UCONN (13-14, 4-10) at WICHITA STATE (13-13, 6-8)
THURS. FEB. 27, 2019 | 6:01 p.m. CT
WICHITA, KAN./ CHARLES KOCH ARENA
TV: ESPN2
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM / GOSHOCKERS.com/LISTEN
SERIES: TIED 2-2 (WSU LEADS 1-0 in WICHITA)
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>>> Wichita State closes out the month of February Thursday night against the UConn Huskies in an American Athletic Conference matchup at Charles Koch Arena. The 6 p.m. CT tip airs nationally on ESPN2.
>>> Tickets are still available, including $15 general admission seats. Fans can purchase seats through the Shocker Ticket Office at 316-978-FANS or by visiting goshockers.com/tickets.
>>> Watch the game on ESPN2 with Kevin Brown (pbp) and John Thompson III (analyst).
>>> 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 Dave Dahl tip things off at 5 p.m. with the INTRUST Bank Pregame Show.
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SPRING GREEN WEEK:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
***In the Fall of 2017, the American Athletic Conference, with help from institutional SAAC groups, launched the POWE6FUL MINDS campaign. The goal of this important initiative is to improve awareness of mental health issues and resources available to student-athletes with the goal of ending the stigma related to seeking help and promoting academic and personal success through a healthy, powerful mind.
***This week, the Conference is hosting a Spring Green week. Basketball teams will highlight the cause by wearing a hint of green; the color of mental health awareness nationally. Prior to the UConn game, the Shocker men will warm up in green shooting shirts. Coaches will wear green "POWE6FUL MINDS" pins.
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OPENING TIPS:
***A Shocker win would be head coach
Gregg Marshall's 300th at WSU. Already the school's all-time wins leader, Marshall is 299-111 (.729) in 12 seasons. He also needs just seven more victories to reach the 500-mark for his career.
***This is the fifth meeting all-time between WSU and UConn and the fourth since the Shockers' move to The American. The series is tied 2-2. Helped by 14 three-pointers, WSU won the only Wichita meeting last February, 95-74, on its way to a season sweep.
***WSU is looking to avenge an 80-60 loss in Storrs back on Jan. 26. Christian Vital led the Huskies with 21 points.
Jamarius Burton paced WSU with 16. That loss dropped the Shockers to 1-6 in conference play, but they've won five of their seven games since.
***In Saturday's 88-85 home setback against Memphis,
Dexter Dennis (17 points; 5-of-7 from three) and
Jaime Echenique (17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds) led the way for the Shockers. In a game of runs, WSU built a 16-point first-half lead, fell behind by 13 with 8:10 to go, then rallied to tie it on
Markis McDuffie's three-pointer near the 4:00-mark. Memphis regained control in the final minutes behind Jeremiah Martin, who scored 29 of his game-high 37 points in the second half. Memphis' 88 points were the most scored by a Koch Arena visitor in the Marshall Era.
***WSU is rebuilding this year behind 10 newcomers but has faced one of the nation's toughest schedules (No. 22, per NET and No. 27, per RPI). As of Tuesday, the Shockers had played a league-best 16 Quadrant I or II games, ahead of Houston (15), UConn (15) and Tulsa (15).
***Dennis is The American's Freshman of the Week after tying a WSU freshman record with six threes in the Feb. 20 win at Tulsa. In two games last week, he averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and hit 11-of-16 (.688) three-point attempts.
***Burton (team-high 3.2 assists) has 19 assists over his last two games, tying Fred VanVleet (2015) for the best two-game stretch by a Marshall Era Shocker.
***Echenique is the team's leading rebounder (6.0) and shot-blocker (1.64). He's swatted at least one shot in 11-straight games. One more and he ties
Shaquille Morris for the longest Shocker streak since 1986, when the block became an official NCAA statistic. It would be third-best all-time behind Antoine Carr, who had streaks of 25 and 24 during his All-American career (1979-83).
***Senior
Markis McDuffie (team-high 18.3 ppg) has scored at least eight points in every game this year and has eclipsed 20-points on 10 occasions. He ranks 18th on WSU's career scoring list (1,325 points) and needs just three more triples to crack the top-10 on the school's all-time three-point field goal chart.
***
Gregg Marshall celebrated his 56th birthday on Wednesday (Feb. 27). For what it's worth, his teams are 17-3 all-time in whichever game falls closest on the calendar to his birthdate.
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THE SERIES WITH UCONN:
***The series is tied 2-2.
***WSU swept both games last year, beginning with a 72-62 win at the XL Center in Hartford in its American conference debut on CBS.
Rashard Kelly posted a double-double with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and 12 rebounds (half of them on the offensive end).
***On Feb. 10, 2018, the Shockers posted a 95-74 victory at Charles Koch Arena. 11 different Shockers scored at least three points, led by
Landry Shamet's 16. Christian Vital and Jalen Adams paced UConn with 22-each. The rest of the squad combined for 30. WSU hit 14-of-28 threes. Shamet was 4-for-6.
Conner Frankamp knocked down 4-of-5.
***The only other encounter came in the 2010 Maui Invitational quarterfinals when UConn rallied from a nine-point deficit in the final 10 minutes behind Kemba Walker's 29 second-half points. The loss may have cost the Shockers an NCAA at-large bid, but they went on to win the NIT. They've danced in every season since. The 2011 Huskies were national champions.
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LAST MEETING: Jan. 26 @ Storrs, Conn.
UConn 80, WSU 60
***Freshman
Jamarius Burton scored a career-high 16 points but WSU couldn't keep pace with hot-shooting UConn at Gampel Pavilion.
***UConn shot 50% and knocked down 11-of-24 from three. WSU missed its first 10 field goal attempts and finished the game at 33.8% (4-of-16 from deep).
***Burton played 29 minutes and hit 6-of-12 shots.
***Fellow freshman
Erik Stevenson added 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting in 22 minutes of work.
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Markis McDuffie failed to score in double-figures for the first time since the season opener. ***His run of 17-straight double-digit games was the Marshall Era's second-longest. McDuffie's streak of nine-consecutive games with at least two three-pointers also ended – one shy of the school record.
***Christian Vital (21 points) hit four first-half treys for the host Huskies. Jalen Adams tacked on a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
***UConn outrebounded the Shockers by 15 (47-32).
***WSU committed just eight turnovers and finished +4.
***UConn went up 10-0 within the first five minutes and maintained a double-figure lead the rest of the way.
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SCOUTING UCONN:
***Picked fifth in the preseason AAC poll, UConn (13-14, 4-10) is in its first season under head coach Dan Hurley. Hurley led a successful six-year turnaround at Rhode Island, ending with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. His 2018 URI team won the Atlantic 10 regular season crown, and Hurley was the league's coach of the year.
***The Huskies are still in search of their first true road victory (0-7). They're 1-10 in road/neutral site games (compared to 12-4 at home).
***Injuries have slowed the Huskies. Leading scorer Jalen Adams (17.0 ppg) has not played since Feb. 6, and UConn is 0-4 in his absence. Alterique Gibson (12.6 ppg) missed nearly a month following the Jan. 26 game against WSU. He rejoined the lineup Feb. 21 at SMU and scored 13 points in 33 minutes against Cincinnati on Feb. 24.
***Christian Vital (14.0 ppg) is the team's leading rebounder (6.0) and three-point shooter (63 on 41.2% accuracy).
***Josh Carlton (8.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg) ranks third on the league leaderboard in field goal percentage (.586) and has a team-high 45 blocks.
 UConn has won four national titles; all in the last two decades (1999, 2004, 2011, 2014).
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MATCHUP MASHUP:
***Each of the four series meetings (one in Maui, one in Hartford, one in Wichita and one in Storrs) between the schools have come in front of capacity crowds.
***Prior to this year, Wichita State had never faced Dan Hurley, nor had
Gregg Marshall.
***McDuffie played for Hurley's father, Bob Hurley Sr. at St. Anthony High School. Dan Hurley began his coaching career at St. Anthony (1996-97).
***The three returning Shockers who saw time against UConn last year totaled just 14.5% of the minutes. McDuffie,
Samajae Haynes-Jones and
Asbjørn Midtgaard combined for 19 points (on 6-of-27 shooting) in 58 minutes over the two games. UConn used 11 players last year aganst WSU. Eight of them are back (65% of minutes), led by Adams (20.0 ppg) and Christian Vital (19.5). The duo combined for 11 steals.
***A pair of Connecticut prep school standouts signed National Letters of Intent with the Shockers last fall: Tyson Etienne (Putnam Science Academy) and Noah Fernandes (Woodstock Academy) will both be freshmen in 2019-20.
***In the first meeting UConn held
Markis McDuffie to just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting (1-of-6 from three). It's one of just three games this year in which the senior has failed to reach double-figures in the scoring column.
***WSU has won five of its last seven since the Jan. 26 setback in Storrs. UConn has lost five-straight and six of seven.
***
Jaime Echenique has blocked a shot in each of his last 11 games. UConn's Josh Carlton has an active streak of nine-straight games with a block.
***In conference play, Echenique and Josh Carlton have been two of the league's best shot-blockers. Echenique has The American's best block percentage, per KenPom (12.51) and his 2.0 blocks-per-game are second only to UCF's Tacko Fall.
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TRENDING:
***With Saturday's 10-of-26 three-point shooting nights against Memphis, WSU has hit double-digit three-pointers in each of its last two games -- after doing it just four times through the first 24 contests. Prior to the Tulsa game, the Shockers' season-best was a 12-of-22 effort against Providence in the Veterans Classic.
***In its six February games, WSU has held opponents to a combined 38.8 percent from the field.
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Markis McDuffie has scored at least 20 points in five of the seven conference home games. He's averaged 21.4 points in those games on 21-of-43 (.488) three-point shooting.
***McDuffie is 20-of-22 (.909) at the foul line in the month of February.
***WSU shot 65.6% from the free throw line in non-conference play (289th out of 353 D-I teams) but has hit a league-best .755 in American play. Unfortunately, they're averaging league-low 15.4 attempts. Per KenPom,
Jaime Echenique's 27.9% defensive rebound percentage is the best in American Athletic Conference history.
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AAC Leaders (2013-14) // Single-Season Defensive Rebound Percentage:
1. Jaime Echenique (Wichita St. / 2018-19) -- 27.9
2. Daniel Hamilton (UConn / 2015-16) -- 26.8
3.
Darral Willis Jr. (Wichita St. / 2017-18) -- 25.7
4. Alexis Yetna (USF/ 2018-19) -- 25.2
5. Ernest Aflakpui (Temple / 2018-19) -- 24.3
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ACCESS DENIED:
***
Jaime Echenique has blocked 28 shots in WSU's 14 conference games.
***25 of Echeninique's team-high 41 blocks have come in the last 11 games. He had four in the Jan. 16 win over UCF and five in the Jan. 30 victory against SMU.
***Echenique has blocked at least one shot in 23 of the 26 games this year, including an active run of 11-straight. He began the year with another 10-game streak.
***The list of double-digit block streaks by Shockers is a short one. In the last 40 years, just six individuals have done it. Echenique and Antoine Carr are the only repeat names.
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Consecutive Games with a Block (1980-Pr.):
25 -- Antoine Carr (1980-81)
24 -- Antoine Carr (1982-83*)
12 --
Shaquille Morris (2017-18)
11 -- Jaime Echenique (2018-19; Jan. 16 to Pres.)
11 -- Claudius Johnson (1990-91)
10 -- Cliff Levingston (1980-81)
10 -- Ehimen Orukpe (2012-13)
10 --
Jaime Echenique (2018-19; Nov. 6 - Dec. 15)
*= Streak began the previous season
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McDUFFIE A TRIPLE THREAT:
***McDuffie (138 career three-pointers) is 12th on WSU's career list -- most ever by a Shocker forward or center. He needs just three more to break into the top-10.
***McDuffie is two away from Ryan Herrs -- father of current WSU sophomore guard
Jacob Herrs.
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McDuffie on Wichita State's All-Time 3-Point Field Goal Chart:
7.
Landry Shamet (2015-18) -- 159
8. David Kyles (2008-12) -- 153
9. Paul Guffrovich (1987-91) -- 144
10. Fred VanVleet (2012-16) -- 141
11. Ryan Herrs (1992-96) -- 140
12. Markis McDuffie (2015-Pr.) -- 138
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A SHOCKER WIN WOULD…
… be
Gregg Marshall's 300th as Shocker head coach.
… move Marshall to within six wins of 500 overall.
… make them 14-13 with wins in 6 of their last 8.
… make them 7-8 in American play after a 1-6 start.
… make them 10-4 at home this year (9-4 at CKA).
… give them double-digit home wins for the 11th straight year and the 17th time in the last 18 seasons.
… make them 3-2 vs. UConn (2-0 in Wichita).
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A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…
… drop their record to 13-14 (6-9 American).
… be just their eighth CKA loss in six years (80-8).
… give UConn a 3-2 lead in the all-time series.
… be less good than a win.
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UP NEXT:Â Sunday at SMU
***WSU travels to SMU on Sunday for a 1 p.m. CT tip on CBS Sports Network.
***WSU won the first meeting on Jan. 30, 85-83, on
Samajae Haynes-Jones' last-second reverse layup.
***The Shockers won at Moody Coliseum on Feb. 24 of last year, 84-78.
Markis McDuffie scored 26 points.
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SHOCKERS ON THE LEADERBOARDS (as of Feb. 27)
***
Jaime Echenique ranks among conference's top-10 in blocks (3rd, 1.58) and field goal percentage (5th, .540).
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Markis McDuffie ranks among the top-10 in scoring (18.2), free throw percentage (.832), 3-pointers (2.4)Â and minutes (32.8).
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UDEZE HAS SEASON-ENDING SURGERY:
***Freshman center
Morris Udeze is scheduled for season-ending surgery on Wednesday in order to correct a series of recurrent dislocations to his left shoulder.
***Udeze, who last saw action in the Jan. 26 game at UConn, appeared in 16 games off the bench and averaged 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in 12.6 minutes. He totaled seven blocks and shot 55.8 percent from the field (24-of-43).
***Udeze was at his best early, appearing in all 12 non-conference games, during which he put up 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14.2 minutes-per-contest. The injury worsened in January, and he appeared in just four conference contests.
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LONG DISTANCE DENNIS:
***
Dexter Dennis is 15-of-24 from three over his last three games (.625).
***Prior to that, Dennis had hit just 18 threes all season (18-of-54, .333).
***
Gregg Marshall thinks the surge is more than just streaky stretch of shooting. "His shot preparation is much better. He's able to get the shot off. In high school, you could catch it, turn, pivot, crouch and then release the shot, because you weren't playing with athletes with the length and athleticism and ability to contest shots that you see at this level."
***Dennis is just the fourth player in school history to hit 5+ threes in back-to-back games, joining Jason Perez (2000), Maurice Evans (1999) and Dwight Praylow (1989).
***Dennis has led the Shocker scoring in each of the last three games, averaging 16.3 points and 8.7 rebounds.
***In conference games, Dennis has The American's fourth-highest three-point percentage (.441).
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American Leaders // 3-Point Percentage (Conference Only; as of 2/27):
1. Curran Scott (Tulsa) -- 23-49 (.469)
2. Justin Jenifer (Cincinnati) -- 28-61 (.459)
3. Isiaha Mike (SMU) -- 33-73 (.452)
4. Dexter Dennis (Wichita St.) -- 26-59 (.441)
5. Jeremiah Martin (Memphis) -- 42-99 (.424)
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***In the Feb. 17 game at Cincinnati Dennis became the first Shocker freshman in 11 years to record a double-double. His 13 boards were the most by a WSU player this year and the highest toal for a Shocker rookie since December, 2001.
***Dennis tied a WSU freshman record with six threes in the win at Tulsa. He was 4-for-5 in the first half and knocked down two more within the first five minutes of the second half.
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HEAPING HELPERS:
***
Jamarius Burton had 19 assists last week against Tulsa and Memphis -- tied with Fred VanVleet (2015) for the best two-game stretch by a Marshall Era Shocker.
 Burton had just four turnovers in the two contests, good for a 4.75 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 Burton's 10 assists at Tulsa marked the best single-game total by a Shocker freshman in 46 years.
***Burton added nine more assists against Memphis, despite playing just 19 minutes due to foul trouble. He finished with 10 points.
***Burton now owns the team assist lead (3.2) and is on track to be the first Shocker true freshman in 32 years to lead the team in that category.
***Among American Athletic Conference freshmen, Burton leads the league in both assists (3.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7). The latter ranks ninth on the league leaderboard.
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WSU Freshmen; Single-Game // Assists (All-Time):
12 – Cal Bruton (1/25/1973 – Saint Louis)
10 – Jamarius Burton (2/20/2019 – at Tulsa)
9 – Jamarius Burton (2/23/2019 – Memphis)
9 – Fred VanVleet (2/13/2013 – Drake)
9 – Jason Perez (2/17/1997 – Southern Illinois)
9 – Joe Griffin (12/10/1986 – at Mississippi St.)
9 – Bob Trogele (2/5/1976 – Bradley)
9 – Cal Bruton (2/8/1973 – West Texas A&M)
