to be a tough game.”

WKU (1-2) earned the first win in the Plona era on Tuesday with a lopsided 104-76 home victory against NAIA-level Campbellsville. Graduate senior guard Khristian Lander led five Hilltoppers in double-digit scoring with 23 points to become the third WKU player in as many games to pace the team in scoring.

Senior guard Don McHenry, a preseason All-Conference USA selection after leading the Tops in scoring last year, had a quiet night on offense with just eight points after scoring more than 20 in each of the first two games.

The Tops also found their shooting stroke from long range in Tuesday’s win against the Tigers, connecting on 16-of-32 attempts from 3-point range. That output exceeded WKU’s total of made 3s (14) in its first two games, a season-opening home loss to Wichita State on Nov. 4 followed by a 74-72 road loss to WAC favorite Grand Canyon on Nov. 9.

While the Tops shot the ball better, Campbellsville did some damage from 3-point range as well by hitting 13-of-31 tries from that range.

That could spell trouble against Lipscomb, which as shown a real penchant for shooting often from beyond the arc. The Bisons are 36.7% from 3-point range (36-of-98), averaging nine made 3s per game.

“I know traditionally they shoot the ball very well, sometimes have five guys that can score,” Plona said. “I know they have a big kid that didn’t play last year that had about 30 and 10 in the first game against Duquesne that they believe is the focal point of their team.”

That big kid is the 6-foot-8 Ognacevic, who sat out last season with an injury. Ognacevic, who scored 28 points and was 4-of-8 from 3-point range in the loss to Belmont, leads Lipscomb with 23.5 points per game this season. Pruitt is next with 14.3 points per outing, with forward Dylan Faulkner (11.0 ppg), guard Gyasi Powell (10.0 ppg) and guard Joe Anderson (9.8 ppg) also providing regular points.

McHenry continues to lead the Tops with 17.3 points per game, followed by 6-8 senior forward Babacar Faye (16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds per game), Lander (14.0 ppg), freshman guard Julius Thedford (12.0 ppg) and senior forward Tyrone Marshall Jr. (9.7 ppg).

GETTING HEALTHY

Tuesday’s win against Campbellsville saw the season debut of 6-11 redshirt senior forward/center Blaise Keita, who had been sidelined with a bruised knee for the first two games. The Nebraska transfer logged 10 minutes, scoring four points and grabbing two rebounds.

Plona said Tuesday’s game was a chance to ease Keita back into game action after missing more than a week of practice time with the injury.

“Obviously we play at an incredibly fast pace,” Plona said. “I think that’s new and a little bit different for Blaise, but as the season goes on the game becomes more of a half-court game and I think Blaise can be an incredible force for us on defense and on offense.”

The Tops are still awaiting the return of sophomore guard Teagan Moore, who averaged 6.2 points per game as a freshman last year. The 6-5 native of Dry Ridge was twice named CUSA Freshman of the Week and earned a regular spot in the Tops’ rotation on a team that won the conference tournament title and made the NCAA Tournament field.

Moore is continuing rehabilitation after having hip surgery in the offseason.

“I’d say he’s still at least a week or two away,” Plona said. “But obviously he has not played contact, full speed or anything like that. So he’s working his tail off. I wish I could give you exact (time). Obviously Teagan Moore went into the year as a main guy for us. He’s a huge part of our program moving forward. Him not playing has been a noticeable absence and we’re hopeful that with this hip thing and his body that he can get back on the floor and be able to help us.”