CONWAY, S.C. – Coach Rick Stansbury’s Hilltoppers will get a unique defensive challenge Friday night from a perennial NCAA Tournament squad.

West Virginia (1-1) awaits Western Kentucky (2-1) in the semifinals of the Myrtle Beach Invitational. Tipoff from the HTC Center is set for 8 p.m. CST, with the game broadcast on ESPNU.

The winner between the Toppers and Mountaineers will face either Central Florida or Saint Joseph’s on Sunday in the tournament’s title game.

WKU pulled past Valparaiso 83-71 on Thursday night in its first-round game. Now the Hilltoppers take a step up in competition Friday against a Big 12 Conference program.

“It’ll be a different kind of challenge for us (Friday) night,” Stansbury said of WVU.

Coach Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers currently rank 10th in the Ken Pomeroy defensive efficiency ratings. They’ve ranked no worse than No. 41 in that metric every year since 2014-15.

West Virginia stifles its opponents with a full-court press known to its fans as “Press Virginia.” The more baskets the Mountaineers make, the more they can set up their defense and force opponents to face resistance all the way up the court.

Lockdown defense has helped the program become a regular postseason participant. WVU has made the NCAA Tournament each of the last four years and in all but two of Huggins’ 11 seasons at the school.

Guard Taveion Hollingsworth said WKU must remain calm in the face of the Mountaineers’ pressure.

“We’ve got to be smart,” said the sophomore, who scored 23 points against Valpo. “We’ve got to slow things down. We can’t go too fast. We can’t let them turn us into the team they want to turn us into.”

Josh Anderson will carry much of that responsibility bringing the ball up against guard James Bolden, athletic forwards Esa Ahmad and Lamont West and the rest of their West Virginia teammates.

Anderson, who’s taken over primary point guard duties early this season for WKU, was scoreless Nov. 6 in a loss at then-No. 25 Washington.

The sophomore scored seven points Saturday in a home win over Tennessee-Martin. Anderson then finished Thursday’s opener in Conway with nine points, seven rebounds, three steals, three assists and one block against three turnovers.

“Every game he plays at the point guard spot, that’s a learning experience,” Stansbury said. “He’s going to get better from it. Tonight, he was better than he was last game. We’ve just got to keep building on it with him.”

Friday will also be a tough test for the Tops’ freshman center, Charles Bassey. He’ll go head-to-head with Mountaineer forward Sagaba Konate, a Preseason All-Big 12 First Team pick.

Konate blocked four shots Thursday to go with his 14 points in a 71-53 victory over Monmouth. The junior averaged 10.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last year and ranked second across Division I with 116 blocked shots.

“He’s a load if you guys haven’t seen him,” Stansbury said of Konate. “He’s a player. Ahmad, the other kid, can really shoot it. He’s an experienced guy.”

Friday will mark WKU and West Virginia’s first meeting since the 1987 NCAA Tournament. Tellis Frank, Kannard Johnson, Brett McNeal and the Hilltoppers beat the Mountaineers 64-62 on March 13, 1987, in a first-round NCAA matchup in Syracuse, N.Y.

That victory marked the last time WKU didn’t make a 3-point field goal in a game. The Toppers have now made at least one in 979 straight contests, dating to an NCAA Tournament loss at No. 10 Syracuse two days after the win over WVU.

WKU made 9-of-17 3-point attempts Thursday in its win over Valparaiso. Guard/forward Jared Savage nailed five 3s on his way to a 25-point night, while Hollingsworth hit three of his own.

The Hilltopper offense will try to stay on track Friday in front of an arena full of Mountaineer fans and against a pesky West Virginia defense.

“Just take care of the ball,” Savage said, “get the ball down the court and run the offense.”

Notes

WKU is averaging 5.7 blocks per game through three contests. The Hilltoppers’ highest final season blocks average since 1986 is five per game. … West Virginia started the year ranked 13th in the AP Top 25 but fell out after losing at home Nov. 9 to Buffalo, who’s now ranked No. 25. … WKU’s last matchup with a Big 12 team was a 92-84 victory March 21 in the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals at Oklahoma State. … Friday will mark the Toppers’ third appearance on ESPNU in four games. WKU has lost to Washington and beat Valparaiso this year in games shown on that network. … Bassey (nine blocks) needs just four more blocks to reach the Hilltoppers’ all-time top 10 list for most blocks in a season by a varsity freshman.

Western Kentucky (2-1) vs. West Virginia (1-1)

8 p.m. CST Friday, HTC Center, Conway, S.C.

Probable starters

Western Kentucky

Josh Anderson, g, 6-6, so. (5.3 ppg, 4 rpg); Taveion Hollingsworth, g, 6-2, so. (19.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg); Jared Savage, g/f, 6-5, r-jr. (18.7 ppg, 3 rpg); Desean Murray, f, 6-4, g-sr. (14.5 ppg, 6 rpg); Charles Bassey, c, 6-11, fr. (11.3 ppg, 9 rpg)

West Virginia

James Bolden, g, 6-0, jr. (15 ppg, 3.5 apg); Chase Harler, g, 6-3, jr. (4 ppg, 3 rpg); Lamont West, f, 6-8, jr. (11 ppg, 5 rpg); Esa Ahmad, f, 6-8, sr. (15.5 ppg, 5 rpg); Sagaba Konate, f, 6-8, jr. (14.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg)

Broadcast

ESPNU

Radio

WKLX 100.7-FM

Coaches

Rick Stansbury (44-29, third year; 337-195 overall), Western Kentucky; Bob Huggins (255-131, 12th year; 846-342 overall), West Virginia

Series record

West Virginia leads 2-1 (WKU won last meeting 64-62 on March 13, 1987 at the NCAA Tournament in Syracuse, N.Y.)

Last time out

Western Kentucky beat Valparaiso 83-71 on Thursday in the first round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational; West Virginia beat Monmouth 71-53 on Thursday in the first round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational.