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Alterique Gilbert

Shockers Face Road Test Against Stingy Ole Miss Defense

1/1/2021 1:12:00 PM

WICHITA STATE (5-2) at OLE MISS (5-2)
SATURDAY, JAN. 2, 2020 | 5:00 P.M. CT (6:00 P.M. ET)
OXFORD, MISS. / PAVILION AT OLE MISS (10% Capacity; 875)
TV: ESPNU
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen)
SERIES: Tied 3-3 (1-1 in Oxford)
LAST: Jan. 4, 2020 in Wichita (WSU, 74-54)
 

TICKETS:
The Pavilion at Ole Miss is capped at 10% capacity (875) until at least mid-January. Tickets are sold out.
 
#WATCHUS:
The game will air nationally on ESPNU with Dave Neal and Debbie Antonelli on the call. ESPN+ subscribers can stream live and on demand via the ESPN App. 
Subscriptions for the ESPN+ app are $5.99 monthly or $49.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+ streaming services.
 
SHOCKER RADIO:
Listen live on KEYN 103.7 FM and online at GoShockers.com/Listen with Mike Kennedy (pbp) and Bob Hull (analyst). Kennedy is in his 41st season as Voice of the Shockers and will call his 1,266th-consecutive game (excluding exhibitions). Pregame coverage begins one hour prior to tipoff.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA:
For behind all the scenes action,  follow @GoShockers and @GoShockersMBB on twitter and Instagram or find us on Facebook.
 
THE ISAAC BROWN SHOW:
Join Kennedy and interim head coach Isaac Brown LIVE from 6-7 p.m. every Monday throughout the season at A.J.'s Sports Grill at The Alley, or listen to the show on KFH (97.5 FM / 1240 AM). The show is rebroadcast in a television format Mondays at 9 p.m. on Yurview (Cox HD 2022 in Kansas and online everywhere at YurView.com/Kansas.
 
Upcoming Show Dates:
Jan: 4, 11, 18, 25  •  Feb: 1, 8, 15, 22  •  Mar: 1, 8 (TBA)
 
 
OPENING TIPS:
  • Winner of four-straight games, Wichita State returns to the road Saturday at Ole Miss.
  • The Shockers won last year's meeting in Wichita, 74-54 to even the all-time series at 3-3. This will be their first visit to Oxford, Miss. since Dec. 14, 1996.
  • It's a homecoming for WSU's interim head coach, Isaac Brown, a Pascagoula native and hall of famer at Mississippi Gulf Coast CC.
  • Brown played for Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis Jr. at Texas A&M during the 1990-91 season. Current WSU assistant Billy Kennedy was an assistant on that staff and helped recruit Brown to College Station.
  • WSU is tied atop the American Athletic Conference standings with SMU at 2-0 but could have sole possession of first place by the end of the weekend. The Mustangs host No. 5 Houston (2-1) on Sunday.
  • WSU is 2-0 this year in true road games, winning 67-63 at Tulsa (Dec. 15) and 82-77 in overtime at South Florida (Dec. 22).
  • WSU was set to play its conference home opener  on Wednesday night, but the game was canceled Monday morning after a positive COVID-19 test and subsequent contact tracing within the East Carolina program.
  • The Shockers instead lined up a last-minute replacement in Division II Newman University. WSU opened on a 16-0 run (its best start to a game in more than 29 years) on the way to an 81-43 victory.
  • Junior guard Dexter Dennis busted loose from a four-week offensive slump with a team-high 13 points.
  • Tyson Etienne (reigning AAC Player of the Week) ranks fifth on the conference leaderboard in scoring (15.3), threes (2.4) and free throw percentage (.811).
  • UConn grad transfer Alterique Gilbert is one assist shy of the 250-mark for his career. He averages a team-second 11.3 points and has reached double-figures in all five of the team's game against D-I foes.
  • Six other Shockers average between 5 and 8 points.
  • WSU is 2-0 on the road this year and 13-5 going back to February, 2019. Ole Miss is 4-0 at home and 27-10 at OMP in parts of three seasons under Davis.
  • This is the first of consecutive road tests for the Shockers against elite defensive units. Ole Miss and Houston are sixth and 12th respectively in KenPom's defensive efficiency metric.
  • The Rebels are among the NCAA leaders in scoring defense (8th, 56.9), field goal percentage defense (13th, .369) and forced turnovers (10th, 19.7).
  • WSU has won the turnover war in all seven games and its 11.3-per-game leads the AAC and ranks 33rd nationally.
 
 
ALSO TRENDING:
  • 5-foot-11 Trevin Wade dunked against Newman (twice actually), becoming the shortest Shocker ever to record one in a regular season game. A handful of guys listed at 6-feet even have done it -- most recently Samajae Haynes-Jones, who converted his only career slam in the 2019 NIT at Madison Square Garden
  • Isaac Brown is one of 13 head coaching rookies leading Division I programs on a full-time or interim basis in 2020-21 and the only coach on that list from a Major 7 conference (P5 + Big East + American). Brown's .714 winning percentage (5-2) is tops among that group, tied with UIC's Luke Yaklich.
  • Brown is the first Shocker head coach in 49 years to begin his tenure with back-to-back true road victories. In December, 1971, first-year coach Harry Miller won at Nebraska (74-61) and Colorado (70-55) before falling at K-State.
  • Brown is trying to become just the second WSU coach  in the modern era to win his first three true road contests. Gary Thompson (also a first-time head coach) won at Drake, Bradley and Cincinnati early in the 1964-65 season and eventually took that team to the Final Four. His initial roster included two of the top-seven picks in the 1965 NBA Draft (Dave Stallworth and Nate Bowman).
  • The Shockers were outshot in each of the first five games before finally bucking the trend against USF (40.9 to 33%) and Newman (49 to 26%).
  • The Shockers are 3-1 in close games (decided by five points in either direction).
  • WSU's only losses have come to teams that are either ranked (Mizzou) or receiving votes (Oklahoma State). The Shockers had limited rosters for both games.
  • The Shockers are shooting less than 40% from the field but have atoned by attacking the glass (14.0 offensive rebounds-per-game ranks 24th nationally) and taking great care of the basketball (11.3 leads the AAC and ranks 33rd overall). KenPom also has the Shockers among the nation's top-25 in block rate (foes average just 2.0 blocks-per-game against WSU).
  • WSU has won the turnover war in all seven games.
  • Tyson Etienne isn't listed as a point guard, but he sure plays like one. Brown loves the sophomore's decision-making (2.50 A:TO ratio) and his ability to create for himself and others with shot clock winding down. He posted a career-high five assists in Wednesday's win over Newman and 13 over his three games.
  • Against Newman, Etienne failed to make a three for the first time this year (0-for-2). His 2.43 three-per-game still ranks fifth on the American leaderboard. If he can maintain that pace, it would be one of the four-highest season averages in Shocker history.
  • Etienne also ranks among the conference leaders in scoring average (t-5th, 15.3) and free throw percentage (5th, .811)
  • Wichita State's 73.7 points-per-game ranks second in the AAC behind SMU (84.2).
  • Shocker opponents are shooting just 38.5% (No. 35 nationally), including 27.6% from three (39th).
  • Brown has been raving about the practice play of back-up center Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler, and we're beginning to see it for ourselves. The 6-9 junior scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting against Newman and knocked down 2-of-3 from deep. He gave WSU a big lift in its AAC opener at Tulsa, with nine of his 10 points and four of his five rebounds coming before halftime.
  • Ricky Council IV was unavailable for the Shockers' first two games and clocked just four minutes in the third (a last-second loss to OSU). However, the freshman guard has made a major impact in each of the four games since, averaging 10.5 points on 17-of-30 shooting (.567) with 5.8 rebounds in 17.0 minutes. On Wednesday against Newman he earned his first career start.
 
 
ON THIS DATE:  JAN. 2           
1948 – Playing without star Jimmy Nutter, who was busy quarterbacking the football team in the Raisin Bowl, the Shockers won the Emporia Invitational title with a 52-35 victory over host Emporia State.
1958 – Down by 15 points at Drake with 11:50 to play, the Shockers outscored the Bulldogs 32-16 over the next 9:25 and went on to win, 74-69. Al Tate's hook shot put Wichita in front, 64-63, with 2:25 to go.
1999 – WSU snapped an 11-game losing streak against Illinois State, 72-67, at Levitt Arena. Jason Perez (18 points) and Darrin Williams (16) led the scoring.
2014 – The Shockers won their MVC opener at Southern Illinois, 82-67, for win No. 14 in a 35-0 start.
 
 
THE SERIES:
  • The teams have split six meeting all-time including two in Oxford. This is WSU's first visit since Dec. 14, 1996 and its first time playing at the new Pavilion at Ole Miss.
  • The teams played four straight years from 1994 to 1997. The Shockers won the first two, including a 71-70 nailbiter in Oxford but lost the last two as former Ole Miss coach Rob Evans' turnaround efforts began to take hold.
  • Ole Miss won a chance meeting at the 2001 Top of the World Classic on Fairbanks, Alaska.
  • The series was revived last year as part of a scheduling alliance between the American Athletic Conference and the SEC. The Shockers are making a return visit to Oxford after last year's 74-54 victory in Wichita.
 
 
SCOUTING OLE MISS:
  • Ole Miss was picked ninth out of 14 in the SEC preseason poll. The Rebels return three starters from last year's team which finished 15-17 (6-12 SEC) and added an impact graduate transfer in Arizona State's Romello White (No. 4 in ESPN's grad transfer rankings).
  • The Rebels (5-2) dropped their SEC opener Tuesday at Alabama, 82-64, despite 20 points from White.  He and teammate Devontae Schuler both reached the 1,000 career point mark during the first half.
  • The Rebels still rank among the national leaders in scoring defense (8th, 56.9) field goal percentage defense (14th, .369) and turnovers forced (10th, 19.7). Foes have exactly as many giveaways as field goals (138).
  • The Rebels are shooting over 57% from inside the arc but rank among the bottom-30 nationally in both threes-per-game (5.0) and three-point accuracy (.267).
  • Schuler, a senior point guard, is averaging a team-high 13.9 points and 3.3 assists. He's the SEC's active career steals leader (155) and ranks among the top-10 on Ole Miss' all-time list.
  • The 6-foot-8 White is averaging 12.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting 67.3%.
  • 6-7 junior forward K.J. Buffen has been the team's most-productive scorer on a per-minute basis. He's putting up 10.4 points in just 19.7 minutes.
  • 6-6 wing Luis Rodriguez (8.0 ppg) is Ole Miss' rebounder (8.4) and is tied for the team lead in steals (1.9).
 
 
MATCHUP MASHUP:
  • Isaac Brown's Mississippi ties run deep. He led his hometown Pascagoula High School to a state runner-up finish in 1988 then went on to a Hall of Fame career at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. As a sophomore, he averaged 16.4 points and 7.2 assists.
  • Brown's first two jobs in coaching came at Pearl River CC in Poplarville, Miss. (1997-99) and at his alma mater -- Pascagoula High. (1999-00).
  • Brown played for Kermit Davis Jr. at Texas A&M during the 1990-91 season and averaged 12 points. Current WSU assistant Billy Kennedy was a member of Davis' staff and helped recruit Brown to College Station.
  • Kennedy faced the Rebels 13 times as a head coach at Southeastern La. (4), Murray State (1) and Texas A&M (8) where he was the 2016 SEC coach of the year.
  • Dodge City native L.J. Goolsby played for Ole Miss in 1994 when Wichita State won in Oxford. He transferred to WSU the following spring, sat out the 1995-96 season and then suited up for the Yellow-and-Black in December, 1996 when they returned to Oxford.
  • Clevin Hannah -- from Holly Springs -- is the only Mississippi native to ever play for the Shockers. The 5-10 point guard transferred from Chipola CC and earned first team All-MVC honors as a senior in 2010.
  • Aside from three games against the Shockers, Ole Miss has visited Wichita one other time. The Rebels played their first-ever NCAA tournament game at the Roundhouse back on Mar. 11, 1981, losing 69-66 to Kansas.
  • Ole Miss' former home, Tad Smith Coliseum (1966-2016), was a sister arena to Charles Koch Arena (1955-Pr.). Like many new arena builds in the 1950s and 60s, both had "futuristic" circular designs.
  • Just four Shocker returners saw time in last year's game, and they combined for only 12 points: Trey Wade (7 pts in 32 min), Tyson Etienne (2 pts, 12 min), Dexter Dennis (0 pts, 10 min), and Morris Udeze (3 pts, 14 min).
  • Devontae Shuler shared high-scoring honors last year for Ole Miss against the Shockers with 12 points in 39 minutes. 
  • Ole Miss sophomore Austin Crowley played a prep year at Sunrise Christian Academy outside of Wichita.
  • WSU has already faced two of the NCAA's active steals leaders this year in USF's David Collins (13th, 172) and Mizzou's Dru Smith (25th, 148). The pair combined for five against the Shockers. Saturday WSU will have to deal with two more similtaneously. Dimencio Vaughn -- a grad transfer from Rider -- ranks 16th on the active list (166) and Devontae Shuler (155) is 22nd.
  • Prior to Tuesday at Alabama, Ole Miss had not allowed more than 65 points in a game this year. Over the last two seasons, the Shockers are 26-1 when scoring at least 65 points and 1-9 when scoring less than 65.
 
 
PAST MEETINGS:
 
Dec. 10, 1994 (Oxford) – WSU 71-70
L.D. Swanson scored 18 points, including the go-ahead basket with 16 seconds to play, to help WSU snap a 25-game road losing streak. The Shockers took a 69-62 lead with 2:02 to play on a Darin Miller three-pointer, but the Rebels reeled off seven-straight to tie it with 50 seconds left. Swanson's off-balance 15-foot jumper gave WSU a 71-69 lead. Ole Miss' Cedric Brim hit one free throw with five seconds to play but missed the second. The Rebels won a scramble for the rebound, but J.J. Sims' putback try rimmed out as time expired.
 
Dec. 17, 1995 (Wichita) – WSU, 72-59
WSU held Ole Miss to just two field goals in the first 12 minutes of the second half while knocking down seven of their first nine tries on the other end to turn a 34-31 halftime deficit into a 47-39 lead. Carter Arnett scored 24 points and Darin Miller added nine points and 11 boards to lead the Shockers.
 
Dec. 14, 1996 (Oxford) -- Ole Miss, 68-65
WSU turned the ball over 21 times and committed twice as many fouls as Ole Miss, which converted 25-of-40 free throws. The Shockers hit 11-of-13. Jamie Arnold scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Helped by that victory, the 1996-97 Rebels went on to post the first 20-win season in program's post-World War II era. They finished exactly 20-9 that year.
 
Dec. 13, 1997 (Wichita) -- #21 Ole Miss, 71-48
The Shockers managed just 48 points on 29 percent shooting. Jason Perez scored 15 of WSU's 20 first-half points and finished the night with 20, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the nationally-ranked Rebels who want on to win the SEC West title and play in the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.
 
Nov. 18, 2001 (Fairbanks) – Ole Miss, 80-68
An Ole Miss team coming off a Sweet 16 appearance hit 11-of-18 three-point attempts to outdistance the Shockers in the Top of the World Classic fifth-place game. Six of the 10 WSU players in the box score were true freshmen and three of them started. Randy Burns finished with a team-high 15 points.
 
Jan. 4, 2020 (Wichita) -- #24 WSU, 74-54
WSU used a 15-2 first-half run to pull away for its eight-consecutive victory in front of a sellout crowd.. The Shockers shot 48% and held the visiting Rebels to 30.8% from the field, including 4-of-18 from three... WSU held a relatively slim advantage in turnovers (committing 12 to Ole Miss' 14) but outscored the Rebels 20-1 off of those turnovers.. The Shockers held Ole Miss without a bucket for over eight minutes and built 29-15 lead with less than 5:00 to go in the period. They led by 15 at the break and grew the margin to 61-39 by the 12:00-mark of the second half.
 
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... make them 6-2 with five-straight wins.
... be their longest win streak since a nine-gamer in December/January of last season.
... give them a home-and-home sweep of Ole Miss and make them 4-3 vs. the Rebels (2-1 in Oxford).
... make them 3-0 in true road games with wins in 14 of their last 19 since February, 2019.
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... drop them to 5-3 and snap a four-game win streak.
... be their first since Dec. 12 (Oklahoma State).
... split a home-and-home that began last year in Wichita.
... give Ole Miss a 4-3 edge in the all-time series (2-1 in Oxford).
... be less good than a win.
 

UP NEXT:
  • The Shockers continue on the road Wednesday at preseason AAC favorite Houston. The 7 p.m. CT tip airs on ESPN+.
  • The Cougars (7-1, 2-1 American) are ranked fifth nationally but suffered their first loss Tuesday at Tulsa.
  • WSU is back home Sunday, Jan. 10 to face Cincinnati (3 p.m. CT, ESPN2).
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