WKU at No. 16/16 Wichita State

Game 2: 12 a.m. | Tues., Nov. 12

Charles Koch Arena (10,506) | Wichita, Kan.

ESPN2: Dave Flemming, Mark Adams  

WSU Radio: KNSS 1330 - Mike Kennedy / Dave Dahl  shockerradio.com

Tonight's Game...  No. 16/16 Wichita State (1-0) plays Western Kentucky in its second home game in three days to open the 2013-14 regular season. ESPN2 is in the Roundhouse for the Midnight game as a part of the Tip-Off Marathon. Wichita State will hand out Rockstar energy drinks prior to the game, courtesy of Pepsi.

-The Shockers will also celebrate the 2013 Final Four by dropping the banner tonight.

-WSU was also a part of the ESPN Tip-Off Marathon a year ago, but travelled to VCU and played an evening game in the 8 p.m., Central time slot. WSU defeated VCU, 53-51, on Malcolm Armstead's shot with six seconds remaining.

-WSU opened the season against the Emporia State Hornets on Saturday afternoon with a 93-50 win.  

-Gregg Marshall increased his record in games that his team scored 90 points to 18-0.

-Wichita State has won more than 20 games the last four seasons, and looks to increase the school record to a fifth-straight season.

-The Shockers return seven players from last year's Final Four team. 

-WSU is in its 107th season and 11th season inside the reconstructed Charles Koch Arena. 

Last Meeting... WKU last played in Charles Koch Arena during the 2004-05 season when former WSU Head Coach Mark Turgeon coached the Shockers to an 85-81 win on March 19 in the second round of the 2005 Postseason NIT, a year before the 2006 Sweet 16 run. WSU went on to lose at Vanderbilt after the WKU win. WKU leads the series 3-1.

On Gregg Marshall... Head Coach Gregg Marshall is in his seventh season at WSU and his 17th season overall. Wichita State set a record for most wins in a season during the 2012-13 season, collecting 30 wins and its first trip to the Final Four since 1965. Marshall earned the MVC Coach of the year honor for the second year in a row and holds a 334-153 career record and a 140-70 record at WSU.

Redshirts Announced... Freshman guard Ria'n Holland and freshman forward Shaquille Morris are slated for redshirt status at this time, Head Coach Gregg Marshall announced Friday.

Shockers Receive Unanimous Vote to Win Valley Title...After a second place finish a year ago, Wichita State is the clear favorite to win the Valley title, receiving all possible first place votes from conference coaches, SID's, and media members...Senior Forward Cleanthony Early was voted as the Preseason Player of the Year and sophomore Ron Baker was named to the MVC Preseason team.

Wichita State Ranked Preseason No. 16 in USA Today Coaches Poll...The Shockers begin the 2013-14 campaign ranked No. 16, according to the USA Today Coaches Poll...Wichita State was ranked as high as No. 15 during 2013-13 before finishing No. 4 after losing to eventual NCAA Champion, Louisville.

Also Preseason No. 16 in AP poll ... Wichita State men's basketball team came in at No. 16 when The Associated Press' and the USA Today's preseason college basketball polls. The full polls are on page two.

Hectic Schedule... Wichita State is in the midst of a string of four games in eight days from Nov. 9th to the 16th, which matches a string to open the season a year ago. After today and Western Kentucky late Monday night, WSU plays host to William & Mary Nov. 14 and Tennessee State, Nov. 16, in the home games of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. The Shockers take their first road trip of the season, Nov. 20, at Tulsa.

Exhibition Game Quickly...Wichita State defeated Oklahoma Baptist 73-29, Sat., evening in Charles Koch Arena in its lone exhibition game of the 2013-14 season. Kadeem Coleby led Wichita State with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, Cleanthony Early added 10 points and led the team with seven rebounds in the victory.

TV Coming Up... WSU's next telecast will be Thurs., Nov. 14, when William & Mary comes to Charles Koch Arena for the first Kansas22 TV game of the year with Bruce Haertl and Craig Steven. After that, the game at Tulsa will be telecast on CBS Sports Network.

Chair of the Boards...Since 2010-11, the last three-plus seasons, Wichita State is 80-16 when out-rebounding opponents and 6-6 when getting out-rebounded. Since Gregg Marshall arrived at WSU, the Shockers have out-rebounded 168-of-210 opponents, including 33 of 39 in 2013-14. Here is the breakdown the last four years:

2010-11 - 27-6 when out-rebounding, 2-2 when getting out-rebounded.

2011-12 - 25-4 when out-rebounding, 2-2 when getting out-rebounded.

2012-13 - 27-6 when out-rebounding, 2-2 when getting out-rebounded.

2013-14 - 1-0 when out-rebounding.

Winning Percentage Climbing... Wichita State endured a six-game losing streak during the 2008-09 season, but finished 11-6 down the stretch. Overall since that streak, including the 2012-13 season's 30-9 record, head coach Gregg Marshall is 112-33 in his last 145 games for a 77 percent winning percentage.

Marshall in Third...Gregg Marshall carries a 140-70 WSU record. Last season he movied past Mark Turgeon's 128 wins on the all-time wins list at WSU. Ralph Miller (1951-64) and Gene Smithson (1978-86) rank in front of Marshall with 220 and 155 wins, respectively.

80-Plus is the Magic Number... Gregg Marshall is 87-4 in his career at WSU and Winthrop when his teams score 80 or more points, which includes a 33-1 record in the last six-plus seasons at WSU. He is also 18-0 when his teams have scored 90-plus points in his 16 seasons as a head coach.

Shocker Nation... Wichita State carries a 132 regular-season game streak of more than 10,000 fans in Charles Koch Arena.

Poll Position... When Wichita State was ranked in the 2013-14 Preseason poll, it marked the first time since the 1981-82, 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons three-straight Shocker squads were ranked. WSU entered the two polls in 2013-14 at the earliest mark possible, the preseason at No. 16 in both the USA Today and AP polls. Wichita State entered the 2012-13 AP Top 25 at No. 24 on Dec. 3 and finished the final USA Today poll ranked No. 4. The Shockers spent five weeks in the poll in 2011-12, finishing No. 18 in the final AP poll.

NBA-Shockers... Toure Murry (Knicks) and Gal Mekel (Mavericks) are the first former Shockers to play in the NBA in some time. Murry (2008-09 to 2011-12) is the first four-year Shocker to suit out in regular-season NBA games since Antoine Carr (1979-80 to 1982-83)last played in Vancouver for the Grizzlies during the 1999-00 season. Carr had a 17-year NBA career. Mekel played his freshman and sophomore seasons (2006-07 to 2007-08) at WSU before returning to Israel to play professionally. The last former Shocker to play in the NBA was two-year (1997-98/1998-99) WSU starter Maurice Evans. Evans spent nine years (2001-02/2004-05 to 2011-12) in the NBA in various roles, including an off-the-court role as vice president of the NBA Players Association.