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

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BRADLEY (3-17, 1-6 MVC) at rv/rv WICHITA STATE (13-5, 7-0 MVC)
Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016  | 2:00 p.m. CT
Wichita, Kan./Charles Koch Arena

Telecast --
On Air: Cox Channel Kansas (Cox HD 2022), Timer Warner SportsChannel 2 (TWC Kansas City)
Streaming*: Link
Announcers: Bruce Haertl & Bob Hull
* - subject to blackout in Kansas and the Kansas City metro area

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
• First-place Wichita State (13-5, 7-0 MVC) looks to notch its first series sweep of the year when it plays host to Bradley (3-17, 1-6), Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT on Cox Channel Kansas.

• The Braves are the nation's youngest team - 10 of their 11 active players are freshmen. Leading scorer and rebounder, Donte Thomas (8.7 points, 5.4 boards) is a sophomore. Senior KaDarryl Bell (3.5 points, 1.1 rebounds), the team's lone upperclassman has been out with a fractured hand.
 
• WSU has won 12-straight over Bradley. A Shocker win in Peoria earlier this month established a new school mark for consecutive wins over one MVC foe.
 
• Among the current Valley membership, there have only been four recorded instances of one conference team defeating a other 13 or more consecutive times. SIU holds the record with 17-straight wins against Drake (2000-08).
 
 • The Shockers are on a season-high eight-game winning streak. A Saturday victory would give them nine-in-a-row for the seventh time under Gregg Marshall and for the 18th time in program history.
 
 • WSU also enters the day with a 40-game home winning streak (second-longest nationally behind Arizona's 49) and a 21-game MVC home winning streak (tied for the second-longest in school history and four away from the record, set from 1982-85).
 
 • Behind 21 points from Ron Baker, WSU avenged its lone MVC setback of the past three seasons with a 74-55 decision Wednesday night at UNI. It was the most-lopsided home loss in the McLeod Center's 10-year history.
 
• The Shockers have led at the midway point in 15-straight home games, with 10 of those by double-digits. Bradley is the last visiting team to take a lead into halftime at Charles Koch Arena (28-27 on Jan. 7, 2015), though WSU eventually emerged with a comfortable 63-43 win. 
 
• With his six steals last week, VanVleet (195 career thefts) needs just five more to become the 17th player in MVC history to reach the 200-mark.
 
• Senior forward Anton Grady is three rebounds away from hitting the 800-mark for his career. Only 17 other active players in Division I have reached that plateau.
 
• Marshall (217 wins in nine seasons at WSU) needs three more victories to match Ralph Miller (220, 1951-64) atop the school's all-time wins list.
 
DOUBLE-TROUBLE
In their last home action, a Jan. 17 win over Indiana State, All-Americans Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet  combined for a double-double with 45 points - their highest shared total in 103 games together - and 10 rebounds. Four days prior, at Missouri State, they tallied another combined-high with 15 assists.
 
VanVleet & Baker, Top Combo Efforts:
Points: 45 (Baker 16, VanVleet 29) -- 1/17/16 vs. Indiana State
Rebounds: 23 (Baker 15, VanVleet 8) – 2/22/15 vs. Evansville
Assists: 15 (VanVleet 8, Baker 7) – 1/13/16 at Missouri State
Steals: 10 (VanVleet 5, Baker 5) – 2/16/14 at Evansville
 
11 -- Shared Triple-Doubles (10 P-R-A, 1 P-S-A)
25 -- Point-Rebound Double-Doubles
29 -- Point-Assist Double-Doubles
 
FIRST TIME'S HARM
Bradley's Brian Wardle makes his Charles Koch Arena debut on Saturday. UNI's Ben Jacboson, now in his 10th year, is the only active MVC coach with a win in his first trip to Wichita. The Shockers have posted nine-straight wins against first-year Valley head coaches, last falling to Illinois State's Tim Jankovich in 2007-08. Two current MVC coaches have lost Koch Arena debuts with multiple schools: Barry Hinson (Feb. 2, 2000 with Missouri State & Jan. 9, 2013 with Southern Illinois) and Porter Moser (Feb. 28, 2004 with Illinois State & Jan. 28, 2014).
 
QUOTABLE:
"He's a great basketball player. You can't pidgeonhole him and say he's a 'shooter' or a 'ballhandler' or a 'defender.' He does everything well. In baseball terms, he would be a five-tool guy... He defends, he rebounds, he scores, he passes, he helps communicate and run our team. He's a tremendous competitor and we're blessed to have had him for five years."
-- Gregg Marshall summing up do-it-all senior Ron Baker
 
TAKING IT TO YOUR LEADER
The Shockers have kept their opponent's leading scorer under his season average in each of the first seven MVC games, holding them to a combined 22-of-73 (.301) from the field and 5-of-20 from beyond the arc (.250).
 
BEGINNER'S SKILL
The Shockers have scored first in nine-straight games (all w ithin the first 75 seconds) and in 13 of the first 18 overall.
 
TRENDY
The Shockers have several lengthy winning streaks in place against conference foes, including a school record-tying run of 12-in-a-row against Bradley and 11-straight vs. Missouri State. In al, WSU has won half-a-dozen or more consecutive games against seven of its nine MVC rivals.
 
Opponent – Consecutive Wins – Last Loss
Vs. Bradley – 12 – Feb. 24, 2010
Vs. Missouri State – 11 – Feb. 26, 2011
Vs. Drake – 8 – Jan. 28, 2011
Vs. Indiana State – 7 – Jan. 29, 2013
Vs. Evansville – 6 – Feb. 27, 2013
Vs. Loyola – 6 – Dec. 27, 1974
Vs. Southern Illinois – 6 – Feb. 5, 2013

UP NEXT
Loyola (8-10, 1-5 MVC) comes to Charles Koch Arena next Wednesday night for a late 8 p.m. CT start on CBS Sports Network.