Skip To Main Content

Wichita State Athletics

Events

Full Schedule
Morris Udeze

Shockers Take Aim at 20th Win Thursday vs. USF

2/18/2020 6:33:00 PM

USF (11-14, 4-8) at WICHITA STATE (19-6, 7-5)
THURSDAY, FEB. 20, 2020 | 6:05 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 2-1 (1-0 in Wichita)
LAST: Jan. 21, 2020 in Tampa (WSU, 56-43)
 

>>> The Wichita State Shockers (19-6, 7-5) go pink on Thursday evening when they take on the University of South Florida Bulls (11-14, 4-8) at Charles Koch Arena.

>>> Seats are still available through the Shocker Ticket Office at 316-978-FANS or online at goshockers.com/Tickets.
 
>>> In partnership with the American Cancer Society Coaches vs. Cancer, Wichita State will take the court in pink jerseys, shorts and shoes. Shocker fans are encouraged to show their support by dressing the part. Limited edition pink t-shirts are available for just $12 at all Shocker Store locations or online at ShockerStore.com.
 
>>> Thursday's matchup airs nationally on CBSSN and live in more than 150 U.S. markets via the CBS All Access subscription service, with additional coverage on cbssports.com and the CBS Sports App. Rich Waltz and Dan Dickau 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 1,253rd 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: Feb. 24 & Mar. 9
 

OPENING TIPS:
  • A victory would clinch the Shockers' 11th consecutive 20-win season (and 22nd all-time). Gregg Marshall looks to reach the 20-win mark for the 17th time.
  • WSU began the year as one of just eight programs that have won at least 20 games in every season since 2010, joined by Kansas, Duke, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Saint Mary's, Kentucky and Vermont.
  • The Shockers have won two of three meetings with USF, including a 56-43 win on Jan. 21 in Tampa. Tyson Etienne (13 points) and Dexter Dennis (12) combined for seven threes and WSU held USF to 30% shooting.
  • WSU has won back-to-back games. In Sunday's 82-57 victory over Tulane, the Shockers shot a season-best 54.2% from deep (13-of-24). Dennis scored a career-high 21 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting and Etienne (20 points) matched a freshman record with six triples. The Shockers' 30-point halftime lead (50-20) tied for the sixth-largest in recorded history.
  • Fast starts have been a theme for the Shockers over the past week. Last Thursday, WSU jumped out to a 33-13 lead over UCF with the 3:37 to play in the first half. In Sunday's win over Tulane, the Shockers led 41-14 at the 4:47-mark. Both foes finished the half with 20 points.
  • USF has won 3-of-6 since its last encounter with the Shockers. The Bulls rank 12th nationally in scoring defense , surrendering an average of just 61.4 points.
  • WSU ranks among the national leaders in field goal percentage defense (25th, .390) and offensive rebounding (22nd, 12.56). KenPom rates the Shocker defense 12th in adjusted efficiency.
  • The Shockers are 14-2 at home this year and are shooting 36.5% from three in those games, compared to 25.8% in road/neutral site contests.
 
 
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 (17-13).
  • 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 18 of its 25 opponents under 40% from the field.
 
 
PERSONNEL IN A NUTSHELL:
  • Seven Shockers average between 7.4 and 11.9 points.
  • Leading scorer Erik Stevenson (11.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg) has come off the bench in each of the past seven games. The 6-3 sophomore leads the team in steals (41) and has twice earned AAC player of the week honors.
  • WSU's lone senior -- 6-11 center Jaime Echenique -- averages 10.9 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds. He ranks fifth on the AAC leaderboard in blocks (28) and  has four double-doubles.
  • Sophomore Jamarius Burton (9.9 ppg) can play point guard or wing, as needed. He tops the team in assists (3.3) and minutes (26.5).
  • 6-foot-6 forward Trey Wade -- a JUCO transfer from South Plains (Texas) College -- has been an impactful add at the four, averaging 7.4 points and 5.5 boards.
  • A couple of four-star freshman guards have helped elevate the Shocker backcourt. Energetic shooting guard Tyson Etienne (9.9 ppg) is threatening WSU's freshman records with a team-high 53 threes on 40.1% accuracy and 32 steals. Combo guard Grant Sherfield (8.3 ppg) has been the team's other primary point guard and a reliable scorer off the bench.
  • Sophomore Dexter Dennis (8.7 ppg, 5.1 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 five of his last seven games and has hit at least one three-pointer in 11-straight.
  • Freshman point guard Noah Fernandes is a 5-11 spark plug with great court vision. He's started the last two.
  • The Shockers are deep in the post with Echenique backed by 6-9 sophomore Morris Udeze (4.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg) along with 7-foot junior Asbjørn Midtgaard and 6-9 sophomore Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler.
  • 6-8 freshman forward DeAntoni Gordon (16 games) has shown flashes of potential, while another freshman forward, 6-10 Josaphat Bilau, is redshirting.
 
 
TARGETING 20:
  • Wichita State is one of just eight schools credited with winning 20+ games in every season since 2010, joined by Kansas, Duke, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Kentucky, St. Mary's and Vermont. (Louisville vacated wins from three recent seasons but would otherwise qualify).

Consecutive 20-Win Seasons:
31* -- Kansas         
24* -- Duke
23* -- Gonzaga
15^ = North Carolina
15* = Kentucky
13* = Saint Mary's
12* = Vermont
10^ = Wichita State.
* = includes 2019-20    ^ = Not including 2019-20

 
 
YOUTH SERVES:
  • In Sunday's win over USF, Jamarius Burton recorded his 200th career assist. He's just the sixth Shocker to reach that milestone before the end of his sophomore season, joining current NBA Shockers Landry Shamet (288) and Fred VanVleet (282). 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)
206 -- Jamarius Burton (2018-20)
204 -- Paul Guffrovich (1987-89)
* = includes 5 assists in 3 GP as a true freshman in '15-16

 
 
10-TO-WIN:
  • As Erik Stevenson goes, so go the Shockers. At least according to the numbers. The sophomore is averaging a team-high 13.3 points in victories vs. 7.5 in losses.
  • In WSU's slump-busting win at UCF (Feb. 13), Stevenson scored 17 points in the first 15 minutes to help WSU build a 33-13 lead. His 27 points exceeded his combined total from the three previous games (all losses).
  • Sunday's win over Tulane was an exception to the rule. Stevenson was 1-for-8 from the field but the Shockers rolled to their most-lopsided conference win.

Stevenson in Shockers Wins // Losses:
Games Played: 19 // 6      
Points: 13.3 // 7.5
Rebounds: 5.4 // 2.7         
Field Goals: 81-198 (.409) // 18-58 (.310)            
3-Point Field Goals: 40-108 (.370) // 6-31 (.194)
Free Throws: 51-65 (.785) // 3-6 (.500)    
Steals: 1.8 // 1.2    

 
 
TULANE LEFTOVERS:  
  • Two Shockers topped 20-points in the same game for the first time since Jan. 6, 2018 against Temple when seniors Markis McDuffie and Samajae Haynes-Jones put up 24 and 22 respectively.
  • Dennis notched his first 20-point game as a Shocker. He had scored 19 points on three occasions, most recently against Texas Southern in the season opener.
  • Etienne tied WSU's freshman record with 6-of-8 three-point performance against Tulane.

WSU Freshman Leaders // 3-Point Field Goals:
6/6 -- Chad Elstun (Fr.) -- 2/11/1993 vs. Northern Iowa
6/7 -- Paul Guffrovich (Fr.) -- 12/12/1987 vs. Grambling St.
6/8 -- Tyson Etienne (Fr.) -- 2/16/2020 vs. Tulane
6/9 -- Dexter Dennis (Fr.) -- 2/20/2019 at Tulsa
6/10 -- Chad Elstun (Fr.) -- 2/20/1993 vs. Southern Illinois
6/10 -- Maurice Evans (Fr.) -- 2/23/1998 vs. Southern Illinois
6/10 -- Landry Shamet (R-Fr.) -- 12/22/2016 vs. South Dakota St.

 
 
SCOUTING USF:
  • Former Dayton and Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory is in his third season at USF. The Bulls jumped from 10 wins to 24 last year and captured the CBI title.
  • USF had 10 newcomers in its first season under Gregory, including a trio of graduate transfers who handled the bulk of the scoring. The 2018-19 roster had 12 more new faces. By contrast, the 2019-20 team brought all five starters back. Returners have accounted for over two-third of the minutes played this season.
  • USF was picked fifth -- one spot behind the Shockers -- in the AAC preseason poll.
  • USF announced on Nov. 4 that redshirt sophomore forward Alexis Yetna -- the league's 2019 freshman of the year -- would miss the year with a left knee injury.
  • USF still has one of the nation's best defensive duos in  guards Laquincy Rideau (12.6 points-per-game) and David Collins (team-high 14.0 ppg) creating havoc. They've combined for more than 100 steals.
  • Rideau (a 6-1 senior) is second in the the AAC and 10th nationally in steals-per-game (2.36). Collins (a 6-4 junior) isn't far behind (1.88; No. 60 nationally).
  • Collins is the AAC's all-time leader in free throw makes. This year he ranks among the nation's top-25 in free throw attempts (165). He's a 65.5% shooter.
  • Michael Durr is the team's top rebounder (6.0) and shot-blocker (19).
  • Per KenPom's tempo numbers, USF is one of the nation's 40-slowest teams. The Bulls average 64.9 possessions-per-game.
  • USF leads The American and ranks No. 12 nationally in scoring defense (61.4) but averages a league-low 62.1 points on the offensive end.
  • USF opponents are shooting 44.1% from the field (11th out of 12 AAC teams), but getting shots up is easier said than done. Per KenPom, the Bulls come up with steals on 11.8% of opponent possessions (17th nationally).
  • USF ranks among the bottom-10 nationally in both assists (9.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.66).
 
 
MATCHUP MASHUP:  
  • Both sides went through massive roster overhauls prior to the 2018-19 season. USF juniors David Collins and Justin Brown are the only players from either side who have logged time in all three series games.
  • Two of the league's most-accurate three-point shooters share the floor. USF's Ezacuras Dawson is No. 2 on the AAC leaderboard at .4143 (29-of-70), and WSU's Tyson Etienne is mere percentage points behind him in third at .4141 (53-of 128).
  • WSU (.754) and USF (.751) have the league's two-best defensive rebounding percentages. Both teams are snagging better than three-quarters of opponent misses.Both sides have a Frenchman, though neither is active. True freshman Josaphat Bilau (from La Roche-sur-Yon) is redshirting for the Shockers. USF's Alexis Yetna is from Paris.
  • Brian Gregory led Dayton to the 2010 NIT championship. A year later, Gregg Marshall coached the Shockers to the 2011 NIT crown.
 
 
PAST MEETINGS WITH USF:
 
Jan. 7, 2018 | Wichita | #9 WSU 95, USF 57
  • WSU shot a season-best 62.7% from the field, thanks to a 12-of-20 performance from three-point range. 
  • The Shockers tallied 28 assists (on 37 baskets).
  • Defensively, WSU blocked eight shots and turned 18 USF turnovers into 32 points. The Bulls shot just 36.4%.
  • WSU led 51-20 at the break after hitting 75% from the field (21-of-28). It was the second-best  shooting half of the Marshall Era, trailing only an 80% second half effort at Davidson in 2012.
  • WSU's 31-point halftime lead was the fifth-largest in school history (boxes prior to 1972 are unavailable). 
  • Eight Shockers finished with eight-or-more points, led by Shaquille Morris' 15 points in 18 minutes. Morris was 7-of-9 from the field and collected three blocks.
  • Zach Brown was a perfect 5-for-5 from field, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, to finish with 13 points.
  • Markis McDuffie (12 points) went 4-of-5 from three and cleared a team-high six rebounds... Darral Willis Jr. added 11 points, five boards and three blocks... Conner Frankamp missed the game due to illness, clearing the way for Austin Reaves (career-high seven assists) to make his third start.... Rashard Kelly became the sixth in school history to participate in 100 wins.
Jan. 22, 2019 | Tampa | USF 54, WSU 51
  • WSU squandered a gritty defensive effort at USF. 
  • The Shockers forced 18 turnovers and held the host Bulls to 30% from the field but committeed 20 turnovers of their own and hit just 28.3%. They were 2-of-18 from three and made just 9-of-22 free throw attempts.
  • 41 points marked WSU's lowest output in more than 21 years. A 15-point first-half was a Marshall Era low.
  • Markis McDuffie scored 11 points. Jamarius Burton and Jaime Echenique added eight-each.
  • David Collins paced USF with 13 points. Laquincy Rideau added 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals.
  • WSU trailed 30-15 at halftime after shooting 22.7% and missing all eight three-point tries.
  • The Shockers scored 21 of their 41 points over the final 11:30. An 11-0 run pulled them to within 37-31 at the 7:16-mark. Burton nailed two free throws to slice the margin to five, 42-37, with 4:48 left. USF answered with consecutive treys from Alexis Yeta and Collins to bump the lead back to 11.
Jan. 21, 2020 | Tampa | WSU 56, USF 43
  • Defense and timely shooting from Tyson Etienne and Dexter Dennis helped WSU snap a two-game skid.
  • Etienne (team-high 13 points) hit three first-half triples – the last ahead of the halftime buzzer to send the Shockers into the break up 25-23.
  • Dennis made three of his four treys after halftime. The first sparked an 9-0 run that put WSU up for good.
  • The Shockers avenged last year's 54-41 loss at USF -- their worst offensive performance of the Marshall Era -- by essentially flipping the script. USF pulled to within a point, 36-35, with 13:52 to play but made just one more basket the rest of the night. The Bulls missed 11 of their last 12 attempts to finish at an even 30%.
  • Dennis' third and fourth treys of the night keyed a 10-0 Shocker run. The last made it a 46-35 game with 8:00 to go. USF never again threatened.
  • The Bulls' 43-points was the worst for a WSU foe since the '16-17 opener against South Carolina State (85-39).
  • The Shockers shot just 36.5% but out-rebounded the Bulls 36-29 and outscored them 5-0 on second chances.
  • USF's vaunted pressure defense managed just three steals. The Shockers won the turnover battle, 13-11.
 
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….
...   improve their record to 20-6 (8-5 American).
...   give them 11-straight 20-win seasons.
...   clinch Marshall's 17th 20-win season in 22 years.
...   extend their winning streak to three games.
...   up their home record to 15-2 (14-2 at CKA).
...   make WSU 176-28 at CKA under Marshall.
...   give them a 3-1 series lead vs. USF (2-0 in Wichita).
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…
...   be their sixth in 10 games after a 15-1 start.
...   drop them to 19-7 (7-6 American).
...   even the series with USF at 2-2.
...   make them 14-3 at home (13-3 at CKA).
...   be just their 29th at CKA in 13 seasons under Marshall (175-29).
...   be less good than a win.
 
 
UP NEXT: 
  • The Shockers travel to Cincinnati on Sunday for a Noon CT tip on ESPN.
  • The Bearcats won the first meeting in Wichita on Feb. 6 by a score of 80-79.
  • Cincinnati has won five-straight in the series but three of those games have come down to the final possession.
Print Friendly Version
Wichita State Shockers
NCAA, opens in a new tab
American Athletic Conference, opens in a new tab
Nike, opens in a new tab