It’s a new season of sorts for Western Kentucky, but the Hilltoppers are hoping there’s no momentum lost from the last time they stepped on the court.

The Sun Belt Conference schedule begins in earnest tonight for WKU (4-9) when the Tops play at Louisiana-Monroe. Despite carrying a three-game losing streak into the contest, fourth-year coach Ken McDonald is hoping the team’s solid performance Friday in a 70-60 loss at No. 4 Louisville carries over.

“I thought everybody was both feet in, focused and we played really hard for each other,” McDonald said. “I thought we scrambled hard defensively and I thought we played pretty unselfish basketball for the game. Those are things that we have to understand. It’ll be a totally different environment in Monroe and we have to be ready for that and handle that in a mature way and not go in and let Monroe get confidence by how we play.”

Tonight’s game at Monroe, scheduled to tip at 7:30 p.m., is the start of a vital four-game stretch for WKU. The team returns home Saturday to host Florida International, hosts Louisiana-Lafayette on Jan. 5 and Troy on Jan. 7. Those teams are a combined 15-35. 

“Half the conference will have a loss after this first weekend or first game, half will have a win,” McDonald said. “I like where we’re at right now in terms of our team and how hard we’re playing. We have to understand how important this game is. I talked to the team about the last several years – and this is the case in almost every conference race – it comes down to almost one or two basketball games in late February. We need to understand that if we want to go out and have aspirations of winning a conference championship, every single game is important.”

The Hilltoppers are 6-1 all-time against ULM. The only loss came in 2010 when the Warhawks pulled out a 67-66 win in Monroe. On paper, there are not many signs that point to another WKU loss at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Louisiana-Monroe is 1-12, has lost six in a row, is playing with nine scholarship players and is facing a postseason ban due to NCAA APR sanctions. The Hawks also had a 71-68 loss to Division II Harding earlier this season.

“They’re in a transition time with a new coach, so  they’ve been on the losing side,” McDonald said. “We don’t want to be the team that gets them going. We went down there two years ago and allowed them to gain confidence as the game went on and ended up losing that game. That’s what we’re talking about this week – really trying to start off conference play the right way, continue on some of the positives that we had in the Louisville game and really build. It’s a new season right now, so we’re trying to create a sense of excitement about our year and it is a new time.”

Led by senior guard Fred Brown (13 points per game), the Warhawks are winless at home this season in five tries. The team’s lone win came Nov. 28 at Nicholls State.

McDonald responds to job security

At 4-9, McDonald responded Wednesday to questions about his future at the helm of the Western Kentucky program. The fourth-year coach is 66-47 at WKU and 20-25 over the last 45 games.

“Once again, it comes and it’s something I’m not going to deal with,” he said. “It’s something you guys can ask the athletic director about. I’m concentrating on being positive and working on getting better. We took a step forward last game, but we didn’t win. That’s something that I can’t control.”

NOTES — McDonald said sophomore forward Stephon Drane is available for tonight’s contest. … WKU is 14-15 all-time in Sun Belt Conference openers. … Freshman guard Derrick Gordon has led the Tops in rebounding in four straight games. … The Hilltoppers have lost eight of their last nine road games.