WICHITA STATE (8-9, 1-4) at USF (12-6, 2-4)
TUESDAY, JAN. 22, 2019 | 7 P.M. CT (8 P.M. ET)
TAMPA, FLA. | YUENGLING CENTER
TV: CBSSN
RADIO: 103.7 FM KEYN | GOSHOCKERS.COM/LISTEN
Â
>>> Wichita State makes its first-ever trip to Tampa, Fla. where it will take on the USF Bulls, Tuesday evening at the Yuengling Center.
>>> The 7 p.m. CT tip airs nationally on CBS Sports Network with Dave Ryan and Steve Wolf.
>>> Listen on KEYN 103.7 FM and online at GoShockers.com/Listen. Mike Kennedy, now in his 39th season as "Voice of the Shockers," and Bob Hull tip things off at 6 p.m. CT with the INTRUST Bank Pregame Show.
Â
OPENING TIPS:
***Due to the league's unbalanced schedule, this will be the only regular season meeting between the teams.
***They also played just once last year -- Jan. 7, 2018 in Wichita. On that day, ninth-ranked WSU hit 12-of-20 from three and a season-best 62.7% overall from the field in a 95-57 win. The Shockers made 75% of their first-half shots (21-of-28) and led 51-20 at the intermission.
***USF is one of four American foes that WSU faced last year for the first time (UCF, Tulane and ECU were the other three).
***WSU junior point guard
Ricky Torres hails from just across the bay in Pinellas Park, Fla. He signed with the Shockers last spring after an All-American season at Missouri State-West Plains JC.
***There are five one-loss teams grouped atop The American standings: Houston (5-1), Cincinnati (5-1), UCF (4-1), Temple (4-1) and Memphis (4-1). WSU (1-4) played the entire quintet in a five-game stretch to begin conference play.
***The Shockers have been to seven-straight NCAA Tournaments and posted nine-straight 25-win seasons under head coach
Gregg Marshall but are rebuilding this year with 10 first-year players.
***Whether you favor RPI (11th), NET (11th) or KenPom (28th), the youthful Shockers have played one of D-I's strongest overall schedules. Using NET, 11 of their 17 games would be classified by the Selection Committee as Quadrant I or II contests. That's tied for the seventh-highest total in all college basketball. Two more Q2 games are on the way this week.
***WSU split a pair of home games last week against teams that are receiving AP votes. The Shockers handed UCF its lone conference loss last Wednesday, 75-67.
Markis McDuffie scored 18 of his game-high 23 points after halftime, and WSU outrebounded the Knights 20-5 in the second half... On Saturday, the Shockers led Cincinnati midway through the second half before bowing, 66-55.
Â
***McDuffie is the American Athletic Conference's second-leading scorer at 19.6 points per game. He's scored at least 20 points in four-straight games (tied for the longest Marshall Era streak) and has reached double-figures in each of the last 16 (second-longest). McDuffie (1,187 career points) needs just 24 more to move into the top-25 on WSU's all-time list.
***6-11 center
Jaime Echenique is the team's leading rebounder (5.4) and shot-blocker (21 total).
***Senior guard
Samajae Haynes-Jones leads the team in assists (3.0) and ranks second in scoring (13.0). He has an active streak of nine-straight double-figure scoring games.
***Over an eight-year span from 2010-11 to 2017-18, WSU was the nation's best road team at 75-20 (.789). This year, the Shockers are 0-4 in true road games with losses at Oklahoma, VCU, Memphis and Houston.
Â
###
Â
GOOD AND TWENTY:
***McDuffie's four-straight 20-point games ties the longest Marshall Era streak. 7-footer Garrett Stutz did it in Janary/February of 2012. Ron Baker had one of his own as a sophomore in November/December, 2013. Both went on to earn first team all-conference honors.
***McDuffie is looking to become the first Shocker in 19 years to notch five-straight 20+ games and just the sixth since 1980.
Â
Consecutive 20-Point Games by Shockers (1980-81 to Pr.):
18 – Xavier McDaniel (1984-85*)
7 – Xavier McDaniel (1984-85*)
7 – Jason Perez (1999-00)
6 – Maurice Evans (1998-99)
5 – John Cooper (1990-91)
4 – 8x, Last:
Markis McDuffie (2018-19)
*=NCAA scoring leader; the streaks were separated by one 18-point game.
Â
***McDuffie's eight 20-point games this season are tied for second-most in the American Athletic Conference. Only UConn's Jalen Adams (10) has more.
***McDuffie's eight 20-point games are third-most by a Shocker in the last 20 seasons. Only Cleanthony Early (10 in 2013-14) and Jason Perez (17 in 1999-00) have posted more in that span.
Â
Most 20-Point Games by a Shocker; Last 20 Seasons:
17 – Jason Perez (1999-00) – First Team All-MVC
10 – Cleanthony Early (2013-14) – First Team All-MVC
8 –
Markis McDuffie (2018-19)
8 – Randy Burns (2002-03) – Honorable Mention All-MVC
7 – Cleanthony Early (2012-13) – First Team All-MVC
7 –
Landry Shamet (2018-19) – First Team All-AAC
7 –
Shaquille Morris (2018-19) – First Team All-AAC
Â
SUPER MARKIS SWEEP:
***
Markis McDuffie entered the weekend ranked second on the conference leaderboard and just inside the top-50 nationally in scoring (19.6).
***McDuffie is averaging 22.0 points in American play -- tied with ECU's Jayden Gardner for the league lead.
***Just six Shockers all-time have won conference scoring crowds, and the last came 19 years ago. Jason Perez averaged an MVC-best 20.2 points in 2000.
Â
American Athletic Conference Scoring Leaders (as of Jan. 21, 2019)
19.8 – Jayden Gardner (ECU)
19.6 –
Markis McDuffie (WSU)
18.9 – Shizz Alston Jr. (Temple)
18.1 – Jalen Adams (UConn)
17.8 – Jarron Cumberland (Cincinnati)
Â
A ROLL OF TPs
***McDuffie's run of 16-straight double-figure scoring games is the second-longest of the Marshall Era, trailing only Cleanthony Early (19 in '13-14).
***Xavier McDaniel has the all-time record locked down (65-straight). He scored 10+ in every game of his junior and senior seasons. In the latter (1985), he led the nation in scoring.
***McDuffie's streak is one of the nine-longest by a Shocker in the last 40 seasons.
Â
Consecutive Games with 10+ Points (Marshall Era, 2007-Pr.)
19 – Cleanthony Early (2013-14*)
16 –
Markis McDuffie (2018-19)
14 – Ron Baker (2015-16)
13 – Cleanthony Early (2012-13)      Â
* = Streak began the previous year
Â
SHOCKERS ON THE LEADERBOARDS (as of Jan. 20):
***
Jaime Echenique ranks among conference's top-10 in blocks (5th, 1.24) and field goal percentage 6th, .566.
***
Markis McDuffie ranks among the top-10 in scoring (2nd, 19.6), free throw percentage (6th, .835), 3-point percentage (4th, .406) and 3-pointers (6th, 2.5).
Â
TRENDING:
***
Gregg Marshall's technical foul on Saturday was just his ninth in 12 seasons at WSU. He has two this year.
***Free throws are finally falling. After sinking just 65.6% from the line during the non-conference slate, the Shockers have hit a league-best 84.5% in American play (60-of-71), led by McDuffie (21-23),
Dexter Dennis (10-11) and
Jamarius Burton (7-7).
***WSU attempted just seven free throws against Cincinnati, compared 35 for the visiting Bearcats. It was the largest home free throw disaparity for a Shocker team in 19 years and tied for the third-largest (regardless of location) in the last 20 seasons. WSU was -31 in a loss to UConn in the 2010 Maui Invitational, attempting 13 free throws to the Huskies' 44, and -29 in a Jan. 12, 2000 home game against Missouri State (16 : 45). On Jan. 13, 2016, they won at Missouri State, despite the hosts' 41-13 advantage in attempts.
***WSU is out to its worst conference start since January, 2009 (Marshall's second-year) when the Shockers opened Missouri Valley Conference play at 0-6. That group, which also leaned heavily on newcomers, won nine of the next 12 on the way to a CBI bid. It was the first in a still-active run of 10-straight postseason appearances for WSU.
***Marshall has used five different starting-fives. Haynes-Jones and McDuffie have started all 17 contests.
Jaime Echenique (16-straight starts) came off the bench in the opener.
***Over the past three seasons the Shockers are 56-4 (6-2 in '18-19) when finishing with a higher field goal percentage, compared to 7-17 (1-7 in '18-19) when outshot.
***The Shockers have shot less than 40% from the field in nine of their 17 games this year. That happened on just two occasions all of last season.
Â
1,000 FOR McDUFFIE (AND COUNTING)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
***
Markis McDuffie is the 47th member of WSU's 1,000-point club. He reached the mark in his 100th game (Dec. 8, 2018 at Okla.) and is on pace to finish the regular season with 1,440 points -- 15th all-time.
Â
McDuffie on WSU's All-Time Scoring List:
20. P.J. Couisnard (2004-08) – 1,303 (+116)
21. Warren Armstrong (1965-68) – 1,301 (+114)
22. Joe Stevens (1955-58) – 1,295
23. Gus Santos (1983-87) – 1,278 (+91)
24. Paul Guffrovich (1987-91) – 1,247 (+60)
25. Steve Grayer (1985-89) – 1,211 (+24)
26.
Markis McDuffie (2015-Pr.) – 1,187
27. Robert Elmore (1973-77) – 1,186
Â
TOUGH CROWD:
***WSU just completed a stretch of six-straight games against NET top-100 teams (half of them on the road).
***Coming into the week, Wichita State had played a conference-best 11 Quadrant I and II games* --tied for seventh-most nationally. Only Kansas (13), Oklahoma (13), Oklahoma State (13), Seton Hall (13), Penn State (12) and Wisconsin (12) have played more.
Â
MORE McDUFFIE MILESTONES:
***
Markis McDuffie is three steals shy of 100 for his career. He'd be just the 16th Shocker to do it.
***McDuffie needs 28 rebounds to hit the 500-mark.
***Only seven players in program history have recorded the combo of 500 rebounds AND 100 career steals: Cheese Johnson (1975-79), Xavier McDaniel (1981-85), Jason Perez (1996-00), Jamar Howard, (2001-05), P.J. Couisnard (2004-08), Toure' Murry (2008-12) and Ron Baker (2012-16).
***McDuffie went 4-for-7 from three-point range against Cincinnati on Saturday to move into 18th on WSU's all-time three-point field goal chart. He's on pace to eventually break into the top-10.
***McDuffie has connected at least two times in eight-straight games. During that stretch he's 24-for-55 (.436) from long range.
***Each of the top-13 on WSU's career three-point field goal list are guards. McDuffie needs just 11 more to match Rob Kampman (130 from 2001-05) for the most by a Shocker forward/center.
Â
ROAD MAP:
This is WSU's second go-around in The American, but there will still be plenty of unfamiliarity. Five of the nine conference road venues will be first-time visits for Shocker teams since joining the league. Cincinnati and Houston debut newly-renovated buildings in 2018-19 (Fifth Third Arena and the Fertitta Center). WSU did not play at USF or Tulane in 2017-18 due to the unbalanced league schedule. On Jan. 26, the Shockers trek to UConn's Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. Last year the teams played in Hartford at the XL Center.
Â
LAST YEAR vs. USF:
Jan. 7, 2018 in Wichita
#9 WSU 95, USF 57
***WSU shot a season-best 62.7% from the field, thanks to a 12-of-20 performance from three-point range.
***28 assists (on 37 baskets) were a Marshall Era best.
***Defensively, WSU blocked eight shots and turned 18 USF turnovers into 32 points. The Bulls shot just 36.4%.
***WSU led 51-20 at the break after hitting 75 percent from the field (21-of-28). It was the second-best shooting half of the Marshall Era, trailing only an 80 percent second half effort at Davidson in 2012.
***WSU's 31-point halftime lead was the fifth-largest in school history (box scores prior to 1972 are unavailable).
***Eight Shockers finished with eight-or-more points, led by
Shaquille Morris' 15 points in 18 minutes. Morris was 7-of-9 from the field and collected three blocks.
***
Zach Brown was a perfect 5-for-5 from field, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, to finish with 13 points.
***
Markis McDuffie (12 points) went 4-of-5 from three and cleared a team-high six rebounds...
Darral Willis Jr. added 11 points, five boards and three blocks...
Conner Frankamp missed the game due to illness, clearing the way for
Austin Reaves (career-high seven assists) to make his third start....
Rashard Kelly became the sixth player in school history to participate in 100 career wins.
Â
SCOUTING USF:
***Former Dayton and Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory is in his second season at USF. The Bulls have already exceeded their 2017-18 win total (10-22) by two games with 13 regular season contests still to play.
***USF had 10 newcomers in its first season under Gregory, including a trio of graduate transfers who handled the bulk of the scoring. This year's roster has 12 more new faces
***USF leads league in rebounding margin (+7.4). Redshirt freshman forward Alexis Yetna plays a big part in the stat. He's averaging a double-double at 12.7 points and a conference-leading 10.2 rebounds-per-game (also 14th nationally). Yetna has posted double-double stat lines in nine of USF's 18 games this year.
***USF has one of the nation's best defensive duos in Laquincy Rideau and David Collins. Rideau ranks second nationally at 3.3 steals-per-game. Collins is 13th on the list at 2.6-per-game.
***Rideau's 5.6 assist-per-game is a conference-best and ranks among the top-40 in Division I. The 6-1 junior sat out last year after transferring from Gardner-Webb where he was a second team All-Big South performer.
***Earlier this month, Rideau recorded the rare "point-assist-steal" triple-double in an overtime game at Temple. He finished with 18 points, 10 assists and a conference record 10 steals in 37 minutes.
***Collins – one of the lone holdovers from last year – is the team's leading scorer at 14.8 points per game. Much of that damage has come at the foul line, where he ranks 29th nationally in attempts (128).
Â
MATCHUP MASHUP:
***WSU senior
Samajae Haynes-Jones was teammates with USF's 7-foot-2 senior center Nikola Scekic as Hutchinson (Kan.) CC. The pair helped the Blue Dragons to the 2017 NJCAA National Championship.
***There won't be many familiar faces on either bench. Second-year head coach Brian Gregory has 12 newcomers on this year's roster. WSU went through a large-scale shakeup of its own.
***USF sophomore Justin Brown is the only starter back from last year's Jan. 7 box score. He finished with eight points and five rebounds in 33 minutes. David Collins added 12 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Scekic hit a pair of threes on his way to seven points in 17 minutes.
***Three Shockers saw action –
Markis McDuffie was 4-of-5 from three in a 12-point, six-rebound performance. Asbjorn Midtgaard supplied two points and two boards in eight minutes. Haynes-Jones had his most-productive conference outing of the year, finishing with eight points and two assists in 16 minutes.
***Ball-hawking defense have been a common theme on the Shockers' schedule. For the fourth time they'll face a team that ranks among the top-25 in steals. Memphis (8.8, 16th) and Temple (9.2, 12th) finished with a dozen steals apiece against WSU earlier this month. Jacksonville State (8.5, 25th) managed seven.
***USF entered the week at No. 11, averaging a league-best 9.3 steals-per-game. In its tempo-free ratings, KenPom lists the Bulls at No. 7 in steal percentage.
***WSU has led its conference in rebounding margin in every season under
Gregg Marshall. The last two Shocker teams have finished No. 2 nationally in that category. The streak might be on its last legs. WSU's +2.2 margin is its worst of the Marshall Era and seventh out of the 12 American teams. The Shockers are +0.2 in conference play.
***USF is a league-best +7.4 on the boards this year.
***No American Athletic Conference team has made (239) or attempted (527) more free throws than USF.
***No American team had made (207) or attempted (295) fewer free throws than WSU. The Shockers have attempted more than their opponent just three times.
Â
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD…  Â
… improve their record to 9-9.
… up their conference mark to 2-4.
… be their first true road win of the season (1-4).
… be their 50th true road win in the last six seasons.
… make WSU 2-0 all-time against USF.
… move Marshall to within 11 wins of 500 for his career (489-190) and within five of 300 at WSU (295-107).
Â
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD… Â
… drop them to two-game under .500 for the first time since a 2-4 start to the 2015-16 season.
… sink their record to 1-5 in conference play.
… make WSU 1-1 vs. USF all-time.
… drop them to 0-5 in true road games.
… be less good than a win.
Â
UP NEXT: SATURDAY AT UCONNÂ Â Â Â Â Â
***After a quick stop home, the Shockers repack their bags for another trip east -- this time to Storrs, Conn. WSU faces UConn Saturday evening at 5 p.m. CT on CBSSN.
***The Shockers won both matchups last year and lead the all-time series 2-1.