WICHITA, Kan. -- Wichita State (20-4, 10-1 MVC) hosts Illinois State (19-4, 11-0) Saturday in a game with heavy conference championship implications. The 7 p.m. CT tip airs on ESPN2.
 
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 1,200th consecutive game (exhibitions included), alongside Dave Dahl.


 

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAY

Wichita State (20-4, 10-1 MVC)  Illinois State (19-4, 11-0 MVC)

Saturday, Feb. 4

7:00 P.M. CT

Wichita, Kan.

Charles Koch Arena

Game Notes: WSU | ILST

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SERIES HISTORY

All-Time: WSU leads 41-40

In Wichita: WSU leads 25-11

Last Meeting: Jan. 14, 2017 (ILST 76-62)

MVC STANDINGS

Team MVC OVR Illinois State 11-0 19-4 Wichita State 10-1 20-4 Loyola 6-5 16-8 Missouri State 6-5 15-9 Southern Illinois 6-5 13-11 Northern Iowa 5-6 10-12 Drake 5-6 7-16 Bradley 3-8 8-16 Indiana State 2-9 8-15 Evansville 1-10 10-14

STARTING FIVE:
 
1 ----- Fight for First: Wichita State trails Illinois State by a game in the MVC standings:
A Shocker loss would give the Birds a two-game lead, plus the head-to-head tiebreaker, with six games left. A Shocker win would create a first-place tie and set up a dramatic three-week stretch run. The MVC recognizes co-champions when teams finish with identical records, but the Redbirds would still have a leg up on the tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed at Arch Madness. ISU is No. 34 in the RPI Report, while WSU is No. 67. 
 
2 ----- Separation: WSU and ILS are a combined 20-0 against the rest of the Valley this year, creating a four-game cushion between second-place WSU and a three-team logjam in third place. This is the first time since 1922 that an 11-0 (or better) MVC team has run up against a one-loss team in league play. An 11-1 Kansas beat 12-0 Mizzou that year.
 
3 ----- Revenge Factor: Wichita State looks to avenge its lone conference loss of the year and avoid just its third MVC sweep in eight seasons. The Redirds claimed a 76-62 win three weeks ago in Normal... Wichita State can also gain some very symmetrical revenge from a season ago, by handing ISU (11-0 MVC) its first conference loss and putting a stop to the Redbird's 12-game winning streak. A year ago, almost to the day (Feb. 6, 2016) in Normal,  Illinois State tagged an 11-0 WSU team its first Valley loss and snapped a 12-game Shocker winning streak.
 
4 ----- Two Stingy Defenses: WSU and ILS both rank in the top-10 nationally in field goal percentage defense. Shocker opponents are shooting just 38.2% (seventh in Division I and the program's best mark in over six decades) and Redbird foes are hitting only 37.1% (best mark ever by an MVC team in the shot clock era). The Shockers and Redbirds are on a list of just eight schools that are shooting better from three than their opponents are overall.
 
5 ----- A Bird Cage: ILS has won just once in Wichita since the 2003-04 season when Charles Koch Arena mades its debut. The Shockers are 12-1 against Illinois State on Devlin Court with eight consecutive wins. The exception came in 2008 (Marshall's first season).
 
 
THE 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.
*The Shockers (20-4, 10-1 MVC) clinched an eight consecutive 20-win season earlier this week (second longest streak in MVC history) and now look to extend an identical streak of 25-win seasons.
*Winners of five straight and 11 of its last 12, WSU earned eight votes in this week's AP Poll, for the equivalent of a No. 29 national ranking.
*WSU ranks in the top-10 nationally in scoring margin (3rd, +18.2), rebound margin (7th, +8.9) and field goal percentage defense (7th .388). The Shockers also rank high in scoring offense (28th, 81.5), scoring defense (21st, 63.3) assists (15th, 17.2), turnover margin (34th, +3.0), assist-to-turnover ratio (13th, 1.48) and three-point percentage (33rd, .388).
*The Shockers rank first or second in 17 of the MVC's 21 major statistical categories.
 
HEAD COACH, GREGG MARSHALL:
Tenth-year Shocker head coach, Gregg Marshall has guided WSU to five-consecutive NCAA Tournaments and three straight MVC regular season titles. Marshall (444-172 in 19 seasons overall), became WSU's career victories leader last February and reached the 250-mark in Wednesday's win at Drake. 
 
PERSONNEL IN A NUTSHELL:
*Markis McDuffie -- the 2016 MVC Freshman of the Year -- has moved into a bigger role as a sophomore. The preseason All-MVC pick is the team's leading scorer (12.1) and rebounder (5.9), taking over the latter category on Wednesday with his second straight 14-rebound performance.
*JUCO forward Darral Willis Jr. has provided some additional scoring scoring and rebounding punch at 11.0 points and 5.5 boards.
*Redshirt freshman guard Landry Shamet leads the MVC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.88) and ranks 26th nationally in that category.
*A platoon of centers Shaquille Morris (MVC preseason second team) and Rauno Nurger is averaging 15.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.6 blocks in just under 30 minutes per game.
*Junior wing Zach Brown plays the role of defensive stopper, often shadowing the opponent's top scorer.
*Junior forward Rashard Kelly is the team's most experienced hand, appearing in his 95th game Saturday.
*The point guard combo of juniors Conner Frankamp and Daishon Smith gives Marshall the ability to mix-and-match. Frankamp is shooting 47% from three in MVC play, and Smith -- another JUCO addition -- has a team-high 30 steals this season.
*Freshman guard Austin Reaves leads the MVC in three-point percentage at 52.1%.
*In the last seven games, Marshall has used six different starting lineups. Only Shamet has started all 24 games.
 
THE SERIES WITH ILLINOIS STATE:
*This is the 82nd meeting in a series than began in 1937. WSU leads Illinois State 41-40. 
*The teams have met in every season since 1981-82 (36-straight).
*WSU is 14-5 against Illinois State over the past seven seasons and has won 24 of the last 33 overall.
*Illinois State has taken three of the last four games but hasn't won a season series since 2007-08 (Gregg Marshall's first year). 
*Marshall is 8-3 against fifth-year Illinois State coach Dan Muller. 
*The teams split two games last year. Illinois State won in Normal, and WSU won the rematch in Wichita three weeks later on senior night for Ron Baker, Fred VanVleet and Evan Wessel.
 
IN WICHITA:
*WSU tries for its ninth consecutive home win over Illinois State.
*The Shockers have taken 14 of the last 15 in Wichita, with ISU's lone triumph coming in 2008 - Marshall's first season at WSU (49-46).
*ISU won 10 of 23 meetings at Henry Levitt Arena but hasn't faired nearly as well since the building's 2003 renovation. The Redbirds are 1-12 in the Charles Koch Arena era.
*Muller is winless in four previous trips to Wichita.
 
SWEEPING UP:
Illinois State is trying to become just the third team in the last eight seasons to sweep a regular season series from the Shockers. Since 2010-11, Missouri State (2011) and Evansville (2013) are the only schools who have done it. In that time, WSU has swept a total of 47^ home-and-homes and split 19.
^ - Includes Drake, Bradley and Indiana State in 2016-17
 
LAST 3 MEETINGS WITH ILLINOIS STATE:
>>> Feb. 6, 2016 | Normal | ISU 58, #21 WSU 53
After an 11-0 MVC start, WSU suffered its first conference loss of the year... The defeat also ended a 12-game winning streak and a 19-game MVC winning streak... Paris Lee led all scorers, piling up 19 points for ILS, which defeated a nationally-ranked Valley opponent at Redbird Arena for the first time in the building's 27-year history... Deontae Hawkins had a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds...  ILS missed 20 of its first 22 attempts from the field... WSU led by 12 at the break and by 16 at the 18:48-mark of the second half, but after Baker's jumper stretched the lead to 37-21 with 18:48 to go, WSU went just 5-of-25 the rest of the way... Hawkins gave the Redbirds their first lead, 44-41, with a three-pointer at the 9:33 mark. Prior to that, WSU had not trailed after halftime at any point in Valley play... ILS went up 54-50 with under 4:00 to go on Hawkins' three-point play.
 
>>> Feb. 27, 2016 | Wichita | WSU 74, ISU 58
A sellout crowd helped turn a tight game into a party. ..Up 26-24 at the 7:11-mark of the first half, the Shockers launched a 17-0 run to take control on Senior Day... Wichita State sent its five seniors -- including the legendary class of Ron Baker, Fred VanVleet and Evan Wessel -- out on a high note and, afterward, celebrated its third consecutive MVC crown by cutting down the nets...   VanVleet posted nine assists to move into the top-5 on the MVCs career assists chart... WSU posted a double-digit differential, forcing 17 Redbird turnovers with just six giveaways of its own (+11)... As a result, WSU outscored ILS 24-3 in points off of turnovers... WSU also reversed its rebounding fortunes. After being outrebounded by 11 in Normal, the Shockers grabbed 16 offensive boards in the rematch and won 40-33 on the glass.
 
>>> Jan. 14, 2017 | Normal | ISU 76, WSU 62
Wichita State's three-year stay atop the MVC standings ended abruptly in just the fourth head-to-head meeting between 5-0 teams in modern (post WWII) conference history... ILS shot 54% and hit 10-of-22 from three... The hosts snared the lead midway through the first half and fended off a pair of Shocker runs down the stretch to grab sole possession of first place for the first time since 1998... WSU lost its share of the conference lead for the first time since the end of the 2012-13 season... WSU saw its seven-game road winning streak come to an end in its second-worst shooting performance of the season (34.9 percent). .. Darral Willis Jr. and Landry Shamet each flirted with double-doubles for the Shockers. Willis finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Shamet added 14 points, eight boards and a team-high six assists with just one turnover... Foul trouble hampered Markis McDuffie, who scored all 11 of his points in the second half... MiKyle McIntosh finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting. He was one of five Redbirds to finish in double-figures. Deontae Hawkins scored 14, DJ Clayton had 11 and Paris Lee and Keyshawn Evans each with 10... WSU's last lead came at the 7:33 mark, 24-22, but it missed 10 of its last 11 shots in the half. ISU took control with an 11-1 run... Down nine at the half, WSU cut the lead to 37-35 (18:00), 43-42 (13:36), and 56-53 (6:14), but the Redbirds squashed each rally with timely three-pointers.
 
3's + D :
*Wichita State and Illinois State are on a list of just eight schools that are shooting better from three-point range than their opponents are overall from the field.
*All eight schools on the list have an .800 or better winning percentage and are receiving AP votes.
*The Valley is the only conference with multiple reps.
 
School --- 3pt% / FG% Defense
#23 Purdue --- 42.4% / 40.8%
#1 Gonzaga --- 38.0% / 36.9%
#9 Virginia --- 39.6% / 38.5%
rv SMU --- 39.7% / 38.9%
rv Wichita State --- 38.8% / 38.2%
rv Illinois State --- 37.5% / 37.1%
#11 UCLA --- 42.3% / 42.2%
#3 Kansas --- 41.33% / 41.32%
 
DO-OVER, PLEASE:
The Shockers will need to fair better offensively than they did in the first meeting with ISU (KenPom #9 in Defensive Efficiency). On Jan. 14,  WSU scored just 62 points while shooting 35% from the field. It was the Shockers' lowest scoring output in 11 Valley games and one of just three all year in which they've put less than 70 on the board. WSU has shot 44% or better  from the field against every other MVC opponent this year. 
 
CRAZY COMEBACKS:
*Since the debut of the three-point line, WSU has lost just five times when leading by a dozen-or-more at the midway point. The Redbirds are responsible for three of those comebacks, the latest coming last February (2016).
* WSU owns a recent memorable comeback of its own against ISU. The 2013 Final Four team trailed by 14 in the first half in Normal and by seven with 40 seconds to go when a flagrant foul against the Redbirds resulted in two free throws, plus the ball. Demetric Williams hit a three, WSU forced a turnover, and Cleanthony Early's triple with six seconds to go capped a 68-67 Shocker win.
 
"DOING THE EVAN WESSEL THING":
*Junior forward Rashard Kelly's production tailed off during the first half of conference play, bottoming out in the Jan. 14 loss at Illinois State when he played seven scoreless minutes.
*In the aftermath, Gregg Marshall urged some of his slumping players to look more to their strengths. In Kelly's case, that's meant a renewed focus on getting to rebounds and loose balls, while lifting the team with passion, energy and overall toughness.
*Lately, those efforts have led to points, too. Kelly helped spark second-half comebacks at both Bradley and Drake in the last week. Over the two games he averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds in just under 16 minutes. He was 8-of-11 from the field, with six of those baskets coming on dunks.
*"[Kelly is] really bouncy out there. He's moving well," Marshall said at his weekly press conference. "He's pursuing the basketball. He's the first to the floor. He's doing the Evan Wessel-type things, but he's a little bigger and a little more athletic."
 
NEW YEAR's FIREWORKS:
WSU's backcourt has been outstanding from three since the calendar flipped to 2017. Since Jan. 1, the team's five primary guards are shooting a combined 48.5 percent from three-point range. Landry Shamet (22-of-44, .500), Conner Frankamp (23-of-46, .500) Austin Reaves (10-of-18, .556) and C.J. Keyser (3-of-6, .500) are all 50 percent or better over that stretch.
 
ON BOARD MOTOR:
*Markis McDuffie's 28 rebounds (14 at Bradley and 14 at Drake) are the most by a Shocker in back-to-back contests since Ramon Clemente snagged 29 in the first two games of the 2008-09 season (12 vs. Florida A&M and 17 vs. UMKC).
*McDuffie's 28 is the best two-game rebounding stretch by a Shocker in MVC play since Jamie Arnold snagged 30 January, 1997 (17 vs. Drake and 13 at Illinois State).
*If McDuffie reaches double-digit rebounds on Saturday, he'd be the first Shocker since Garrett Stutz (February, 2012) to string together three-in-a-row. Stutz did it twice that year on his way to first team All-MVC honors.
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... improve their overall record to 21-4.
... give them a share of first-place, alongside Illinois State at 11-1 with six games to go.
... up their winning streak to six games (matching their season-high).
... increase their lead in the all-time series with Illinois State to 42-40 (26-11 in Wichita).
... be their ninth consecutive home win over the Redbirds and 15th in the last 16 tries.
... improve their Charles Koch Arena record to 13-0 and be their 16th consecutive campus win, dating back to last February.
... Improve their four-year MVC mark to 62-4.
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... Drop their overall record to 20-5
... Sink them to 10-2 in league play and leave them two full games back of first-place Illinois State with only six games left to play.
... Snap an 8-game home winning streak against ISU and be their first home loss to the Redbirds since 2008.
... snap the Shockers' five-game winning streak.
... end a 15-game Charles Koch Arena winning streak and sink their on-campus record to 12-1.
... Be just the fifth Valley loss by a Shocker team in the last four conference regular seasons.
... Be way, way, way less good than a win.
 
UP NEXT:
The Shockers enjoy a five-day gap between games. They host Missouri State on Thursday, Feb. 9 for an 8 p.m. CT tip on CBS Sports Network. The Bears are the only Valley team that the Shockers have yet to face. The teams meet again in the regular season finale in Springfield on Feb. 25.