Program history
Western Kentucky
in the tournament.
Western Kentucky appears in 24 tournaments in this archive, between 1940 and 2024, with an all-time record of 16–24.
In its opening game it is 4–7. 6 of its 12 games decided by three points or fewer went its way.
Its biggest upset as the underdog came in 2009, when a 12th seed beat the 5th-seeded Illinois 76–72.
Its longest run of consecutive appearances is 3, from 1993 to 1995. Its longest absence ran 20 years, between 1940 and 1960.
This archive carries no numeric seed before 1979. Since then it has entered as high as a 7th seed and as low as a 16th.
- 24 Appearances
- 16–24 All-time record
- 0 Titles
Season by season
| Year | Seed | Record | Coach | Conference | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | — | 24–6 | — | Independent | semifinals |
| 1960 | — | 21–7 | Ed Diddle | Ohio Valley | Regional third place |
| 1962 | — | 17–10 | Ed Diddle | Ohio Valley | Regional Fourth Place |
| 1966 | — | 25–3 | John Oldham | Ohio Valley Conference | Regional third place |
| 1967 | — | 23–3 | John Oldham | Ohio Valley Conference | First round |
| 1970 | — | 22–3 | John Oldham | Ohio Valley Conference | First round |
| 1971 | — | 24–6 | John Oldham | Ohio Valley Conference | round of 64 |
| 1976 | — | 20–9 | Jim Richards | Ohio Valley Conference | Round of 32 |
| 1978 | 4 | 16–14 | Jim Richards | Ohio Valley Conference | Round of 16 |
| 1980 | 10 | 21–8 | Gene Keady | Ohio Valley Conference | Round of 48 |
| 1981 | 10 | 21–8 | Clem Haskins | Ohio Valley Conference | Round of 48 |
| 1986 | 8 | — | Clem Haskins | Sun Belt | lost in the Round 2 to Kentucky, 64–71 |
| 1987 | 10 | — | Murray Arnold | Sun Belt | lost in the Round 2 to Syracuse, 86–104 |
| 1993 | 7 | 24–5 | — | Sun Belt | lost in the Regional semifinals to Florida State, 78–81 (OT) |
| 1994 | 11 | 20–10 | — | Sun Belt | lost in the Round 1 to Texas, 77–91 |
| 1995 | 8 | 26–3 | — | Sun Belt | lost in the Second round to Kansas, 70–75 |
| 2001 | 14 | 24–7 | Dennis Felton | Sun Belt Conference | lost in the Round of 64 to Florida, 56–69 |
| 2002 | 9 | 28–4 | Dennis Felton | Sun Belt Conference | lost in the Round of 64 to Stanford, 68–84 |
| 2003 | 13 | 24–9 | Dennis Felton | Sun Belt Conference | lost in the Round of 64 to Illinois, 60–65 |
| 2008 | 12 | 29–7 | Darrin Horn | Sun Belt Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to UCLA, 78–88 |
| 2009 | 12 | 25–9 | Ken McDonald | Sun Belt Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Gonzaga, 81–83 |
| 2012 | 16 | 16–19 | Ken McDonald first 16 games | Sun Belt Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Kentucky, 66–81 |
| 2013 | 16 | 20–16 | Ray Harper | Sun Belt Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Kansas, 57–64 |
| 2024 | 15 | 22–12 | Steve Lutz | Conference USA | lost in the round of 64 to Marquette, 69–87 |
How the games went
| Round | W–L |
|---|---|
| Opening | 4–7 |
| Round of 64 | 11–12 |
| Round of 32 | 1–2 |
| Semifinal | 0–3 |
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