WICHITA STATE (14-13, 7-8) at SMU (13-14, 5-10)
SUNDAY, MAR. 3, 2019 | 1 P.M. CT
DALLAS, TEXAS | MOODY COLISEUM
TV: CBSSN
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM / GOSHOCKERS.com/LISTEN
SERIES: TIED 6-6 (SMU LEADS 4-1 IN DALLAS)
Â
>>> Wichita State travels to Dallas, Texas on Sunday to face the SMU Mustangs in an American Athletic Conference matchup at Moody Coliseum. The 1 p.m. CT tip airs nationally on CBS Sports Network.
>>> Watch the game on CBS Sports Network with Joel Godett (pbp) and Tim Doyle (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 Bob Hull tip things off at Noon with the INTRUST Bank Pregame Show.
Â
OPENING TIPS:
***This is the 13th game all-time between WSU and SMU. The series is deadlocked, 6-6. It's the fourth meeting since the Shockers' move to The American last year. WSU has won two of three, including an 85-83 decision in Wichita back on Jan. 30. The Shockers' 84-78 win at SMU last February was their first in five trips to Moody.
***The Shockers are riding momentum from Thursday's 65-63 home win over UConn.
Samajae Haynes-Jones scored a game-high 20 points to go with 19 from
Markis McDuffie.
Dexter Dennis grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Asbjorn Midtgaard swatted a career-high four shots -- all after halftime. WSU won despite shooting just 33.9% from the field. It was
Gregg Marshall's 300th victory in 12 seasons at WSU (300-111; .730).
***For the second time this year, senior
Samajae Haynes-Jones scored the winning basket in the final second. After the Huskies tied it with six seconds remaining, Haynes-Jones raced the length of the floor and hit a running, twisting jumper from the right baseline as time expired. It was No. 1 on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays.
***SMU witnessed Haynes-Jones' previous heroics first-hand. In the Jan. 30 game in Wichita, the 6-foot lefty's reverse-layup broke an 83-all tie. It was also the catalyst for a remarkable team turnaround. WSU entered the night 1-6 in league play but has now won six of its last eight. A victory on Sunday would lift the Shockers to the .500-mark for the first time this year and make them the first AAC team ever to reach eight wins after starting 1-6 or worse.
***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). Heading into the weekend, the Shockers had played a league-best 16 Quadrant I or II games, ahead of UConn (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. Dennis averaged 10.6 points, 6.9 rebounds in the month of February with a team-high 22 threes on 52.4% distance shooting.
***
Jamarius Burton has 24 assists over his last three games with just five turnovers. His season averages (3.3 assists; 1.73 A:TO Ratio) are tops among American Athletic Conference freshmen.
***Echenique is the team's leading rebounder (5.9) and shot-blocker (1.59). He's swatted at least one shot in 12-straight games and is averaging 2.0 blocks-per-game in league play -- tied with Takco Fall for the conference lead. Echenique finished with a career-high five blocks in the first meeting with SMU.
***Senior
Markis McDuffie (team-high 18.3 ppg) has scored at least eight points in every game and has topped 20 on 10 occasions. He ranks 17th on WSU's career scoring list (1,344 points) and he needs just one more three-pointer to tie Fred VanVleet for 10th all-time triples chart. ***McDuffie is nine points shy of 500 for the year. He'd be just the third Marshall Era Shocker to make that mark, joining Cleanthony Early (2013 & 2014) and Ron Baker (2015).
Â
TRENDING:
***
Dexter Dennis has 123 rebounds -- five shy of Toure' Murry (128 in 2008-09) for the best freshman total under
Gregg Marshall. It's one of the 20-best single-season totals by a Shocker freshman all-time.
***In February games, Wichita State ranked among the top-25 nationally in both assist-to-turnover ratio (20th, 1.53) and field goal percentage defense (23rd, .390).
***
Markis McDuffie went 27-of-29 (.931) at the foul line in the month of February. McDuffie is shooting 87.9% in conference play (51-of-58) and hasn't missed more than one attempt in any game.
***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 .764 in American play.
***In conference games, Dennis has The American's third-highest three-point percentage (.423). He's 16-of-28 from three over his last four games (.571). Prior to that, Dennis had hit just 18 threes all season (18-of-54, .333).
Â
MARKIS ON THE MARQUEE:
***
Markis McDuffie (18.2 ppg) is one of five AAC players averaging 18+ points per game.
*** McDuffie's average is the highest by a Marshall Era Shocker -- nearly two points better than Cleanthony Early (16.4) during his All-American senior season.
Â
American Athletic Conference Scoring Leaders (as of Mar. 2):
19.4 -- Jeremiah Martin (Memphis)
19.0 -- Shizz Alston Jr. (Temple)
18.6 -- Jarron Cumberland (Cincinnati)
18.2 --
Markis McDuffie (Wichita St.)
18.0 -- Jahmal McMurray (SMU)
Â
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAPPY 300:
***
Gregg Marshall celebrated his 56th birthday on Wednesday (Feb. 27), then picked up his 300th Shocker win the following evening.
***Marshall (300-111 in 12 seasons) is one of just 21 active D-I head coaches with 300+ victories at his current post. As of Friday, Kentucky's John Calipari (299) and Cincinnati's Mick Cronin (292) are next-closest to 300.
Â
SHOCKERS ON THE LEADERBOARDS (as of Mar. 2)Â
***
Jaime Echenique ranks among conference's top-10 in blocks (3rd, 1.59) and field goal percentage (6th, .533).
***
Markis McDuffie ranks among the top-10 in scoring (18.2), free throw percentage (.842), 3-pointers (2.4)Â and minutes (33.0).
Â
BLOCK PARTY:
***
Jaime Echenique has blocked 30 shots in WSU's 15 conference games.
***27 of Echeninique's team-high 43 blocks have come in the last 12 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 24 of the 27 games this year, including an active run of 12-straight. He began the year with another 10-game streak.
***Echenique's streak of 12-straight games with a block is tied for the longest of the Marshall Era. It's one of the four-longest by a Shocker since 1980.
Â
Consecutive Games with a Block (Since 1980):
25 -- Antoine Carr (1980-81)
24 -- Antoine Carr (1982-83*)
12 -- Jaime Echenique (2018-19 -- Jan. 16 to Pres.)
12 --
Shaquille Morris (2017-18)
11 -- Claudius Johnson (1990-91)
10 -- Cliff Levingston (1980-81)
10 -- Ehimen Orukpe (2012-13)
10 -- Jaime Echenique (2018-19 -- Nov. 6 - Dec. 15)
                      Â
*= Streak began the previous season
Â
BIG HELP:
***WSU's three-headed --
Jaime Echenique, Asbjorn Midtgaard and
Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler – split 40 minutes at the center position. The group has been effective of late, especially on the defensive end.
***Midtgaard and Echenique have taken the lion's share of minutes of the past week, teaming up for 25 points against Memphis and 11 points, seven boards and six blocks in 39 minutes against UConn.
***The group is averaging a double-double over the past eight games at 17.6 points 12.8 rebounds to go with 4.0 blocks. It's no coincidence that WSU is 6-2 over that stretch.
Â
WSU's Center Platoon; Game-by-Game:
Jan. 30 (SMU) – 22 pts, 11 reb, 5 blk
Feb. 2 (TULSA) – 18 pts, 6 reb, 2 blk
Feb. 6 (at ECU) – 14 pts, 21 reb, 3 blk
Feb. 9 (TULANE) – 13 pts, 12 reb, 2 blk
Feb. 17 (at Cincinnati) – 17 pts, 25 reb, 6 blk
Feb. 20 (at Tulsa) – 21 pts, 6 reb, 6 blk
Feb. 23 (MEMPHIS) – 25 pts, 14 reb, 2 blk
Feb. 28 (UCONN) – 11 pts, 7 reb, 6 blk
8-GAME AVERAGE: 17.6 pts, 12.8 reb, 4.0 blk
Â
HEAPING HELPING OF HELPERS:
***
Jamarius Burton has 24 assists with just five turnovers over the last three games, good for a 4.80 ratio.
***Burton's 88 total assists are the sixth-highest for a freshman in Shocker history.
Â
Most Total Assists // WSU Freshmen // All-Time:
1. Joe Griffin (1986-87) -- 125
2.
Landry Shamet (2016-17*) -- 117
3. Bob Trogele (1975-76) -- 103
4. Fred VanVleet (2012-13) -- 89
4. Bernard Jackson (1982-83) -- 89
6. Jamarius Burton (2018-19) -- 88
7. Toure' Murry (2008-09) – 85
8. Aubrey Sherrod (1981-82) – 85
Â
1,344 FOR McDUFFIE (AND COUNTING):
***
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 1,399 points -- 16th all-time.
***McDuffie currently ranks 17th (1,344) but needs just 15 more points to catch Jamie Thompson for 16th on the list. A former Wichita East High School standout, Thompson helped WSU to the 1965 Final Four.
Â
McDuffie on WSU's All-Time Scoring List:
13. Cliff Levingston (1979-82) -- 1,471 (+127)
14. Sasha Radunovich (1985-89) -- 1,463 (+119)
15. Fred VanVleet (2012-16) -- 1,439 (+95)
16. Jamie Thompson  1964-67 -- 1,359 (+15)
17.
Markis McDuffie  2015-Pr. -- 1,344
18. J.T. Durley (2007-11)
Â
McDUFFIE A TRIPLE THREAT:
***McDuffie (139 career three-pointers) is tied for 11th on WSU's career list with Ryan Herrs -- father of current WSU sophomore guard
Jacob Herrs.
***McDuffie needs just one more to match Fred VanVleet (140) and move into the top-10 all-time.
Â
McDuffie on WSU's All-Time 3-Point Field Goal List:
7.
Landry Shamet (2015-18) – 159 (+19)
8. David Kyles (2008-12) – 153 (+13)
9. Paul Guffrovich (1987-91) – 144 (+4)
10. Fred VanVleet (2012-16) – 141 (+1)
11. Ryan Herrs (1992-96) -- 140
11. Markis McDuffie (2015-Pr.) -- 140
Â
THE SERIES WITH SMU:
***This is meeting No. 13 in the series. The schools own six wins apiece.
***SMU leads 4-1 in Dallas.
***The teams split two conference games last year, with each winning on the road. Prior to that, neither side had won on the other's home court since the series debut. On Dec. 22, 1955 (less than a month after the Roundhouse's ribbon cutting), SMU routed the host Shockers, 85-67.
***WSU's move to The American ended a 22-year series hiatus. The teams split a four-game non-conference series from 1993-96. The Shockers won twice in Wichita. SMU held serve with two wins in Dallas.
***The Shockers won the most important game in the series, to-date, on a neutral floor in Manhattan, Kan. Behind 31 points from Kelly Pete, the Shockers knocked off SMU 86-81 in the 1965 NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal on their way to the Final Four.
Â
LAST THREE MEETINGS WITH SMU:
Jan. 30, 2019 | Wichita, Kan. (Charles Koch Arena) | WSU, 85-83
Samajae Haynes-Jones' scored the game-winning basket (a driving, twisting, reverse-layup) with 1.0 seconds remaining to help WSU stop a three-game slid… Haynes-Jones and
Erik Stevenson scored 17-each to lead a group of five Shockers in double-figures. Stevenson was +16 in his 29 minutes of work. He cleared six rebounds and nailed 3-of-6 three-point tries…
Markis McDuffie kicked in 15 points.
Jaime Echenique added 12 points, six rebounds and a career-high five blocks.
Asbjørn Midtgaard scored a career-high 10 points and pulled five rebounds. He accounted for three of WSU's season-high five dunks.
Jamarius Burton (nine points) had seven assists with just one turnover in a team-high 35 minutes… Isiaha Mike scored 25 points on 5-of-7 three-point shooting. He was 4-of-5 in the first half to help SMU build a 45-38 halftime lead... WSU hit 5-of-8 threes in the second half… The final 14 minutes of the second half included eight ties and nine lead changes over the final 14 minutes… WSU used a 6-0 run to tie the game at 49 with 15:44 to go. From that point forward, neither team led by more than four points in either direction. From the 5:41-mark onward, neither side held more than a two-point advantage.
Â
Feb. 24, 2018 | Dallas, Texas (Moody Coliseum) | WSU, 84-78
Markis McDuffie scored a season-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting.
Shaquille Morris added 21 and grabbed 10 rebounds (six offensive)… WSU extended its winning streak to six games and won for the first time in five trips to Moody Coliseum… SMU ranked in the top-five nationally in scoring defense (62.9 points). WSU put up 84 – most by a Moody visitor in nearly four years… Jahmal McMurray knocked down six three-pointers and paced SMU with 28 points. Shake Milton missed his seventh consecutive game with a hand injury… WSU wore down SMU (which used just seven players) pushing a two-point halftime lead to 17 late… The Mustangs made 15 three-pointers on 31 attempts (.484). WSU was nearly as good, hitting 11-of-24 (.458)… WSU outrebounded SMU 41-23 and finished with more offensive rebounds (17) than the Mustang had defensive boards (15).
Â
Jan. 20, 2018 | Wichita, Kan. | SMU, 83-78:
Led by Shake Milton (33 points on 11-of-14 shooting) SMU shot 76% (19-of-25) from inside the arc and 63.8% overall. Both marks are the highest for a visiting team since Charles Koch Arena's 2003 renovation (and second-highest by a Shocker opponent in ANY location in WSU's 12 seasons under Marshall)… WSU had won 67 of its last 68 games at CKA coming into the night…
Landry Shamet finished with 20 points and 10 assists. He hit 5-of-10 three-point attempts.
Â
MATCHUP MASHUP:
***
Gregg Marshall is 9-6 career against Tim Jankovich. Marshall won seven of the 12 head-to-head meetings during Jankovich's time at Illinois State (2007-12).
***Marshall is 2-1 against SMU all-time.
***SMU assistant K.T. Turner worked one season under Marshall at WSU and helped the Shockers to the 2013 Final Four.
***Both sides lost stars early to the NBA. Shake Milton had 33 points in SMU's win in Wichita last January. WSU's
Landry Shamet had 20 points and 10 assists on the same night. Milton and Shamet were teammates for the first half of the year with the Philadelphia 76'ers before Shamet was traded to the LA Clippers.
***Jahmal McMurray is a native of Topeka, Kan. and a Highland Park graduate. He prepped at Sunrise Christian Academy (located just outside of Wichita).
***Jankovich was a member of Bill Self's original staff at Kansas (2003-07) before accepting the head coaching job at Illinois State. His move to the Missouri Valley coincided with Marshall's arrival at Wichita State.
Â
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD…  Â
… make them 15-13 with wins in 7 of their last 9.
… make them 8-8 in American play after a 1-6 start.
… give them wins in 3 of their last 4 true road games.
… give them a season sweep of SMU.
… give them a 7-6 lead all-time (3-1 in the AAC Era).
… move
Gregg Marshall to within five wins of 500.
Â
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD… Â
… drop their record to 14-14 (7-9 American).
… make them 2-8 in true road games.
… give SMU a split of the season series.
… give SMU a 7-6 lead all-time (2-2 in the AAC Era).
… be less good than a win.
Â
UP NEXT:
***WSU plays its final regular season home game Tuesday night against ECU. Tip time is 8 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.
***Seniors
Markis McDuffie and
Samajae Haynes-Jones will be honored afterward.
***This is ECU's first-ever visit to Wichita. WSU won at ECU on Feb. 6 (65-49).
***Tickets are still available through the Shocker Ticket Office (316-978-FANS) and online at goshockers.com/tickets.
