The RoundHouse | 1/11/2020 3:25:00 PM

23/23 WICHITA STATE (14-1, 2-0) at UCONN (10-5, 1-2)
SUNDAY, JAN. 12, 2020 | 11 A.M. CT (NOON ET)
HARTFORD, CONN. / XL CENTER 
TV: CBS SPORTS NETWORK
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen)
SERIES: WSU Leads 3-2 (1-1 at UConn, 1-0 at XL Center)

 
What Wichita State guard Jamarius Burton – rightly – saw as an insult, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway – rightly –saw as good strategy.
 
Burton made the next move and now that strategy is ineffective. 
 
Burton, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, dented No. 21 Memphis for 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting in Thursday's 76-67 win. While Burton missed both his three-point shots, Hardaway recognized his rise as a shooting threat.
 
"Last year, we game-planned against him to shoot the ball," Hardaway said. "We made him the guy we played off of. This year, he has to be accounted for. Looks like he's been working on his game, for sure."
 
Burton was an iffy shooter last season – 39 percent overall, 26.3 from three-point range. Against Memphis he made 7 of 12 shots (missing both his threes) in the two meetings. Those numbers don't tell how the Tigers, and others, gummed up Wichita State's offense by ignoring Burton and others last season. This season, Wichita State's spacing is better because defenses can't help off guards Burton, Tyson Etienne and Erik Stevenson.
 
Burton saw those strategies – sagging off, daring him to shoot, going under screens – as an insult. He smoothed out his jump shot and is shooting 49.4 percent from the field, 46.4 from three.
 
Against Memphis, Burton did most of his damage in the lane by making four layups. He can get to the basket, in part, because defense must honor his jump shot.
 
"I just put in the work this off-season, and worked on all facets of my game, so when the defense disrespects me, I can make them pay for it," he said. 
 
The No, 23 Shockers (14-2, 2-0) enter another phase of their schedule on Sunday at UConn (10-5, 1-2). To this point, the schedule challenged them at appropriate times and protected them with time off and low-level opponents.
 
Now Wichita State goes on the road for American Athletic Conference play. That is difficult. They go on the road with a ranking, which means every coach will tell his team that a win over the Shockers earns them some national attention and could boost an NCAA resume. UConn and Temple are not in the tournament at-large picture, but a win over Wichita State gives them a chance to change that mood.
 
"There's a lot of basketball to be played," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. "We still have to go to Memphis and we have to go to Houston and we have to Cincinnati . . ."
 
The Shockers are equipped to win on the road because of what they went through last season. They won 9 of their final 11 games – including at Clemson and at Indiana in the NIT – because their defense and rebounding improved.
 
Those attributes are needed to win on the road. Wichita State has won seven straight on the road.
 
 
"You can shoot 30 percent from the field and still win games if you 'Play Angry' and rebound and play tough defense," guard Erik Stevenson said. "We buy into that 100 percent." 
 
Hardaway's team is still learning. His post-game comments were meant to send a message to his team. He talked about taking bad shots, playing selfishly and playing hero-ball.
 
The Shockers fell into those mistakes briefly earlier in the season. A week of practice and video study pulled them out of those bad habits. Now it is time to test those habits over the grind of nine conference road games.
 
UConn exits the American after this season and returns to its roots in the Big East for 2020-21.
 
The Huskies won the NCAA title in 2014, the American's first season. Since then, however, UConn's largely disappointed in men's basketball. The Huskies last made the NCAA Tournament in 2016, also the last time they recorded a winning AAC record and finished in the top 90 of Ken Pomeroy's ranking.
 
From a Shocker perspective, UConn's biggest contribution in recent seasons might be their strong backing of Wichita State's entrance into the American in 2017. 
 
This season, UConn's offensive struggles are spoiling its farewell. 
 
The Huskies couldn't break 60 points in their previous three losses. They shot 8 of 34 from two-point range in a 96-87 loss to Saint Joseph's in early November. Saint Joseph's is 3-12.
 
UConn is 15 of 57 (26.3 percent) from three-point range in three AAC games to rank 11^th. It commits turnovers on 22.2 percent of its possessions in conference play, also 11^th.
 
The Huskies lead the American by blocking 7.2 shots a game, led by freshman forward Akok Akok at 3.1.
 
Last season's Shocker loss at UConn (80-60) served as a turning point. Wichita State dropped to 8-11 with that defeat. It is 28-5 since.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.