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Shockers-Bearcats Collide Thursday on ESPN

2/5/2020 9:31:00 AM

CINCINNATI (14-7, 7-2) at rv/rv WICHITA STATE (17-4, 5-3)
THURSDAY, FEB. 6, 2020 | 6:01 P.M. CT
WICHITA, KAN./ CHARLES KOCH ARENA (10,506)
TV: ESPN (WatchESPN)
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen)
SERIES: UC leads 22-12 (9-8 in Wichita)
LAST YEAR: UC, 3-0
 
>>> The Wichita State Shockers (17-4, 5-3 and receiving votes in both major polls) play host to the Cincinnati Bearcats (14-7, 7-2) Thursday evening in an American Athletic Conference matchup at Charles Koch Arena.
 
>>> Thursday's  matchup airs nationally on ESPN 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. Two of Valparaido's finaest, Adam Amin and Bryce Drew have the call.
 
>>> Division I college basketball's most-tenured tandem, Mike Kennedy and Dave Dahl, are in their 39th season together on radio (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 1,249th 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 10, 17, 24  •  March 9
 
 
OPENING TIPS:
  • The Shockers are coming off a 54-51 heartbreaker at Tulsa last Saturday. Jaime Echenique posted his third double-double of the year with 15 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and a pair of steals, but Tulsa won it at the buzzer on a desperation heave. A win would have forced a four-way tie atop the standings. Instead, the Shockers entered the week two games back of the first-place Hurricane in the loss column.
  • Thursday night continues a tough stretch for the Shockers with the second of three-straight games against conference title contenders. On Sunday WSU travels to No. 25 Houston (2 p.m. CT, ESPN).
  • Cincinnati erased a 15-point deficit over the final 13 minutes to defeat Houston last Saturday, 64-62. The Bearcats are riding a four-game winning streak. Reigning conference player of the year Jarron Cumberland has averaged 20.0 points over that stretch.
  • WSU ranks among the national leaders in winning percentage (t-15th, .810), field goal percentage defense (19th, .384) and turnover margin (24th, +3.4). KenPom rates the Shocker defense 11th nationally in efficiency.
  • WSU has held 16 of its 21 opponents under 40% from the field. The Shockers are 15-1 in those games with the lone loss coming last Saturday at Tulsa (.372).
  • Jamarius Burton needs six more assists to reach 200 for his career. He'd be just the sixth Shocker to hit that milestone before the end of his sophomore season, joining Joe Griffin (306), Landry Shamet (288), Fred VanVleet (282), Bob Trogele (226) and Paul Guffrovich (204). A year ago, Burton set WSU's freshman record with 124 dimes.
  • 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 19 conference games.
  • Cincinnati swept three meetings in 2018-19, including the conference tournament semifinal. Last January the Bearcats became the first visiting team in nearly a decade to win back-to-back games at CKA.
 
 
THE JUNK YARD DOG:
  • Gregg Marshall has a unique tradition that dates back nearly a dozen years to his final season at Winthrop. After the team finishes its film study of the previous game, Marshall singles out one player who displayed the most energy and tenacity out on the court and presents him with the Junkyard Dog Award. Fittingly, the traveling trophy is an old action figure of former pro wrestler, Sylvester Ritter, better known in the ring during the 80s and 90s as "Junkyard Dog."
  • Marshall made JYD history this week when he awarded the trophy to senior Jaime Echenique for an inspiring double-double effort at Tulsa. It marked the first time that he's ever handed out the JYD after a loss.
 
2019-20 Junk Yard Dog Standings:
5 -- Stevenson
4 -- Udeze
3 -- Wade
2 – Burton
2 – Echenique
2 – Etienne
2 -- Poor Bear-Chandler
 
 
TRENDING:
  • 14 of Jamarius Burton's 16 three-point field goals this year have come in Wichita. He's shooting 45.2% on the home rims (14-of-31) compared to 18.2% (2-of-11) in road and neutral site contests.
  • Thursday night's game is the eighth in a stretch of 10-straight games against KenPom top-80 defenses.
  • Six AAC teams rank among the top-50 in KenPom's adjust defensive efficiency measurement. WSU (11) and Cincinnati (32) are joined by Memphis (10), Temple (33), Tulsa (36) and UConn (41). Three others -- Houston (54), USF (64) and UCF (77) -- aren't far behind.
  • The Shockers have struggled to score points over their last five games. Jaime Echenique has been the most-consistent source of offense over that stretch, averaging 13.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks in 25.0 minutes-per-game. He's 26-of-48 from the field (.542). The rest of the team is a combined 73-of-241 (.303).
  • WSU has out-rebounded each of its last three opponents (USF, UCF and Tulsa). 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.
  • Over these past three games, WSU has gobbled up defensive rebounds on 62 of its 79 chances (78.5%) and outscored its three opponents 35-8 on second-chance opportunities. The Shockers' season average (75.0%) is second only to USF on the league leaderboard.
 
 
KENPOM SAYS:
  • Shocker foes are shooting just 42.4% from inside the arc -- ninth-lowest nationally. AAC rivals Memphis (2nd, .397), Houston (16th, .429), Cincinnati (21st, .432) have had similar success keeping opponents out of the paint.
  • Per KenPom, only 25 teams play a younger rotation than WSU (based on class makeup and minutes played). Memphis is No. 1 on the list. ECU is 19th.
  • In the KenPom Era (2001-02 to Pr.) just 10 Shocker players have finished a season with a steal percentage north of 3.0. Four of them are named Fred VanVleet. Erik Stevenson's current rate (3.6) is the highest since VanVleet's senior year (3.7 in 2016) and would be the fifth-highest overall. Tyson Etienne's steal percentage (3.2) would be the second-highest by a Shocker freshman, trailing only VanVleet (3.4 in 2013).
  • Shocker foes score nearly a quarter of their points (24.7%) at the free throw line – 14th-highest nationally. WSU ranks 48th on the same list with 21.7% of its own scoring coming at the charity stripe.
 
 
SCORING DROUGHT:
  • The Shockers have lost three of their last five on the heels of a 16-1 start. Over that five-game stretch they've averaged just 60.2 points on 34.3% shooting.
  • In conference play, the Shockers are shooting a league-low 36.5% from the field. Their best performance came in the Jan. 1 opener against ECU (.439).
  • Gregg Marshall teams don't necessarily need to shoot well to win. The Shockers are 5-3 and still very much alive in the conference race. Against American foes, they've averaged a league-high 23.8 free throw attempts and their +2.00 turnover margin is second only to Tulane. They're also among the top-four in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage.
  • In eight conference games, the Shockers have averaged a league-high 61.0 field goal attempts -- eight more than their opponents (52.8).
  • In short, the Shockers are finding ways to win ugly. 
  • Jan. 25 against UCF when they finished 24-of-60 (.400) but hit 29 free throws and were +17 on the glass.
  • A 56-43 victory at USF on Jan. 21 marked the first time in four years that WSU has won a game while scoring less than 60. They held the host Bulls to just one basket over the final 13:52 and only 12 for the game.
 

 GOTTA LOVE FEBRUARY:
  • Since 2014, Wichita State is tied for the most February wins (42) and has the highest February winning percentage (.875) of any team in Division I. 

Most February Wins; NCAA Division I (Since 2014):
Wichita State – 42-6 (.875)
Gonzaga – 42-7 (.857)
Kansas – 41-10 (.804)
Vermont – 40-6 (.870)
Villanova – 39-11 (.780)
Data Source: Sports-Reference Play Index; As of 2/4/2020

 
 
WINNING UGLY:
  • WSU has shot 40%-or-worse in nine different games this year but has found a way to win five of them. The latter total leads the nation (tied w/ Colorado, Florida St., Houston, Pitt, Temple, Villanova, Virginia & VA Tech).
  • WSU has 22 such wins over the last five seasons -- second only to Cincinnati (30).

"UGLY" WINS (Field Goal Percentage of .400-or-worse) // Since 2015-16:
1. Cincinnati -- 30       
2. Wichita State -- 22
2. Ole Dominion -- 22
2. Saint Louis -- 22
2. Temple -- 22
Data Source: Sports-Reference Play Index; As of 2/4/2020

 
 
SPACE INVADERS:
  • Cincinnati is one of only eight teams with multiple wins at Charles Koch Arena since its 2003 renovation and is the only one from that group with a winning record.
  • Southern Illinois (three-straight from 2007-09) and UNI (four from 2005-08) are the only schools with winning streaks of three-or-more since the renovation.

Most Wins at Charles Koch Arena (Dec. 2003 to Present):
Northern Iowa – 6-8 (.429)
Southern Illinois – 5-9 (.357)
Creighton – 3-7 (.300)
Bradley – 3-10 (.231)
Cincinnati – 2-0 (1.000)
Drake – 2-12 (.143)
Indiana State – 2-12 (.143)
Missouri State – 2-12 (.143)

 
 
MATCHUP MASHUP:
  • UC has posted nine-straight 20-win seasons. WSU has won at least 22 games in each of the last 10 seasons.
  • Gregg Marshall coached John Brannen during the latter's senior year at Marshall University. Marshall joined Greg White's staff as an assistant prior to the 1996-97 season. Brannen was the SoCon's leading scorer that year. The Thundering Herd finished 20-9, won a division title and narrowly missed out on an NCAA tournament bid, losing in overtime to Chattanooga on a last-second tip-in.
  • UC and Memphis were the only home-and-home opponents to sweep WSU in 2018-19. Prior to that the Shockers hadn't been swept since the 2012-13 season.
  • Last year UC became the first team ever to sweep three games from Marshall in one season. He's been a head coach since 1998.
 
 
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:
  • Cincinnati is in its first season under head coach John Brannen following the departure of Mick Cronin for UCLA. Brannen spent the past four years at Northern Kentucky where he led the Norse to two NCAA tournaments and an NIT over his last three seasons.
  • The Bearcats (28-7, 14-4 last year) were runner-up to Houston during the 2019 regular season but downed the Cougars in the AAC title game. They've played in each of the last nine NCAA tournaments.
  • Three starters are back for UC including reigning AAC player of the year Jarron Cumberland. The Bearcats were picked third in the conference preseason poll behind Houston and Memphis.
  • After a slow start to the non-conference season Cincinnati (14-7, 7-2) is clicking on all cylinders. The Bearcats picked up a 64-62 win over Houston on Saturday and have won four-straight and six of their last seven.
  • UC is 2-4 this year in true road games with losses at Ohio State, Xavier, Tulane and Memphis and wins at UCF and Temple.
  • UC is big and experienced. Seven of its top-eight scorers are juniors or seniors. All but one rotation player is listed at 6-foot-3 or taller. Cumberland – a 6-foot-5 senior -- tops the team in points (15.0) and assists (4.3). After hitting just 15-of-55 (.273) in non-conference games, Cumberland is shooting at a .439-clip (18-of-41) in AAC play. His conference-only scoring average (16.9) is second only to ECU's Jayden Gardner.
  • 7-foot-1 center Chris Vogt (12.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg) followed Brannen over from Northern Kentucky and has started all 21 games. He ranks fourth nationally in field goal percentage (111-of-164, .677) and has 31 blocks.
  • 6-5 junior wing Keith Williams averages 12.0 points and 5.1 boards.
  • 6-8 senior forward Trevon Scott is the league's third-leading rebounder (9.3) and paces the team in both steals (33) and minutes (31.6).
  • Oakland graduate transfer Jaevin Cumberland (Jarron's cousin) brings scoring off the bench (9.5 ppg). He's hit a team-best 47 threes on 35.1% accuracy.
  • Scott (7) and Vogt (3) have 10 double-doubles.
 
 
LAST YEAR vs. THE BEARCATS:
  • On Jan. 19, 2019 in Wichita -- in front of a national network audience on CBS -- UC broke open a close game in the final minutes to win, 66-55. Jarron Cumberland and Justin Jenifer sanks back-to-back threes to give the Bearcats a 51-46 edge with 5:50 remaining. UC padded its lead over the next minute with six free throws, helped by a pair of technical fouls.
  • In the Feb. 23 rematch at Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati won 72-62. Dexter Dennis (14 pts, 13 reb) became the first Shocker freshman in 11 years to post a double-double, but WSU couldn't overcome a 26% shooting performance.
  • The Shockers showed just how far they'd come when the teams met for a third time in the AAC semifinals (Mar. 16) in Memphis. They battled from 13 down in the second half to tie it at 63, but Cane Broome's layup with 23 seconds left gave No. 24 UC the lead for good in a 66-63 win. Markis McDuffie couldn't convert a potential game-tying layup in the final seconds.
  • In the three meetings with UC, graduated seniors McDuffie (17.3) and Samajae Haynes-Jones (12.0) supplied nearly half of WSU's 60.0 points-per-game.
  • The six returning Shockers who faced UC combined for 27.6 points on 26-of-81 shooting (.321). Dennis (6-of-22), Jaime Echenique (3-of-14), Jamarius Burton (4-of-18) and Erik Stevenson (5-of-14) all struggled.
  • Neither side shot well in three games. WSU hit just 33.5% from the field and a little under 31% from distance. Cincinnati made 37.5% of its tries.
  • The Bearcats attempted almost twice as many free throws as the Shockers (84-43) and outscored them 57-37 at the foul line. They also cashed in 21-of-52 threes (.404).
  • Cumberland has scored in double-figures in all five meetings with the Shockers since 2017. In three games last year he averaged 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steal in 34.3 minutes-per-contest. He hit 9-of-19 threes (.474) and 15-of-21 free throws (.714) but made just 7-of-32 (.219) from inside the arc.
  • Keith Williams pitched in 11.7 points and 2.0 blocks in 28.3 minutes-per-game against WSU. He was 12-of-15 from the stripe.
  • For WSU, Dennis averaged 6.0 points and 6.7 boards. Echenique (6.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Asbjørn Midtgaard (5.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg) each blocked four shots.
 
 
THE SERIES:
  • This is series game No. 35. Cincinnati leads 22-12. WSU won the inaugural meeting in Feb. 2018 but UC has won the last four.
  • UC is 9-8 in Wichita and has won its last two visits.
  • The Bearcats swept all three meetings in 2018-19, including a 66-63 win in the AAC semifinals in Memphis.
  • The teams split two epic games during the 2017-18 season. On Feb. 18, 2018, then-No. 19 WSU ended No. 5 Cincinnati's nation-best 39-game home winning streak (76-72). Two weeks later, in the regular season finale, the tenth-ranked Bearcats returned the favor with a 62-61 win at Charles Koch Arena that denied the 11th-ranked Shockers a share of the conference crown.
 
 
MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENTS:
  • WSU and Cincinnati played 26 times from 1958-70 while Cincinnati was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bearcats won six-straight conference titles from 1958-63 and played in five-consecutive Final Fours, winning national titles in 1961 and 1962. The Shockers supplanted Cincinnati with back-to-back MVC titles in 1964 and 1965. The latter group reached the Final Four for the first time in school history.
  • 62 years ago, Bearcat legend Oscar Robertson set the Roundhouse's single-game scoring mark (50 points). The record – set Mar. 1, 1958 in Cincinnati's first-ever visit to Wichita – still stands. It came in the arena's third year of existence.
  • WSU's first series win came in 1961 (52-51). Lanny Van Eman hit the game-winning jumper with three seconds to play to stop the defending national champion Bearcats' 27-game winning streak.
  • The Shockers lost six-straight times to Cincinnati before finally breaking through in 1963-64 with a 59-58 overtime victory. The sixth-ranked Shockers thought they had won the game, 56-54, in regulation on a corner jumper by Dave Stallworth, but the timekeeper ruled otherwise and officials forced the Shockers to return to the court at UC Armory Fieldhouse. After the Shockers rallied to win (again), 59-58, some 2,000 fans were on hand to greet them at the Wichita airport with a trophy that included an inscription "One Game-Won Twice."
  • In 1963, Stallworth produced what is regarded as the greatest game ever by a Shocker in a 65-64 win over No. 1 Cincinnati. He scored 46 points, including the game's final seven, to rally from a six-point deficit. That win ended a 37-game Bearcat streak.
  • In 1969, the Shockers trailed 10th-ranked UC 54-42 with 11:30 to play but won 67-66 with reserve guard Greg Rataj scoring eight points in the final minutes.
  • Prior to 2018, the teams had last played on Dec. 5, 1981 at Levitt Arena (now Koch Arena). The future NBA trio of Xavier McDaniel, Antoine Carr and Cliff Levingston combined for 35 points and 24 rebounds, and the Shockers pulled away for an 87-67 victory. Michael Williams (24 pts, 13 reb) and Dwight Jones (13 pts, 16 reb) starred for the Bearcats.
 
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….
... make them 18-4 -- one more win than last year's regular season total (17-13).
... make them 6-3 at the midway point of the conference schedule.
... improve their home record to 14-1 (13-1 at CKA).
... snap a four-game skid vs. Cincinnati and make them 2-4 vs. the Bearcats in the AAC Era.
... Trim UC's series lead to 22-13 (9-9 in Wichita).
... make Marshall 1-0 vs. Brannen.
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…
... drop them to 17-5 (5-4 American).
... be their fourth in six games following a 16-1 start.
... be their fifth-straight vs. Cincinnati.
... make UC just the third team to win three-straight at CKA since its 2003 renovation, joining SIU (3-straight from 2007-09) and UNI (4 from 2005-08).
... make Marshall 1-5 vs. Cincinnati.
... give UC a 23-12 lead all-time (10-8 in Wichita).
 
 
UP NEXT:
The Shockers are back on the road Sunday at No. 25 Houston. The 2 p.m. CT tip airs nationally on ESPN
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