[6] WICHITA STATE (19-13) vs. [2] 24/23 CINCINNATI (26-6)
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP | SEMIFINAL #2
SAT., MAR. 16, 2019 | 4:00 P.M. CT
MEMPHIS, TENN./ FEDEXFORUM
TV: ESPN2
RADIO: KEYN 103.7
SERIES: UC LEADS 21-12 (2-0 IN '18-19)
>>> No. 6 seed Wichita State takes on the defending champion Cincinnati Bearcats in semifinal action at the Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship. Tip is scheduled for just after 4 p.m. CT.
>>> The winner moves on to Sunday's championship game against either host Memphis or regular season champion Houston (2:15 p.m., ESPN).
>>> Watch the game on ESPNU with Adam Amin (pbp) and John Thompson III (analyst).
>>> Listen on KEYN 103.7 FM. Mike Kennedy, now in his 39th season as "Voice of the Shockers," is joined by Dave Dahl and Bob Hull. Coverage begins an hour before tipoff with the INTRUST Bank Pregame Show.
>>> Shocker Radio streaming will be unavailable in the postseason, but fans outside of the Wichita area can listen to national coverage of all 11 tournament games from Learfield IMG College on Sirius 134/XM channel 202 and via TuneIn on the College Sports Now channel.
OPENING TIPS:
***
Gregg Marshall is in search of his 500th career win. He has a 499-194 (.720) record in 21 seasons. He's 305-111 in 12 seasons on the Wichita State bench (.733).
***A win would also boost the Shockers to the 20-win mark for the tenth-consecutive year and for the 21st time in school history.
***WSU is playing in a conference semifinal for the tenth-consecutive year. Last year, the Shockers fell to No. 3 seed Houston. Marshall will coach a semifinal game for the 18th time in 21 years and is looking to advance to his 12th title game.
***UC swept the regular season series from the Shockers, winning 66-55 in Wichita (Jan. 19) and a month later in Cincinnati (Feb. 17), 72-62. Marshall has never been beaten three times in the same year by the same opponent.
***The Bearcats are ranked No. 24 in the latest AP Poll. WSU is 14-19 against AP Top-25 opponents under Marshall (0-1 in '18-19, having lost at No. 17 Houston). The Shockers claimed two top-25 wins last season, including a 62-61 victory at No. 5 Cincinnati (Feb. 18, 2018) that snapped the Bearcats' 39-game home winning streak.
***The Shockers are coming off of an 80-74 win over Temple in Friday's quarterfinals.
Markis McDuffie scored a career-high 34 points on 9-of-19 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. He was 4-of-9 from distance and 12-of-13 at the foul line. McDuffie and
Dexter Dennis (19 pts, 12 reb) both finished with double-doubles.
***WSU entered 2018-19 as one of the nation's least-experienced units (10 newcomers; just 11.2% of minutes returning). McDuffie is the only Shocker who saw time in last year's tourney.
***Picked eighth, the rebuilding Shockers opened conference play at 1-6 but have been one of The American's hottest teams ever since, winning 11 of their last 13 games. WSU's six-game winning streak is a season-high and the league's longest active.
***While they'll likely need two more wins in the next two days to extend their string of seven-straight NCAA bids, a strong showing in Memphis would strengthen the youthful Shockers' case for an NIT berth. WSU has appeared in 10-straight postseasons.
***Heading into the week, the Shockers had played a league-best 17 Quadrant I or II games, ahead of UConn (16) and Houston (16).
***A second team all-conference pick, McDuffie ranks among the league leaders in scoring (18.3), free throw pct. (.829) and three-pointers (2.25). He has 1,438 career points -- one point behind Fred VanVleet for 15th on WSU's all-time scoring list.
***Guard
Dexter Dennis (8.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 39.8% 3pt) was named to The American's all-freshman team.
ONE OF THE SEVEN WITH SEVEN-STRAIGHT:
***Wichita State is one of just seven schools that have played in each of the last seven NCAA Tournaments.
Most Consecutive NCAA Tournament Bids:
29 -- Kansas (1990-Pr.)
23 -- Duke (1996-Pr.)
21 -- Michigan St. (1998-Pr.)
20 -- Gonzaga (1999-Pr.)
8 – Cincinnati (2011-Pr.)
8 -- North Carolina (2011-Pr.)
7 -- Wichita State (2012-Pr.)
6 -- Arizona (2013-Pr.)
6 -- Villanova (2013-Pr.)
TOURNAMENT ODDS-AND-ENDS:
***
Gregg Marshall is 37-11 all-time in conference tournament games with nine titles (18-9 at WSU, 4 titles).
***WSU is 3-1 all-time in American Tournament games.
***With WSU's two victories this week, American Tournament No. 6 seeds are 10-5 over the last six years, including 5-1 in the quarterfinal round. Last year Houston became the first No. 3 seed to beat a No. 6.
***WSU is trying to become the third No. 6 seed to make the tournament final. UConn (2015) and Memphis (2016) made the championship game in back-to-back years but neither won it.
***Thursday's win was WSU's first ever as a No. 6 seed in a conference tournament. The Shockers landed the No. 6 on five occasions in the MVC Tournament and went 0-5.
McDUFFIE's 34 POINTS...
… was a new career-high, edging out his 32-point performance against Providence (Nov. 9, 2018).
… was his second 30-point game as a Shocker.
… was the most by a WSU player in over six years (Cleanthony Early had 39 vs. Southern Illinois in January, 2013).
… was the second-most points scored by a Marshall Era Shocker, behind Early.
… was the most by a Shocker in a conference tournament game since Xavier McDaniel's 34-point performance against No. 15 Tulsa in the 1985 Missouri Valley Conference championship game.
AMERICAN TOURNAMENT RECORD WATCH:
***
Markis McDuffie hit a career-high 12 free throws (on 13 attempts), one night after knocking down 11 of them.
***McDuffie's 23 free throws in two games is a new single-tournament record, breaking the old mark of 21 set by SMU's Markus Kennedy over three games in the 2015 American Championship.
***
Dexter Dennis' 12 rebounds tied the tournament's single-game freshman mark set previously by UCF's Tacko Fall (2016), UConn's Daniel Hamilton (2015) and Memphis' Dedric Lawson (2016).
***WSU tied the tournament's single-game free throw percentage record, hitting 22-of-24 (.917). McDuffie (12/13) and Dennis (6/7) teamed for 20 of the 24 tries.
OTHER TEMPLE LEFTOVERS:
***McDuffie (34 pts, 12 reb) and Dennis (19 pts, 12 reb) are the first Shocker teammates to record double-doubles in the same conference tournament game since Cliff Levingston (12 pts, 10 reb) and Tony Martin (16 pts, 17 reb) in a 1981 MVC Tournament win over Drake.
***McDuffie's double-double was his first of the year and the second of his Shocker career. His 12 rebounds were a season-highm, and his seven offensive boards were a new career-best.
***Dennis notched his second point-rebound double-double of the year. He's the first Shocker freshman since Jamar Howard (2001-02) to record two double-doubles in the same season.
***Dennis' 19 points matched his career-high from the Nov. 18 Alabama game at the Charleston Classic.
***Temple's Ernest Aflakpui set new tournament records with 19 rebounds and 10 offensive boards.
***The Shockers avenged a Jan. 6 home loss to Temple in which they led by 13 at halftime and by 11 with just over 3:00 to play. This time around, a more mature WSU team built a lead late and successfully defended it. The Shockers used an 11-0 run to take a nine-point edge with just over 8:00 remaining. Temple rallied to within two points with just under 2:00 to play, but
Samajae Haynes-Jones drove for a layup, and the Shockers made enough plays down the stretch to prevail.
***Dennis has made at least one three-point field goal in 12 straight games.
***WSU is 3-5 all-time against Temple; 3-2 AAC Era.
***The Shockers shot 39.1% from the field. It was the 16th time in 32 games that they've hit less than 40%. They're a respectable 8-8 in those games.
***WSU held its opponent to 40%-or-less for the 10th time in its last 12 outings. Foes are shooting a combined .394 in that span.
MILESTONES:
***McDuffie (585 total points this year) is just six points shy of 2014 consensus All-American Cleanthony Early for the Marshall Era's single-season record. Early scored 591 points that year for 35-1 Shockers.
***McDuffie will likely break Ron Baker's single-season record for three-point field goal attempts during Saturday's game. McDuffie has taken 207 three-pointers this year. Baker hoisted 209 during the 2014-15 season.
WSU's Single-Season 3-Point Field Goal Attempt Leaders:
1. Ron Baker (2014-15) -- 209
2. Markis McDuffie (2018-19) -- 207
3. Sean Ogirri (2005-06) -- 206
4. Samajae Haynes-Jones (2018-19) -- 191
5. Sasha Radunovich (2010-11) -- 190
5. Fred VanVleet (2017-18) -- 190
***McDuffie has made 141 free throws this year. That total is tied for 10th on WSU's single-season list.
***McDuffie (1,438 career points) is one point behind former teammate Fred VanVleet for 15th on WSU's all-time scoring list. Sasha Radunovich (14th, 1,463) and Cliff Levingston (13th, 1,471) are also in range.
McDuffie on WSU's All-Time Scoring List:
12. Toure' Murry (2008-12) -- 1,539 (+101)
13. Cliff Levingston (1979-82) -- 1,471 (+33)
14. Sasha Radunovich (1985-89) -- 1,463 (+25)
15. Fred VanVleet (2012-16) -- 1,439 (+1)
16. Markis McDuffie (2015-Pr.) -- 1,438
***McDuffie (148 career three-pointers) was 4-of-9 from deep against Temple after an 0-for-4 performance in the opener against ECU.
***McDuffie is ninth on WSU's career list and needs just five more to match David Kyles (2008-12) for eighth all-time.
***McDuffie's 72 three-pointers this year is tied for sixth on WSU's single-season chart. It's the most ever by a Shocker forward.
McDuffie on WSU's Single-Season 3-Point Field Goal Chart:
1. Sean Ogirri (2005-06) – 91 (+19)
2.
Landry Shamet (2017-18) – 84 (+12)
3. Ron Baker (2014-15) – 80 (+8)
4. David Kyles (2010-11) – 75 (+3)
5.
Conner Frankamp (2016-17) – 73 (+1)
6. Markis McDuffie (2018-19) -- 72
6.
Landry Shamet (2016-17) -- 72
AMERICAN TOURNAMENT ODDS & ENDS:
***This is the sixth year for the American Tournament. The winner earns the conference's automatic bid to next week's NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.
***WSU's addition last year boosted the field to 12 teams for the first time and added a fourth play-in game to the schedule. The top-four seeds each have first-round byes. The other eight take part in Thursday's first round.
***SMU is the only school with multiple tournament titles (2015 and 2017). UConn (2016) and Cincinnati (2018) have one-each. Louisville won the inaugural tournament in 2014.
***UConn has the most championship game appearances (3), playing in each of the first three from 2014-16.
***Play-in teams are a respectable 6-12 in quarterfinal games. No. 1 seeds are 5-0, No. 2 seeds are 4-1 (the lone loss came in 2016 when No. 10 Tulane upset No. 7 UCF and No. 2 Houston before falling to Memphis).
***Four teams in this year's field are either ranked or receiving AP votes: No. 11 Houston, No. 24 Cincinnati, UCF (highest of the unranked vote-getters) and Temple.
***The 2020, 2021 and 2022 American Tournaments will be played in Fort Worth, Texas at the brand new Dickies Arena (slated to open in November, 2019).
WICHITA STATE IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS:
***This is Wichita State's second American Tournament. In 2018, the second-seeded Shockers defeated No. 7 Temple in the quarterfinals before falling to No. 3 Houston the semifinal round.
***WSU finished either first or second-place in its conference race for nine-consecutive years from 2010-18. That streak ended in 2018-19.
***WSU's No. 6 seed is its lowest in conference tournament play since the 2008-09 season when the team finished in a three-way tie for fifth-place in the MVC standings but drew a No. 7 seed. The Shockers have been seeded first or second in every bracket since then.
***From 1977 to 2017, WSU competed in 38 MVC Tournaments, going 35-34 with seven finals appearances (four of them under
Gregg Marshall) and four titles (1985, 1987, 2014, 2017). Notably, the first two came at the expense of Tulsa on the Hurricane's home floor.
***The Shockers cut down the nets in their final Arch Madness appearance (2017), winning by margins of 26, 15 and 20.
Conner Frankamp was named Most-Outstanding Player after knocking down 11 threes. He scored a season-high 19 points in the championship game against Illinois State (71-51). It was just the second WSU title since the event's 1991 move to St. Louis.
MARSHALL IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS:
***
Gregg Marshall has won nine conference tournament titles, most recently in 2017. He captured seven Big South Tournament crowns in nine years at Winthrop.
***Marshall is 37-11 all-time in conference tournament games (18-9 at WSU).
Marshall is 19-2 in conference tournament openers with 11-consecutive wins. Losses came in 2003 (at Winthrop) and 2008 (in his first season at WSU).
***Marshall's teams have reached the semifinal round in 18 of his 21 trips, including an active run of 10-straight semifinals. WSU's eight-straight MVC semifinals were a conference record.
***Marshall teams are 9-2 in conference tournament finals (7-0 at Winthrop and 2-2 at WSU). ***The Shockers lost Arch Madness title games in 2010 (UNI) and 2013 (Creighton) but won appearances in 2014 (Indiana State) and 2017 (Illinois State).
WICHITA STATE AT FEDEXFORUM:
***This is the tournament's second stop in Memphis. FedExForum hosted the inaugural tournament in 2014. Memphis (also seeded fifth that year) lost to No. 4 UConn in its quarterfinal opener.
***FedExForum is home to NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, as well as the University of Memphis' Tigers.
***With back-to-back wins to start the tournament, the Shockers are 3-1 all-time at FedExForum (1-1 vs. Memphis). Both games were against Memphis.
***
Gregg Marshall is 3-2 at FedExForum, having also played there with his Winthrop team back in 2006. The Eagles lost by just 10 points to a Memphis team that came in ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll.
THE SERIES WITH CINCINNATI:
***This is series game No. 34. Cincinnati leads 21-12.
***The Bearcats won both meetings this year during the regular season -- 66-55 in Wichita (Jan. 19) and 72-62 in Cincinnati (Feb. 17).
***
Gregg Marshall is 1-3 against both Cincinnati and its head coach, Mick Cronin. All three games have come over the last two seasons.
***The teams split two epic games last year. On Feb. 18, 2018, then-No. 19 WSU ended No. 5 Cincinnati's nation-best 39-game home winning streak (76-72). Two weeks later, in the regular season finale, the tenth-ranked Bearcats returned the favor with a 62-61 win at Charles Koch Arena that denied the 11th-ranked Shockers a share of the conference crown.
***One or both teams have been nationally-ranked for 22 of the 34 meetings all-time.
2018-19 MATCHUP TRENDS:
***Cincinnati and Memphis were the only home-and-home opponents to sweep the Shockers in the regular season. Prior to that, WSU hadn't been swept by a conference opponent since the 2012-13 season.
***The Shockers shot a combined 32.5% from the field in two games against Cincy and were outscored 47-20 at the foul line.
***The Bearcats attempted 63 total free throws to WSU's 23. UC's Jarron Cumberland and Keith Williams lived at the line, combining to cash 23 of 30 free throw opportunities – three more makes and seven more attempts than the entire WSU team combined.
***
Markis McDuffie averaged 17 points and 5.0 rebounds in two games.
***Jarron Cumberland averaged 22.5 points and 6.5 rebounds for UC, playing 75 of a possible 80 minutes and knocking down 8-of-15 looks from three (.533).
***Two of the league's premier shot blockers are WSU's
Jaime Echenique and UC's Nysier Brooks. Echenique blocked four in two games against the Bearcats. Brooks had seven against the Shockers.
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD…
… move them into Sunday's championship game vs. either top seed Houston or No. 5 seed Memphis (2:15 p.m. CT, ESPN).
… give
Gregg Marshall his 500th career win (500-194, .720 in 21 seasons).
… give them 20-wins for the 10th-straight year and for the 21st time in school history.
… give Marshall 20-wins for the 16th time in his 21 seasons as a head coach.
… make them 20-13 with wins in 12 of their last 14.
… give them a season-high seven-game win streak.
… make WSU 4-1 all-time in AAC Tournament games.
… avenge two regular season losses to Cincinnati.
… make Marshall 2-3 against UC and Mick Cronin.
… narrow UC's all-time series lead to 21-13.
… be the 12th time in 21 seasons that Marshall has coached in the finals of a conference tourney. He's 9-2 in championship games (2-2 at WSU).
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…
… eliminate them from the tournament.
… drop their record to 19-14.
… snap a six-game winning streak.
… be just their third loss since Jan. 27.
… make them 0-3 against Cincinnati this year and 1-4 in since joining The American.
… be the first time ever that Marshall has lost three games to same opponent in a single season.
… give UC a 22-12 all-time series lead.
… be less good than a win.
