rv/25 VCU (9-2) at rv/rv WICHITA STATE (9-1)
SATURDAY, DEC. 21, 2019 | 11:01 A.M. CT
WICHITA, KAN./ CHARLES KOCH ARENA (10,506)
TV: ESPN2 (WatchESPN)
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen)
SERIES: VCU LEADS 3-2 (1-1 IN WICHITA)
 
Two of the decade's most-successful Cinderellas go head-to-head for the fifth-and-final time this decade when Wichita State (9-1) hosts the VCU Rams (9-2).
 
Saturday's matchup airs nationally on ESPN2 and is also available on the ESPN App, accessible on computers, smart phones, tablets and other devices, to fans who receive their video subscription through an affiliated provider. Rich Hollenberg and Bryce Drew have the call.
 
Division I college 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). Kennedy, who is now in his 40th year as Voice of the Shockers, will call is 1,238th consecutive game.
 
Catch the Gregg Marshall Show on Monday nights throughout the season. Join host Mike Kennedy and Coach Marshall LIVE from 6-7 p.m. at A.J.'s Sports Grill at The Alley, or listen 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). Remaining show dates: Jan. 6, 13, 27, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24, Mar. 9
 

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OPENING TIPS:

• The NCAA released its first NET ratings of the season on Monday. The Shockers opened at No. 14.
• VCU is No. 25 in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll (42 votes) – two spots ahead of WSU (36 votes).
• The Shockers earned 31 AP votes this week (the equivalent of No. 28 nationally). VCU earned 21 votes (No. 33). Prior to this week, the Shockers last received an AP vote on Mar. 13, 2018 when they checked in at No. 16. It was the last of 22-straight weeks in the top-25.
• The Shockers face their second top-25 foe. They downed (rv/25) Oklahoma State in Stillwater back on Dec. 8.
• WSU is 3-2 all-time vs. VCU (1-1 in Wichita). This is the back-half of a home-and-home series that began last December in Richmond (70-54, VCU).
• The Rams are visiting for the first time since a Feb. 18, 2011 Bracket Busters matchup that helped launch them to the Final Four. VCU won 68-67 on a pair of Joey Rodriguez free throws with less than a second to go. The teams met in each of the next two seasons. VCU upset fifth-seeded WSU in the 2012 NCAA tournament. The Shockers' own Final Four squad earned revenge in November, 2012, winning 53-51 at the Siegel Center on Malcolm Armstead's last-second jumper.
• Since their 2011 home loss to VCU, WSU has defeated 55 of its last 56 non-conference opponents at Charles Koch Arena. Average margin of victory is 21.5 points, and 45 of the 55 wins have been by double-figures. The lone loss came to LA Tech in last year's season opener.
• WSU has won nine-straight at home. VCU's seven-game road winning streak is tied (with WSU) for the nation's second-longest.
• The Shockers are coming off an 80-75 win over Oklahoma last Saturday. Erik Stevenson (AAC Player of the Week) led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds. Grant Sherfield scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half for WSU, which trailed by eight near the 11:00-mark but surged in front with a 12-0 run. Led by Trey Wade (11 pts, 15 reb), WSU out-rebounded OU by 17.

Longest Active Road Winning Streaks (NCAA Division I):
1. Gonzaga – 11 (Next: Jan. 2 @ Portland)
2. Wichita St. – 7 (Next: Jan. 12 @ UConn)
2. VCU – 7 (Next: Saturday at Wichita St.)

 

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THE SHOCKS, IN SHORT:

• WSU is out to a 9-1 start, which includes a 3-1 record against "Power 5" teams: vs. South Carolina (W), vs. West Virginia (L), at Oklahoma St. (W), Oklahoma (W).
• 10 of the 13 Shocker scholarship players are underclassmen, though many of them gained valuable experience during last year's run to the NIT semifinals.
• WSU ranks among the national leaders in A:TO ratio (17th, 1.38), turnover margin (20th, +4.8), scoring margin (26th, +15.3), field goal percentage defense (29th, .380) and fewest turnovers (32nd, 11.6).
• KenPom's advanced metrics rate the Shocker defense 11th nationally in efficiency. WSU has held eight of its 10 opponents under 40% from the field. Foes are shooting just 40.1% from inside the arc (No. 8 nationally).
• Only two teams have topped 70 points against the Shockers this year: West Virginia (75 points) and Oklahoma (75).
• Sophomore guard Erik Stevenson (the reigning AAC Player of the Week) is the team's leading scorer at 13.7 points-per-game. Stevenson has reached double-figures in eight of the 10 games and topped 20 on two occasions. He's tied for the team lead in steals (13) and is the Shockers' second-leading rebounder (5.4).
• Junior forward Trey Wade is the team's top rebounder (7.3). Last Saturday's 11-point, 15-rebound performance against OU was his second double-double of the year and the most rebounds by a Shocker since Feb. 22, 2015 when Ron Baker snagged 15 against Evansville.
• 6-11 Jaime Echenique -- the team's lone senior -- missed the first four games with a fractured hand but has averaged 9.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks since returning on Nov. 23.

WORKING AHEAD:

• The Shockers opened the 2018-19 campaign at 8-11 but are 23-5 since.
• Last year's team won its ninth game on Jan. 30. This year's Shockers beat that mark by 47 days (Dec. 14).
• The Shockers are looking to record double-digit non-con wins for the ninth time in Marshall's 13 seasons.

ANOTHER DECEMBER TO REMEMBER:

• WSU's last December loss at Charles Koch Arena came nearly eight years ago -- Dec. 31, 2011 to Creighton.
• The Shockers have won 36-straight December non-conference games at the Roundhouse, going back more than a dozen years. They're 37-1 under Marshall with the only loss coming Dec. 7, 2007 against UT Arlington.
• Overall, Wichita State is 66-18 (.786) under Marshall in the month of December.

TRENDING:

• The Shockers committed just three second-half turnovers in last Saturday's win over Oklahoma (and only 10 overall). It marked the fifth time in 10 games this season that WSU has finished with 10-or-fewer turnovers.
• WSU has won the turnover battle in eight of their 10 games this year (-4 vs. ORU & -3 vs. Oklahoma).
• The Shockers have won the rebounding battle in nine of their 10 games this year (-17 vs. WVU on Nov. 27).
• WSU leads the AAC in assists (16.0), A:TO ratio (1.4) fewest turnovers (11.6) and ranks second in turnover margin (+4.8).
• WSU also averages a league-best 8.6 threes-per-game. Despite a longer three-point distance, the Shockers are shooting 34.8% as a team -- up from 30.8% a year ago.
• The five Shockers newcomers have combined to hit 39.3% from deep (44-of-112), led by Tyson Etienne (26-of-57, .456) and Trey Wade (10-of-26, .385).
• The Shockers are 6-0 at Charles Koch Arena this year. Collectively they've held opponents to 59.8 points on 38.5% shooting. The Shockers are +7.0 in turnovers and +8.0 on the glass. Foes have tallied almost twice as many turnovers (106) as assists (62).

SOME LINES ABOUT LINEUPS:

• Which players begin the game rarely ends up mattering on a prototypical Marshall squad. He's used 152 different combinations this year.
• 10 Shockers are averaging 10+ minutes-per-game.
• Eight are averaging at least 6.0 points.
• WSU reserves are averaging 29.2 points collectively and a bench player has led the scoring on four occasions.
• Erik Stevenson (6x), Trey Wade (4x), Dexter Dennis (2x) and Grant Sherfield (2x) are the only Shockers who have clocked more than 30 minutes in a game.
• 10 different Shockers have started a game this year.  Only Wade and Stevenson have been in for all 10.
• Marshall has started four different centers this year. Jaime Echenique (last year's starter) moved into the lineup on Dec. 5 against Central Arkansas.
• The most-recent staring lineup of Burton/Etienne/Stevenson/Wade/Echenique is 3-0 together.

 

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SCOUTING THE RAMS:

• VCU (25-8, 16-2 last year) returns four starters from a team that won the Atlantic 10 regular season title and played in its eighth NCAA tournament in nine years. The Rams earned a No. 8 seed in the 2019 tourney but fell to UCF in the first round.
• VCU is the A-10's preseason favorite ahead of Davidson and Dayton.
• The Rams are 8-0 at home. Their best win came over nationally-ranked LSU on Nov. 13. Their only losses are on neutral floors against Purdue and Tennessee. VCU played its first true road game on Wednesday night, coming from behind in the second half to defeat the College of Charleston.
• The Rams rank among the national leaders in steals (6h, 10.5), turnovers forced (6th, 19.73), turnover margin (6th, +6.7) and blocks (17th, 5.7). Opponents are averaging just 61.9 points-per-game.
• Per KenPom, VCU's defense ranks 31st in overall efficiency and leads the nation in steal percentage (14.9% of opponent possessions end in steals).
• Marcus Evans (12.1 ppg, team-high 20 threes on 45.5% accuracy) was a first team All-Atlantic 10 selection last spring and is a preseason first team pick for 2019-20. He also made the league's preseason all-defensive squad.
• De'Riante Jenkins and Marcus Santos-Silva landed preseason third-team honors.
• Santos-Silva -- the team's leading scorer (13.5) and rebounder (8.8) – is shooting 61.2% from the field.
• Jenkins averages 10.3 points ranks among the top-25 nationally in steals (2.436). KenPom ranks him among the top-15 in steal percentage.

THE SERIES: VCU leads 3-2 (1-1 in Wichita)
 
Dec. 28, 1996 (Wichita): WSU 80, VCU 50

• Jamie Arnold posted a double-double (22 pts, 11 reb) and the host Shockers rolled to a 30-point victory in the Cessna Classic title game over VCU, which had upset Billy Tubbs-led TCU the evening prior.

Feb. 18, 2011 (Wichita): VCU 68, WSU 67

• In an ESPN Bracket Busters pairing, VCU's Joey Rodriguez sank two free throws with less than a second to play. The win a resume-builder for the Rams, who squeezed into the NCAA First Four and then rolled to the Final Four. Likewise, the loss stung for the Shockers who were on the wrong side of the bubble but went on to win the NIT championship.

Mar. 15, 2012 (Portland): VCU 62, WSU 59

• The 12th-seeded Rams upset the 5th-seeded Shockers in Marshall's first NCAA tournament trip at WSU. The Rams led by as many as 13 points in the second half before the Shockers rallied. Toure' Murry's three-pointer cut the margin to two at the 2:30-mark, but VCU answered with five-straight. WSU center Garrett Stutz had a three-point opportunity at the buzzer that would have forced overtime but couldn't connect. Joe Ragland led the Shockers with 15 points. Carl Hall added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Nov. 13, 2012 (Richmond): WSU 53, VCU 51

• WSU's own Final Four squad pulled one out of the fire at Siegel Center behind 13 points from Cleanthony Early. With 26 seconds to play VCU's Darius Theus nailed a three to tie the game at 51. WSU's Malcolm Armstead answered with the game-winner -- a pullup jumper from just inside the three-point line that splashed the net with 3.6 seconds showing.

Dec. 22, 2018 (Richmond): VCU 70, WSU 54

• Injuries, foul trouble and a cold shooting start to the second half doomed WSU. Dexter Dennis missed the game with a concussion and Jaime Echenique injured his foot late in the first half. WSU missed its first 11 second-half shots, and VCU blew the game open with a 16-0 run. Jamarius Burton finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Markis McDuffie had 16 points.

 

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MATCHUP MASHUP:

• Fittingly, one of the decade's final matchups pits the Shockers against Rams. Few programs have improved their stock more than these two over the past 10 years. VCU (2011) and WSU (2013) each burst onto the scene with Final Four runs and became NCAA tournament fixtures.
• Both parlayed their success into new conference affiliations. VCU joined the A-10 in 2012 and WSU moved to the American Athletic Conference in 2017 after a 72-year run in the Missouri Valley.
• Both coined catchy phrases along the way: "Havoc" & "Play Angry".
• The schools even share the same black-and-yellow color scheme.
• Likewise, both have endured massive rebuilds (VCU two years ago and WSU last season) followed by periods of resurgence.
• In 2017-18 a young VCU team finished 18-15 and missed out on postseason play for the first time since 2006. Prior to that, the Rams had posted eight-straight 25-win campaigns and qualified for seven-consecutive NCAA tournaments. The 2018-19 Rams won the A-10 and returned to the NCAA tournament.
• The 2018-19 Shockers endured a similar youth movement after losing nine lettermen. A string of nine-straight 25-win seasons and seven-consecutive NCAA bids came to an end, but WSU closed strong with a run to the NIT semifinals.
• WSU's Gregg Marshall and VCU's Mike Rhoades share a common mentor in former Randolph Macon College coach Hal Nunnally. Marshall played four years for Nunnally at RMC (1981-85) then continued on as an assistant (1985-87). Rhoades went to work for Nunnally in 1996 and took over him three years later as head coach (1999-2009).
• Marshall is 1-1 against Rhoades. On Jan. 15, 2002, Marshall's Winthrop University team defeated Rhoades' Randolph-Macon squad, 75-69 in Rock Hill, S.C.
• Rhoades was on the bench for three WSU-VCU games as an assistant under Shaka Smart. Darius Theus (currently VCU's director of player development) was a key player on those teams.
• VCU senior Mike'L Simms played at Cowley Community College in nearby Arkansas City, Kan. He was the school's male athlete of the year for 2017 and earned second team All-Region VI honors.
• WSU is 7-3 against A-10 opponents since the start of the 2012-13 season.
• VCU's 70 points last year were the most by either side in four Marshall Era meetings.
• Nine of the 12 VCU players who saw action in last year's game are back, including all five starter. WSU returns just two of the five starters (Echenique and Stevenson)
• Both WSU and VCU have deep rosters. 10 Rams are averaging between 12 and 26 minutes. Likewise, 10 Shockers are clocking between 11 and 28 minutes.
• Last July, WSU broke the TBT (The Basketball Tournament) attendance record – four different times. A total of 7,184 fans turned out for quarterfinal action on opening night, smashing the event's previous record of 2,500 set in 2018 at VCU's Seigel Center.

 

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STEADY STEVENSON:

• Erik Stevenson is two assists shy of the qualifying standard but would otherwise rank among the top-10 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (28A, 8TO = 3.50).
• After a slow start from three-point range, Stevenson has come on of late. He's drained multiple threes in five-straight games. Over that stretch he's averaging a team-high 16.6 points and shooting 42.9% from deep.

Stevenson First 5 Games: 10.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg in 26.2 mpg… 19/51 FG (.373), 5/23 3pt (.217)
Stevenson Last 5 Games: 16.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 29.6 mpg… 30/62 FG (.484), 15/35 3pt (.429)

 POP'N FRESHMAN:

• Tyson Etienne leads the American Athletic Conference in three-pointers-per-game (2.60) and three-point percentage (.456). In the latter category, he also ranks among the top-25 nationally.

3-Point FGM/Game (WSU, All-Time):
2.63 – Landry Shamet (So.) 2017-18
2.60 – Tyson Etienne (Fr.) 2019-20
2.60 – Sean Ogirri (So.) 2005-06
2.46 – Maurice Evans (So.) 1998-99
2.36 – Terrell Benton (Jr.) 2000-01

SHERF'S UP:

• Marshall praised freshman point guard Grant Sherfield's performance against Oklahoma, calling it his best of the season. Sherfield finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists in 25 turnover-free minutes.
• Sherfield played a key role in WSU's second-half comeback. He dished out back-to-back assists and converted consecutive floaters during a 12-0 run that turned an eight-point deficit into a four-point lead.
• Sherfield was 6-for-6 at the line against OU and has made all 12 of his attempts during the month of December.
• Sherfield missed his first eight three-point attempts to start the year before finally connecting against Oral Roberts (Nov. 23). Since then he's 6-of-12 from beyond the arc.

ENTER ECHENIQUE:

• Senior center Jaime Echenique missed the first four games of the season with a fractured left hand, suffered during the team's closed door scrimmage with Nebraska on Oct. 26. The injury sidelined him for exactly four weeks.
• Echenique returned Nov. 23 against Oral Roberts and has appeared in six games. In that span he's averaging a modest 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds but leads the team in plus-minus (+22.9-per-40).
• On a per-40-minute basis, Echenique averages 21.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks.
• Echenique has dunked at least once in every game since his return and has a team-high eight for the year.
• Echenique (9.1 ppg) made 34 starts in 2018-19 and was WSU's top rebounder (6.0) and shot blocker (51).

 
MOE ON THE GO:

• At this time last year, sophomore center Morris Udeze was doing his best to play through pain. He ultimately opted for a season-ending shoulder surgery. 12 months later, Udeze is feeling much better and giving the Shockers energy off the bench, averaging 6.0 points, 3.1 rebounds in just over 11 minutes.
• Udeze is shooting a team-best 60% from the field and has hit 75% of his free throws (12-of-16) after making just 5-of-13 (.385) freebies during his abbreviated rookie season.
• Udeze scored eight points in just eight minutes in the  Dec. 14 win over Oklahoma. He was 3-for-3 from the field and nailed both of his free throw tries.

 

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A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….
...make them 10-1 with four-straight wins.
...give them 10-straight home wins.
...make them 61-2 in non-conference games at CKA since the start of the 2010-11 season.
...make WSU 67-18 in December under Marshall.
...avenge last year's loss at VCU and even the all-time series at 3-3.
...make Marshall 2-2 vs. VCU.
...make them 8-3 vs. A-10 over the last nine seasons.
...tie Marshall for 93rd on the all-time D-I wins list with former Florida, Navy, Tennessee, VA Tech and Wyoming coach Don DeVoe (512 wins from 1971-04).
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…
...drop them to 9-2.
...snap a nine-game home winning streak.
...be their first home loss since Feb. 23 (Memphis).
...give VCU a two-year sweep and a 4-2 series lead.
...be just their 12th setback in Wichita in the last nine seasons (123-12).
...be less good than a win.
 

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UP NEXT:

• Wichita State enjoys an eight-day break from competition before hosting Abilene Christian on Dec. 29 (2 p.m. CT, YurView Kansas).
• WSU faces Abilene Christian for the first time since January, 1986. Four of the five meetings in the series (all Shocker home victories) came during the Gene Smithson Era.
• ACU (27-7) won the 2019 Southland Conference Tournament and became just the fourth school in the last two decades to qualify for an NCAA Tournament within its first two years of eligibility, joining North Dakota State (2009), Florida Gulf Coast (2013) and Northern Kentucky (2017).