Game Notes: Wichita State (PDF) | Missouri State (PDF) | MVC Weekly Notebook (PDF)

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rv/- WICHITA STATE (10-5, 4-0 MVC) at MISSOURI STATE (6-10, 2-2 MVC)
Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016  | 8:00 p.m. CT
Springfield, Mo./JQH Arena

Telecast --
On Air: Cox Channel Kansas (Cox HD 2022), Time Warner Sportschannel (Kansas City), Fox Sports Midwest*
Streaming: ESPN3*
Announcers: Bruce Haertl & Shane Dennis
* - subject to blackout in Cox Channel Kansas viewing area and in Kansas City area

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

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 (10-5, 4-0 MVC) takes a five-game winning streak to Missouri State (6-10, 2-2 MVC) for an 8 p.m. CT tip that can be seen locally on Cox Channel Kansas, in Kansas City on Time Warner SportsChannel, and throughout the rest of the region on Fox Sports Midwest.
 
• A week ago, WSU sat in a four-way tie for first place in the MVC standings, but wins over fellow unbeatens Evansville (67-64) and Southern Illinois (83-58) - and an Illinois State loss to Indiana State - leaves the Shockers alone atop the conference. They've won five-straight - with four of those by 20+ points.
 
• A career-high 12 rebounds at SIU lifted Fred VanVleet over the 400-mark for his career. He becomes just the second player in MVC history to amass 1,000 career points, 500-assists and 400-rebounds (joining Indiana State's Jake Odum). The WSU All-American enters the night with 1,189 points, 521 assists and 407 boards.
 
• VanVleet has been at his best against MSU. His 5.13 career assist-to-turnover ratio against the Bears is his highest against any one MVC team.  In two meetings last year, VanVleet tallied 18 assists and just one turnover.
 
• The Shockers are 8-1 since the Dec. 5 return of VanVleet, who missed four November games with a hamstring injury and was slowed in two others. He's averaged 13.1 points, 5.8 assists and 2.1 steals in that  stretch.
 
• The Shockers have won 10-straight against Missouri State and held the Bears to just 53.0 points per game over that stretch. In fact, they've kept the Bears under 50 points in three of the last four meetings... On Feb. 7 in Wichita, WSU posted a 78-35 win -- the lowest scoring output for a Shocker opponent since December of 1980... In that game, VanVleet tallied the first triple-double by a Shocker since 1972 (10 pts, 10 reb, 11 assists).
 
• WSU is out to its fourth-consecutive 4-0 start to MVC play and is trying to reach 5-0 for the third-straight season.
 
• The Shockers have now won six-straight MVC road contests, and their 40 Valley road wins over the last six seasons are more than any other two teams combined (40-7, .851).
 
THIS ONE TIME, AT FRANKAMP…
In his first four MVC games, Conner Frankamp has drilled over half of his three-point attempts (9-of-17, .529). His nine triples  (2.25 per game) are especially impressive considering he averages just 16 minutes per game. When he's on the court, Frankamp has been one of the league's most productive shooters, averaging 5.54 treys per 40 minutes -  better than five entire MVC teams! It's also the sixth-best total nationally since Dec. 31.
 
3-Pointers Per 40 Minutes (MVC Games)
Conner Frankamp -- 5.54 
Drake  -- 5.50
Evansville -- 5.00     
Missouri State -- 4.75          
Loyola -- 4.50
Bradley -- 4.25         
 
After an 0-for-9 shooting start to his Shocker career, the semester transfer has found his groove. He's hit 14 of his last 28 from three-point range, including a 4-for-7 performance in Saturday's win at Southern Illinois.
 
NICE START
26 -- VanVleet's league-best assist total through four MVC games (nine more than any other player).
10 -- VanVleet steals - also a league-best.
 
BAKER NAMED TO LUTE OLSON MID-SEASON LIST
Ron Baker is one of 35 players on the Lute Olson Award Midseason Watch List. Those named to the list are considered frontrunners for the annual NABC-sponsored award, presented  to the nation's top Division I player who has played at least two seasons. Freshmen are not eligible. Baker was a finalist for the award last year.
 
HEAVY DUTY DUO
The Shockers' big-man platoon of Anton Grady and Shaquille Morris has become an effective weapon. In four MVC games, the pair have combined to average 16.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game.
 
TAKING IT TO YOUR LEADER
In back-to-back games last week, WSU held the MVC's top-two scorers in check. D.J. Balentine and Anthony Beane were a combined 9-of-31 from the field (.290). The Shockers have kept their opponent's leading scorer under his season average in each of the first four MVC games.
 
LAST SEASON vs. MISSOURI STATE
Jan. 21 (Springfield, Ill.) – WSU 76, MSU 53
• The Shockers hit 11-of-19 threes
• VanVleet, Baker and Cotton tallied 15 points each
• WSU outrebounded MSU 40-24, helped by 17 offensive boards.
 
Feb. 7 (Wichita, Kan.) – WSU 78, MSU 35
• VanVleet had WSU's 1st triple-double since '72 (10 pts, 10 rbs, 11 ast)
• Baker reached 1,000 career points late in the first half.
• MSU's 35 points was the lowest total for a WSU foe in 35 years.
• 42-points - Largest win for either side in the series' 75-year history
• WSU swept the regular season series for the fourth-straight year
 
THE SERIES with MISSOURI STATE
• A 10-game winning streak has given WSU the series lead, 37-30. Wednesday night's game marks the 68th meeting.
• A win would extend the streak to 11-games, tied for the second-longest series run in school history (WSU won 11-straight vs. Drake between 1981-86 and has an active string of 12-in-a-row vs. Bradley).
• The teams have met regularly since 1988. MSU joined the MVC in 1990 and dominated WSU for most of the first decade.
• The Shockers have won 24 of the last 31 since 2003.
• WSU is 10-0 in four seasons of battle against Missouri State coach Paul Lusk with four wins in Springfield, four in Wichita and a pair of MVC quarterfinal victories in St. Louis.
• Since pulling out a 19-point comeback in keep their unbeaten season alive on Jan. 11, 2014, the Shockers have posted four-straight 20+ point wins over the Bears.
• The Bears' last series win was a big one on the final day of the 2010-11 regular season in a winner-take-all battle for the MVC crown. MSU triumphed 69-64. The loss cost WSU a possible NCAA Tourney bid but set a course for their eventual NIT title.
 
In Wichita...
• WSU has won 17 of the last 19 series home games.
 
In Springfield...
• JQH Arena is just over seven-years old, but WSU has already won as many games there as it did in 23 visits to the old Hammons Center (5-2 at JQH, 5-18 at Hammons).
• The Shockers lost their first 14 at the Hammons Center before finally breaking through in 2003. Since then, they're 9-4 in Springfield.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARS
• Picked eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, Missouri State is off to a solid start to loop play at 2-2. Since dropping their first two contests, they've bounced back to defeat Northern Iowa and Loyola on last-second shots.
• Dequon Miller was responsible for both game-winners. The act earned him MVC Newcomer of the Week honors for the second-straight week and for the fourth time this year.
• The Bears are 1-4 against the RPI top-100 and 0-2 against the top-50. Their best win came a week ago over No. 97 UNI, and they also own a home victory against No. 107 Oral Roberts.
• Like WSU earlier this season, Missouri State has been hit hard by injuries. Austin Ruder (8.5 points last year), Dorrian Williams (7.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists this season), Chris Kendrix (10.8 points, 4.3 rebounds), Shawn Roundtree (3.0 points) all missed the most recent game at Loyola. Ruder and Roundtree have been out since November.
• The Bears rank third in the MVC - just behind WSU - in rebound margin at +1.7 and are third in blocks at 3.7 per contest.
 
THE STAKES
A Shocker Win Would...
... be their ninth win in 10 tries and extend their season-best winning streak to six-games.
... extend their MVC road winning streak to seven games, dating back to last February.
... be Gregg Marshall's 215th at WSU - five shy of Ralph Miller (220) for the school's all-time record.
... be their fifth-straight in Springfield and improve them to 6-2 all-time at JQH Arena.
... be their 11th straight against MSU.
... improve them to 5-0 in MVC play for the third-consecutive year.
... tie senior Evan Wessel for sixth on WSU's all-time wins list (94) with David Kyles (2008-12).
A Shocker Loss Would...
...snap a five-game winning streak.
...be just their second in the last three MVC seasons.
... snap a 10-game winning streak against MSU.
... be less good than a win.
 
UP NEXT
WSU returns home to face Indiana State, 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17 on ESPN3.
 
The Shockers lead the all-time series 55-29... WSU is 16-4 against the Sycamores under Gregg Marshall and has won 25 of the past 29 meetings overall... WSU recent run of success in Terre Haute has helped get them over the .500 mark there at 20-18 all-time... In a scheduling quirk, the two teams did not play their first meeting until the two-thirds of the way through last year's conference schedule. They met twice in the last three weeks, with WSU winning 74-57 in Wichita and 63-53 in Terre Haute to up their overall winning streak against the Sycamores to six games.