JACKSONVILLE STATE (5-3) at WICHITA STATE (4-4)
Wednesday, Dec. 12  |  7:05 p.m. CT
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
TV: YurView KS (Cox HD 2022) | YurView.com/Kansas
Radio: Shocker Radio (KEYN 103.7 FM) | GoShockers.com/Listen
 

---

>>> Wichita State (4-4) begins a three-game homestand Wednesday evening against Jacksonville State (5-3) at Charles Koch Arena.
>>> Seats are still available. Visit goshockers.com/MBBTickets or contact the Shocker Ticket Office (316-978-FANS).
>>> Watch the game on YurView Kansas, available locally on Cox HD 2022, and in all 50 states at YurView.com/Kansas, with Shane Dennis and Bob Hull.
>>> Listen on KEYN 103.7 FM and online at GoShockers.com/Listen. Join Mike Kennedy, now in his 39th season as "Voice of the Shockers," and Dave Dahl for the INTRUST Bank Pregame Show, beginning at 6 p.m. CT.
>>> Catch the Gregg Marshall Radio Show LIVE from 6-7 p.m. every Monday at AJ's Sports Grill at The Alley, or listen to the show on KFH (98.7 FM / 1330 AM).  The show is rebroadcast in a television format Mondays at 9 p.m. on YurView Kansas (Cox 2022).
 

---

OPENING TIPS:
***This is the first-ever meeting between the programs.
***The Gamecocks -- picked third in the 12-team Ohio Valley Conference -- are riding a five-game winning streak.
***The Shockers are looking to bounce back from Saturday's 80-48 loss to Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. The 32-point margin was WSU's worst since 2003 and the most lopsided regular season loss in Gregg Marshall's 21 seasons. OU's +19 rebounding margin was the largest for a Shocker opponent in 20 years, and WSU's .242 shooting percentage was its lowest in 21 years.
***A CBI quarterfinalist last year, JSU is the sixth 2018 postseason qualifier that the Shockers have faced. That includes four NCAA Tournament teams (Providence, Davidson, Alabama, Oklahoma) and NIT No. 1 seed Baylor. WSU is 2-3 against that group.
***Markis McDuffie became the 47^th member of WSU's 1,000-point club midway through the first half at Oklahoma.  McDuffie entered the week as the AAC's leading scorer (19.5 ppg). Since an eight-point performance in the season-opener, he's scored at least 14 in each of the past seven contests.
***Though they've never met on the hardwood, the programs do a share a common thread. In 2000, WSU hired a young JSU head coach by the name of Mark Turgeon.
***JSU ranks 11^th nationally in KenPom's steal percentage index. The Gamecocks average 9.3 steals per-100 opponent possessions.
***On the flip side, WSU's offense ranks 14^th in fewest steals. Opponents steal the ball on just 6.3 out of every 100 trips.
***Nine Gamecocks average at least 10.0 minutes per game. That core group includes six seniors, two juniors and a redshirt sophomore. KenPom ranks JSU fourth nationally (out of 353 schools) in its experience metric. WSU, which has freshmen accounting for over 48% of its minutes, ranks 278^th on the same list.
***Jaime Echenique (team-high 6.0 rebounds) has blocked a shot in each of his first eight games as a Shocker. It's the Marshall Era's sixth-longest streak. It's also the longest block streak to begin a season since 1980 when Cliff Levingston swatted shots in each of the first 10.
***Erik Stevenson (team-high 12 steals) is on pace for 45 steals by the end of the regular season -- one more than the Shocker freshman record (44) set by Toure' Murry in 2010... Stevenson is averaging exactly 2.0 three-point field goals per game. Just two other Shocker freshman have averaged that many over a full season: Chad Elstun (2.19 in 1993) and Landry Shamet (2.00 in 2017).
***WSU is 74-4 at Charles Koch Arena over the last six seasons. Attendance has topped the 10,000-mark at 215 consecutive regular season games, dating back to December of 2004.
 
###
 
SHOCKERS ON THE LEADERBOARDS (as of Dec. 11):
***Markis McDuffie entered the week atop the American Athletic Conference scoring chart (19.5 points per game) and No. 70 on the national list.
***Jaime Echenique ranks among The American's top-10 in blocks (6^th, 1.3) and field goal percentage (7th, .543). He's also tied for 13^th in rebounding (6.0).
***WSU's has three of The American's top-10 in three-point field goals made. McDuffie (6^th, 2.4), Samajae Haynes-Jones (8^th, 2.1) and Erik Stevenson (9^th, 2.0) are all averaging at least two triples-per-game.
 
TRENDING:
***Through eight games, five different Shockers have taken a turn as leading rebounder.
***The Shockers' three primary ball-handlers have a combined 2.13 assist-to-turnover ratio: Ricky Torres (18 assists) has committed just two turnovers this season, spanning 141 minutes. ***Samajae Haynes-Jones (1.65) leads the team in assists at 3.5 assists per game and Jamarius Burton (1.67) ranks second at 2.9 per contest.
***Over the last three seasons, the Shockers are 54-2 (4-0 in 2018-19) when outshooting their opponent, compared to 6-14 (0-4 in 2018-19) when outshot.
***Markis McDuffie has a streak of seven-straight double-figure scoring games. He finished with a season-low eight points in the season opener but has put up at least 14 in every game since.
***McDuffie is 2-of-16 from three in three home games (compared to 17-of-32 in the five road/neutral tilts).
***Erik Stevenson is 11-of-22 (.500) from three-point range in WSU's three home games this year but 5-of-29 (.172) outside of Charles Koch Arena. He's averaging a team-best 18.5 points at home.
 
BUCKING THE TREND:
***Ten of Samajae Haynes-Jones' 20 rebounds this year came in the Dec. 1 win against Baylor. He had nine  boards of them in the first half. His previous career-high was five on Nov. 28, 2017 against Savannah State.
***Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler logged just eight minutes in the first six games but has seen increased playing time over the last two. The freshman chipped in three points, four rebounds and three assists in the Dec. 1 win over Baylor and played a career-high 10 minutes last Saturday at Oklahoma.
 
1,000 FOR McDUFFIE (AND COUNTING):
***Senior forward Markis McDuffie is the 47^th member of WSU's 1,000-point club. He reached the mark in his 100^th game (Dec. 8, 2018 at Oklahoma).
***If McDuffie maintains his 2018-19 scoring pace, he'll finish the regular season with 1,438 points -- which would rank 16^th all-time (one point behind former teammate Fred VanVleet).
***Nine members of the 1,000-point club -- including McDufie -- played their entire careers under Gregg Marshall. McDuffie is just the fourth from that group to reach 1,000 in 100 games or less. Each of the other three went on to play in the NBA: Toure' Murry (90), Cleanthony Early (67) & Ron Baker (78).
 
McDuffie on WSU's All-Time Scoring List:
38. Garrett Stutz (2008-12) – 1,106
39. Ernie Moore (1960-64) – 1,055
40. Tekele Cotton (2011-15) – 1,047
41.J amie Arnold (1993-97) – 1,046
42. Bob Trogele (1975-79) – 1,028
43. Ron Heller (1958-61) – 1,022
44. Ron Washington (1965-69) – 1,013
45. Markis McDuffie (2015-Pr.) – 1,009
46. Maurice Evans (1997-99) – 1,007
47. Terry Benton (2011-15) – 1,003
 
BLOCK PARTY:
***Jaime Echenique has blocked a shot in each of his first eight games as a Shocker. It's one of the six-longest block streaks of the Marshall Era.
 
Consecutive Games with a Block (Marshall Era, 2007-Pr.)
12 – Shaquille Morris (2017-18)
10 – Ehimen Orukpe (2012-13)
9 – Darius Carter (2014-15)
9 – Cleanthony Early (2013-14)
9 – Carl Hall (2012-13)
8 – Jaime Echenique (2018-19)
 
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE:
***JSU is picked third out of 12 teams in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll.
***Seniors Christian Cunninham and Jason Burnell were preseason All-OVC picks.
***Burnell leads the team in points (14.6 ppg), rebounds (8.1 rpg) and assists (3.8) and has three double-doubles.
***Cunningham (9.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg) entered the week ranked No. 53 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (3.13).
 ***Tennessee transfer Detrick Mostella averaged 10.5 points for the Volunteers in 2016-17.
 ***Jamall Gregory (10.1 ppg) ranks among the top-50 nationally at 2.13 steals per game.
 ***JSU has reached the 20-win mark and qualified for postseason play in each of its first two seasons under Ray Harper (2017 NCAA, 2018 CBI).
 ***JSU's 2017 NCAA appearance was borderline miraculous. Harper inherited an eight-win team that was picked last in the 12-team OVC. He instead led the Gamecocks to 20-wins, a conference tournament title and its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 21 seasons at the Division I level.
***Harper won a pair of NCAA Division II national titles at Kentucky Wesleyan, reaching the title game in sixth consecutive years. He captured two more NAIA national championships in three seasons as head coach at Oklahoma City University.
 
MATCHUP MASHUP:
WSU is 1-0 against Ray Harper. In November, 2013 the Shockers defeated Harper's former team, Western Kentucky, 66-49. That game -- which began at 11:50 p.m. CT -- was part of ESPN's 24-hour tipoff marathon.
 
WORST. NOTE. EVER.:
Jacksonville State is one of one of two first-time opponents on WSU's 2018-19 schedule (along with LA Tech). After Wednesday, the Shockers will have played 232 of the other 352 current Division I schools at least once. The Shockers own at least one victory against 199 current D-I schools. A win over JSU would push that total to an even 200. Notably, 200 is a nice, round number.
 

---

 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD…
… push them back over the .500-mark at 5-4 with wins in three of their last four games.
… give them three-straight home wins and make them 75-4 at CKA over the last six seasons.
… move Gregg Marshall to within 15 wins of 500 for his career (485-185) and within nine victories of 300 as Shocker head coach (291-102).
… up WSU's December record under Marshall to 61-17.
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…
… lower their record to 4-5 and give them consecutive losses for the first time this season.
… be just their fifth loss at CKA in the past six seasons and drop their 2018-19 home mark to 2-2.
… give JSU a 1-0 lead in the all-time series.
… keep you from putting the "worst note ever" to use.
 
DEC. 15: THE LOWDOWN ON DOWNTOWN:
***For the ninth-consecutive year, Wichita State will stage a game downtown at INTRUST Bank Arena. The Shockers meet Southern Miss at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
***Fans may purchase seats by phone at 855-755-SEAT, online at selectaseat.com or by visiting the Select-A-Seat Box Office at INTRUST Bank Arena.
***WSU-Southern Miss is a rematch of the classic 2012 downtown game that saw WSU's eventual Final Four team overcome a 12-point second-half deficit to defeat a 27-win Golden Eagle squad. During halftime, WSU will induct legendary baseball coach Gene Stephenson into the Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame.