This is a question my brother and I were searching for an answer for durng the first and second rounds of the tournament in Portland, Oregon.
We asked basketball fans…bartenders…even the Western Kentucky cheerleaders. No one would or could tell us what a hilltopper was…until now.

“The evolution of the nickname ‘Hilltoppers’ is obvious to those who have seen the Western Kentucky campus. – Since the summit of ‘the Hill’ rises 232 feet above nearby Barren River and the comparatively level plain that surrounds it, it was only natural that the athletes who represented the institution should come to be known as the ‘Hilltoppers.'”

Go Toppers!

And finally if you ever get a chance to go to a March Madness game, go, you’ll love it. This video explains it all.