WICHITA, Kan. -- Wichita State (19-4, 9-1 MVC) takes aim at an eighth straight 20-win season, Wednesday evening at Drake.
 
Former Shocker great and 2006 MVC Player of the Year, Paul Miller will serve as guest analyst, alongside Shane Dennis on Cox Channel Kansas.
 
Listen to every Shocker game, home and away, on FM 103.7 KEYN and online at goshockers.com/listen. Mike Kennedy -- now in his 37th year -- will call his 1,199th consecutive game, alongside Bob Hull. Pregame begins at 2 p.m.

 

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAY

Wichita State (19-4, 9-1 MVC)  Drake (7-15, 5-5 MVC)

Wednesday, Feb. 1

6:00 P.M. CT

Des Moines, Iowa

Knapp Center

Game Notes: WSU | DU

COVERAGE

COX Channel Kansas (HD 2022)

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Shane Dennis & Paul Miller

KEYN 103.7 FM

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SERIES HISTORY

All-Time: WSU leads 103-47

In Des Moines: WSU leads 37-34

Last Meeting: Jan. 4, 2017 (WSU 90-65)

MVC STANDINGS

Team MVC OVR Illinois State 10-0 18-4 Wichita State 9-1 19-4 Loyola 6-4 16-7 Missouri State 5-5 14-9 Southern Illinois 5-5 12-11 Northern Iowa 5-5 10-11 Drake 5-5 7-15 Bradley 3-7 8-15 Evansville 1-9 10-13 Indiana State 1-9 7-15

STARTING FIVE:
 
1 ----- Shocks, in Short: This year's Shockers lack the star power of past years -- a balanced lineup features 10 players who average between 14 and 25 minutes -- but the team success continues. Winners of four straight and 10 of its last 11, WSU earned eight votes in this week's AP Poll, for the equivalent of a No. 29 national ranking... The Shockers are first or second in 17 of the MVC's 21 major statistical categories. WSU ranks in the top-10 nationally in scoring margin (3rd, +18.7), rebound margin (6th, +8.9) and field goal percentage defense (8th .382). The Shockers are also among the nation's top-25 in scoring offense (81.7), scoring defense (63.1), assists (17.1) and A:TO ratio (1.46).
 
2 ----- Last Week: WSU held each of its two opponents to less than 50 points... The Shockers' 42-point win over SIU last Tuesday (87-45) was one of their five most-lopsided Valley wins in 72 years. Markis McDuffie recorded his third 20-point game of the season, and WSU doubled-up the Salukis from the field, shooting 56% while holding the visitors to a chilly 28%. The Shockers were +20 on the boards... WSU was +19 on the glass on Sunday at Bradley, helped by McDuffie's career-high 14 rebounds, but had to overcome a five-point halftime deficit. Conner Frankamp matched his career-high with 15 points, and WSU shot 60% in the second half.
 
3 ----- Streaking: WSU has won 10 straight against Drake since a triple-overtime loss in Des Moines in January, 2012. The Shockers won 90-65 in Wichita on Jan. 4 and will look for their fifth-consecutive series sweep of the Bulldogs.
 
4 ----- Marshall Milestone: A win at Drake would make Gregg Marshall just the 32nd active D-I coach with 250+ wins at his current school. Notably, Marshall (who will coach his 339th Shocker game) would be the eighth-fastest of that group to reach 250 D-I wins -- seven games quicker than Rick Pitino, 13 games ahead of Tom Izzo, and 16 games faster than Mike Krzyzewski.
 
5 ----- Game of Leap Phog: A win would also move Marshall into a tie with Kansas legend Phog Allen for fifth-place on the MVC's career conference victories list.
 
 
THE WSU-DRAKE SERIES:
*Wichita State and Drake meet for the 151st time in a series that has run uninterrupted for 72 years.
*The teams played non-conference games in December of 1937 and 1937 but didn't meet regularly until 1945-46 when the Shockers joined the MVC. Since then, they've played a home-and-home series in all but two of the last 72 regular seasons. The exceptions came in 1972-73 and 1973-74 when the MVC shifted to an unbalanced schedule.
*WSU leads the series 103-47 with wins in nine straight and 16 of the last 18 meetings.
*WSU has played (and beaten) Drake more than any other rival. Only two other MVC pairs have comparable history: Southern Illinois & Illinois State have played 150 games and Evansville-Indiana State meet Wednesday night for the 168th time.
*WSU and Drake share the most Valley history. Wednesday will be the 133rd MVC regular season matchup.
 
IN WICHITA:
*Including conference tournament games, the Shockers are 41-4 against the Bulldogs in Wichita over the past four decades, last losing on Dec. 29, 2007.
*WSU has won nine straight home games against Drake – all by at least 15 points.
 
IN DES MOINES:
*The Shockers lead 37-34 in Des Moines, thanks the four straight wins. They are 13-11 all-time at the Knapp Center, which opened in 1991.
*WSU's last setback against Drake was a 93-86 triple-overtime thriller in Des Moines on Jan. 28, 2012 (one of just two conference losses for the Shockers that year on the way to their first Valley title under Gregg Marshall).
 
LAST MEETING: Jan. 4, 2016 in Wichita:
In the series' 150th meeting, Daishon Smith and Shaquille Morris each scored 13 points, and Markis McDuffie collected his first career double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) to lead Wichita State to a 90-65 rout... WSU outrebounded the visiting Bulldogs by 24 in the first half and led 51-21 at the intermission before cruising to its fourth consecutive win... Smith collected three steals... Morris' 13 points came in just 15 minutes, and he added seven boards... Landry Shamet finished with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting and dished out a team-high five assists without a turnover... Shamet's 24 minutes were the most by any Shocker. All 16 players saw action...  De'Antae Murray paced Drake with 13 points to go with 11 from Reed Timmer... The Shockers' 30-point halftime lead was their fourth-largest in the last 40 years and second-largest against a D-I foe.... WSU held a 36-12 rebounding edge in the first half and turned 12 offensive rebounds into 19 second chance points... The lead reached 35 at the 1:22 mark when Reaves swished a three and Kelly stuck a layup to make it 51-16... Timmer – Drake's top scorer – missed his first six shots before finally connecting with just over a minute to go before halftime... WSU claimed its largest lead with 16:40 to play in the game, 62-25... In a lackluster finish, Drake outscored the Shockers 40-28 the rest of the way.
 
SWEEPING UP:
*A Shocker win would give them a regular season sweep of Drake for the fifth consecutive year and also give WSU its 47th MVC sweep in the last eight regular seasons. Since 2009-10, WSU has swept 46 home-and-homes, split 19 and been swept twice (Missouri State in 2011 & Evansville in 2013).
 
MATCHUP MASHUP:
*Wichita State (198) and Drake (189) rank first and second in the conference in three-point makes. Both average roughly 8.6 per game.
*Reed Timmer is the Valley's third-leading scorer (16.6) and has reached double-figures in all 10 conference games.
*Just two of Timmer's 110 career three-pointers have come against WSU. He's 2-of-12 from deep in five career meetings with the Shockers.
*Zach Brown has played more minutes against Drake (88) than any other active Shocker. In five career games, he's averaging 6.4 points and 1.2 steals.
*Shaquille Morris has put up 40 points in four career meetings with Drake (10.0 points) on 18-of-29 shooting (.621).
 
DECONSTRUCTING THE STREAK:
*Since a 93-86, triple-overtime upset at the Knapp Center in January, 2012, WSU has won 10 straight games against Drake.
*The Shockers have led at halftime in all 10 and have not faced a second-half deficit at any point. They've led wire-to-wire in each of the last five meetings.
*In the Jan. 4 game, Drake put up 44 second half points to just 39 for WSU, ending a string of 19 consecutive halves in which the Shockers had outscored the Bulldogs.
*WSU has outrebounded Drake in 9 of the 10 meetings by an average of 9.2 per game.
 
MARSHALL CHASES 250:
Gregg Marshall enters the evening with 249 wins in his Wichita State career. A victory would put him on a list of just 32 active Division I coaches with 250-or-more wins at their current schools:
*Marshall would also be just the seventh member of that group to reach that milestone within his first 10 seasons, joining Mark Few (Gonzaga), Thad Matta (Ohio State), Bob McKillop (Davidson), Dave Rose (BYU), Bill Self (Kansas) and Roy Williams (North Carolina).
*Marshall has won just under 74 percent of his games at WSU, despite a 28-37 start to his Shocker career. On Jan. 1, 2010 – midway through his third season – his record stood at 39-39. However, since then, he's 210-50 (.808).
*At first glance, Marshall's start might seem unique, but over a third of the coaches in the 250-win club endured similar rebuilding projects. Notably, 12 of the 32 coaches were at-or-below .500 at the end of their second season before hitting their stride.
 
A GAME OF LEAP PHOG:
A Wednesday win would also move Gregg Marshall into sole possession of fifth-place on the all-time Missouri Valley Conference wins list. With Sunday's triumph at Bradley, Marshall tied University of Kansas legend and fieldhouse namesake, Phog Allen with his 126th MVC victory. Allen led KU to 126 Valley wins in separate stints from 1907-09 and 1919-28. Marshall (126-46 in MVC regular season games) is three wins behind current Southern Illinois coach, Barry Hinson for fourth-place and needs 61 more victories to catchthe all-time leader, Oklahoma State legend Henry Iba (187).
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... Improve their overall record to 20-4.
... Clinch an eighth-consecutive 20-win season (the second-longest streak in MVC history)
... Give Gregg Marshall 20 wins for the 14th time in his 19 year coaching career.
... Assure WSU a winning MVC road record for the eighth straight season.
... Improve their MVC record to 10-1 and improve their four-year conference mark to 61-4.
... Up their winning streak to five games.
... Give them 11 straight wins over Drake including five-in-a-row in Des Moines.
... Up their lead in the all-time series to 104-47 (38-34 in Des Moines).
... Give them a 7-1 road record.
... Be their 30th MVC road win in the last four seasons (30-3).
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... Drop their overall record to 19-5.
... Sink them to 9-2 in league play.
... Snap a 10-game winning streak against Drake and be their first loss to the Bulldogs since January, 2012.
... Snap a four-game winning streak in Des Moines.
... Be just their second road loss in eight tries this year.
... Be just the fifth Valley loss by a Shocker team in the last four conference regular seasons.
... Be less good than a win.
 
ROARING TWENTIES:
*The Shockers are a victory shy of an eighth-consecutive 20-win season. That's the second-longest streak in MVC history, behind Creighton, which posted 11-in-a-row from 1999 to 2009.
It would be Gregg Marshall's 14th 20-win season in 19 years as a head coach (he had six at Winthrop).
*It would be the 11th time in the last 14 years that the Wichita State program has reached 20 wins and its 19th time overall.
*Forget 20-win seasons! The Shockers have recorded at least 20 double-figure victories in each of the last six seasons and are marching toward a seventh. They've posted 17 double-digit wins so far in 2016-17 and have 152 of them since the start of the 2010-11 campaign.
 
ALL THE ROAD RAGE
WSU is 6-1 this year in true road games. Three of those wins came in December when they beat Colorado State, Oklahoma and Indiana State. Victories 4-6 came in January with double-figure wins at Northern Iowa, Evansville and Bradley... The Shockers' only loss came at Illinois State on Jan. 17. 
 Against all opponents, the Shockers are 37-6 (.860) in true road games since the start of the '13-14 season and 63-14 (.818) going back to '10-11. Both marks lead the nation.
 
VALLEY ROAD WARRIORS    
Since 2013-14, WSU has the most MVC road wins, going 29-3 (.906)... The Shockers have more double-figure road wins (22) in league play than any other school has total road wins. UNI is the closest with a 16-16 MVC road record... Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the Shockers' MVC road winning percentage (50-8, .862) is higher than any other Valley schools' home percentage... The Shockers only MVC road losses in the last four seasons came at UNI (Jan. 31, 2015) and at Illinois State (Feb. 6, 2016 and Jan. 14, 2017).
 
A SHOOTING STAR:
*Redshirt Freshman Landry Shamet has hit a three-pointer in 12 consecutive games – the second longest streak ever by a Shocker freshman (trailing Randy Burns' 16-gamer in 2000-01). Over that 12-game stretch, Shamet is averaging 2.3 triples-per-game while connecting at a .483 clip.
*In the three-point line's 32 seasons, WSU has had 18 streaks of a dozen-or-more games. The most recent was from Ron Baker, who broke his own school record with a 27-game three-point streak in 2014-15.
*Shamets recent surge came on the heels of a 15-of-47 start to the year. In a span of just 30 days, he lifted his season percentage from .319 to .402.
 
CONNER CHRONICLES:
Sunday's win at Bradley saw Conner Frankamp provide perhaps his best all-around performance as a Shocker. The junior guard matched his career scoring high with 15 points and also set new personal-bests in rebounds (6), steals (3), field goals (6) and minutes played (36).
 
MARGIN IN CHARGE:
*Wichita State is outscoring its opponents by 18.7 points per game this year.
*WSU's average margin is the highest by a Missouri Valley squad since Bill Russell's Cincinnati team steamrolled opponents by 19.3 points per game during the 1957-58 season.
*Nationally, only Gonzaga (+23.8) and West Virginia (+22.3) have been more dominant this year.
*The Shockers are ahead of the school-record pace set by the famous 2014 team, which finished 35-1 with a +15.7 margin.
*The Shockers have won 12 times by 20-or-more points this season -- second-most ever by a WSU team. The 2015-16 Shockers posted 16 wins by 20+ points.
*WSU's eight 30-point wins are already a school record.
 
STOP-A-SHOT:
*WSU figured to take a step back defensively with MVC All-Defensive Team selections Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet off to the NBA. That's true in some respects. A year after leading the nation in scoring defense (59.0), the Shockers are surrendering an extra 4.7 points per game (63.7).
*However, WSU's field goal percentage defense has actually improved in 2016-17. Opponents are shooting just 38.2 percent (eighth nationally), compared to 38.7 a year ago.
*WSU's .382 field goal percentage defense is the best by a Shocker team in over six decades. The 1955-56 Shockers finished up at .381.
*For the fifth time in the last six seasons, Shocker foes are shooting less than 40 percent from the field.
 
UP NEXT:
The Shockers return to Charles Koch Arena for back-to-back games, beginning with Saturday's showdown against first-place Illinois State (7 p.m. CT, ESPN2).