Game Notes:
Wichita State (PDF) |
WSU Tournament Central
[11]
WICHITA STATE (26-8, 16-2 MVC) vs.
[3]
MIAMI (26-7, 13-5 ACC)
NCAA Tournament | South Regional | Round of 32
Saturday, March 19, 2016 | 11:10 a.m. CT (12:10 p.m. ET)
Providence, R.I. / Dunkin' Donuts Center
Telecast --On Air: CBS
Online:
March Madness LiveAnnouncers: Ian Eagle, Chris Webber, Len Elmore, & Evan Washburn
Radio --Wichita: KEYN 103.7 FM
Announcers: Mike Kennedy & Dave Dahl
National: WestwoodOne (Sirius 81, XM 201, Online 960)
Announcers: Scott Graham & Donny Marshall
Social Media ---Twitter:
@GoShockers,
@GoShockersLiveFacebook:
facebook.com/WichitaStateUniversityAthleticsInstagram:
instagram.com/goshockersExposure:
goshockers.exposure.co
OPENING TIPSScene Setter // A pair of double-digit wins has 11th-seeded Wichita State into the Round of 32 for a fourth-consecutive year. The Shockers (26-8) will meet third-seeded Miami (26-7 and ranked 10th in the latest AP Poll) on Saturday afternoon in an 11:10 a.m. CT (12:10 p.m. ET) tip on CBS. The winner advances to next Thursday's South Regional Semifinal in Louisville.
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 9-3 over that span.
Thursday // In Thursday's First Round victory over [6] Arizona, WSU held a Wildcat team averaging 81 points per game to just 55 and held a +13 advantage in turnovers (the ninth time this season that they've finished with a double-digit margin).
Fred VanVleet scored 16 points and forced five steals, and
Ron Baker tallied 13 points and six assists.
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 58.9 points allowed leads the nation.
Stealing the Record // Already the Shockers' all-time assists leader,
Fred VanVleet needs one more steal to tie Jason Perez's career record (222).
Winningest Shocker // VanVleet tied former teammate
Tekele Cotton's school and MVC record with his 120th career victory on Thursday. A win over Miami would give him the record outright.
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.
Miami // This is the second meeting all-time against Miami. The Hurricane defeated the Shockers 81-59 in a holiday tournament in West Palm Beach during the 1988-89 campaign... Miami coach Jim Larranaga went 2-1 against WSU as head coach at George Mason. The biggest of the three games was GMU's 63-55 2016 Sweet 16 victory on its way to the Final 4.
Fancy Meeting You Here // WSU is 1-2 against Jim Larranaga, with all three previous meetings taking place in the same calendar year under former coach Mark Turgeon while Larranaga was head coach at George Mason... WSU's 2006 team - which would go on to win the MVC regular season title in year that included a record four NCAA bids for the league - lost a home Bracket Busters matchup to the Patriots in late February. The win helped GMU squeak into the NCAA Tournament field as an 11 seed. Seventh-seeded WSU dispatched Seton Hall and Tenessee to reach the Sweet 16, where it encountered Larranaga for a second time. The Shockers struggled from the field in a 63-55 loss... WSU gained revenge the following November in a Bracket Buster return game. On the day GMU hung its Final Four banner, WSU picked up a big road win at the Patriot Center, 72-66.
A Shocker Win Would // Improve the Shockers to 27-8… Put WSU into the Sweet 16 for the third time in four seasons and for the fifth time since the tournament began seeding teams… Be VanVleet's 121st career win, putting him alone atop the WSU and MVC career victories list.
-Wichita State
