The RoundHouse | 2/16/2020 7:28:00 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 American Athletic Conference's unbalanced schedule can be good for drama, power rankings and TV matchups. It was tough on the Shockers in January and early February, giving them six opponents in the Pomeroy top 100 in nine games.
 
The schedule appears to ease a bit and the Shockers (18-6, 6-5 American) took the first step toward taking advantage of that with Thursday's 75-58 win at UCF. Sunday's home game against Tulane (10-14, 2-10) is followed by another home game against USF (11-13, 4-7). 
 
These games are critical because the schedule turns again. The Shockers finish the regular-season with three of their final five on the road, including trips to Cincinnati, SMU and Memphis.
 
That is the backdrop for the race for a top-four seed (and a first-round bye) in the conference tournament. 
 
Wichita State's work getting to a 15-1 record is keeping it in the NCAA Tournament at-large group. It survived a stretch of losing five in seven games. The Shockers don't need to be perfect the rest of the way, but their margin of error is diminished.
 
Wichita State's offense gets a break from the American's grinder of tough defenses. To take full advantage, it will need to maintain the unselfishness and execution that revived the scoring touch in the win over UCF. The Shockers handed out 19 assists on their 30 baskets. That is their fourth-highest assist total this season.
 
Opponents are feasting on points in the lane and offensive rebounds against Tulane.
 
Tulane opponents make 47.1 percent of their shots in conference play, last in the conference. Conference opponents make 33.6 percent of their three-pointers to rank 10^th.
 
The Green Wave plays defense for steals. Once an opponent breaks that initial pressure, there are mismatches and open shots available. 
 
During their eight-game losing streak, Tulane surrendered 50-percent shooting on two-point attempts to six of those opponents. Houston made 20 of 28 shots inside the arc in a 75-62 win earlier this season. In seven of those games, opponents outscored the Wave in the paint by an average of 14.8 points.
 
With a seven-man rotation, the Wave are susceptible to foul trouble and fatigue. Opponents outscored them off the bench in every conference game.
 
Guard Teshaun Hightower, forward K.J. Lawson and guard Christion Thompson all play 30-plus minutes and score in double figures.
 
All three are transfers from NCAA Division I schools – Lawson from Memphis and Kansas.  While Tulane is struggling in conference play, new coach Ron Hunter successfully built a competitive team quickly. 
 
He took over a team that went 4-27, 0-18 in the American in 2018-19 under former coach Mike Dunleavy. Tulane hasn't recorded a winning season since 20-15 in 2013 as a member of Conference USA under Ed Conroy.
 
This season, Tulane won at Southern Mississippi to record its first road win in two seasons and its first non-conference road win in three. It also snapped a nine-game home losing streak to Cincinnati with a 76-71 win on Jan. 4.
 
In addition to the infusion of experience and talent from transfers, Hunter installed an offense that rarely gives the ball away (a conference-low 11.5 a game) and registers a conference-leading 8.1 steals a game.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.