Game Notes: Wichita State (PDF) |  Tournament Bracket  |  ArchMadness.com

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[#1] WICHITA STATE (24-7, 16-2 MVC) vs. 
[#4] NORTHERN IOWA (20-12, 11-7 MVC)

State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament | Semifinal #1
Saturday, March 5, 2016  |  2:30 p.m. CT
St. Louis, Mo. / Scottrade Center
Tournament Central: ArchMadness.com

Telecast --
On Air: CBS Sports Network
In Wichita: In Wichita: Cox (2260), DirectTV (221), DISH (158), FiOS (594), UVerse (1643)
Announcers: Brent Stover, Bob Wenzel & Gary Parrish

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

Scene Setter // For the seventh year-in-a-row, top-seeded Wichita State (24-7, 16-2 MVC and ranked No. 23 in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll) will play on semifinal Saturday, facing off against No. 4 seed Northern Iowa at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.
 
Drive for 25 // A Shocker win would boost them to 25 victories for the seventh-consecutive year, breaking Cincinnati's half-century record of six-straight 25-win seasons from 1957-63.
 
Trail Mix // A 66-58 quarterfinal win over Loyola marked the first time this season that WSU has come back to win a game that it trailed in the second half. In each of the Shockers' 23 prior victories, they had taken the lead into halftime and led wire-to-wire over the final 20-minutes.
 
High Marks  // The Shocker win came with a few notable entries into WSU's all-time MVC Tournament record book:
• Baker's 25 points was the second-highest MVC Tournament output by a Shocker in the last 20 years, trailing only Malcolm Armstead's 28-point game against Creighton in the 2013 final. Baker is one of just four Shockers to hit 25-or-more since the tourney moved to St. Louis in 1991, joining Armstead, Paul Guffrovich (28 in 1991) and Jamie Arnold (25 in 1995).
• Baker's five three-pointers matched Jason Perez, Matt Braeuer and Sean Ogirri (2x) for WSU's MVC Tournament best.
• Morris' 6 blocked shots were tied for the third-highest single-game total in MVC Tournament history (by any team). Prior to Friday, no WSU player had ever recorded more than four in an MVC Tournament game.
 
Doubling Down // Northern Iowa is one of just four teams in the last seven years that has beaten WSU more than once in a single season. The Panthers already own a victory over the Shockers from earlier this season and are looking to join a club that also includes the 2009-10 UNI squad, Missouri State (2010-11), Evansville (2012-13) and Creighton (2012-13)...
MSU and UE produced the only two regular season sweeps in that span.
 
Honor Roll  // WSU was well-represented on the all-conference teams this week. Fred VanVleet became the second Shocker and ninth player in MVC history to win two MVC Player of the Year awards. He and Ron Baker landed on the First Team for the third-consecutive year, and both were named to the All-Defensive squad... VanVleet is just the second player in MVC history to double up on first-team and all-defensive honors in three different years, joining former SIU standout Ashraf Amaya (1991, 92, 93). The All-Defensive Team is in its 28th year.
 
Anton Grady (All-Newcomer Team & All-Bench Team Captain), Markis McDuffie (MVC Freshman of the Year, All-Newcomer Team & All-Bench Team) and Evan Wessel (1st Team Scholar-Athlete) were also honored.
 
UNI // This is the fourth MVC Tournament meeting between WSU and UNI and the second under Marshall. The Panthers defeated the Shockers in the 2010 MVC Championship has won two of the three previous go-arounds. WSU's only win came in overtime in a 1999 play-in game... WSU has won 8 of the last 11 but trails the all-time series 27-26... UNI defeated the Shockers Feb. 13 in Wichita to end WSU's national-best 43-game home winning streak. In January, the Shockers handed UNI the worst loss in McLeod Center history (+19)... Overall, the WSU-UNI series has been as evenly matched as its record suggests. There have only been five total streaks of three-or-more games, and neither side has ever won more than four-in-a-row. The Shockers have swept UNI just twice in the last 18 seasons.
 
Sweep Stakes // Gregg Marshall banked the 10th three-game sweep of his WSU career and his 21st overall by defeating Loyola Friday. Marshall is 21-5 all-time when going for his third win against an opponent (10-3 at WSU).
 
WSU in the Semifinal Round // WSU has played in the semifinals in seven-straight years, exceeding its total from the previous 22 years combined (1988-09)… WSU is 6-13 all-time in semifinal action... The Shockers are 3-3 in semifinals under Marshall… Four of those 6 semifinal games have come against Illinois State, though this year the teams are on opposite sides.