EXHIBITION | NORTHEASTERN STATE (0-0) at WICHITA STATE (0-0)
TUESDAY, OCT. 29, 2019 | 7:05 P.M. CT
WICHITA, KAN. / CHARLES KOCH ARENA (10,506)
TV: YurView KS (Cox HD 2022 / YurView.com/Kansas)
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM / GOSHOCKERS.com/Listen
*** Wichita State plays host to NCAA Division II Northeastern State in an exhibition tune-up, 7 p.m. Tuesday night at Charles Koch arena.
*** Tickets are still available for this game, as well as for the Nov. 5 season opener, at 316-978-FANS or goshockers.com/MBBTickets
*** The game will air statewide on YurView Kansas, available to Cox subscribers on HD 2022 and to fans in all 50 states on YurView.com/Kansas. Shane Dennis and Bob Hull have the call.
*** Division I basketball's most-tenured tandem, Mike Kennedy and Dave Dahl, tip off their 39th season together on radio (KEYN 103.7 FM and online at goshockers.com/listen).
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THE GREGG MARSHALL SHOW:
The
Gregg Marshall Show returns to the airwaves on Monday, Oct. 28. Join host Mike Kennedy and Coach Marshall LIVE from 6-7 p.m. every Monday throughout the season at A.J.'s Sports Grill at The Alley, or listen to the show on KFH (97.5 FM / 1240 AM). The show is rebroadcast in a television format Mondays at 9 p.m. on YurView Kansas (Cox 2022).
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OPENING TIPS:
***Oct. 29 marks the earliest exhibition date in program history (one day ahead of last year). Likewise, Nov. 5 is the earliest regular season start for a Shocker team, besting the mark set last season (Nov. 6).
***This is the Shockers' lone exhibition this year. The team played a closed-door scrimmage with Nebraska on Saturday, Oct. 26. WSU opens its 114
th men's basketball season next Tuesday night against Omaha (7 p.m. CT/ Yurview KS).
***The Shockers have won 25-consecutive preseason exhibitions, dating back to 2001. They're 14-0 in the Marshall Era.
***Marshall's WSU teams are 19-0 against Division II programs (12-0 in exhibitions, 7-0 regular season).
***WSU is 21-0 all-time against D-II and NAIA exhibition opponents (all since 2002)… Last November, the Shockers downed Catawba (75-64), helped by
Jamarius Burton's 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
***A tweak to exhibition rules allow
Gregg Marshall to play any eligible player on Tuesday night without sacrificing a potential redshirt year. Previously, only true freshmen were able to do so. ***As many as seven newcomers could be making their Shockers debuts (redshirt freshman
Tate Busse, junior college transfer
Trey Wade and true freshmen
Josaphat Bilau,
Tyson Etienne,
Noah Fernandes,
DeAntoni Gordon and
Grant Sherfield).
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MATCHUP MASHUP:
*** From 1996-98, Shocker head coach
Gregg Marshall  and NSU head coach Mark Downey worked together on Greg White's staff at Marshall University. Marshall was an assistant coach and Downey a GA. The team won the Southern Conference's North Division title in 1997.
*** This is WSU's first exhibition against NSU but not its first against Downey. On Nov. 3, 2007 the Shockers defeated Downey's Arkansas Tech team, 76-63, behind 22 points from P.J. Couisnard. It was Marshall's very first game (albeit an unofficial game) as Shocker head coach.
***Prior to NSU, Downey served three years as an assistant coach at the Division I level. He worked under former Shocker aide Chris Jans during the 2014-15 season.
*** Senior guard Caleb Smith was born in Wichita and is a cousin of former East High football standouts Bryce and Arthur Brown (who both played in the NFL).
***NSU is one of seven MIAA schools playing exhibition games against Division I schools this preseason, joined by Fort Hays State (Kansas), Emporia State (K-State), Northwest Missouri (Duke), Washburn (K-State), Pittsburg State (Kansas) and Rogers State (Oklahoma State).
***WSU has faced some strong Division II programs in recent exhibition. 2018 opponent, Catawba, finished the year ranked No. 23 and qualified for the NCAA Division II tournament. Ditto for 2016 foe Augusta. Both teams advanced to the second round.
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SCOUTING THE RIVERHAWKS:
***Northeastern State University (located in Tahlequa, Okla.) is an NCAA Division II school and a member of the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).
***In separate MIAA preseason polls, the Riverhawks were picked fifth (out of 14 teams) by the coaches and 12
th by the media.
***NSU won a D-II national championship in 2003, defeating Kentucky Wesleyan in the title game.
***NSU returns a strong nucleus from last year.
***Senior guard Caleb Smith was the team's leading scorer last year (16.2 ppg) and earned third team All-MIAA status along with a spot on the league's newcomer honor roll. He started his college career at Texas A&M then played a year for Billy Gillespie at Ranger (Texas) Junior College.
***The Riverhawks also return their top rebounder and shot blocker in 6-foot-10 senior Aaron Givens (6.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and 6-9 senior post Josh Ihek (6.3 ppg, 41 blocks).
***NSU is one of seven MIAA schools playing exhibition games against Division I schools this preseason, joined by Fort Hays State (Kansas), Emporia State (K-State), Northwest Missouri (Duke), Washburn (K-State), Pittsburg State (Kansas) and Rogers State (Oklahoma State).
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ABOUT THE SHOCKERS:
***Wichita State was picked fourth out of 12 teams in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll behind co-favorites Memphis (No. 15 in the AP poll) and Houston (receiving votes) and third-place Cincinnati (also receiving votes).
***The Shockers (22-15, 10-8 AAC) return three starters and seven of the top-nine scorers from last year's roster, which ranked as one of the youngest in college basketball. After a rough start, the team pulled together to win 14 of their last 18 games and reached the NIT semifinals.
***Last year's NIT run marked the program's 11th straight postseason appearance. WSU scored road wins at Furman, Clemson and Indiana, becoming the first team in NIT history to knock off the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 seeds in its region on the way to Madison Square Garden.
***WSU has won at least 22 games in each of the last 10 seasons.
Roles must be redefined.
Markis McDuffie (a stretch-four who earned second team all-conference honors) and lightning-quick shooting guard
Samajae Haynes-Jones (11.9 pts, 2.7 ast) started every game last year and took most of the big shots. It's unlikely that any one player will match McDuffie's 18.3 points-per-game, but with added depth that won't likely be necessary.
***WSU is still young; 10 of its 13 scholarship players are underclassmen and only junior center Asbjorn Midtgaard has spent more than one year in the program.
***Sophomore guard
Dexter Dennis (8.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) was named to last year's AAC All-Freshman Team. His streak of 17-straight games with a three-pointer is currently the fifth-longest in school history.
***Sophomore guard
Jamarius Burton set a WSU freshman record last year with 126 assists and was twice named AAC Freshman of the Week.
***Senior center
Jaime Echenique (9.2 ppg) led the team in rebounds last year (6.0) and ranked third on the AAC leaderboard in blocked shots (51).
***On paper, WSU's recruiting class is Marshall's best.. Freshmen guards
Tyson Etienne (No. 115) and
Grant Sherfield (No. 116) both made the Rivals150 list, and forward
Trey Wade was listed as one of the nation's 25-best JUCO transfers.
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BETTER WITH AGE:
***Last year, Wichita State survived a nightmare scenario after the departure of six seniors, two transfers and sophomore Landry Shamet's early entry to the NBA Draft. On paper, the Shockers had one of the nation's least-experienced rosters with only 11% of minutes returning.
***Shocker freshmen accounted for over 45% of minutes played during the 2018-19 season, and Marshall had at least one freshman on the floor for every minute of every game. The Shockers averaged 33 minutes-per-game with at least two rookies on the court and 14 minutes with three-or-more.
*** In his first 11 seasons at WSU, Marshall had just one true freshman average more than 20 minutes-per-game (Toure' Murry in 2008-09). Last year he has three of them:
Erik Stevenson (21.8),
Dexter Dennis (26.0) and
Jamarius Burton (24.1). All three started double-digit games -- something that had happened just two other times in the Marshall Era.
*** The roster eventually gelled. After an 8-11 start (1-6 in conference), the youthful Shockers won 14 of their last 18 games.
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BEHIND CLOSED DOORS:
WSU defeated Nebraska 89-75 in a closed door scrimmage on Oct. 26…
Trey Wade led the way with 18 points and 11 rebounds in 17 minutes. He was 6-of-10 from the field…
Erik Stevenson hit four threes for 17 points, including back-to-back triples late to help the Shockers pull away.
Dexter Dennis added 12 points…. Freshmen guards
Tyson Etienne and
Grant Sherfield each handed out four assists with one turnover… Etienne scored eight points and logged four steals.
Jamarius Burton finished with 10 points and seven rebounds…. Wade had four of WSU's 17 offensive rebounds… The Shockers were 9-of-26 from deep.
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A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….
… be their 26
th straight in preseason exhibitions, dating back to 2011.
… make them 15-0 in preseason exhibitions under
Gregg Marshall (2007-Pr.)
…. Up their mark to 20-0 against D-II programs under Marshall (13-0 exhibitions; 7-0 regular season).
… make WSU 22-0 all-time against D-II and NAIA exhibition foes (all since 2002).
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A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…
… snap a 25-game exhibition winning streak and be their first setback since a 93-88 loss to Athletes First on Nov. 1, 2001.
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UP NEXT: OMAHA (Nov. 5)
*** WSU opens up the regular season next Tuesday, Nov. 5 against Omaha. The 7 p.m. CT tip will air statewide on YurView Kansas (Cox HD 2022) and streams in all 50 states on YurView.com/Kansas and ESPN3.
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MARSHALL ERA EXHIBITION RECORDS:
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Points:
24 – Shaquille Morris (2016 vs. Augusta)
22 – Carl Hall (2012 vs. Pittsburg St.)
22 – PJ Couisnard (2007 vs. Arkansas Tech)
22 – Ron Baker (2014 vs. Northwood)
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Rebounds:
14 – Ramon Clemente (2008 vs. Emporia St.)
11 – Mantas Griskenas (2007 vs. Arkansas Tech)
11 – Ehimen Orukpe (2010 vs. Newman)
11 – Carl Hall (2011 vs. Emporia St.)
11 – Zach Brown (2017 vs. Newman)
11 – Rashard Kelly (2017 vs. Newman)
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Assists:
7 – Matt Braeuer (2007 vs. Pittsburg St.)
7 – Landry Shamet (2016 vs. Augusta)
6 – Joe Ragland (2011 vs. Emporia St.)
6 – Fred VanVleet (2014 vs. Northwood)
6 – Rashard Kelly (2017 vs. Newman)
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Blocks:
3 – Ehimen Orukpe (2011 vs. Emporia St.)
3 – Carl Hall (2012 vs. Pittsburg St.)
3 – Kadeem Coleby (2013 vs. Okla. Baptist)
3 – Shaquille Morris (2017 vs. Newman)
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Steals:
4 – Malcolm Armstead (2012 vs. Pittsburg St.)
4 – Ron Baker (2013 vs. Okla. Baptist)
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3-Pointers:
4 – Rian' Holland (2014 vs. Northwood)
4 – Evan Wessel (2012 vs. Pittsburg St.)
4 – P.J. Couisnard (2007 vs. Arkansas Tech)
4 – Ron Baker (2014 vs. Northwood)
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Free Throws:
9 – Carl Hall (2012 vs. Pittsburg St.)
9 – Ron Baker (2012 vs. Pittsburg St.)
7 – Anton Grady (2015 vs. Hawaii Pacific)
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Minutes:
33 –
Samajae Haynes-Jones (2018 vs. Henderson St.)
32 – Landry Shamet (2016 vs. Augustana)
29 – Matt Braeuer (2007 vs. Arkansas Tech)
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MARSHALL ERA PRESEASON EXHIBITIONS:
2007 – Arkansas Tech (W, 76-63)
2007 – Pittsburg St. (W, 56-42)
2008 – Emporia St. (W, 71-58)
2009 – Newman (W, 81-69)
2010 – Newman (W, 80-62)
2011 – Emporia St. (W, 82-43)
2012 – Pittsburg St. (W, 100-56)
2013 – Okla. Baptist (W, 73-29)
2014 – Northwood FL (W, 112-55)
2015 – Hawaii Pacific (W, 91-57)
2016 – Augusta (W, 73-67)
2017 – Henderson St. (W, 90-53)
2017 – Newman (W, 113-55)*
2018 – Catawba (W, 75-64)
2019 – Northeastern St.
*=Charity game for disaster relief
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