SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- No. 25/25 Wichita State (26-4, 16-1) can clinch a share of its fourth consecutive Missouri Valley Conference title with a victory in Saturday's finale at Missouri State (7-10, 16-14).
 
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MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAY

#25/25 Wichita State (26-4, 16-1 MVC)  Missouri State (16-14, 7-10 MVC)

Saturday, Feb. 25

11:00 A.M. CT

Springfield, Mo.

JQH Arena

Game Notes: WSU | MSU

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SERIES HISTORY

All-Time: WSU leads 40-30

In Springfield: MSU leads 20-11

Last Meeting: Feb. 9, 2017 (WSU 80-62)

MVC STANDINGS

Team MVC OVR Wichita State 16-1 26-4 Illinois State 16-1 24-5 Northern Iowa 9-8 14-14 Loyola 8-9 18-12 Southern Illinois 8-9 15-15 Missouri State 7-10 16-14 Bradley 6-11 11-19 Evansville 5-12 14-16 Indiana State 5-12 11-18 Drake 5-12 7-22

SCENARIOS:
WSU and Illinois State are tied atop the standings heading into the final weekend. While a victory in Springfield would clinch a piece of the title for the Shockers, their Arch Madness seed won't be determined until later in the day. The Redbirds finish up at Northern Iowa (1 p.m., CBSSN).
 
• Shocker Win + Redbird Loss = WSU is champion & No. 1 seed
• Shocker Win + Redbird Win = Co-Champions w/ ISU as likely No. 1 seed*
• Shocker Loss + Redbird Loss = Co-Champions w/ ISU as likely No. 1 seed*
• Shocker Loss + Redbird Win = ISU is champion & No. 1 seed
*Tiebreaker based on Feb. 26 RPI Report; ISU currently leads
 
ENDS IN ODDS:
WSU clinched early in 2012 (+2 games in the standings), 2014 (+6) and 2016 (+4), but finales in odd-numbers years have been must-see TV. For the fourth time in seven years, the Shockers enter game No. 18 as part of a first-place tie.
 
2011: WSU (14-13) lost at Missouri State (14-3) // 2^nd Place
2013: WSU (12-5) lost at Creighton (12-5) // 2^nd Place
2015: WSU (16-1) defeated UNI (16-1) at home // Champion
2017: WSU (16-1) at Missouri State (7-10) & Illinois State (16-1) at UNI (9-8)
 
A SHOCKER CHAMPIONSHIP WOULD...
... Finish out the MVC's first 4-peat since So. Illinois (2002-05).
... Be just the third MVC 4-peat since World War II (fifth all-time).
... Be WSU's fifth title in the last six years.
... Give WSU 11 total  -- most among active members.
... Make Gregg Marshall the first Valley coach in 60 years (and fifth overall) to win five regular season crowns. Ed Hickey won the last of his seven titles at Creighton and Saint Louis in 1957.
 
 AN OUTRIGHT SHOCKER CHAMPIONSHIP WOULD...
... Make WSU the first team since Cincinnati (1958-61) to finish alone atop the Valley standings in four-consecutive years.
... Be the program's 11th overall, matching Oklahoma State for the most solo wins in MVC history.
 
 A SHARED SHOCKER CHAMPIONSHIP WOULD...
... Be the league's first split title since Creighton and UNI in 2009.
... (if WSU and ISU both win Saturday) mark the first time in 75 years that a pair of one-loss co-champs have shared. Creighton and Oklahoma State both finished 9-1 that year in 1942.
 
SIXTEEN, GOING ON 17?
*The Shockers are guaranteed to finish 16-2 or better in MVC play for the fifth time in the last six years.
*A win Saturday would push them to 17 wins for the third time in four seasons.
*WSU has an .888 winning percentage in MVC play since the start of the 2011-12 campaign (95-12).
*Since 1991-92, when the Valley expanded its schedule to 18 games, the rest of the conference membership has combined for just five other 16+ win finishes, including Illinois State's current run.
 
THE BOMB DIGGITY:
*The Shockers set a new single-season school record Tuesday for three-point field goals (263). John Robert Simon hit the record-breaker with just over 6:00 remaining to wipe the 2010-11 NIT Championship team from the books. He added two more to pad the lead.
*The 1998-99 team owns the per-game record at 7.35. At least for now. The current Shockers (8.9 per game) could go the next five games without making a single three and still be ahead of that pace.
*WSU's 152 threes in MVC play is also a school record and one of the 10 highest totals in Valley history. They'd need 25 more to match 2008 Bradley's MVC record -- which is kind of a long shot (pun absolutely  intended).
*The team's .405 three-point percentage would be the program's best mark since 1989 (.421).
 
ROAD HOGS:
*WSU (9-1 in true road games) can reach double-digit road victories for the third time in four years.
*Just two other Shocker teams have finished up a season with one road loss or fewer: 2011-12 (10-1) and 2013-14 (12-0).
*The Shockers have won 5-straight on the road.
*WSU is one of only five schools with less than two road losses this year. Gonzaga (8-0), St. Mary's (9-1), Arizona (8-1) and Kansas (8-1) are the others.
*Since the start of the 2010-11 season, WSU is 66-14 (.825) in true road games. That mark leads the nation, ahead of Gonzaga (57-16, .781) & Kansas (49-22, .690).
*Wichita State is 32-3 in MVC road games over the last four seasons. Two of those setbacks have come at Illinois State (2016 & 2017) and the other UNI (2015).
*Since 2013-14, the Shockers have more double-figure road wins (24) in conference play than any other school has total road wins. UNI (17) and Illinois State (17) are the closest.
*The Shockers have outrebounded all eight of their MVC road opponents.
*Home teams are shooting 40.1% against the Shockers.
 
THE SERIES WITH MISSOURI STATE:
*A 13-game winning streak has given WSU the all-time series lead, 40-30.
*Gregg Marshall is 20-4 against MSU (a total that includes one victory from his days at Winthrop). He's 13-0 against Paul Lusk, 9-1 in Wichita, 6-3 in Springfield and 4-0 in St. Louis.
*WSU has captured 27 of the last 34 meetings, dating back to the 2002-03 season under Mark Turgeon.
*Thursday night marks the 71st meeting between the teams. They've met regularly since 1988.
*MSU joined the MVC in 1990 and dominated the series, winning nine-straight in one stretch. It took until 1994 for WSU to claim its first conference win over the Bears and until 2003 for the Shockers to earn their first MVC victory in Springfield.
*However, WSU is 21-7 against the Bears since March, 2005 when the school formally changed its name to Missouri State University, after going 19-23 against the former Southwest Missouri State.
 
>> In Wichita (WSU, 25-6)
 The Shockers have an .806 winning percentage at home against Missouri State, including an 12-2 mark in the Charles Koch Arena era (2003-04 to present).
 WSU has won six-straight and 19 of the last 21 series home games.
 
>> In Springfield, Mo. (MSU, 20-11)
 JQH Arena is just over eight years old, but WSU has already won more games there than it did in 23 visits to the old Hammons Center (6-2 at JQH, 5-18 at Hammons).
 The Shockers lost their first 14 at the Hammons Center before finally breaking through in 2003. Since then, they're 10-4 in Springfield with five straight wins.
 
>> MVC Tournament (tied 4-4)
*The teams have met eight tmes, but WSU's 2014 semifinal win was the first to take place beyond the quarterfinal and play-in rounds.
*MSU won the first four Arch Madness meetings and went 3-0 against Mark Turgeon. Marshall has since turned the tables, going a perfect 4-0 against the Bears.
 
LAST VISIT TO SPRINGFIELD:
Jan.13, 2016 | Springfield | WSU 78, MSU 62
Markis McDuffie scored 10 of his team-high 16 points over one three-minute stretch late in the first half to lead WSU back from a 15-4 deficit… McDuffie went 8-of-9 from the field and collected nine rebounds… Conner Frankamp (14 points) hit four second-half treys to help WSU pull away… The Shockers outscored MSU 46-14 in the paint and outrebounded the Bears 49-29… MSU finished with just 15 field goals while shooting 32.6%, but the Bears shot 41 free throws to WSU's 13.
 
LAST TIME vs. MISSOURI STATE:
Feb. 9, 2017 | Wichita | WSU 80, MSU 62
Wichita State dominated the first half... Helped by runs of 12-0, 17-2 and 18-0, the Shockers built a 34-point lead in the first 22 minutes... Shaquille Morris led a balanced attack with 13 points, and Zach Brown added 12. Darral Willis Jr., Rauno Nurger and Conner Frankamp tacked on 10 points apiece... Alize Johnson and Chris Kendrix paced Missouri State with 11 points each... WSU hit 55% in the first half before cooling considerably... The Shockers scored 27 points off of 21 MSU turnovers... MSU overcame a chilly 28.6% first half by hitting 7-of-11 treys in the final peroid.
 
LUCKY 13:
*In its 13-game winning streak against the Bears, the Shockers have won 11 times by double-figures and own half-a-dozen victories by 20+ points.
*The streak is WSU's third-longest ever against an MVC opponent in 72 seasons. The Shockers took 15-straight from Drake from 1979-85 and have an active string of 15 against Bradley, dating back to 2011.
*MSU came the closest of any team to ending WSU's undefeated run in 2013-14 at JQH Arena. The Shockers trailed by 18 at halftime and by 19 with less than 12 minutes to play in the second half, but they rallied back for a 72-69 overtime win to improve to 17-0.
*The Bears' last series win came on the final day of the 2010-11 regular season, in a winner-take-all battle for the MVC crown. A 69-64 loss cost WSU a possible NCAA Tourney bid but set a course for their eventual NIT title.
 
STORY-BOARD:
*Led by newcomer Alize Johnson, the Bears outrebounded WSU earlier this month in Wichita (41-34).Prior to that, the Shockers had won the battle of the boards in 12-straight by an average margin of 12.25.
*Johnson -- the league's top individual rebounder -- has helped turn an MSU team that ranked near the bottom of the conference in rebound margin in 2015-16 (-0.7) improve by over six board per game (+5.6, 40th nationally).
*The Shockers (+9.3) and Bears (+5.6) have the MVC's two best rebound margins. Both teams rank in the top-30 nationally.
 
SWEEPING UP:
WSU already has multiple wins in the bank against seven MVC opponents this year and a total of 51 Valley sweeps since 2010-11. In that time, they've split 20 home-and-home series, while being swept on just two occasions: Missouri State (2011) and Evansville (2013).
 
SHOOTING STARS:
*Redshirt Freshman Landry Shamet has hit a three-pointer in 19 consecutive games and teammate Conner Frankamp has connected in each of the last 16.
*Those are two of the seven longest in school history.
*Shamet's streak ranks third on the list, behind Ron Baker, who had a 25-game streak as a sophomore and broke his own record a year later with a 27-gamer.
*The three-point line has been in use for 32 years.
 
TURN UP THE RATIO:
*Growing pains were expected after Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet moved on to the NBA, but their replacements -- freshman Landry Shamet and junior Conner Frankamp -- have actually outperformed their predecessors in a few key areas. The duo's 3.57 assist-to-turnover ratio trumps Baker and VanVleet's 2.64 ratio from last season.
 
80's THROWBACKS:
*The next time the Shockers score 80 points, they'll tie a school record for most 80-point games in a season. They've done it 21 times so far this year.
*The 1978-79 Shockers reached 80-points a total of 22 times. Gene Smithson's first team took Wichita by storm with their uptempo style. Their 88.8 point scoring average is still the highest ever by a WSU team. Led by senior Cheese Johnson (22.2 points), they topped 100 four times and reached 90 on 11 occasions.
*WSU is 79-1 under Marshall when scoring at least 80, with 56 consecutive wins. Drake's 93-86 triple overtime win in January, 2012 is the lone exception.
 
GOING STREAKING (Overall Streak):
*The Shockers' 11-game winning streak is one the eight longest in school history.
*Shocker teams have posted just two other double-digit streaks since 1983. Last year's team had a 12-gamer, and the 2013-14 squad made it all the way to 35-in-a-row.
 
TRYING FOR TWELVE (MVC Streak):
*WSU's 11-game MVC winning streak is one of the seven-longest in school history. Four of those have come under Gregg Marshall.
*From 2013-15, WSU set a modern conference record with a streak of 27-straight MVC regular season wins.
*Last year, the Shockers built up a similar 19-game streak that ranks among the 10-longest of the league's post World War II era.
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... improve their overall record to 27-4.
...give them a 12-game winning streak for just the sixth time in program history.
... give them 17 MVC wins for the third time in four years.
... Improve their overall MVC mark to 68-4 since the start of the 2013-14 season.
... clinch a share of the conference championship.
... give them 14-straight over Missouri State, dating back to the start of the 2011-12 campaign.
... give them a 41-30 series lead.
... make them 7-2 at JQH Arena and 12-20 all-time in Springfield.
... improve their true road record to 10-1 this year and make them 33-3 in MVC road games over the last three seasons.
... give them their 51st MVC sweep in eight years.
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... Drop their overall record to 26-5.
... Snap an 11-game winning streak.
... Sink them to 16-2 in league play and potentially cost them a share of the conference title.
... Be their first loss to Missouri State since the 2010-11 season finale and snap a 13-game winning streak.
... Snap a five-game winning streak at JQH Arena
... Snap a five-game road winning streak.
... Be just the fifth Valley loss by a Shocker team in the last four conference regular seasons.
... Be less good than a win.
 
NEXT UP:
*Wichita State will be either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in next weekend's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis.
*If the Shockers are the top-seed, they'll open Friday with a Noon CT tip against the winner of a Thursday night play-in game between the No. 8 and 9 seeds.
*If WSU is the No. 2 seed, it will open Friday with a 6 p.m. CT tip against the winner of a Thursday night play-in between the No. 7 and 10 seeds.
*In either case, WSU's quarterfinal game will air on MVC Television Network affiliates across the region, including Fox Sports Kansas City, Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana and Comcast SportsNet Chicago.