Gov. Beshear releases plan for phased reopening of businesses in Kentucky

By Melissa Patrick and Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

Kentucky Health News is an independent news service of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based in the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Kentucky, with support from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.

Gov. Andy Beshear announced details of the first broad phase of his plan to re-open Kentucky’s economy in May, while saying child care, restaurants, and businesses that require increased human contact are not yet on the list of what will be allowed to open.

“I hope everybody also sees that these are cautious steps that are going to be done with strict compliance, and I would not be suggesting these if I did not think that we could not do them safely,” he said. “And if it proves that we can’t do any of them safely, it is always subject to pause.”

Beshear stressed that it’s important that the state not open up in such a way that it causes a second spike of cases, a common occurrence in pandemics.

Beshear went over a list of 10 rules that he said will apply to every group that is planning to reopen, including such things as continuing to allow telework when possible; opening gradually, in phases; doing daily onsite temperature checks; providing access to personal protective gear if needed; maintaining and enforcing social distancing; and making special accommodations for those who need it, such as those who do not have child care or who are over 60 with underlying health conditions.

He said it’s also important to have immediate testing of those who show up to work with a temperature, and systems for tracing contacts of those who test positive for the coronavirus.

The big day is May 11, when non-essential manufacturing, construction companies, and vehicle and vessel dealerships can open, Beshear said. Auto and boat dealers will be doing business differently, he said; for example, test drives will have to be done solo.

Professional services will be allowed to open, at half-staff, and pet grooming and boarding will be allowed to resume, but with no person-to-person contact.

Beshear also announced that horse racing will be allowed to open on May 11, starting at Churchill Downs — but with no fans. “This is one of the most detailed plans that we have seen,” he said.

On May 20, retail may re-open and churches may hold in-person services, both at reduced capacity. Beshear said they are working on details, and it will likely be a percentage of normal occupancy. He said they are also working with churches to make plans for things like Sunday school, and “All of this is contingent on being able to keep social distancing, on the type of cleaning that needs to occur.”

On May 25, “provided the virus is where we think it will be at that stage,” he said, social gatherings of 10 or fewer people will be allowed, with social distancing and masking where necessary.

“We want you to know that we think this is possible, but it is all contingent on all of us doing this right, on making sure that we don’t see a spike in the virus,” he said “But there is at least a light, I hope you see at the end of the tunnel where we can get together a little more.”

Barbers, salons, cosmetology businesses and similar services will also be allowed to open May 25.

Beshear said restaurant openings would have to come later, and the state is working with them to figure out how to they can open safely.

He said day-care centers will also not be allowed to open this month because they increase contacts to a level that can easily spread the virus: “We go from a controlled amount of contacts to almost exponential growth.”

He said gyms, movies, camp grounds, youth sports are also scheduled to open in the second phase. As for youth sports, he said he is hopeful some of these sports can resume in June or July, but “Public pools will not be in phase one or phase two.” He said summer camps will not open in phase one, and it will be hard to open them in phase two.

Beshear said the “healthy at home” approach and social distancing are still keys to defeating the virus, “so healthy-at-work doesn’t stop being healthy-at-home.”

Reopening plans also presume that testing will continue to increase, to keep better track of the virus. Asked why Kentucky lags in testing behind other states, particularly Tennessee, Beshear said one differences is that large health-care companies that are in Tennessee are doing almost all the testing, with only 5 percent done by the state. “With us, it’s over 30 percent.”

He said the state hopes to see more private-sector testing, to increase the state’s capacity much faster. He said the rates of infection seen in Kentucky’s testing are promising and compare well to other states.

Beshear announces deal that would almost double testing in Ky.

By Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

Kentucky is doing better than most states at limiting spread of the coronavirus, but “We’re gonna have to start cracking down a little bit more on those who are willfully denying, or willfully refusing to comply” with social distancing, Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday.

That could mean closing facilities, and that could include churches, Beshear indicated near the end of his daily press conference, after being asked how he would go about enforcing his order against “mass gatherings.”

“I think you’re gonna see a couple of announcements from us this week, but if facilities are still trying to open and allow mass gatherings, then perhaps those facilities shouldn’t be allowed to be opened any more,” he said, immediately citing Jack Roberts, pastor of Maryville Baptist Church in Hillview.

“To the Bullitt County pastor who is continuing to have service, he knows now, we have at least three examples of church services spreading the virus in Kentucky, and we have multiple deaths tied to it. So we know it’s a scientific fact, that him holding his service today spread the virus within his congregation, and at Christmas he’s going to have fewer people in his congregation,” Beshear said. “My faith would never let me put someone else in that position. It would tell me to love my neighbor as myself, and look at what that is doing, the risk that it is putting people in.”

Beshear is a deacon in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). From the start of his efforts to limit the spread of the virus three weeks ago, churches have been a challenge, and some other governors have exempted houses of worship from their orders banning mass gatherings. Beshear has often referred several times to his own faith, saying Kentuckians should use the wisdom God gives them; Sunday, he put that point in political context:

“You know, when I was running for governor, or even when I started out, the thought that I would directly be telling a congregation that they shouldn’t meet, I mean, that’s beyond what you would ever have in political thought, but this is life and death. This is life and death, and what it means politically in the future, I just don’t care at this point.”

To some church members who had compared their services to grocery or hardware shopping, Beshear said, “You can have your service virtually. It’s really hard to get your groceries virtually, and in a grocery store, we are trying to take as many steps as we can, to spread people out, to limit the number that are inside, to do everything that we can. . . . It’s time for all of us to understand, and most of us do, what we’re dealing with and putting the lives of other people ahead of our own.”

Earlier, Beshear said “We believe that folks have done a lot better than we saw last weekend on our social distancing,” and showed charts from an outside source indicating that Kentucky “ought to be proud of how we’re doing.” The charts, produced by Wade Fagen-Ulmschneider, a computer-science professor at the University of Illinois, showed Kentucky near the bottom in number of cases among the states, with an encouraging trend.

“Our growth curve is flatter and better than just about any state out there,” said Dr. Steven Stack, the state health commissioner. At other points, he also said, “If we don’t social-distance, we run the risk of undoing this. . . . It’s because you listened to what we asked you to do, because the governor took decisive action.”

On another matter, Stack said the new federal recommendation to wear cloth masks when around other people is no replacement for social distancing. “Overall, I think they’re a distraction,” he said, adding that people should stay six to 10 feet apart.

Other coronavirus news on Sunday:
Beshear announced five more covid-19 deaths, all women, bringing the state’s total to 45. Three were in Jefferson County, aged 80, 66 and 54; the others were an 85-year-old from McLean County and a 90-year-old from Woodford County. (The Woodford County Health Department said later that “We have confirmed with the Department for Public Health that this was a mistake. No deaths have been reported for Woodford County at this time.”) Beshear said all decedents who have covid-19 are counted as victims of the disease, though some might have died without it, but not all deaths from it will be known.

The governor reported 38 new cases of covid-19, but said that relatively low number probably stemmed from limited reporting on Sundays. One hotspot was Christian County, with seven new cases; Jefferson County had six. The official case total has reached 955; Beshear said 306 have recovered.

Beshear announced that the state had signed a deal with Gravity Diagnostics, a Northern Kentucky firm, to provide up to 2,000 coronavirus tests per day, and results the next day, for high-risk individuals and first responders. He said the volume of tests will depend on the number of long cotton swabs that the test requires, but the deal could almost double testing in the state and “make sure there isn’t any area of the state that doesn’t have, at least compared to the rest of the country, a pretty significant ability to test.”

Beshear said not all residents of a Lyon County nursing home with four cases of covid-19 (two residents and two employees) have been tested because the state doesn’t have enough test kits to do both wings of the home. Of the 80 tests, 12 were done by the state, 23 by Lab Corp and 45 by the University of Louisville, he said: “We are doing our best, and this is a significant amount of resources that have been provided.” He said one resident with covid-19 is at home and the other has two dedicated nurses, who are on 12-hour shifts and have self-quarantined.

Asked how satisfied he is with the crisis response by President Trump and the federal government, Beshear said, “I don’t worry about that on a given day. . . . I think everybody is working to try to increase our testing and our health-care capacity. We certainly have a lot of calls and a lot of communication from the White House, and we appreciate that.”

He added, “We have difficulty, but everybody’s having difficulty buying personal protective equipment because the federal government, typically through FEMA, buys it all first, but they’re buying it to send it to other places [that] are pretty hard-hit. So my goal is to work with anyone and everyone that can work with us. There are days that I’m frustrated with the White House; there are days when I’m thankful for things that they’ve done.”

He concluded, “Whether we’re praising or criticizing an administration right now, let’s make sure its based on what we need done in this crisis and not any of our previous political views.”

Beshear said a federal judge has denied a temporary injunction to a Northern Kentucky woman who challenged his order requiring people who travel out of state for reasons other than work or legal obligations to go into quarantine for 14 days.

Asked how local officials in border counties should handle violators of that order, Beshear said he had told officials on the Tennessee border, “We need to contact them and ask them to self-quarantine.”

Asked whether the order should prevent a former Kentucky resident from moving back to the state, Beshear said the person should self-quarantine, and “Now is probably not the best time to be moving. That’s a whole bunch of people touching your stuff.”

Beshear said two Frankfort gyms that let people in their back doors have been cited for violating his order closing inside service by businesses that are not life-sustaining. “Shame on those that are doing that,” he said.

Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, secretary of the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, said in a video that more than 300 employees of other agencies are helping the Office of Unemployment Insurance deal with the avalanche of claims and are “working diligently to fix the problems that you’re having.”

United Way of SOKY launches crises fund

United Way of Southern Kentucky announced today that it has established a COVID-19 Community Response and Crisis Recovery Fund to support those affected by COVID-19 throughout the 10-county region. This fund will help the most vulnerable populations receive critical financial and social service support during this global crisis.
Through partnership with local nonprofits, the goal of this fund is to relieve hardship for vulnerable working families due to quarantine or disruption of income, to support the coordination of community health and human service relief efforts, and to ensure equity in the distribution of philanthropic resources across Southern Kentucky. While services to support will continue to evolve as the impact of the COVID-19 crisis increases, current critical need areas include:
Support for food pantries and other vital food resources through providing financial resources to help prevent hunger and lack of nutrition resources
Preventing the growth in homelessness due to the economic impacts of COVID-19 by aiding low-income individuals, displaced workers and families through emergency support for basic needs such as rent and utilities.
Aiding education by providing technology support to low-income students who require assistance with technology and other means to stay connected to their academic instruction and learning.
Encouraging Mental Health through supporting agencies that can counsel and guide individuals through this difficult crisis.
Other urgent community needs that develop due to the COVID-19 crisis.
100% of proceeds from the fund will be allocated out to support critical need. United Way will administer the fund proceeds in our ten-county BRADD service area.
United Way also announced that the fund has been launched with a $13,000 contribution form Meijer, Inc. Additionally, BlueCotton Boutique has partnered with United Way to help generate funds from #TeamKentucky garments, which will also be donated to support the crisis fund.
“We are working to help those who face the burden of the financial disruption or loss of critical services during this global pandemic. Our communities are facing a crisis at an unprecedented level and unfortunately the impact will continue to grow over time. United Way is committed doing everything possible to generate and allocate resources to address the needs of those affected” said Debbie Hills, President and CEO, of United Way of Southern Kentucky.
Already, United Way of Southern Kentucky has taken significant steps to address community needs during this time by tracking and filling resource gaps and providing real-time guidance, information and data on COVID-19 through the 2-1-1 network. Those in need can contact 2-1-1 to access free and confidential crisis and emergency counseling, disaster assistance, food, health care and insurance assistance, stable housing and utilities payment assistance, employment services, veteran services and childcare and family services. If you or someone you know is in need, call 2-1-1 or toll-free 844-966-0906 for our information and referral services.
Donations to the COVID-19 Community Response and Crisis Recovery Fund can be made by visiting: www.uwsk.org OR by mailing a check to the United Way office at P. O. Box 3330, Bowling Green, KY, 42102-3330 OR by calling the United Way office at 270-843-3205.

Med Center Health ER Dr. William Moss talks about COVID-19 precautions, readiness

Bowling Green mayor explains state of emergency

You Can Help Disaster Victims Recover

Commonwealth Broadcasting and WBKO join forces with the American Red Cross to help storm victims

Thursday, March 5th and Friday, March 6th, Commonwealth Broadcasting will once again partner with WBKO to assist the South Central Kentucky Chapter of the American Red Cross in raising monetary donations to help victims of Monday night’s severe storms and tornadoes.

Thousands of residents and businesses across the Nashville and Middle Tennessee area have been displaced due to storm damage and power outages. A few families were even affected in Southern Kentucky from tornadoes in Christian and Warren counties.

You can help these families by making a cash or check donation to the American Red Cross and drop it off Thursday or Friday from 8am to 6pm at the WBKO studio, 2727 Russellville Road just off I-165 – or – a new option this time, in the parking lot of Marti & Liz Shoes on Campbell Lane in Bowling Green.

You can also go online at redcross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999 to instantly donate $10 to this effort.

Thank you from all of us at Commonwealth Broadcasting for your help!

Hilltoppers beat N. Texas, face Southern Miss today in C-USA Tournament

GAME 33
Conference USA Tournament Semifinals
No. 3 Southern Miss (20-11) vs. No. 2 WKU (19-13)
March 15, 2019 | 3 p.m. CT
Ford Center at The Star | Frisco, Texas

BROADCAST
Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)

QUICK SHOTS
• WKU is 14-11 in conference tournament semifinals since joining the Sun Belt
Conference in 1982-83. The Hilltoppers have reached at least the semifinals of their
conference tourney in 13 of the last 15 seasons.
• With a win over Southern Miss, the Hilltoppers would secure the 45th 20-win season
in program history. WKU ranks seventh in NCAA history for most 20-win seasons.
• WKU became the fifth program in NCAA history to reach 1,000 straight games with a
made 3-pointer at Rice on Feb. 7. The Hilltoppers’ streak of 1,008 games dates back
to March 15, 1987.
• WKU ranks 15th in the country in total blocks and 12th in blocked shots per game,
and 12th in percentage of opponents’ shots blocked, according to Ken Pomeroy. Its
164 total blocks and average of 5.1 blocks per game are the team’s highest on
record. Charles Bassey ranks second in C-USA in blocks per game (2.4).
• Sophomore guard Taveion Hollingsworth needs just 30 points to reach 1,000.
• In the last 11 games, redshirt senior guard Lamonte Bearden has 74 combined
assists against just 18 turnovers. He leads C-USA in conference play with a 3.2-to-1
assist-to-turnover ratio.
• WKU freshman center Charles Bassey could become the third freshman in the country
since 1992 – along with Anthony Davis and Greg Oden – to average 14 points, nine
rebounds and two blocks per game, while also shooting at least 60 percent from the
field.
• As of Thursday, Charles Bassey ranked second in the nation among freshmen in total
rebounds, third in total blocks and third in field-goal percentage.
• As of Thursday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 30 nationally in double-doubles
(21st), field-goal percentage (11th), blocks per game (14th), total blocks (14th),
rebounds per game (18th), defensive rebounds per game (29th) and total rebounds
(25th).
• Charles Bassey’s 15 double-doubles this season are the most on record by a
Hilltopper freshman. Bassey leads C-USA in double-doubles and ranks second in the
nation among freshmen in double-doubles.

LAST MATCHUP AGAINST SOUTHERN MISS: MARCH 3, 2019
WKU made 11 3-pointers, including 8 of 12 in the second half, to secure a 76-71 home
victory over Southern Miss at E.A. Diddle Arena. Taveion Hollingsworth had a
game-high 21 points with three made 3s.

___________________________________________________________________________________

WKU Hilltopper Basketball locked up North Texas defensively Thursday
night, opening Conference USA Championship play with a 67-51 victory in the
quarterfinals at Ford Center at The Star.

The Hilltoppers (19-13) held North Texas to just 16 points in the first half and
limited the Mean Green to 30 percent shooting overall, and 18.5 percent from the
3-point line.

WKU advances to face No. 3 seed Southern Miss at 3 p.m. CT Friday in the semifinals.
The game will air on CBS Sports Network.

“I was proud of the way our guys came out and responded,” WKU head coach Rick
Stansbury said. “I’ve always said that first game is a hard game, particularly when
you’re playing a team who’s already played one. They played last night and played
well – shot that ball tremendously well. … It all started at the defensive end for
us. I thought we were really locked in.”

The Hilltoppers have reached at least the semifinals of their conference tournament
in 13 of the last 15 seasons.

They’ve earned 10 straight wins over the Mean Green (21-12) and improved to 6-1
all-time in conference tournament play against UNT.

Sophomore guard Taveion Hollingsworth paced WKU with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
Sophomore guard Josh Anderson added 13 points and seven rebounds.

Freshman center Charles Bassey tallied nine points, eight rebounds and four blocks,
while redshirt senior guard Lamonte Bearden dished out eight assists.

“This game, we were yelling in the huddle, ‘We’ve got to finish the game,’”
Hollingsworth said. “We’ve been in multiple situations like that and we let it slip,
but this isn’t that time.”

The Hilltoppers took control in the first half behind stifling defense, holding
North Texas to 25 percent from the field, 16 total points and 10 turnovers.

Even though WKU didn’t score over the final 3:59 of the half, it led 31-16 at the
break. In two games against the Mean Green this season, the Hilltoppers have held
them to 31 total points in the first half.

WKU pushed its advantage to 20 early in the second half, but North Texas eventually
climbed back within 13 by the first media timeout.

Bearden responded with a shot in the lane, and Hollingsworth knocked down a 3 to
recreate a comfortable margin.

WKU netted 20 of 28 free throws, tied the season high with nine blocks and committed
just nine free throws.

“That’s pretty much my game plan (to attack),” said Anderson, who made 7 of 12 free
throws. “Coach always tells me to stay aggressive, so anytime I think I can drive to
the lane, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Ryan Woolridge led North Texas with 13 points.

Hilltoppers earn No. 2 seed in C-USA Tournament

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball will be the No. 2 seed in next week’s
2019 Conference USA Basketball Championship, and will open play against either
seventh-seeded FIU or 10th-seeded North Texas at 8:30 p.m. CT Thursday in Frisco,
Texas.

The Hilltoppers’ quarterfinal matchup on Court A will air on Stadium and locally in
Bowling Green on WKU-PBS. The tournament takes place at Ford Center at The Star, the
training facility of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

WKU’s No. 2 seed is its highest finish in its five years in C-USA, as well as its
highest finish overall since earning the No. 2 seed in the 2014 Sun Belt Conference
Tournament.

The Hilltoppers (18-13, 11-7 C-USA) won 10 of their last 14 games in league play
after a 1-3 start that included three losses by five total points in games WKU led
by at least 15 points apiece.

The winner of WKU’s quarterfinal matchup will advance to the semifinals at 3 p.m.
Friday in a contest broadcast nationally by CBS Sports Network. The championship
will take place at 7:30 p.m. March 16 and also air on CBS Sports Network.

WKU took a 77-76 home loss to FIU in the teams’ only matchup this year on Jan. 17.
The Hilltoppers won 62-59 at North Texas on Feb. 9.

WKU has advanced to at least the semifinals of its league tournament in 12 of the
last 14 seasons. The program is 23-7 with four championships in the last 11
conference tournaments overall.

The Hilltoppers reached the C-USA championship game for the first time last season
as the No. 3 seed, falling 67-66 to Marshall before a run to the NIT Final Four.

All-session booklets for this year’s conference tournament are on sale now through
the WKU Ticket Office and at WKUTickets.com. Limited premium GA booklets are
available. Purchases made through the WKU Ticket Office directly support WKU
Athletics.

All-session booklets cover all games for both WKU Hilltopper and Lady Topper
Basketball games as well as all other tournament games.

Hilltoppers battle Blazers in Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball continues Bonus Play with its second
straight road game at UAB at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday in Birmingham, Ala. The game will
air on beIN SPORTS.

The Hilltoppers began Bonus Play with a loss Saturday at league-leading Old
Dominion. WKU is tied for third in the conference standings.

UAB opened Bonus Play with an overtime win at Southern Miss on Saturday. The Blazers
lead the all-time series 24-15, including two straight in Birmingham. The teams
played less than two weeks ago, with UAB winning 68-60 at WKU on Feb. 16. Head coach
Rick Stansbury is 5-3 all-time against UAB.

GAME 29
WKU (16-12, 9-6 C-USA) at UAB (17-11, 9-6 C-USA)
February 28, 2019 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Bartow Arena | Birmingham, Ala.

BROADCAST
Listen: Hilltopper IMG Sports Network (WKLX 100.7 FM flagship), (Randy Lee, pxp | Hal Schmitt, analysis)

QUICK SHOTS
• WKU head coach Rick Stansbury returned Feb. 23 at Old Dominion after missing four
games with a back injury that required surgery on Feb. 15. Assistant Marc Hsu served
as interim coach.
• WKU became the fifth program in NCAA history to reach 1,000 straight games with a
made 3-pointer at Rice on Feb. 7. The Hilltoppers’ streak of 1,004 games dates back
to March 15, 1987.
• WKU is one of the youngest teams in the country, ranking 321st of 353 in
experience, per Ken Pomeroy.
• WKU ranks 10th in the country in total blocks and 12th in blocked shots per game,
and 19th in percentage of opponents’ shots blocked, according to Ken Pomeroy. Its
average of 5.1 blocks per game would tie its highest on record. Charles Bassey ranks
second in C-USA in blocks per game (2.4).
• In the last seven games, redshirt senior guard Lamonte Bearden has 51 combined
assists against just 11 turnovers. He leads C-USA in conference play with a 3.5-to-1
assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Sophomore guard Josh Anderson is 1 of 9 players in the country with at least 112
total rebounds, 47 steals and 20 blocks this season. He’s the only player from
Conference USA to reach those marks.
• WKU freshman center Charles Bassey could become 1 of 3 freshmen in the country
since 1992 – along with Greg Oden and current NBA star Anthony Davis – to average 14
points, nine rebounds and two blocks per game, while also shooting at least 60
percent from the field.
• As of Tuesday, Charles Bassey ranked second in the nation among freshmen in total
rebounds (277), third in total blocks (65) and third in field-goal percentage (63.1
percent).
• As of Tuesday, Charles Bassey ranked in the top 30 nationally in double-doubles
(17th), field-goal percentage (10th), blocks per game (16th), total blocks (13th),
rebounds per game (20th), defensive rebounds per game (29th) and total rebounds
(17th).
• Charles Bassey’s 13 double-doubles this season are the most on record by a
Hilltopper freshman. Bassey leads C-USA in double-doubles and ranks second in the
nation among freshmen in double-doubles.

LAST GAME AGAINST UAB: FEBRUARY 16, 2019
A rough shooting day for WKU led to a 68-60 home loss to UAB at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Hilltoppers got 23 points and 10 rebounds from Charles Bassey, but they shot
just 37.5 percent and netted just 6 of 27 3-pointers.

MED CENTER HEALTH
The 2018-19 WKU Basketball season is presented by Med Center Health. With The
Medical Center at its core, Med Center Health has served Southcentral Kentucky for
more than 90 years, and its system of care includes six acute care hospitals, a
complete network of immediate to emergency services and services in dozens of
specialties. Whether it is emergency treatment for heart attack victims or
preventative programs to improve the health of the communities it serves, Med Center
Health is committed to providing the highest level of care and service.

WKU Hilltoppers’ final 4 regular season games are set

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball’s final four games of the regular
season were revealed Saturday night as part of Conference USA’s new Bonus Play
scheduling model.

The Hilltoppers will first travel to Old Dominion on Saturday and UAB on Feb. 28,
then host Southern Miss on March 3 and UTSA on March 6 to complete the regular
season.

All of these games will be broadcast on Bowling Green Sam 100.7 FM.

Within the new scheduling format, the league’s 14 programs played each other once
and their travel partner twice in the first seven weeks of the conference season. At
the conclusion of the seven weeks, teams were placed in one of three groups based on
conference standings through the first 14 games of league action. The teams were
divided into two groups of five (1-5 and 6-10) and a group of four (11-14). During
the final three weeks, teams will play within their respective grouping for the last
four games of conference play.

Home and away games within the groups were determined by a preset formula. Teams
were guaranteed to play two home games and two away games over the final weeks of
the season.

WKU (16-11, 9-5 C-USA) finished the first 14 games of the regular season as the No.
2 seed.

The Hilltoppers lost at No. 1 seed Old Dominion 69-66 on Jan. 5 after starting the
game up 21-0. WKU lost at home to No. 5 seed UAB 68-60 on Saturday.

The Hilltoppers defeated No. 3 seed Southern Miss 66-63 on the road on Jan. 24 and
beat fourth-seeded UTSA 96-88 in overtime at home on Jan. 31.

Once all 18 games have been completed, the top 12 teams based on final league
standings will be seeded in the conference tournament. Teams will be guaranteed
seeding within their respective group. For example, if a program landed in the
second group (6-10), it will seed no higher than six and no lower than 10 in the
tournament field.

WKU can be seeded no lower than fifth in the C-USA Tournament.

Season ticket holders will use the tickets labeled Game 15 and Game 16 for the two
remaining home games in Diddle Arena. Season long parking passes will also be
honored and required for the Bonus Play games.

Single-game tickets for WKU’s two remaining home games will go on sale soon.