Sports Update: Thursday, November 9th

In Thursday’s college basketball matchup, the WKU Hilltoppers (1-0) face off against the Wichita State Shockers (1-0). The Hilltoppers secured a convincing 90-64 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan in their season opener, while the Shockers defeated Lipscomb 76-59 in their season opener on Monday night. WKU leads the all-time series 3-2, but the Shockers won the last meeting with a score of 66-49 on November 11, 2013. Live coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET, with tipoff at 7:30 p.m. on WTLO AM 1480/97.7 FM.

In Thursday night NFL action, the struggling Carolina Panthers (1-7) take on the Chicago Bears (2-7) with a kickoff at 8 p.m. The game can be watched on Prime Video.

Looking ahead to Friday in high school football, the second round of the Class 2A playoffs features the Leslie Co. Eagles (7-4) visiting the Somerset Briar Jumpers (8-3). The Briar Jumpers previously defeated the Eagles 36-13 in Hyden on October 20th. Live broadcast coverage will begin at 6:45 p.m., and the opening kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Somerset 106.1 FM & Somerset106.com.

In Class 5A, the Pulaski Co. Maroons (4-7) will take on the Southwestern Warriors (8-3). The Warriors have secured five consecutive victories over the Maroons, including a 28-16 victory on October 20th. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

On Friday in college basketball, the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions (0-1) will face the No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats (1-0) with a tipoff at 7 p.m. This game can be watched on SEC Network Plus.

Moving to Saturday’s college football action, the No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide (8-1/6-0 SEC) will visit the Kentucky Wildcats (6-3/3-3 SEC) in Kentucky’s final home game of 2023. The Cats are coming off a solid 24-3 victory against Mississippi State, and the Crimson Tide enter the game after a 42-28 win over LSU. Alabama leads Kentucky in the all-time series 38-2-1. The Crimson Tide has the upper hand in games played in Lexington, leading 15-2. Kentucky’s two wins over Alabama came in Lexington, with a 6-0 victory in 1922 and a memorable 40-34 (OT) win in 1997. The game will kick off at noon, with live coverage provided by ESPN.

Also on Saturday, the New Mexico State Aggies (7-3/5-1 CUSA) will visit the WKU Hilltoppers (5-4/3-2 CUSA) in Bowling Green. This marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams. WKU is coming off a 21-13 win at UTEP, while the Aggies secured a 13-7 victory over Middle Tennessee last week, extending their winning streak to five games. The kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, and live coverage will begin at 2:30 p.m. on WTLO AM 1480/97.7 FM.

In Sunday’s NFL action, the Houston Texans (4-4) will play the Cincinnati Bengals (5-3). The Bengals aim to make it five straight wins when they host the Houston Texans at Paycor Stadium this Sunday. The Bengals are coming off a 24-18 home win over the Buffalo Bills last Sunday Night. The Texans defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 39-37 last week. Houston leads the series 8-5, including 2-0 in the postseason. The Texans lead the series 4-2 in games played in Cincinnati. Houston has won three of the last four meetings, but the Bengals won the most recent game, 37-31 in Houston in 2020. Live coverage begins at 11:30 a.m., with kickoff at 1 p.m. on WTLO AM 1480/97.7 FM and seen nationally on CBS.