Game Notes: Wichita State (PDF)  |  WSU Tournament Central 

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[11] WICHITA STATE (25-8, 16-2 MVC) vs. 
[6] ARIZONA (25-8, 12-6 PAC-12)

NCAA Tournament | South Regional | Round of 64
Thursday, March 17, 2016  |  8:20 p.m. CT (9:20 p.m. ET)
Providence, R.I. / Dunkin' Donuts Center

Telecast --
On Air: TNT
Online: March Madness Live
Announcers: Ian Eagle, Chris Webber, Len Elmore, & Evan Washburn

Radio --
Wichita: KEYN 103.7 FM
Announcers: Mike Kennedy & Dave Dahl
National: WestwoodOne
Announcers: Scott Graham & Donny Marshall

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

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OPENING TIPS

Scene Setter // After a successful Dayton detour, 11th-seeded Wichita State (25-8) treks to Providence to take on sixth-seeded Arizona (25-8 and ranked 17th in this week's AP Poll) in NCAA Tournament's Round of 64. 
 
Thursday's game will tip 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Miami (Fla.)-Buffalo contest (approximately 9:20 pm ET).
 
The Miami-Buffalo and WSU-Arizona winners collide on Saturday in Providence at a time to be determined.
 
Back for More // Wichita State is making its fifth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and its 13th overall. Head coach Gregg Marshall is dancing for the 12th time (5 at WSU, 7 at Winthrop) and is one of just 11 coaches in history to lead two different schools to 5+ NCAA bids. The Shockers have won at least one game in four-consecutive trips and are 8-3 over that span.
 
First Fortune // In Tuesday's 70-50 play-in win, WSU outscored fellow 11-seed Vanderbilt 20-2 over the final 8:38 to turn a tight game into a rout. A shared triple-double from All-American guards Ron Baker (14 pts, 9 reb, 3 assists) and Fred VanVleet (14 pts, 3 reb, 7 assists w/ 1 turnover) lifted the Shockers, who also received a big bench performance from Anton Grady (11 pts, 7 reb).
 
On Points // The 2015 Sweet 16 team was the first WSU squad in 65 years to allow less than 60.0 points-per-game (57.4, 8th nationally). Officiating rule changes have increased scoring nationwide this year, but the Shockers are on track to finish under 60 once again. In fact, their 59.0 points allowed leads the nation.
 
Stop & Go // In a contrast of styles, the Shockers will look to slow an Arizona team that averages 81.2 points per game (19th nationally). WSU is in the top-5 in field goal percentage defense (5th, .382) and turnover margin (2nd, +5.5). Iowa (84 points on Nov. 29) was the last Shocker opponent to top 70 points this year in regulation. WSU has held six-straight foes (and 19 of the last 23) to less than 40-percent from the field.
 
35-feet in 3 days // The Shockers conquered a Vanderbilt team featuring three 7-footers on Tuesday with great team defense in the post. They'll see two more against Arizona on Thursday.
 
Tripling Up on Trophies // WSU won its third-consecutive Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship and fourth in the last five years, finishing 4.0 games ahead of second-place Illinois State and Evansville.
 
About the Shockers // Led by All-American guards Ron Baker (14.2 points) and Fred VanVleet (12.1 points, 5.7 assists), the Shockers returned three starters and nine lettermen from last year's 30-5 team that earned a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and defeated Indiana and Kansas to reach the Sweet 16. Helped by three-straight 30-win seasons, WSU earned its first preseason top-10 ranking since the 1981-82 season and was an overwhelming favorite in the MVC preseason poll... A rash of November injuries slowed their momentum, with four of the top six players missing a combined 24 games in the first two months, including VanVleet, who battled a hamstring strain through much of the non-conference.... After starting 5-5, the Shockers reeled off 12-straight wins on their way to the Valley title.
 
Drive for 25 // The Shockers' win in Dayton set a new Missouri Valley Conference record. WSU has now reached 25-wins in seven-consecutive seasons, besting Cincinnati's half-century record of six-straight 25-win seasons from 1957-63.
 
Winningest Shocker // A victory over Arizona would be VanVleet's 120th, tying him with Tekele Cotton (2011-15) for the school and MVC records.
 
Running Start // Being sent to the First Four is hardly a death sentence. In fact, a handful of teams have used the momentum from the extra game as a springboard into deep tournament runs. Since the First Four reformatted in 2011, at-large teams that advance from Dayton are 5-5 against their Round of 64 opponents. WSU looks to carry on that tradition Thursday.
 
FANCY MEETING YOU HERE:
 
*WSU has never gone through a play-in game in the NCAA's, but its head coach has. Gregg Marshall led Winthrop against fellow No. 16-seed Northwestern State in the very first NCAA Tournament play-in game. Winthrop fell 71-67.
 
*WSU's Ron Baker and Arizona's Kaleb Tarczewski were teammates on last summer's Pan American Games bronze medal team in Toronto. Baker and Tarczewski were two of the seven collegians on the United States' 12-man roster and helped key a comeback from 21-points down in their finale against the Dominican Republic.
 
*WSU assistant Kyle Lindsted coached Arizona 7-footer Dusan Ristic at Sunrise Christian Academy. WSU sophomores Zach Brown and Rauno Nurger also overlapped with Ristic during their time at Sunrise.
 
*Arizona junior guard Kadeem Allen was the National JUCO Player of the Year at Hutchinson Community College (near Wichita) in 2013-14.
 
SERIES WITH ARIZONA:
 
*This is the third series meeting between WSU and Arizona but the first since 1954. WSU won 87-64 in Wichita on Dec. 29, 1954 (Cleo Littleton's senior season). Arizona won a Dec. 18, 1951 meeting in Tucson, six games into Naismith Hall of Famer, Ralph Miller's tenure as the Shockers' head coach.
 
*WSU is 29-33 all-time against the PAC-12's current membership... A short-handed Shocker team fell to USC in Orlando earlier this year (72-69). WSU later defeated PAC-12 runner-up Utah, 67-50.
 
THE BEST AROUND:
 
*Providence is hosting three of the NCAA's most successful programs of late: At .826, Wichita State has the nation's highest winning percentage over the last six seasons (176-37). Arizona (.793) and Duke (.808) rank 4th and 6th on the list.
 
Highest Winning Percentages (Since 2010-11)
.825 --- Wichita State (176-37)
.824 --- Gonzaga  (173-37)
.821 --- Kansas (179-39)
.808 --- Duke (173-41)
.806 --- Kentucky  (179-43)
.793 --- Arizona (172-45)
.790 --- San Diego St. (166-44)
 
In five seasons worth of NCAA Tournament trips, WSU has the nation's second-highest winning percentage (147-29, .835), trailing only Gonzaga (148-27, .846)