Opening Tip // Wichita State (3-0) concludes a four-game, season opening home stand on Sunday afternoon against Maryland Eastern-Shore (0-3) in the team's final tune-up before next week's Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.
 

SHOCKERS vs. HAWKS

Maryland Eastern Shore (0-3, 0-0 MEAC)   rv/rv Wichita State (3-0, 0-0 MVC)

Sunday, Nov. 20

2:00 P.M. CT

Wichita, Kan.

Charles Koch Arena

Tickets

Game Notes: WSU | UMES

COVERAGE

Cox Channel Kansas (Cox 2022 HD)               TW SportsChannel (KC Area)

ESPN3 (Subject to Blackout)

Shane Dennis & Bob Hull

KEYN 103.7 FM

GoShockers.com

GoShockers.com

SOCIAL

@GoShockersLIVE | #watchus

@goshockers | #watchus

Go Shockers

SERIES HISTORY

Shockers vs. UMES: 1-0

In Wichita: 1-0

Last Meeting: Dec. 17, 2006 (WSU 102-46)

AT A GLANCE

Stat Comparison UMES WSU  Points/Game 67.0 85.7  Opp. Points/Game 75.0 49.0  Field Goal % .398 .484  3-PT Field Goal % .348 .308  Free Throw % .684 .709  Rebounds/Game 34.3 49.0  Assists/Game 14.0 19.0  Steals/Game 7.3 9.3  Turnovers/Game 13.7 13.0

MEAC Attack // The Shockers are facing their second MEAC team in as many weeks. WSU posted an 85-39 win over preseason runner-up pick South Carolina State in the Nov. 11 season opener. Eastern Shore was picked eighth out of 13 in the same poll after a sixth-place finish in 2015-16.
 
The Series  // This is just the second meeting between the Shockers and Eastern Shore. On Dec. 17, 2006, eighth-ranked WSU posted a 120-46 victory at Charles Koch Arena. It was the third-largest margin of victory in school history and the largest-ever against a Division I opponent. Notably, WSU has not reached 100 points against a Division I opponent in the nearly 10 years since (under Marshall they've twice scored 100 against D-II teams).
 
Scouting the Shore // Eastern Shore is much improved since its last appearance at Charles Koch Arena. Third-year head coach Bobby Collins ended the school's 41-year postseason drought with a 2015 CIT bid. Collins was an assistant coach at Hampton during the 2000-01 season when the Pirates upset the Shockers, 68-51, at Levitt Arena and later stunned No. 2 seed Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament... Preseason second team All-MEAC selection Bakari Copeland is out to a strong start averaging team-highs in both scoring (16.0) and rebounding (7.3)… Eastern Shore played well down the stretch in a 75-71, season-opening loss at defending NIT Champion George Washington, then fell 77-73 to UMBC… On Tuesday night, the Hawks fell 73-57 at Boston College, ending a 20-game BC losing streak.
 
Defensive Tradition Continues // WSU entered the weekend as one of only four Division I teams allowing less than 50 points per game (49.0). A year ago, the Shockers led the nation in scoring defense at 59.0 per game. Through the first week of the 2016-17 regular season, WSU was also on a short list of 12 schools that are holding opponents to less than 31 percent from the field.
 
Zeroing In // Heading into Saturday, 108 unbeatens remainded in Division I, including WSU. The other 243 schools have all suffered at least one loss. MDES is 1-of-56 winless teams.
 
One Direction Fan // "When he's in the game, the score moves in the right direction." That's an oft-used compliment from Gregg Marshall to describe players who contribute through intangibles. So far in 2016-17, it describes his entire roster. The increasingly popular plus-minus stat shows all 16 Shockers with net scores above zero. Markis McDuffie leads the way. When he's on the floor, WSU has outscored the opposition by an average of nearly 49 points per 40 minutes. Austin Reaves (+45.0), Darral Willis (+42.7), Rauno Nurger (+42.5) and Daishon Smith (+40.0) round out a list of five Shockers who are netting at least a point-per-minute.
 
Ready Position // WSU has had a different position group step up in each of the first three games:
*South Carolina State --- Centers -- Rauno Nurger (14 points), Shaquille Morris (8) and Brett Barney (4) combined to hit 9-of-11 shots and helped WSU to a +21 rebounding margin.
*Long Beach State – Guards -- Conner Frankamp (career-high 15 points), Landry Shamet (12), Daishon Smith (11) and Austin Reaves (10) all enjoyed big nights, and the Shockers drilled half of their 20 three-point attempts.
*Tulsa --- Forwards -- Markis McDuffie (career-high 18 points), Darral WIllis (16) and Zach Brown (16) led the scoring. McDuffie, Willis and Rashard Kelly each grabbed seven rebounds.
 
Starting a Landslide // WSU won its first three Division I games by a school-record 110 points – 28 points better than the previous mark, set by the 1961-62 Shockers in wins over Colorado State (+28), Wyoming (+24) and Nebraska (+30). Each of the three previous WSU teams on the list went on to earn postseason bids… The 1980-81 Shockers were 3-0 with a 125-point margin, and the 1975-76 team was +119, but each beat up on multiple non-D1's in the process.
 
Starting a Landslide II // A 35-point win on Sunday would establish a new school-record for margin of victory in a 4-0 start. The 1980-81 team (with help from a couple of non-Division I wins) was +144. The 1975-76 group went +116 despite actually losing its fourth game. The 1981-82 team (+105) is the only other WSU squad to post a triple-digit margin in its first four contests.
 
Chasing Even More History // Simply winning on Sunday would give the Shockers one of the seven most dominant four-game stretches in program history. They've won the last three by a combined 110 points. A 36-point win would give them the record, previously held by the 2011-12 group (+145), which rolled over Utah State, Chicago State, Newman and Bradley in succession in December, 2011.
 
Board Shorts // WSU has outrebounded its first three opponents by sizeable margins (+21, +11 and +22)… Through Wednesday, the Shockers' +18.0 average was tied for seventh nationally (Division I opponents only) – tied with former WSU assistant Steve Forbes' East Tennessee State team… Marshall's Shocker teams have led the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding margin in each of his first nine seasons at WSU.
 
Taming Tulsa // WSU had one of its most dominant rebounding halves in 10 seasons under Gregg Marshall in Wednesday night's win over Tulsa, grabbing 30 boards while holding the Golden Hurricane to a measly 12. The +18 rebounding margin ranks third on the Marshall Era list for a single half… WSU's 52 total rebounds against Tulsa was also its third-highest total under Marshall and second-highest against a Division I opponent.
 
Totally Tubular 80's Fad // WSU has scored 80 points or more against all three opponents this year. Did you know…
*It's the first time since February, 2014 that they've reached the 80-plateu in three consecutive games.
*WSU hasn't put up 80 in four-straight since December of the 2011-12 season when it ran off consecutive wins over Utah State (83), Chicago State (94) Newman (102) and Bradley (90).
*WSU last went for 80 against four-consecutive Division I opponents nearly 28 years ago when it took down Central Michigan (98), George Mason (96), Hartford (85) and Oral Roberts (92) in succession.
*The 1984-85 Shockers own the school record for consecutive 80-point games with 12-straight.
 
Reserve Army // From 2012-16, MVC benches (including WSU's) combined for just seven 50-point performances against Division I foes. The Shockers did it twice in less than a week to start the 2016-17 season.
 
Next, Please // WSU leaves Monday morning for the Bahamas where it will take part in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Shockers open against LSU on Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2. They'll face either Louisville or Old Dominion on Thanksgiving Day. Baylor, Michigan State, St. John's or VCU awaits in Friday's placement round.