ORLANDO, Fla. -- No. 11/11 Wichita State (23-5, 13-3) looks to keep its conference title hopes alive Thursday night when its pays its first-ever visit to UCF (17-11, 8-8).
 
The 6 p.m. CT tip airs nationally on ESPN with Kevin Brown and John Thompson III.
 
The Voice of the Shockers, Mike Kennedy, describes the action on Shocker Radio (KEYN 103.7 FM and GoShockers.com/Listen). Kennedy and Bob Hull host a one-hour pregame show beginning at 5 p.m. CT.
 
The Shockers won the first meeting between the programs in Wichita back on Jan. 25, 81-62, behind 19 points and six boards from Shaquille Morris. The Shockers were uncharacteristically cold from three (5-of-18 marked their second lowest output this year), but they committed a season-low six turnovers, outrebounded the visiting Knights by 10 and held them to just 36% from the field.
 
The Shockers rank in the top-10 nationally in rebound margin (3rd, +10.2), assists (3rd, 18.9) and A:TO Ratio (6th, 1.60).

 

GAME 29

Orlando, Fla.

CFE Arena (9,465)

Game Notes: WSU | UCF

MATCHUP

#11/11 Wichita State (23-5, 13-3 American) at UCF (17-11, 8-8 American)

Thursday, March 1

6:00 P.M. CT

ESPN (WatchESPN)

KEYN 103.7 FM

GoShockers.com

GoShockers.com

SOCIAL

@GoShockersMBB | #watchus

@goshockers | #watchus

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THE STARTING FIVE:
 
1 --- AMAZING RACE:
WSU (13-3) begins the week a game back of Cincinnati (14-2) with two to play. The teams go head-to-head on Sunday in Wichita (11 a.m., CBS) to close out the regular season. The Bearcats can clinch a share of the title with a Thursday night win at Tulane, but WSU still controls its own destiny. Sweeping UCF and Cincinnati this week would guarantee the Shockers their own share, along with the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
 
No. 10 Cincinnati – 14-2 – 0-1 vs. WSU, 1-1 vs. UH -- @Tulane (Thurs.) & @WSU (Sun.)
No. 11 Wichita State – 13-3 – 1-0 vs. CIN, 1-1 vs. UH -- @UCF (Thurs.) & CINCINNATI (Sun.)
No. 25 Houston – 12-4 – 1-1 vs. CIN, 1-1 vs. WSU -- @SMU (Wed.), UCONN (Sun.)
 
2 --- ROAD WARRIORS:
WSU is 8-2 this year in true road games with wins over two nationally-ranked foes (No. 16 Baylor and No. 5 Cincinnati). Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Shockers own the most road wins (48-8) and highest percentage (.857) in Division I. Three of the eight losses have come in overtime.
 
3 --- SIX-PACK:
 The Shockers have won six-straight, last losing Feb. 1 in overtime at Temple. During the streak, six different Shockers have scored in double-figures: Shaquille Morris (16.5), Landry Shamet (15.0) and Austin Reaves (12.5), Markis McDuffie (10.8), Darral Willis Jr. (10.0) and Conner Frankamp (10.0). As a team, WSU is shooting 50% from the field and 43% from deep.
 
4 --- ROLLING DOUBLE-SIXES:
WSU began the week ranked sixth out of 351 teams in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency measurements. UCF is sixth in defensive efficiency... WSU is on pace to set a league scoring record (84.2 points per game ranks 17th nationally) but will face two of the nation's top three scoring defenses this week in UCF (3rd, 61.2) and Cincinnati (2nd, 57.5). The Shockers have scored 76-or-more in nine straight games.
 
5 --- ONE-TWO PUNCH:
 The Shockers have finished first or second in each of their last eight conference seasons. A win on Thursday guarantees them no worse than a tie for second place and extends the streak to nine... Only three active streaks are longer: Gonzaga (21) and Kansas (18) won the WCC and Big 12 titles outright this year, and Belmont (13) was OVC runner-up. WSU won MVC titles in 2012, 14, 15, 16 and 17 and finished second in 2010, 11 & 13.

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THE SERIES WITH UCF:
*This is the second men's basketball meeting between WSU and UCF. The Shockers won in Wichita on Jan. 25.
*UCF is one of four American foes that WSU faced for the first time this year (along with USF, ECU & Tulane).
*The Shockers will return to Orlando in less than a week for the Aaron's American Athletic Conference Tournament, albeit at a different venue. UCF plays on campus at the 9,500-seat CFE Arena. Next week's tournament will be held some 20 miles away at the Amway Center -- home of the NBA's Orlando Magic.
*The Shockers are 2-7 all-time in the Sunshine State (1-5 in Orlando). Gregg Marshall teams made appearances in the Advocare Invitational in 2008 and 2015.
 
MATCHUP MASHUP:
*Gregg Marshall is 2-1 against UCF. He faced Knights twice at Winthrop, going 1-1. On Dec. 2, 1998 (in just his fifth game as a head coach), Marshall's Eagles fell 79-57 in Orlando. A year later -- Nov. 23, 1999 -- he defeated UCF, 78-54, in a return game at Winthrop Coliseum.
*Marshall is 1-1 against Johnny Dawkins. In March, 2009, Dawkins' Stanford team defeated the Shockers, 70-56, in the CBI Quarterfinals to end WSU's first postseason bid under Marshall. Dawkins' 14-point win is the most lopsided victory by a road team in Marshall's 11 seasons at Wichita State.
*First-year Shocker assistant Donnie Jones was head coach at UCF for six seasons (2010-16) and led the Knights to three 20-win seasons and a pair of postseason appearances. He spent the 2016-17 season as a scout for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers before signing on to Marshall's staff.
 
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS:
UCF (24-12 last year and an NIT seminalist) was picked third in the league's preseason poll.
The Knights have taken a hard bite from the injury bug with three key contributors missing extensive time. Michigan transfer Aubrey Dawkins -- son of head coach Johnny Dawkins -- suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in late October. Two weeks later, guard B.J. Taylor (a preseason first team all-conference selection) was diagnosed with a foot injury and missed the next 16 games. Taylor returned on Jan. 16, but four days later UCF announced that 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall will miss the remainder of the year due to a shoulder injury. Fall was shooting .767 from the field and averaging 11.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
 Minus Fall, UCF is 8-8 in league play and could finish anywhere from fourth to ninth in the standings, depending on how this week plays out.
 A.J. Davis ranks second in The American in rebounds (7.8) and double-doubles (7).
 
LAST MEETING WITH UCF:
Jan. 25, 2018 in Wichita (WSU, 81-62)
WSU won the first-ever meeting between the two programs and snapped a two-game losing streak… Shaquille Morris scored a game-high 19 points off the bench on 8-of-10 shooting… WSU reserves accounted for 50 of the team's 81 points. It's the third time this year that the Shockers have recorded 50+ bench points… Morris became the seventh player in Shocker history to participate in 100 career victories, joining teammate Rashard Kelly… Markis McDuffie started for the first time since his Dec. 22 return from injury. Limited in the first half by foul trouble, he finished with five points in 15 minutes… Conner Frankamp extended his school-record streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer to 40… The Shockers were just the second team to score more than 80 points against UCF, joining West Virginia (83)… WSU outrebounded UCF 48-38 and turned 13 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points.
 The Shockers committed a season-low six turnovers… Kelly (10 rebounds in 17 minutes) finished with double-digit boards for the second consecutive game… UCF played its second game without 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall. The junior will miss the remainder of the year with a shoulder injury.
 
ON THE LEADERBOARD (as of 2/26):
*Wichita State is on pace to set American conference records for scoring offense (84.2), rebounding offense (40.8) and assists per game (18.9). The Shockers also lead the league in rebound margin (+10.2), field goal percentage (.483), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6), defensive rebound percentage (.772) and three-pointers per game (9.5).
*Landry Shamet leads the league in assists (5.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5). He's third in threes-per-game (2.6), fourth in three-point percentage (.448), and 11th in scoring (14.6).
*Rashard Kelly is The American's top offensive rebounder (3.1) and is fourth in total boards /game (7.3).
*Shaquille Morris leads the league in blocks per game (1.6) and ranks second in field goal % (.570).
*Austin Reaves ranks second in the league in three-point percentage (.469).
 
ALMOST TOURNEY TIME:
The American Athletic Conference Tournament begins one week from Thursday in Orlando. WSU is guaranteed a first round bye but could be seeded anywhere from first to third, depending on how the week plays out. The Shockers won last year's MVC Tournament title in St. Louis.
 
TOP TEAMS OF THE TEENS:
Wichita State has been one of the decade's most successful programs. Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the Shockers' .828 winning percentage (231-48) is second only to Gonzaga.
 During that span, WSU is 3-2 against the other four schools on the list, defeating Gonzaga, Kansas and Arizona once-each, while losing twice to Kentucky. All five  matchups came in first or second round NCAA Tournament games.
 
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A SHOCKER WIN WOULD…
… improve their record to 24-5 (14-3 American).
… keep their regular season title hopes alive heading into Sunday's finale against Cincinnati in Wichita.
… run their winning streak to seven games (matching their season-high).
… make them 9-2 in true road games this year and 49-8 (.860) over the last five seasons.
… give them their third series sweep. WSU took home-and-homes from UConn and Tulsa and split with Houston, SMU and Temple.
… make them 2-0 all-time against UCF.
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…
… drop their record to 23-6 (13-4 American).
… equal their conference loss total from the four previous years when they went 68-4 in MVC games.
… drop them 8-3 in true road games this year and 48-9 over the last five seasons.
… snap a six-game winning streak.
… give Cincinnati a share of the American regular season title and a chance to win it outright with a victory at Tulane (8 CT/9 ET on Thursday night).
… be less good than a win.
 
UP NEXT:
CBS brings its cameras to Wichita on Sunday for a network nationally televised game against No. 10 Cincinnati. Tip is set for 11 a.m. CT.