Moore headlines Tops’ versatile roster
Published 2:15 pm Saturday, October 31, 2026
Western Kentucky’s Teagan Moore (30) puts up a shot during Western Kentucky’s 82-80 win over Middle Tennessee on Saturday, February 14, 2026 at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky.
(Caleb Lowndes)
Teagan Moore has long been a problem for opposing Conference USA defenders.
The 6-foot-6 redshirt junior guard – if that’s what you want to call him – is a unique blend of strength and touch in the paint, with the ability to step outside the 3-point arc and knock down a triple if given the opportunity.
The Hilltoppers have endeavored to surround the Dry Ridge native with players just like him this season – it’s position-less basketball in practice, even if the players have have designated positions on the roster. And it’s just the style that Moore has thrived in as a college player.
“We’re definitely a lot younger than we’ve been in years past and I think that’s kind of to our advantage,” Moore said. “We’re a little quicker, a little more athletic, a little faster. I think we’re going to play with more length than we’ve had in years past, and we’re more interchangeable like position-wise as we’ve been in a couples years past. And I think that’s going to definitely help us with our pace and playing fast like we want to.”
WKU is picked to win CUSA this year in the preseason coaches’ poll, and Moore is a major reason for that. After finishing second in the league in scoring (18.7 points per game) and third in field-goal percentage (52.9%), the ultra-efficient Moore is the CUSA preseason player of the year.
“I think it’s a great honor to be picked by your peers and and fellow coaches for that honor,” Moore said. “But at the end of the day, it really doesn’t give us any advantage on the court. It just puts a target on our back. So I think everybody’s going to give us their best shot this year in conference and we’re up for the challenge.”
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It’s a challenge Moore is looking forward to and one of the reasons he was among the group from last year’s team – along with fellow “guards” Armelo Boone, LJ Hackman, Kade Unseld and Lawson Rice – that elected to come back and try and improve on last year’s 18-14 finish that included an 11-9 record in league play.
Moore, originally recruited by former head coach Rick Stansbury and his staff, maintained his commitment when Stansbury resigned following the 2022-23 season to play for Steve Lutz. That 2023-24 team sailed through the CUSA tournament to win the title and earn an NCAA Tournament berth. Moore as an important contributor as a true freshman, scoring 6.2 points and averaging 2.3 rebounds as his minutes ticked up and up as the season went on.
A hip injury sidelined Moore the entered 2024-25 season as a medical redshirt, but he came back strong last season – his second with Plona as head coach after the former Lutz assistant was elevated to the top job following Lutz’s departure for Oklahoma State. Even after his breakout season, Moore determined that WKU was the place to be.
“I think just the culture that’s built here, whether that’s between the coaches, whether that’s between us that wanted to stay and just believing in what Coach Hank works to get out of us every single day – whether that’s on the court or off the court,” Moore said. “So we all love it here and we all wanted to stay and give us another shot.”
As good as Moore was last season, he thinks he still has plenty of room to grow as a player and has been working to do just that during the summer and now in the fall as the Tops prepare to open the regular season at home Monday against Morehead State.
About Jeff Nations
Sports Editor, Bowling Green Daily News
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