Shockers Set for Homecoming Clash with Tulane Sunday

2/15/2020 11:19:00 AM

TULANE (10-14, 2-10) at WICHITA STATE (18-6, 6-5)
SUNDAY, FEB. 16, 2020 | 1:05 P.M. CT
WICHITA, KAN./ CHARLES KOCH ARENA (10,506)
TV: CBS SPORTS NETWORK
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen)
SERIES: WSU leads 3-0 (2-0 in Wichita)

>>> The Wichita State Shockers (18-6, 6-5) look to continue their newfound momentum Sunday afternoon against the Tulane Green Wave (10-14, 2-10) in an American Athletic Conference contest at Charles Koch Arena.

>>> Sunday's matchup airs nationally on CBS Sports Network and live in more than 150 U.S. mar-kets via the CBS All Access subscription service, with additional coverage on cbssports.com and the CBS Sports App. Carter Blackburn and Pete Gillen have the call.

>>> Mike Kennedy and Bob Hull describe the action on KEYN 103.7 FM and online at goshock-ers.com/listen. Kennedy, who is now in his 40th year as Voice of the Shockers, will call is 1,252nd consecutive game (not including exhibitions).

>>> 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 17, 24

JOIN THE FIGHT; WEAR PINK FEB. 20:

In partnership with the American Cancer Society Coaches vs. Cancer, Wichita State will take the court in pink jerseys, shorts and shoes for its Feb. 20 home game against the USF Bulls. Shocker fans are encouraged to show their support by dressing the part. Limited edition pink t-shirts are available now for just $12 at Shocker Store locations inside the Rhatigan Student Center, Braeburn Square and Charles Koch Arena or online at ShockerStore.com.

OPENING TIPS:

Sunday is, fittingly Homecoming for Wichita State, which is quite fitting. After playing six of their last nine on the road, the Shockers are back home for three of their next four. WSU is 13-2 this year in Wichita (12-2 at CKA).
This is WSU's first home action since a last-second loss to Cincinnati on Feb. 6. The Shockers haven't lost consecutive home games since February, 2011 (SIU & VCU).
This will be the only regular season meeting between WSU and Tulane. The Shockers swept both games during the 2018-19 campaign and lead the all-time series 3-0. The teams had never played prior to 2018.
In the 2018-19 regular season finale (Mar. 9, 2019 in New Orleans). WSU scored 36 points over the final 10 minutes to erase a nine-point deficit, and Dexter Dennis sank a corner three with no time left to lift the Shockers to an 82-79 victory.
Tulane opened conference play 2-2 but has dropped its last eight games. The Green Wave have the nation's 13th-best turnover margin (+4.3) but also have the seventh-worst rebounding margin (-7.6).
Both sides have surpassed their 2019 regular season win totals. Tulane has 10 victories – up from four. The Shockers reached the 18-win mark on Thursday after going 17-13 a season ago.
WSU's 75-58 win at UCF on Thursday snapped a three-game losing streak. Erik Stevenson erupted for 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists. The Shockers held UCF to 31.7% from the field and outrebounded the Knights by 17.
WSU ranks among the national leaders in offensive rebounding (28th, 12.54) and field goal percentage defense (28th, .392). KenPom rates the Shocker defense 12th in adjusted efficiency.
After a stretch of 10-straight games against KenPom top-100 defenses, the Shockers face a Tulane team that ranks 203rd. WSU is shooting a league-low 40.6% this year. Tulane foes are shooting a league-high 45.7%.

THE SHOCKS, IN SHORT:

For Wichita State, "youthful" and "successful" have not been mutually exclusive traits. One of the nation's 25 least-experienced rosters (all but three scholarship players are underclassmen) has already surpassed its 2018-19 regular season win total (18).
Last year, the rebuilding Shockers missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011 but rode a second-half surge to 22 wins and the NIT semifinals. Seven of the top-nine scorers from that team are back, joined by the highest-rated recruiting class in head coach Gregg Marshall's 13-year tenure.
This season's goal: return to the NCAA tournament. The Shockers have put together an at-large quality resume that includes eight Quadrant I or II wins. Signature victories include a pair of Q-I road kills at UConn (89-86, 2ot) and Oklahoma State (80-61) as well as Q-II home wins over VCU, Oklahoma and Memphis.
The 2018-19 team found an identity with defense, rebounding and ball security. Those qualities still apply, but the 2019-20 backcourt has raised the bar with its ability to force turnovers.
KenPom rates the Shocker defense 12th nationally in efficiency (up from 44th last year). WSU has held 17 of its 24 opponents under 40% from the field.
Seven Shockers average between 7.5 and 12.1 points.
Leading scorer Erik Stevenson (12.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg) has come off the bench in each of the past six games. The 6-3 sophomore leads the team in steals (40) and has twice earned AAC player of the week honors.
WSU's lone senior -- 6-11 center Jaime Echenique -- averages 11.0 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds. He ranks fifth on the AAC leaderboard in both blocks (27) and double-doubles (4).
Sophomore Jamarius Burton (9.9 ppg) can play point guard or wing, as needed. He tops the team in assists (3.2) and minutes (26.7).
6-foot-6 forward Trey Wade -- a JUCO transfer from South Plains (Texas) College -- has been an impactful add at the four, averaging 7.5 points and 5.6 boards.
A couple of four-star freshman guards have helped elevate the Shocker backcourt. Energetic shooting guard Tyson Etienne (9.5 ppg) is threatening WSU's freshman records with a team-high 47 threes on 39.2% accuracy and 31 steals. Combo guard Grant Sherfield (8.4 ppg) has been the team's other primary point guard and a reliable scorer off the bench.
Sophomore Dexter Dennis (8.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg) -- WSU's most-athletic and versatile defender -- has logged time on the wing and as a stretch-four. The 2019 AAC all-freshman pick is starting to regain his form. He's scored in double-figures in four of his last six games and has hit at least one three-pointer in 10-straight.
The Shockers are deep in the post with Echenique backed by 6-9 sophomore Morris Udeze (4.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg) along with 7-foot junior Asbjørn Midtgaard and 6-9 sophomore Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler.
Three other true freshmen are on the roster: Forward DeAntoni Gordon (15 games) and point guard Noah Fernandes (16) have shown flashes of potential. 6-10 forward Josaphat Bilau is redshirting.

SCOUTING TULANE:

Tulane got off to a 10-6 start under new head coach Ron Hunter and has more than doubled its win total from the 2018-19 campaign (4). The Green Wave won at Southern Miss, 61-56, on Dec. 5 in its first true road game of the season. It was Tulane's first road victory since Feb. 24, 2018 at USF. The Green Wave's 76-71 win over Cincinnati on Jan. 4 was Tulane's first conference win since that same win at USF, 79-68, on Feb. 24, 2018.
Tulane averages 8.1 steals – tied for the league lead.
Hunter has re-shaped the roster in his first season. Each of the team's top-five scorers are transfers.
6-foot-5 junior guard Teshaun Hightower enters the weekend as The American's fourth-leading scorer (15.4 ppg). He played past two seasons at Georgia and started 17 games as a sophomore.
He's joined by a trio of graduate transfers: K.J. Lawson (13.8 ppg) from Kansas, Christion Thompson (13.3 ppg) from Rhode Island and Nic Thomas (9.2 ppg) from Norfolk State.
5-11 sophomore Jordan Walker (7.5 ppg) was a member of Tulane's practice squad last year after arriving from Seton Hall.
Those five newcomers account for 83% of the shots and 84% of the scoring.
Lawson – a 6--7 forward – was the 2016 AAC rookie of the year while playing for Memphis. He averaged 11.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in two seasons before transferring to Kansas. Lawson put up 3.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.9 minutes for the Jayhawks in 2018-19.
Lawson leads the league and ranks 36th nationally in minutes-per-game (36.1). Thompson (33.9) and Hightower (33.5) rank fifth and sixth respectively.
Hightower's 33-point effort in an overtime win over Towson (Dec. 21) is the most by an AAC player this season. Lawson scored 30 in a Dec. 1 with over Southern.
Thompson leads the team in assists (3.0) and steals (2.04). The latter is tied for 34th nationally.
Thomas is one of the league's top long-distance threats, averaging 2.2 threes on 42.3% accuracy. Both figures rank among the top-four on the league leaderboard

YOUTH SERVES:

Jamarius Burton is one assist shy of 200. He'd be just the sixth Shocker to hit that milestone before the end of his sophomore season, joining current NBA Shockers Landry Shamet (288) and Fred VanVleet (282). VanVleet finished as WSU's career leader with 637. Last year Burton set WSU's rookie record with 124 dimes.

Top Underclassmen Assist Totals (Freshman + Sophomore Years):
306 -- Joe Griffin (1986-88)
288* -- Landry Shamet (2015-18*)
282 -- Fred VanVleet (2013-15)
226 -- Bob Trogele (1975-77)
204 -- Paul Guffrovich (1987-89)
199 -- Jamarius Burton (2018-20)
* = includes 5 assists in 3 GP as a true freshman in '15-16

10-TO-WIN:

As Erik Stevenson goes, so go the Shockers. The sophomore averaged a team-high 14.1 points during the Shockers' 15-1 start. In the seven games that followed, he dipped to 5.6 points on 6-of-29 (.207) three-point shooting. WSU went 2-5 in that stretch.
In Thursday's win at UCF, Stevenson scored 17 points in the first 15 minutes of the game to help the Shockers build a 33-13 lead. His 27 points matched his combined total from the four previous games.

HEAPS OF HELPERS:

WSU tied a Marshall Era low with just four assists in its Feb. 9 loss at Houston. Four days later at UCF, the Shockers tallied 19 on 30 baskets.
For just the third time under Marshall (and for the first time on the road), three different Shockers finished with at least five assists. Grant Sherfield banked six to go with five-each from Dexter Dennis and Erik Stevenson. Dennis' total was a new career-high.
Rashard Kelly (8), Landry Shamet (5) and Zach Brown (5) did it last in a 90-71 home win over Tulsa on Jan. 28, 2018.
Clevin Hannah, Toure' Murry and David Kyles had five-each in an 80-68 victory over TCU on Dec. 12, 2009.
The only other instance since 2000 came in a Feb. 4, 2003 win over Illinois State at the Kansas Coliseum when the trio of Jamar Howard, Randy Burns and Matt Clark banked six-apiece.

SURPRISE CAMEO:

Noah Fernandes was limited during fall practice with a foot injury and has been playing catchup ever since. Minutes have been few and far between for the true freshman point guard. He saw time in just five of the Shockers' first 10 conference games and totaled two points and three assists on 21 minutes. However, with WSU riding a three-game losing streak, Gregg Marshall decided to shake things up.
Fernandes made a surprise cameo in Thursday's starting lineup at set new career-highs for points (7), minutes (24), field goals (3) and attempts (8).
Fernandes shares the team lead (with Jamarius Burton) at 4.8 assists-per-40-minutes.

UCF LEFTOVERS:

Thursday night at UCF, Noah Fernandes became the 11th different Shocker to start a game this season -- most for a Marshall Era Shocker team. WSU's 2005-06 squad also had 11 unique starters. The 1999-00 and 1985-86 teams share the unofficial school record (12).
Sherfield rejoined the starting-five for the first time since Nov. 27. He started the first seven games of the season before shifting into a reserve role.
Erik Stevenson's 27-point effort at UCF tied for the most by a Shocker in an AAC regular season game. Markis McDuffie had 27 on Feb. 2, 2019 vs. Tulsa.
Stevenson's 12 three-point attempts tied for the third-most in school history. Ten others have taken that many, including McDuffie and Samajae Haynes-Jones last season.
Stevenson's 21 field goal attempts were the most by a Shocker since Malcolm Armstead took 21 shots in the 2013 West Regional Final against Ohio State.
WSU allowed a season-low 20 first-half points.
WSU swept UCF and improved to 5-0 against the Knights since joining The American.
Dexter Dennis set new career-highs with five assists and five offensive rebounds.

SENIOR MOMENTUM:

The majority of Wichita State's core still has two or three years ahead of it, but not every Shocker has luxury of time. The team's lone senior, Jaime Echenique, has been playing with a much greater sense of urgency over the past month and has been performing at an all-conference level.
Echenique has been WSU's leading scorer in AAC play, averaging 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
On a 40-minute basis this season, Echenique leads the team in plus-minus (+15.5), points (20.0), rebounds (11.8) and blocks (2.5).
Echenique has moved into 14th on WSU's career blocks list (78). He needs three more to match Carl Hall (2011-13) and four to catch Terry Benton (1968-71).

THE SERIES WITH TULANE:

WSU leads 3-0 (2-0 in Wichita).
The 13th-ranked Shockers won the inaugural meeting on Feb. 21, 2018 in Wichita, 93-86, despite playing without star point guard Landry Shamet (illness).
WSU swept two games during the 2018-19 season, winning 77-62 in Wichita behind Markis McDuffie's 25 points. The Shockers overcame a nine-point deficit in the final 10 minutes to win their first visit to Fogelman Arena, 82-79, on Louisiana native Dexter Dennis' three-point buzzer-beater.
Prior to 2019, WSU had played three others times in New Orleans but never against Tulane. A loss to the University of New Orleans in the 1982-83 season opener was one of just three suffered by the Shockers, who were led that year by Antoine Carr and Xavier McDaniel. WSU's lone victory in the Big Easy came in the 1981 Midwest Regional Semifinal, played inside the Louisiana Super Dome. Mike Jones' last-second jumper (known in Shocker lore as "the shot") gave WSU a 66-65 win over in-state rival Kansas in "The Battle of New Orleans." Two days later, WSU fell to top-seed LSU in the Elite Eight.

MATCHUP MASHUP:

Ron Hunter has coached at the Roundhouse before, but it's been a while. His IUPUI team battled first-year head coach Mark Turgeon's Shockers at then-Henry Levitt Arena on Dec. 9, 2000. The Shockers won 72-65.
Dexter Dennis' hometown of Baker, La. Is less than 100 miles from New Orleans. Dennis is the first Louisiana native to ever play for the Shockers. His mother, Dawn McQuirter, played collegiately at Grambling. Dennis is a distant cousin of Aaron James, the first player ever drafted by the expansion New Orleans Jazz.
Both sides' 2018-19 rosters were hurt by early 2018 NBA Draft departures. Landry Shamet went 26th overall to the 76'ers, leaving two years of eligibility on the table. Tulane's Melvin Frazier gave up his final season but went 35th overall to the Orlando Magic.
Morris Udeze and Tulane's Kevin Zhang spent the '17-18 school year at Montverde Academy in Florida.
Tulane assistant Ray McCallum was head coach at Detroit from 2008-16 and twice faced the Shockers as part of ESPN's BracketBusters series.
WSU joined the AAC on July 1, 2017 after a 72-year run in the MVC. Tulane was one of four teams that the Shockers had never faced, along with USF, UCF and ECU. Notably, WSU is now a combined 15-1 against them.
Mickey Loomis, general manager of the NBA's Pelicans and the NFL's Saints, earned his maste's degree in sport administration from Wichita State in 1982.

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….

... make them 19-6 (7-4 American).
... up their home record to 14-2 (13-2 at CKA).
... make WSU 175-28 at CKA under Marshall.
... give them a 4-0 series lead on Tulane.

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…

... be their sixth in nine games after a 15-1 start.
... drop them to 18-7 (6-6 American).
... be their first series loss to Tulane (3-1).
... make them 13-3 at home (12-3 at CKA).
... be just their 29th at CKA in 13 seasons under Marshall (174-29).
... be less good than a win.

UP NEXT:

Wichita State welcomes the USF Bulls on Thursday night. Tickets are available at 316-978-FANS or online at goshockers.com/tickets. The 6 p.m. CT tip airs nationally on CBS Sports Network.

The Shockers won the first meeting on Jan. 21 in Tampa, 56-43

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Shockers Set for Homecoming Clash with Tulane Sunday