Game Notes: Wichita State (PDF) | Drake (PDF)

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DRAKE (5-7) at WICHITA STATE (6-5)
Dec. 31, 2015  | 1:00 p.m. CT
Wichita, Kan./ Charles Koch Arena

Telecast --
On Air: ESPNU
Streaming: WatchESPN (Link)
Announcers: Rich Hollenberg & Mark Adams

Radio --
On Air: KEYN 103.7 FM
Online: goshockers.com/watch
Announcers: Mike Kennedy & Dave Dahl

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

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OPENING TIPS
 
• Wichita State (6-5) opens Missouri Valley Conference play Thursday with a special 1 p.m. New Year's Eve tip against Drake (5-7).
 
• The teams have been New Year's Eve dates in consecutive years now. WSU opened its 2014-15 MVC championship run on Dec. 31, 2014 with a 66-58 decision in Des Moines.
 
• WSU is looking for its eighth-straight win over Drake. The Bulldogs have also dropped seven-in-a-row in Wichita, last leaving Charles Koch Arena with a victory on Dec. 29, 2007.
 
• The Shockers haven't seen action since Dec. 22 with the postponement of Monday evening's scheduled game against New Mexico State. The Aggies were unable to secure a flight out of Las Cruces, N.M. due to fallout from Winter Storm Goliath. A makeup date has not been announced.
 
• A win Thursday would also run WSU's home court winning streak (currently the third-longest in the nation) to 38 games and tie Tulsa (1980-82) for the fourth-longest in MVC history.
 
• WSU has captured its last five MVC openers with starts of 4-0 or better in each of the last three seasons.
 
• The Shockers are 55-8 at home against the MVC since the start of the 2008-09 season and have won 18 straight conference games at Koch Arena - 8 shy of the school record, set between 1982-85.
 
• The Shockers are 4-1 during the month of December, with wins over two RPI top-100 foes (Utah, 30; UNLV 70).
 
• WSU's five non-conference losses this year equals its combined total from the previous four seasons. From 2011-15 the Shockers were 45-5 in non-conference play (.900).
 
• WSU has played the nation's 7th-toughest schedule, according to the NCAA's RPI report, and their opponents' average rank of 102 ranks second.
 
• Evan Wessel will participate in his 100th game as a Shocker. His .899 career winning percentage is tops among 2016 seniors.
 
• Fred VanVleet begins the night five assists shy of the 500-mark. His next assist ties Indiana State's Nate Green (1996-2000) for 14th on the Missouri Valley Conference's all-time list. Only 13 players in MVC history have reached 500.
 
• In the five games since his return from injury, VanVleet is averaging a team-high 14.0 points, 5.2 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 50 percent from three-point range (9-of-18). WSU is 4-1 during that stretch after going 1-3 without him.
 
• WSU ranks eighth nationally in turnover margin (+5.5 per game).
 
LAST TIME vs. DRAKE:
Jan. 25, 2015 | Wichita, Kan.
WSU 74, Drake 40
 
• Tekele Cotton grabbed the title of "All-Time Winningest Shocker" with 10 points to go with 15 from Ron Baker, and No. 14 Wichita State cruised past Drake, 74-40.
• Cotton participated in his 108th career win – one more than former teammate Demetric Williams, who amassed 107 from 2009-13.
• The Shockers struggled in Des Moines in their MVC opener but looked much sharper in the rematch, running their conference winning streak to 26 games with their largest margin of victory in that stretch (34 points).
• A total of 15 players saw action for WSU, and 13 of them scored points. The Shockers topped 50 percent from the field in both halves on their way to 51.9 percent for the day.
• Baker was 5-for-11 overall, 3-of-7 from three-point range. Fred VanVleet chipped in eight points, four steals and six assists with just one turnover.
• Shaquille Morris missed WSU's trip to Drake but was a factor on both offense and defense, Sunday, scoring nine points to go with three rebounds and a block.
• Drake center Jacob Enevold put up a double-double against the Shockers earlier in the year with 15 rebounds, but had more turnovers (5) than points (4) in Round No. 2.
• Despite going deep into its bench, WSU turned the ball over just five times and committed only one giveaway in the second half. Drake finished the game with 17 turnovers.
 
SERIES NOTES:
• This is the 148th meeting all-time between the two programs.
• The Shockers defeated Drake for the 100th time (their highest total against any one opponent) and have won 39 of the last 43 against the Bulldogs in Wichita.
• WSU has won seven-straight in the series and seven-in-a-row at Charles Koch Arena.
• Ron Baker averaged 14.5 points in four previous meeting with Drake, and fellow senior Fred VanVleet (6-0 vs. the Bulldogs) averages 9.8 points and 5.0 assists.
 
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:
• Led by the scoring duo of sophomore Reed Timmer (18.8 points per game) and junior Northwestern transfer Kale Abrahamson (17.1), Drake is out to a 5-7 start.
 
• The Bulldogs were picked seventh in the MVC preseason poll, ahead of Missouri State, Southern Illinois, and Bradley.
• Timmer was a member of the MVC's All-Freshman and All-Newcomer teams last year. He scored a season-high 30 points earlier this month against DePaul, going 13-of-17 at the foul line.
• Abrahamson is already a two-time winner of the MVC's Newcomer of the Week honor, claiming the award last week. His 41 points against Western Kentucky on Nov. 23 were the most by a Bulldog since 1981.
• Drake's .432 three-point field goal percentage is eighth-best nationally. The Bulldogs have hit 10+ three-pointers in four-straight contests and in four of their last six.
 
MAN OF MARCH
CBS Sports' original series "Men of March" features Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall in a 30-minute episode, airing three more times on CBS Sports Network over the next week: Dec. 31 (3:30 p.m.), Jan. 7 (12:30 a.m.) and Jan. 8 (9:00 a.m.).
 
Where to find the CBS Sports Network in Wichita:
Cox Cable (channel 2260), DirectTV (channel 221), DISH (158), FiOS (594), U-Verse (1643)
 
UP NEXT
The Shockers hit the road Sunday to take on Bradley in a 1 p.m. CT tip that can be seen locally on Cox Channel Kansas and online via ESPN3. WSU hosts Evansville on Wed., Jan. 6 (7 p.m., CBSSN).