Game Notes: Wichita State | Emporia State

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WICHITA, Kan. -- Coach Gregg Marshall goes in search of his 400^th career victory as No. 9/11 Wichita State (1-1) hosts Emporia State (0-2), Saturday afternoon at Charles Koch Arena, Home of Devlin Court.
 
Tipoff is set for 2:00 pm CT on Cox Channel Kansas.  The game will count as a regular season contest for the Shockers but is considered an exhibition for Division II Emporia State.
 
The Shockers are looking to bounce back from their first November non-conference loss in nearly three years. They haven't dropped consecutive games at any point in the schedule since the February of 2013 when they fell to Evansville and Creighton to close out the regular season.
 

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COVERAGE:

 Telecast---
On Air: Cox Channel Kansas (statewide via Cox Communications) with similcasts in select markets, including Kansas City..
Online: ESPN3 (subject to blackout in Cox Kansas and KC viewing areas)
Announcers: Mark Ewing (PBP) and Bob Hull (Analyst)

Channel Listings, by location ---
*Wichita (& statewide) – Cox Communications – Cox Channel Kansas – 22 (HD 2022)
*Kansas City – Time Warner Cable – TWC SportsChannel 2
*Outside Cox Kansas and Kansas City markets – ESPN3.com
 
 Radio ---
On Air: FM 103.7 KEYN
Online: GoShockers.com
Announcers: Mike Kennedy (PBP), Dave Dahl (Analyst)

 Live Stats ---
StatBroadcast
 
 Social Media ---
Twitter: @GoShockers, @GoShockersLive
Facebook: facebook.com/WichitaStateUniversityAthletics
Instagram: instagram.com/goshockers
Exposure: goshockers.exposure.co
 

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THE SERIES:
This is the 70^th meeting in the all-time series, dating back to 1907, but only the second since 1954. WSU leads 41-28 (21-12 in Wichita).
 
WSU is facing an in-state D-II opponent in a regular season game for the fourth time in five years. The Shockers scored a Gregg Marshall Era-high 105 points in a 48-point win over Newman last November. They are 5-0 under Marshall against D-II programs with an average margin of victory of 38.0 points.
 
Nov. 23, 2014 -- WSU 105, Newman 57 (+48)
Nov. 9, 2013 -- WSU 93, Emporia State 50 (+43)
Dec. 19, 2011 -- WSU 102, Newman 53 (+49)
Nov. 23, 2010 ^– WSU 79, Chaminade 58 ^ (+21)
Nov. 18, 2009 % – WSU 79, Arkansas-Monticello 50 % (+29)
 
^ - Maui Invitational (Maui, Hawaii)
% - Old Spice Classic preliminary round game (Wichita, Kan.)
 
ABOUT HAWAII PACIFIC:
The Division II Hornets went 0-2 last weekend at the MIAA/NSIC Challenge in Hays, dropping close games to Sioux Falls (S.D.), 85-81, and Southwest Minnesota, 80-75. They also fell 80-42 at Kansas State in an early exhibition on Oct. 30… ESU continues a difficult opening stretch to its schedule on Nov. 24 against Northwestern Oklahoma State.
 
CURRENT SHOCKERS vs. ESU
In the 2013-14 opener – the first of 35 consecutive Shocker wins to begin the year – WSU defeated the Hornets 93-50. Fred VanVleet shined in his first career start with 12 points, six rebounds, six assists (without a turnover) and four steals… Ron Baker went 7-of-9 from the field on his way to 17 points and added six assists of his own… Evan Wessel kicked in four points and three rebounds off the bench… Zach Bush hit a three and played a career-high eight minutes, and fellow walk-on John Robert Simon contributed two assists and two rebounds in seven minutes.
 
WICHITA TIES
ESU senior Terrence Moore and WSU fifth-year senior Evan Wessel were teammates for three seasons and won three state championships at Wichita Heights High School. Moore is the Hornets' leading scorer at 21.0 points per game… Pratt-product Micah Swank has Wichita ties, as well. He played his freshman season at Wichita's Trinity Academy, where his father, David, served as head coach.
 
ABOUT WSU
Two-time defending MVC Champion Wichita State is led by preseason All-Americans and two-time All-Valley selections Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet. The ninth-ranked Shockers are in search of their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament trip in 2016 and are coming off back-to-back-to-back 30-win seasons. WSU returns three starters and nine total lettermen from a team that finished 30-5 and advanced to the Sweet 16.
 
WSU IN THE POLLS
No. 10 Wichita State extended the nation's fourth-longest active streak in the Associated Press poll after opening with a Top-10 ranking for the first time in 34 years… The Shockers' current run of 41-straight weeks in the AP rankings is one of the longest in Division I basketball, trailing only Duke (157 weeks), Kansas (125) and Arizona (61)… This is WSU's fourth preseason Top-10 appearance but its first since the 1981-82 campaign when it opened at No. 6 with a roster boasting future NBA standouts Antoine Carr and Cliff Levingston… WSU has spent 17 weeks in the Top-10 under head coach Gregg Marshall and 62 overall.
 
LAST TIME OUT
No. 9 WSU built a five-point lead early in the second half, but host Tulsa roared back for a 77-67 victory. The loss snapped a school-record seven-game winning streak for the Shockers against their former MVC rival… Ron Baker scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, and Anton Grady chipped in a season-high 18 points to go with nine rebounds… Fred VanVleet scored 11 points – all in the first half… Key Stat: After producing 51 bench points in the opener, WSU managed just eight in its first true road game.
 
CHASING 400
Head coach Gregg Marshall (399-160, 18^th season) is one win shy of the 400 mark… He'd be only the 12^th Division I coach in history to hit that milestone within his first 18 seasons… Marshall is one of only 11 coaches with 398 or more wins in his first 17 seasons… He entered the year 17^th among active Division I head coaches in career winning percentage (.715) and is 49^th in total victories… Marshall's 205-77 mark at WSU is 15wins shy of all-time wins leader Ralph Miller (220-133).
 
A HOME RUN
WSU has won a school-record 33-straight home games (31-in-a-row at Charles Koch Arena), last falling to Evansville on senior night in 2012-13… The run of 33 is the nation's third-longest active streak, trailing only Arizona (41) and North Carolina Central (36) and is tied for the fifth-longest in MVC history and second-longest by an active member, trailing Bradley (46) and even with Southern Illinois (33).
 
The Shockers' 32-straight non-conference home wins is the nation's fourth-best run, behind Duke (118) and Minnesota.
 
An expected capacity crowd for Friday night's opener would push WSU's home sellout streak to 33, stretching back to the end of the 2012-13 campaign and be the 169^th consecutive regular season crowd of 10,000 or more (dating back to December, 2004).
 
WSU is 89-8 at home since the start of the 2009-10 campaign… Seniors Ron Baker (35-0) and Evan Wessel (41-0) have never participated in a loss on their home floor.
 
BAKER OFF TO A SIZZLING START
Ron Baker has been strong out of the gate, averaging a team-high 19.0 points to go with 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest… Baker topped 20 points for the 10^th time in his Shocker career Tuesday night at Tulsa and has been the leading scorer in each of the first two games.
 
A+ GRADY
Cleveland State transfer Anton Grady was a force down the stretch against Tulsa, with 14 second-half points on 4-of-6 shooting (5-of-6 at the foul line). He's been to the line 14 times in his first two games, putting him on track for 210 free throw attempts by the end of the regular season. That pace would put him in the top-seven on WSU's single-season attempts list with a good chance to crack the top-three during the MVC Tournament.
 
BAKER CLOSING IN ON WSU'S CAREER TOP-25
Ron Baker (1,183) needs one more point to crack the top-25 on WSU's all-time scoring list and will likely pass up a couple of 1970s Shocker legends on Saturday. He's one shy of Cal Bruton for 25th (1,184 points, 1972-76), three behind Robert Elmore for 24^th (1,186 points, 1973-77).
 
VANVLEET RISING ON THE CAREER WINS LIST
Senior Fred VanVleet is one of the nation's winningest seniors by volume (96 career wins). He needs one more to match Garrett Stutz (97) for fourth on WSU's all-time victories list and two to match Toure' Murry (98). Stutz and Murry were teammates from 2009-12.
 
THREE-POINT FLURRY
Even with limited mobility at Tulsa, VanVleet showed why he's a preseason All-American in several publications with a three-point flurry to end the first half. With WSU trailing by eight points late in the first half, he connected on a 30-footer with 1:17 to go, then drilled triples on each of the next two trips down. The last – a step back from NBA range – gave WSU a one-point lead heading into the locker room.
 
OTHER MILESTONES TO WATCH
-- With his three-point flurry at Tulsa (three treys in the final 1:17 of the first half), VanVleet became the just the 22^nd Shocker in to reach the 100-mark for his career. He enters Saturday with 101, tied with John Cooper (1987-91) on the all-time list…
-- VanVleet (469 career assists) is 31 away from 500. He's already WSU's all-time leader and is looking to become just the 15^th in MVC history to reach the 500-mark.
-- Baker (114 career steals) is tied with Paul Guffrovich and Xavier McDaniel for 11^th on the WSU list. He needs five more to crack the top-10.
 
PAN AM GLAM
Prior to the game, Baker will be presented with a plaque in honor of his bronze-medal effort at this summer's Pan American Games. Baker started all five games for the United States in Toronto and was one of most impressive collegiate players in a competition that featured a mix of college, NBA D-League and overseas pros. He saw the most court time of the seven American collegians and tallied a team-high eight steals while averaging just over 8.0 points per contest.
 
VANVLEET ON THE MEND
Senior All-American Fred VanVleet started but played just three minutes in the opener after twisting his ankle. A sore hamstring limited him against Tulsa. He's questionable for Saturday's game against the Hornets… VanVleet has never missed a game in his four-year career and has active streaks of 73-consecutive starts and 112-consecutive games played.
 
A SHOCKER VICTORY WOULD…
… give head coach, Gregg Marshall 400 for his career.
… extend WSU's school-record home winning streak to 34 - fifth-longest in MVC history and the second-longest by an active Valley school.
… be their 32^nd straight win at Charles Koch Arena and improve their building record to 90-8 since the start of the 2009-10 season.
… give WSU a 42-28 lead in the all-time series with Emporia State (22-12 in Wichita)
… improve WSU to 6-0 against NCAA Division II opponents under Marshall.
… give them 21-consecutive November home wins, dating back to 2008.
… up their record against non-conference opponents to 47-6 (.887) since the start of the 2010-11 season.
… extend their non-conference home winning streak to 33.
 
NEXT:
WSU travels to Orlando, Fla. next week to compete in the AdvoCare Invitational. The Shockers open Thanksgiving Day against Southern California (1 p.m. CT on ESPN2) and will face either Alabama or Xavier on Friday. If WSU wins its opener it would play a semifinal game that day against the winner of Alabama and Xavier at 1:30 pm CT (ESPNU). A Thursday loss would drop WSU into the consolation side of the bracket at 11:00 am CT on ESPN3. The tournament concludes Sunday with seventh-place through championship pairings.