WICHITA STATE (7-5, 0-0) at MEMPHIS (8-5, 0-0)
Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019 | 8:35 p.m. CT
Memphis, Tenn. / FedExForum
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM // GoShockers.com/Listen
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>>> Wichita State (7-5, 0-0) opens American Athletic Conference play Thursday night against the Memphis Tigers (8-5, 0-0) at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn.
>>> The 8:30 p.m. CT tip airs nationally on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz and Pete Gillen on the call.
>>> 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 Bob Hull for the INTRUST Bank Pregame Show, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
>>> After a holiday hiatus, The
Gregg Marshall Radio Show resumes Monday, Jan. 7. LIVE from 6-7 p.m. at AJ's Sports Grill at The Alley. Listen to the show on KFH (98.7 FM / 1330 AM). The show is rebroadcast in a television format at 9 p.m. on YurView Kansas (Cox 2022) and online at YurView.com/Kansas.
>>> Seats are still available for Sunday's American home opener against Temple (3 p.m. CT) at Charles Koch Arena. Visit GoShockers.com/MBBTickets to purchase seats.
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OPENING TIPS:
***The Shockers lead the series 11-10 and are 2-0 against the Tigers under
Gregg Marshall.
***WSU won the only meeting last year, 85-65, at FedExForum. It was just the third Shocker victory all-time in 10 trips to Memphis.
***Tabbed eighth in the preseason poll, the rebuilding Shockers play their first five American Athletic Conference games against teams picked to finish in the upper-half of the standing: at Memphis (picked fourth), Temple (sixth), at Houston (third), -/rv UCF (first), and Cincinnati (second).
***The Shockers wrapped up non-conference play Dec. 22 with a 70-54 setback at VCU.
Markis McDuffie (16),
Jamarius Burton (12) and
Samajae Haynes-Jones (10) led the scoring. Burton added eight rebounds. Down 36-33 at halftime, WSU missed its first 11 shots to start the second-half and fell victim to a 16-0 run.
***Thursday marks the Shockers' first action in 12 days. Following the game at VCU, Marshall gave the players four full days off for the holidays. Practice resumed the evening of Dec. 27.
***Memphis took a different scheduling approach, playing (and defeating) Florida A&M last Saturday by 31 points. The Tigers have won three-straight and have scored at least 90 points in each of their last five contests. They lead the conference in scoring offense (85.1) but rank last in scoring defense (77.2). Pace has played a part. KenPom ranks Memphis ninth nationally in tempo. The Tigers force 18.4 turnovers per game (also ninth nationally).
***According to the NCAA's new NET formula, WSU played the nation's 38th-toughest non-conference schedule. The Shockers went 4-2 in December and have not lost consecutive games at any point this year.
***McDuffie entered the week ranked third on The American scoring chart. His 18.8 points is the highest non-conference scoring average by a Shocker in 12 seasons under Marshall. He's reached double-figures in 11-straight games.
***6-11 junior
Jaime Echenique leads the team in rebounds (6.1) and blocks (13).
***WSU is 0-2 this year in true road games. From 2013-14 to 2017-18, the Shockers led the nation in road wins (49-8) and road winning percentage (.860).
***The Shockers return to FedExForum in 10 weeks for the American Athletic Conference Tournament, March 14-17.
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ROOKIE REBOUNDERS:
***6-foot-3
Erik Stevenson is averaging 5.2 rebounds per game. If he maintains that pace, it would be the most ever by a freshman guard at Wichita State.
***Just 12 Shockers have averaged better than 5.0 rebounds per game as freshmen. All were listed as forwards or centers, and all but three stood 6-foot-7 or taller. The exceptions: 6-3 Cleo Littleton (7.7 rebounds in 1951-52), 6-5 Cheese Johnson (6.9; 1975-76) and 6-5 Jamar Howard (5.4; 2001-02).
***Stevenson has snagged at least five rebounds in eight of the team's 12 games.
***Fellow freshman
Jamarius Burton matched his season-high with eight boards on Dec. 22 against VCU. He's pulled 22 over the last three games.
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TRENDING:
***
Markis McDuffie's 18.8 points per game is the highest Jan. 1 scoring average by a Shocker in 19 years. Jason Perez rang in the Year 2000 (Y2K!) averaging 21.6 points on his way to first team all-conference honors.
***The Shockers face two teams this week that rank among the nation's top-20 in steals: Memphis is 19th (9.1) and Sunday's opponent, Temple, ranks 17th (9.2).
***Beginning Sunday, WSU plays its next four games against KenPom top-75 teams: Temple (74), @Houston (32), UCF (38) and Cincinnati (27). That group combined for a 43-6 non-conference record. Houston is ranked 19th in the latest AP Poll, and Cincinnati is receiving votes.
***WSU is outscoring opponents by 4.6 points in the first half but has been a much different team after halftime. The Shockers shoot nearly eight percentage points worse in the second half, and their three-point shooting dips by more than 10%.
***The Shockers have used five different starting-fives. The grouping of Torres/Haynes-Jones/Stevenson/McDuffie/Echenique had opened each of the last five contests and posted a 4-1 record. Haynes-Jones and McDuffie have started all 12 games. Echenique (11-straight starts) came off the bench in the opener.
***What a difference a year has made for
Samajae Haynes-Jones. The Hutchinson Community College product saw limited action in 2017-18Â behind the NBA-bound
Landry Shamet, appearing in just one game after Feb. 10. This year Haynes-Jones (12.1 ppg) is averaging a team-high 30.9 minutes per contest.
***Freshman guard
Dexter Dennis missed the two previous games against Oral Roberts (Dec. 19) and VCU (Dec. 22) after sustaining a concussion in the second half of the Dec. 15 Southern Miss game.
***The Shockers opened league play at 4-0 or better in each of the six previous seasons. Last year's group started 5-0 with road wins at UConn, ECU and Tulsa and home victories against Houston and USF.
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ON THE REBOUND:Â Â Â Â
***WSU was out-rebounded by 19 in the Dec. 8 loss at Oklahoma -- its worst margin in 20 years -- but has bounced back nicely, outrebounding each of its last four opponents by an average margin of of +11.0.
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Rebounding Margin; Last Four Games:
Dec. 12 – JACKSONVILLE ST. -- +11
Dec. 15 – SOUTHERN MISS -- +17
Dec. 19 – ORAL ROBERTS -- +10
Dec. 22 – at VCU -- +6
4-Game Average: +11.0
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***Even with the Oklahoma result, WSU's rebounding has steadily improved. The Shockers were +6.0 in six December games, compared to +0.5 in November.
***Six Shockers have taken a turn as leading rebounder over the past seven games.
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UPGRADE AT CHECK-IN:
***Junior center
Jaime Echenique has played nearly half of the available minutes this year (17.8 per game).
***When he's on the floor, WSU has outscored opponents by an average of 17.8 points per 40 minutes. When he's off, opponents have outscored the Shockers by 13.8.
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DEC. 22 LEFTOVERS: VCU 70, WSU 54Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
***Injuries, foul trouble and a cold shooting start to the second-half doomed WSU in a 16-point loss at VCU.
***
Markis McDuffie scored a team-high 16 points and
Jamarius Burton added 12 points and eight rebounds.
***Isaac Vann paced VCU with 18 points to go with 15-each from De'Riante Jenkins and Marcus Evans.
***WSU played its second-straight game without freshman guard
Dexter Dennis (concussion). Leading rebounder and shot-blocker
Jaime Echenique left the game with a foot injury with 7:31 to go in the first half. By the 6:20-mark, each of the other four Shocker starters had picked up at least two fouls.
Samajae Haynes-Jones was whistled for a third with 5:00 to go.
***McDuffie scored on an alley-oop and a three-pointer to give the Shockers a 30-27 lead with 3:23 to play in the half, but Isaac Vann (18 points) hit consecutive threes to put VCU in back in front for good.
***Despite 11 first-half turnovers, the Shockers trailed by just three point at the half, but another round of adversity awaited them. WSU missed its first 11 second-half shots and didn't score until the 12:10-mark. VCU capitalized with a 16-0 run to build its lead to 19.
***VCU shot 50% for the game to WSU's 36%. The Shockers were 6-of-26 from three. WSU won the rebounding battle, 38-32, with help from 17 offensive rebounds.
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THE SERIES vs. MEMPHIS:
***This is the 22nd meeting all-time. WSU leads 11-10.
 WSU is 3-8 in Memphis but has a 1-0 record at FedExForum. Last year's visit was its first since 1983 when the Tigers played at the old MidSouth Coliseum.
***The Shockers won the only meeting last year, 85-65, at FedExForum.
***WSU also won a neutral site game (71-56) on Nov. 18, 2014 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. All-American Ron Baker led the scoring with 21 points.
***The teams played 11 times from 1968-73 during Memphis' brief stop in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Tigers won 6-of-11 MVC games between the teams.
 Memphis' return trip to Wichita on Feb. 23 will its first in 43 years. The Shockers defeated the Tigers, 81-70, on Jan. 8, 1976.
***Prior to last year, WSU's last visit to Memphis came at the old MidSouth Coliseum. On Feb. 7, 1983, the Tigers (led by Keith Lee and Andre Turner) downed WSU (led by Antoine Carr and Xavier McDaniel), 85-73. It was one of just three losses for the 1982-83 Shockers, who finished 25-3 but were ineligible for postseason.
***Memphis has had a different coach for each of the past five meetings in the series: Wayne Yates (1976), Dana Kirk (1983), Josh Pastner (2014), Tubby Smith (2018) and now Penny Hardaway (2019).
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LAST MEETING:
Feb. 6, 2018 | Memphis, Tenn. | FedExForum
#22 WSU 85, Memphis 65
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***A pair of 20-point scorers keyed a 20-point road victory for the Shockers in their first visit to FedExForum.
***
Austin Reaves scored a game-high 22 points on 5-of-9 three-point shooting.
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Landry Shamet put up 20 points and handed out five assists in 33 turnover-free minutes.
***WSU took 19 more shots than Memphis and made seven more -- an imbalance made possible by an 18-8 advantage in turnovers and a 39-28 rebounding margin. 14 offensive boards led to 23 second chance points.
***WSU made 11-of-31 threes and 20-of-26 foul shots.
***The Shockers handed out 18 assists on 27 baskets.
***
Darral Willis Jr. grabbed 12 rebounds and scored 13 points.
Zach Brown provided an energy boost with 11 points, four steals and four assists.
***The Shockers led wire-to-wire. They hit just 38% from the field in the first half but went into the break with a 40-29 cushion, thanks to 12 offensive boards.
 ***Memphis twice pulled to within five points in the second half. It was a 54-49 game with just under 9:00 to go. The Shockers responded with a 17-3 run over the next four minutes to build the lead to 19. A Willis free throw stretched the margin to 27 with a minute to play.
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SCOUTING MEMPHIS:
***Hardaway is in his first season as Memphis head coach. He played for the Tigers in the early 90's before embarking on a 14-year NBA career.
***Memphis has faced three nationally-ranked teams this year: then-No. 22 LSU (L, 85-76), No. 20 Texas Tech (L, 78-65) and No. 3 Tennessee (L, 102-92).
***Memphis (85.1 points per game) is on pace to set a new American Athletic Conference scoring record. The Shockers set the current mark (82.8 points) last season.
***Memphis is among the nation's top-10 in pace, according to KenPom. The Tigers' average 76.3 possessions per game – six more than the national average – which ranks ninth nationally. That makes them something of an outlier in The American, where four teams rank among the bottom-50: Cincinnati (347 out of 353), SMU (340), UCF (330) and Houston (314).
***Memphis was picked fourth in the AAC preseason poll and landed one first-place vote. Jeremiah Martin was named first team preseason all-conference by the league's coaches. He's averaging a team-high 14.8 points and ranks among the top-20 nationally at 2.46 steals per game.
***Three Tigers average 14.5-or-more points. Joining Martin are Tyler Harris (14.8) and Kyvon Davenport (14.5). Davenport ranks third on the AAC rebounding chart at 8.0-per-contest.
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MATCHUP MASHUP:
***WSU has never faced Penny Hardaway, nor has
Gregg Marshall.
***Over the last six seasons, Marshall is 12-1 against rookie collegiate head coaches with seven-straight victories. The only loss came to Alabama's Avery Johnson (Nov. 27, 2015) in the AdvoCare Invitational. The term "rookie" loosely applies for Johnson. He was the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2006 and was head coach for parts of the seven seasons with the Mavericks and Nets.
***Marshall is 2-1 against Memphis and 1-1 at FedExForum. On Jan. 8, 2006, No. 4 Memphis defeated his Winthrop Eagles, 73-63.
***WSU redshirt freshman forward
Rod Brown is a Memphis native. He played three seasons with current Tiger freshman Tyler Harris at Cordova High School... In 2016, Brown earned all-tournament honors after helping the Wolves (30-4) reach Tennessee's Class AAA state semifinals for the first time in school history… In 2017, Brown averaged 21 points and 14 rebounds to help Cordova (24-8) to a regional title. He was voted MVP of the district and regional tournaments.
***WSU senior
Samajae Haynes-Jones and his Hutchinson CC team defeated an Eastern Florida State team led by Kareem Brewton Jr. in the 2017 NJCAA national championship game. Haynes-Jones was a second-team All-American, and Brewton landed first-team honors.
***Tiger freshman Alex Lomax originally signed with the Shockers in the Fall of 2017. Marshall granted Lomax his release last spring after Hardaway's hiring at Memphis.
***Six Amerian players have topped 30-points this year, including WSU's
Markis McDuffie (32 vs. Providence on Nov. 9). Memphis' Kyvon Davenport has done it twice, most recently against No. 3 Tennessee when he put up 31 points and 11 boards.
***McDuffie and Haynes-Jones are the only Shocker returners who saw action in last year's game at Memphis. Haynes-Jones played one minute at the end. McDuffie saw 18 minutes off the bench and finished with five points and one rebound.
***Memphis' average attendance (14,978) is a significant jump from last year's 6,225 per game. The announced attendance for last year's WSU-Memphis clash was 7,257.
***The Tigers are 7-1 at FedExForum this year. The only loss came to No. 3 Tennessee.
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A SHOCKER WIN WOULD…  Â
… improve their record to 8-5 with wins in six of their last eight games.
… make them 1-0 in conference play for the ninth consecutive year.
… give them a 12-10 lead in the all-time series with Memphis (2-0 in the AAC Era) and make them 4-7 in Memphis (2-0 at FedExForum).
… be their 50th true road win in the past six seasons (50-10) and make them 76-18 this decade.
… move Marshall to within 12 wins of 500 for his career (488-186) and within six victories of 300 as Shocker head coach (294-103).
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A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD… Â
… drop them to 7-6 and give them back-to-back losses for the first time in 2018-19.
… be their first 0-1 conference start since 2009-10.
… make them 0-3 this year in true road games after a remarkable 49-8 run over the five previous seasons.
… tie the all-time series with Memphis at 11-11.
… make WSU 3-8 in Memphis (1-1 at FedExForum)
… be less good than a win.
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UP NEXT:
***WSU returns home to face Temple (10-2) on Sunday at Charles Koch Arena. The 3 p.m. CT tip airs on ESPNEWS.
***The Owls -- who open American play Wednesday at UCF -- won five of their last six non-conference games, including an overtime victory against Davidson.
***Due to The American's unbalanced schedule, this will be the only regular season meeting between the squads.
***Temple leads the series 4-2, but the Shockers have won back-to-back games. The teams staged three memorable matchups over a span of 40 days last year. Temple won in overtime at the Liacouras Center. Two weeks later, the Shockers overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to win 93-86. WSU won the rubber-match in the American Quarterfinals in Orlando.
