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Dennis at Tulsa

No. 23 Wichita State Invades Tulsa Saturday

1/31/2020 1:36:00 AM

23/22 WICHITA STATE (17-3, 5-2) at rv/rv TULSA (14-6, 6-1)
SATURDAY, FEB. 1, 2020 | 5:05 P.M. CT
TULSA, OKLA. / DONALD W. REYNOLDS CENTER (8,355)
TV: ESPNU (WatchESPN)
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen)
SERIES: WSU leads 69-61 (29-35 at Tulsa)
LAST: Feb. 20, 2019 at Tulsa (WSU, 81-60)
 
>>> The Wichita State Shockers (17-3, 5-2 and ranked No. 23 in the latest Associated Press Poll and No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll) take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (14-6, 6-1 and receiving votes) Saturday evening inside the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
 
>>> Saturday's matchup airs nationally on ESPNU with streaming available through the ESPN App, accessible on computers, smart phones, tablets and devices to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider. Matt Schick & Sean Harrington have the call.
 
>>> Mike Kennedy and Bob Hull describe the action on 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 1,248th consecutive game.
 
>>> Catch the Gregg Marshall Show on Monday nights throughout the season. Join Marshall and host Mike Kennedy 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). Upcoming Show Dates:  February 3, 10, 17, 24
 
 
OPENING TIPS:
  • The Shockers are in action for the first time in seven days. Last Saturday's 87-79 victory over UCF capped a grueling post-Christmas stretch of nine games in 28 days. Dexter Dennis was the catalyst against the Knights, finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds to earn a spot on conference's weekly honor roll. The Shockers out-rebounded UCF by 17 and held the visitors to 37% from the field.
  • Wichita State ranks among the national leaders in winning percentage (10th, .850), field goal percentage defense (23rd, .384) and turnover margin (25th, +3.5). KenPom rates the Shocker defense 14th nationally in efficiency.
  • 17 victories matches the Shockers' regular season total from a year ago. WSU opened AAC play 1-6 in 2019 but has since won 14 of its last 18 conference games.
  • Tulsa has also made strides. The Hurricane are out to a 6-1 start -- half-a-game back of first-place Houston (7-1) -- on the heels of last year's 8-10 finish. Tulsa's five-game winning streak includes home victories over the league's preseason co-favorites (Memphis & Houston).
  • This is meeting No. 131 in a series that began in 1931. WSU and Tulsa were Missouri Valley Conference rivals from 1945-96. The Shockers hold a 69-61 lead and have won five-straight and 12 of the last 13.
  • WSU swept last year's series: 79-68 in Wichita behind Markis McDuffie's 29 points and 81-60 in Tulsa with help from a school-record-tying 15 three-pointers.
  • The Shockers have a losing record in Tulsa (29-35) but are 5-3 at the Reynolds Center (now in its 22nd season).
  • Tulsa is WSU's closest conference trip (less than 200 miles and roughly two-and-a-half hours by bus). Two years ago the teams played in front of a capacity crowd. It was the Reynolds Center's first sellout since 2009.
  • The Shockers are 3-1 on the road this year and have won nine of their last 10 going back to last February.
 
 
THE SHOCKS, IN SHORT:
  • Sophomore guard Erik Stevenson -- a two-time AAC player of the week pick -- leads the Shockers in points (12.4) and steals (35) and is the team's third-leading rebounder (4.8). He has topped 20-points three times.
  • Sophomore Jamarius Burton (10.5 ppg) can play point guard or wing, as needed. He's averaging a team-high 3.5 assists with a 1.69 A:TO ratio.
  • The team's lone senior -- 6-11 center Jaime Echenique -- averages 10.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. On a 40-minute basis, he leads the team in scoring (20.9) and plus-minus (+21.1).
  • 6-foot-6 forward Trey Wade -- a JUCO transfer from South Plains (Texas) College -- has been an impactful addition at the four-spot. He puts up 8.1 points-per-game and is the team's top rebounder (6.2).
  • Sophomore Dexter Dennis (7.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg) -- the team's most-athletic and versatile defender -- has logged time on the wing and as a stretch-four. An AAC All-Freshman pick last year, he returned to the starting lineup at USF for the first time since Nov. 27 and hit eight threes on 47% accuracy in two games last week.
  • A couple of four-star freshman guards have also helped elevate the Shockers. Tyson Etienne (9.9 ppg) ranks third on the AAC list in threes-per-game (2.2) and fourth in three-point percentage (.413). Combo guard Grant Sherfield (8.8 ppg) has been the team's other primary point guard and a reliable scorer off the bench.
  • The Shockers are one of the league' deepest teams in the post with Echenique backed by 6-9 sophomore Morris Udeze (5.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg). 7-foot junior Asbjørn Midtgaard and 6-9 sophomore Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler are  also capable contributors.
  • Three other true freshmen are on the roster: Forward DeAntoni Gordon (14 games) and point guard Noah Fernandes (15) have shown flashes of potential. 6-10 forward Josaphat Bilau is redshirting.
 

REBOUNDING NICELY:
  • Over a stretch of three games WSU went almost 90 minutes without allowing a second-chance point. The Shockers blanked Houston over the final 9:30 on Jan. 18 then outscored USF 5-0 and UCF 19-3. The run ended with 17 seconds to play in Saturday's game. A missed UCF shot resulted in a tie-up underneath the basket. The arrow favored the Knights, who quickly capitalized with a three-pointer off the inbound. It was one of just three offensive boards credited to UCF.
  • WSU has gobbled up defensive rebounds on 43 of its 51 chances over the past two games (84%), including 27-of-30 against UCF. The Shockers' season average (.752) is second on the league leaderboard behind USF.
  • WSU finished +7 on the glass against USF (36-29) and +17 against UCF (45-28). That's welcome news for Gregg Marshall. Prior to that -- and somewhat surprisingly -- the Shockers had been out-rebounded in each of their first five of their conference games. They won the battle of the boards in 12 of their 13 non-conference contests and have annually been among the national leaders in that category.
  • Since the start of the 2010-11 season the Shockers have secured exactly 2,500 more rebounds than their opponents (11,905 to 9,405). Over that 10-season span, only UNC (+2,902), Michigan St. (+2,770) and New Mexico St. (+2,555) have posted better margins.
 
 
CHARITABLE CAUSE:
  • Shocker foes score nearly a quarter of their points (24.6%) at the free throw line – 16th-highest nationally. WSU ranks 35th on the same list with 22.1% of its own scoring coming at the charity stripe. The Shockers lead the league in free throws made (16.5) and attempted (23.8).
 
 
GOTTA LOVE FEBRUARY:
  • Since 2014, Wichita State has the most February wins (42) and the highest February winning percentage (.894) of any team in Division I.

Most February Wins (NCAA Division I, 2014-Pr.):
1. Wichita State (42-5) .894
2. Gonzaga (41-7) .854
3. Vermont (39-6) .867
4. Villanova (39-10) .796
4. Kansas (39-10) .796

 
ON THE DOUBLE (DOUBLES):
  • Last Saturday Dexter Dennis (18 pts, 11 reb vs. UCF) became the fourth different Shocker to record a double-double this year. Trey Wade (2x), Grant Sherfield and Jaime Echenique have also done it.
  • It's the sixth time in 13 seasons under Gregg Marshall that four players have logged at least one. He's never had a team with five.
  • The 2003-04 Shockers were the last WSU team with five double-doublers. Jamar Howard logged three that year and Aaron Hogg, Paul Miller, Randy Burns and Rob Kampman had one each.
 
 
WORKING THE UPPER-QUADS:
  • The Shockers are 7-3 in Quadrant I and II contests.
  • Saturday's game at Tulsa begins a stretch of four-straight Q1 or Q2 games for the Shockers. Eight of the 11 remaining games on the schedule fall into that category. Six are on the road.
  • WSU is one of just 11 schools nationally that have played 10-or-more quadrant I or II games and won at least 70% of them.

Highest Winning Percentage in Quadrant I & II Games (Min. 10 GP; as of 1/30/2020):
1. #4 San Diego State (8-0) 1.000
2. #1 Baylor (11-1) .917    
3. #3 Kansas (12-3) .800    
4. #8 Villanova (9-3) .750  
5. #16 Butler (11-4) .733   
6. #20 Colorado (8-3) .727            
6. #5 Florida State (8-3) .727        
6. (rv) USC (8-3) .727         
9. #10 Seton Hall (10-4) .714        
9. #22 LSU (10-4) .714       
11. #23 Wichita State (7-3) .700 

 
SCOUTING TULSA:
  • Tulsa rides a five-game winning streak into Saturday. Its only conference loss came Jan. 8 at Cincinnati (74-55). The Hurricanes bounced back to hand Houston its only league loss (63-61) and doubled-up nationally-ranked Memphis, 80-40. Their streak also includes road wins at ECU, Tulane and UConn.
  • Tulsa is 10-1 at home this year with victories in hand over the league's preseason co-favorites (Houston and Memphis). The lone loss came to Arkansas State.
  • Tulsa is holding opponent to 39.0% from the field this year. Foes are shooting just 28.2% from distance – tops in the AAC and 11th nationally.
  • In conference play, Tulsa has held its seven opponents to a league-low 56.9 points on 36.1% shooting (23.4% from deep) and is averaging 7.7 steals-per-game. All four figures are league-bests. The Hurricanes have held six of their seven AAC foes under 40% from the field and three of them to less than 30%.
  • Junior college import Brandon Rachal -- a 6-foot-5 guard -- tops the team in points (14.8), rebounds (6.3), steals (1.9) and minutes (30.1). 
  • 6-7 junior Jeriah Horne is Tulsa's second-leading scorer (12.1) and rebounder (5.3). He's hit a team-best 35 threes on 35.4% accuracy.
  • 6-foot-8 senior Martins Igbanu (11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds) is one of the league's best front court players. He's been to the foul line 108 times in 20 games.
  • Junior point guard Eliah Joiner averages a team-high 3.4 assists with a 1.91 ratio.
 
 
MATCHUP MASHUP:
  • Tulsa is 37-6 at home over the last three seasons, including 17-4 in conference home games. Two of those losses have come at the hands of the Shockers.
  • Tulsa's Brandon Rachal played the past two seasons at Pearl River (Miss.) Community College – the same program that produced former Shocker Darral Willis Jr. (2016-18).
  • Beginning with Saturday's trip to Tulsa, WSU will play nine of its last 11 regular season games against defenses that rank 80th or higher in KenPom's efficiency measurements. Nine of the 12 AAC schools fall into the category. WSU (14) and Tulsa (43) are joined by  Memphis (19), Temple (25), Cincinnati (29), UConn (42), Houston (63), USF (78) and UCF (80).
  • It's easy to settle for jumpers against Tulsa's zone defense. Hurricane opponents average 26.4 three-point attempts (most in the AAC) while shooting a league-low 28.2% from deep.
  • That was the theme last year for WSU against Tulsa. The Shockers attempted 32 threes in the first meeting in Wichita and 33 more in the rematch at Tulsa. Both totals rank among the top-10 in school history. The latter was tied for fifth-most. The Shockers shot just 28% from deep in Wichita but atoned with 13 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points. Markis McDuffie scored putbacks on four of his five offensive boards on his way to 27 points. In the rematch, WSU hit 45.5%  from distance and tied a school record with 15 threes.
  • Several returning Shockers performed well in the two games against Tulsa last year. Jamarius Burtonhad 16 assists and only four turnovers. His 10 dimes in the win at Reynolds Center were the most by a Shocker freshman in 46 years.
  • Dexter Dennis (14.5 pts, 6.0 reb) was 9-of-14 from three. At Tulsa he tied WSU's frosh record with six threes.
  • Jaime Echenique averaged 15.0 points and 2.5 blocks.
 

THE SERIES:
  • Wichita State and Tulsa square off for the 131st time since 1931. Tulsa is WSU's third-most-played opponent behind Drake (151) and Bradley (142). The teams have met in each of the last 10 seasons going back to 2010.
  • The Shockers lead the series, 69-61, and have won five-straight and 12 of 13. They're 4-0 in the AAC era.
  • Gregg Marshall is 10-1 against Tulsa (6-1 vs. Frank Haith and 4-1 at the Reynolds Center). Only Ralph Miller (16-11 from 1951-64) has posted more series wins.
  • Saturday's meeting will be the 65th in Tulsa. The Shockers have a losing record (29-35) but are 5-3 at the Reynolds Center (now in its 22nd season).
  • The Hurricanes last won in Wichita on Dec. 8, 2001 (82-76). The Shockers have won the last seven home meetings (six of them at CKA) and lead 39-23 all-time. WSU has won just over two-thirds of the games played inside the Roundhouse (1955-pr.) going 33-16.
  • Tulsa has won three of the four neutral court matchups. WSU's lone victory came in the 1988 MVC Tournament. Tulsa picked up a pair of Arch Madness wins in the 1990s and edged the Shockers in the 1958 All-College Tournament in Oklahoma City.
  • WSU has won seven of the 10 overtime games in the series (2-2 in Wichita, 5-1 in Tulsa).
  • The Shockers swept the 2018-19 series, coming from behind in the last 10 minutes to win in Wichita. 18 days later at Tulsa they never trailed, jumping to a 14-point halftime lead en route to a 21-point win.
  • WSU also swept the season series in 2017-18 – its first in the AAC. In the first meeting (Jan. 13, 2018) Tulsa had a three-pointer in the air ahead of the final buzzer that would have forced overtime, but the fifth-ranked shockers survived, 72-69. WSU won the rematch in Wichita, 90-71, with 28 assists.
 
###
 
MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENTS:
  • The Shockers and Golden Hurricane were conference rivals in the Missouri Valley from 1945 to 1996. Following Tulsa's MVC exit, the schools played 14 non-conference games over a 21-year span. WSU's 2017 move to The American reunited the two.
  • Though the series dates back over 88 years, the rivalry really heated up in the early 1980s when Gene Smithson's Shocker teams battled Nolan Richardson and Tulsa for MVC supremacy. Three of WSU's all-time great played during the "MTXE" Era (after Smithson's trademark slogan, Mental Toughness eXtra Effort): Cliff Levingston, Antoine Carr and Xavier McDaniel. Tulsa countered with a fearsome full-court press and the likes of Paul Pressey, Mike Anderson and Steve Harris.
  • In 1984, WSU's Karl Papke hit a driving layup down the lane with just under 10 seconds left to lift the Shockers to a 66-64 upset of 10th-ranked Tulsa in Wichita.
  • WSU got the last laugh in its final game against Richardson in the 1985 MVC tournament championship (Mar. 9, 1985 at the Tulsa Convention Center). McDaniel  (who led the nation in scoring and rebounding that year) scored 34 points on 15-of-19 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Shockers past No. 17 Tulsa, 84-82.
  • Despite coaching changes on both sides, the rivalry continued. On Mar. 4, 1987, WSU again stunned top-seeded Tulsa with a 79-74 overtime win in the conference title game. The '87 MVC tournament was the first with a three-point line, and the Shockers took full advantage of the new rule, knocking down 8-of-10 from beyond the arc.
  • On Feb. 27, 1988, Joe Griffin's corner three – in the air just before time expired – forced double-overtime where the Shockers claimed a 79-78 victory.
  • Tulsa dominated with 13-straight wins between 1993 and 2002, but the series took a dramatic turn following the completion of the Roundhouse Renaissance.
  • On Dec. 20, 2003 – the first meeting at the newly renovated CKA – WSU finally stopped the slide, winning 66-58 behind recent Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame inductee Jamar Howard's 23 points. That started a run of seven-straight Shocker victories.
  • A year later – Dec. 18, 2004 – the Shockers stopped an eight-game losing streak in Tulsa with their first win since 1991.
  • Gregg Marshall revived the series in the 2010 when Tulsa was guest of honor for the first-ever basketball game at downtown INTRUST Bank Arena (Dec. 21, 2010). Justin Hurtt hit six of Tulsa's 14 threes (both are still arena records), but the Shockers held on for an 82-79 win.
 
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….
  • ... make them 18-3 -- one more win than last year's regular season total (17-13).
  • ... make them 4-1 on the road (3-1 in AAC play).
  • ... up their series lead on Tulsa to 70-61.
  • ... make them 30-35 all-time at Tulsa (6-3 at DWRC).
  • ... make Marshall 11-1 vs. Tulsa (7-1 vs. Haith).
  • ... (if UH loses at UC) put four two-loss teams atop the standings (WSU, Tulsa, Houston & Cincinnati).
  • ... (if UH wins at UC) tie WSU and Tulsa for second-place at 6-2 behind first-place Houston (8-1).
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…
  • ... drop them to 17-4 (5-3 American).
  • ... be their first vs. Tulsa since 11/17/2015, snapping a five-game winning streak.
  • ... narrow their series lead w/ Tulsa to 69-62.
  • ... make them 5-4 at DWRC.
  • ... make Marshall 10-2 vs. Tulsa (6-2 vs. Haith).
 
 
UP NEXT:
The Shockers are back home Thursday against Cincinnati (6 p.m. CT). The game will air on either ESPN or ESPN2.
 
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