| Women: | yes |
| Current: | 2023–24 Western Kentucky Lady Toppers basketball team |
| Western Kentucky Lady Toppers | |
| University: | Western Kentucky University |
| Firstseason: | 1914–15 |
| Record: | 1026–499 |
| Conference: | C-USA |
| Division: | East |
| Location: | Bowling Green, Kentucky |
| Coach: | Greg Collins |
| Tenure: | 6th |
| Arena: | E. A. Diddle Arena |
| Capacity: | 7,326 |
| Nickname: | Lady Toppers |
| Ncaarunnerup: | 1992 |
| Ncaafinalfour: | 1985, 1986, 1992 |
| Ncaaeliteeight: | 1985, 1986, 1992 |
| Ncaasweetsixteen: | 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995 |
| Ncaatourneys: | 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 |
| Conference Tournament: | Sun Belt 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2003, 2008, 2014 |
| Conference Season: | Kentucky State Champions: 1923 KIAC: 1929 Sun Belt: 1989, 1992, 1993, 1997 Sun Belt East: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 C-USA: 2015, 2017 |
| H Pattern B: | _thinsidesonwhite |
| H Body: | B01E24 |
| H Shorts: | B01E24 |
| H Pattern S: | _thinsidesonwhite |
| A Pattern B: | _thinwhitesides |
| A Body: | B01E24 |
| A Shorts: | B01E24 |
| A Pattern S: | _whitesides |
The Western Kentucky Lady Toppers basketball team represents Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The team currently competes in the NCAA Division I as a member of Conference USA. Greg Collins is entering his fourth season as the head coach of the Lady Toppers in 2021–22 after previously serving as the team's associate head coach under Michelle Clark-Heard.[1]
Western Kentucky University's women's basketball team has appeared in 32 national postseason tournaments, all since 1984.
The Lady Toppers have appeared in the NCAA tournament 20 times, with a record of 17–20. They were NCAA runners-up in 1992 and made Final Four appearances in 1985 and 1986.
| Final Four | Middle Tennessee Texas Mississippi vs. Georgia | W 77–55 W 92–90 W 72–68 L 78–91 | ||
| Final Four | St. Joseph’s vs. James Madison vs. Rutgers vs. Texas | W 74–65 W 72–51 W 89–74 L 65–90 | ||
| 1987 | First Round | at USC | L 69–81 | |
| 1988 | First Round | at Georgia | L 66–84 | |
| 1989 | First Round | West Virginia | L 57–66 | |
| 1990 | First Round | at DePaul | L 63–73 | |
| 1991 | Sweet Sixteen | Florida State at Tennessee | W 72–69 L 61–68 | |
| NCAA Finals | Alabama vs. Tennessee vs. Maryland vs. Southwest Missouri State vs. Stanford | W 98–68 W 75–70 W 75–70 W 84–72 L 62–78 | ||
| 1993 | Sweet Sixteen | Miami (FL) vs. Ohio State | W 78–63 L 73–86 | |
| 1994 | Second Round | at Rutgers at Southern Mississippi | W 84–73 L 69–72 | |
| 1995 | Sweet Sixteen | Toledo Oregon State at Tennessee | W 77–63 W 85–78 L 67–87 | |
| 1997 | First Round | vs. Arizona | L 54–76 | |
| 1998 | Second Round | vs. Stephen F. Austin at Tennessee | W 88–76 L 62–82 | |
| 2000 | Second Round | vs. Marquette at Duke | W 68–65 L 70–90 | |
| 2003 | First Round | vs. Rutgers | L 52–64 | |
| 2008 | First Round | vs. UTEP | L 60–92 | |
| 2014 | First Round | at Baylor | L 74–87 | |
| 2015 | First Round | vs. Texas | L 64–66 | |
| 2017 | First Round | vs. Ohio State | L 63–70 | |
| 2018 | First Round | vs. Oregon State | L 58–82 |
The Lady Toppers have appeared in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) 13 times, with an overall record of 18-15. They made the semifinals of the tournament in 2006 and 2007.
| 1984* | Third Round | vs. California vs. Vanderbilt vs. Clemson | W 82–76 L 68–79 L 106–110 (OT) | |
| 1996* | Third Round | vs. Arizona vs. Princeton vs. UC Santa Barbara | L 72–80 W 74–41 L 61–77 | |
| 2001 | Quarterfinals | Mississippi Indiana Ohio State | W 95–92 W 64–63 L 61–70 | |
| 2002 | First Round | at Illinois | L 84–91 | |
| 2004 | Quarterfinals | Cincinnati Memphis at UNLV | W 80–78 (OT) W 104–87 L 75–78 | |
| 2005 | First Round | Xavier | L 85–87 | |
| 2006 | Semifinals | Tennessee Tech Charlotte at Villanova at Kansas State | W 83–66 W 81–68 W 94–81 L 56–57 (OT) | |
| Semifinals | Minnesota Mississippi State Hofstra at Wisconsin | W 73–57 W 56–53 W 72–54 L 72–79 | ||
| First Round | Illinois | L 51–68 | ||
| Second Round | East Carolina at Auburn | W 88–77 (OT) L 66–84 | ||
| Quarterfinals | Dayton Tennessee-Martin at Saint Louis at South Dakota | W 89–72 W 64–57 W 78–76 (OT) L 54–68 | ||
| Third Round | at Miami (OH) Morehead State at Ohio | W 67–63 W 68–65 L 60–68 | ||
| First Round | at Kansas | L 72–86 |
See also: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders women's basketball.
| + WKU–Middle Tennessee: All-Time Record | Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | WKU wins | WKU losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78 | 1924–25 (lost 7–41) | January 23, 2021 (lost 60–77) | 33 | 45 |
See also: Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball.
| + WKU–Louisiana Tech: All-Time Record | Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | WKU wins | WKU losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | December 3, 1983 (lost 50–82) | January 9, 2021 (lost 52–58) | 23 | 27 |
See also: Louisville Cardinals women's basketball.
| + WKU–Louisville: All-Time Record | Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | WKU wins | WKU losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | 1921–22 (won 26–6) | November 5, 2019 (lost 56–75) | 25 | 22 |
See main article: E. A. Diddle Arena.
| Year | Rnd | Pick | Overall | Player name | Position | WNBA team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 3 | 1 | 33 | F | Houston Comets | ||
| 2006 | 3 | 8 | 36 | G | Los Angeles Sparks | ||
| 2008 | 3 | 3 | 31 | F | Houston Comets |