Skip To Main Content

Wichita State Athletics

Events

Full Schedule
Josephat Bilau

Shockers Look to Turn the Tables on Cincinnati

1/8/2021 9:25:00 PM

CINCINNATI (3-6, 1-3) at WICHITA STATE (6-3, 2-1)
SUNDAY, JAN. 10, 2021 | 3:30 P.M. CT
WICHITA, KAN. | CHARLES KOCH ARENA (COVID Capacity 15%, 1,575)
TV: ESPN2
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen)
SERIES: CIN leads 24-12 (10-8 in Wichita)
LAST: Feb. 23, 2020 in Cincinnati (CIN, 67-64)
 
 
TICKETS:
Charles Koch Arena is capped at 15% capacity (1,575 fans). No single-game tickets are available.
 
#WATCHUS:
The game will air on ESPN2 with Kevin Brown and Jon Crispin on the call. ESPN2 subscribers can stream live or on demand via the ESPN App. 
 
SHOCKER RADIO:
Listen live on KEYN 103.7 FM and online at GoShockers.com/Listen with Shane Dennis and Dave Dahl. Pregame coverage begins one hour prior to tipoff (2:30 p.m. CT).
 
THE ISAAC BROWN SHOW:
Join Mike 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. Next: Jan. 11
 
 
OPENING TIPS:
  • Wichita State will again try to solve Cincinnati in American Athletic Conference action at Charles Koch Arena.
  • Sunday's start time has been pushed back 30 minutes to accommodate a national television window on ESPN2.
  • WSU won the first AAC era matchup three years ago in Cincinnati, but the Bearcats are 6-0 since. Five of the seven games have come down to the last possession.
  • UC won their most-recent visit (Feb. 6, 2020), 80-79, on Jarron Cumberland's three-point play with 3.5 seconds remaining.
  • The Bearcats have won all three American era matchups in Wichita, beginning with their 62-61 win on the final day of the 2017-18 regular season, which denied the Shockers a share of the conference title.
  • Cincinnati's three-game Wichita winning streak is tied with Southern Illinois (2007-09) for the second-longest by an opponent since CKA's 2003 renovation. A win Sunday would match UNI (2005-08) for the longest.
  • Wednesday's 70-63 loss at No. 11 Houston snapped the Shockers five-game winning streak and cost them sole possession of first-place. Houston held the Shockers scoreless for more than 7:00 early in the second half and erased a 10-point deficit with a 16-0 run.
  • WSU (2-1 AAC) still enters the weekend tied in the loss column with Houston (4-1) and Tulsa (4-1).
  • Cincinnati (1-3) came from behind to win at SMU (2-2) on Thursday evening, 76-69, snapping a five-game losing streak.
  • The Shockers are playing their first conference home game after three-straight on the road. Their original home opener (Dec. 30) was postponed due to a positive COVID-19 test within the ECU program.
  • Beginning Sunday, WSU plays at least 10 (and potentially 11) of the next 15 at home. If WSU and ECU are unable to find a suitable date to play, their Feb. 21 contest will move from Greenville to Wichita and the teams will play on back-to-back days.
  • Tyson Etienne has reached the 20-point plateau in three of the last four. He scored a career-high 29 in last Saturday's win at Ole Miss and put up 25 at Houston.
  • Etienne ranks third on the AAC scoring chart (17.9) and is second in threes-per-game (2.9 on 38.2% accuracy).  
  • UConn transfer Alterique Gilbert (10.8 points) tops the team in assists (3.3) and steals (1.4).
  • Dexter Dennis (8.3 ppg) is beginning to find his rhythm on offense. He scored a season-high 18 points at Houston and has averaged 13.7 points on 61% shooting over his last three games.
  • WSU ranks 36th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.389) and has held four of its last five foes under 40%. 
 
 
LOADING UP AT THE LINE:
  • Tyson Etienne is averaging 5.0 free throw makes-per-game. That figure ranks second in The American behind Temple's Damian Dunn (7.0) who has played in just three games.
  • It would be the second-highest season pace by a Shocker in the last 50 years, trailing only Maurice Evans (5.04 in 1998-99).
  • Over the last 25 years, just two other Shockers have made 50-or-more free throws in the first 10 games of a season: Jamar Howard (57 in 2003-04) and Jason Perez (50 in 1999-00). Etienne (45 through nine games) is on pace to join them.

WSU Season Leaders // Free Throws-Per-Game // Last 50 Years
1. Maurice Evans (1998-99) – 5.04
Tyson Etienne (2020-21) – 5.00
2. Cheese Johnson (1978-79) – 4.89
3. Jamar Howard (2003-04) – 4.75
4. Antoine Carr (1982-83) – 4.73
5. Xavier McDaniel (1984-85) -- 4.58

 
 
ALSO TRENDING:
  • On a per-40-minute basis, Ricky Council IV is the American Athletic Conference's second-leading rebounder (13.2 rebounds-per-40), trailing only 6-9 Memphis forward Moussa Cisse.
  • Teams have leaned heavily on veterans in this COVID year. Council is one of just nine AAC freshmen averaging 15.0-or-minutes.
  • The Shockers haven't shot it well but tip the offensive scales in their favor by taking good care of the basketball (league-low 11.7 turnovers), crashing the offensive glass (13.4-per-game ranks 31st nationally) and getting to the foul line at a decent clip. Opponents have blocked just 19 shots in nine games.
  • The Shockers rank 10th out of 11 AAC teams in defensive rebounding percentage after leading the league in two of the last three seasons. WSU opponents have scored 21.6% of their points this year after grabbing an offensive rebound (14.7 points-per-game). Last season foes averaged just 8.2 second-chance points (12.8% of their overall scoring total).
  • Among players utilized on at least 24% of possessions, Tyson Etienne ranks 11th nationally in offensive efficiency, per KenPom. Only SMU's Kendric Davis (10th) rates higher among AAC players.
  • 2021 has been good to Etienne. He's averaging a league-best 27.0 points in two games since the calendar flipped to Jan. 1 (25 at Houston & 29 at Ole Miss).
  • WSU is shooting 35% from three on the road compared to just under 30% at home.
  • The Shockers are 4-1 in close games (decided by five points in either direction).
  • WSU's schedule has been the nation's 11th-toughest, per both NET and KenPom.
  • The offense has had it particularly rough with five of the nine games against KenPom top-40 defenses.
  • WSU's only losses have come to teams that are either ranked (Mizzou and Houston) or receiving votes (Oklahoma State).
  • The Shockers' comeback from 13 down at USF (Dec. 22) is the largest in The American this year. WSU trailed 27-14 with less than 3:00 to play in the first half but bridged halftime with a 12-2 run. Second-place on the comeback list belongs to Memphis, which rallied from 12 down to beat USF on Dec. 29 at FedExForum.
  • The Shockers also erased second-half deficits in wins over Oral Roberts (9) and Ole Miss (7). They came from eight down against Oklahoma State to take the lead but lost that one on a last-second shot.
  • WSU is the only team in The American (and one of only 32 teams nationally) that haven't had a double-double this season. Trey Wade has come the closest so far with nine points and 10 rebounds at Ole Miss.
  • Against Houston, Dexter Dennis hit a pair of three-pointers to move into a tie for 19th on WSU's career triples list with Maurice Evans (118). He needs just seven more to catch Graham Hatch and Dwight Praylow (125) for 17th.
 
 
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS:
  • Cincinnati is in its second season under head coach John Brannen following the departure of Mick Cronin for UCLA. Brannen spent the four years previous at Northern Kentucky where he led the Norse to two NCAA tournaments and an NIT over his last three seasons.
  • The Bearcats (20-12, 13-5 last year) finished in a three-way tie for first-place in the 2020 regular season and earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament (which was subsequently canceled).
  • Shocker-killer Jarron Cumberland finally graduated. The three-time all-conference pick averaged 19.0 points against WSU over three seasons. The Bearcats are also missing the services of Tre Scott, who averaged a double-double last year (11.4 ppg, 10.5 rpg).
  • The remaining core -- which includes three starters from last year – is solid with sophomore guard Mika Adams-Woods, senior wing Keith Williams (12.6 ppg) and senior big man Chris Vogt joined by transfers David DeJulius (Michigan) and Rapolas Ivanauskas (Colgate).
  • The new-look Bearcats (3-6, 1-3) are still finding themselves, but took a step forward Thursday at SMU with a 76-69 victory. Five Bearcats scored in double-figures, helped by DeJulius' 12 assists, and UC broke out of its three-point shooting slump by hitting 10-of-23 from downtown.
  • Prior to that, UC had lost five-straight, though three of them were by five points-or-less.
  • The 6-5 Williams is averaging a team-high 15.1 points and 1.3 steals. Per KenPom, Williams has taken 31.6% of the Bearcats' shots -- highest ratio of any player in the AAC.
  • DeJulius, a 6-foot junior, has solidified the point guard spot. He ranks second on the AAC leaderboard in assists (5.1) and third in A:TO ratio (2.88).
  • 6-7 sophomore wing Jeremiah Davenport has stepped into a larger role, averaging 10.6 points with a team-best 15 threes on 40.5% accuracy.
  • Brannen's style is beginning to take hold. UC is ranks 93rd in tempo (71.2 possessions-per-game), up from 199th last year. Over its last five seasons under Cronin, the Bearcats ranked 328th (2014), 339th (2015), 333rd (2016), 330th (2017) and 330th (2018) in pace.
  • UC is shooting 51.6% from inside the arc but a league-low .281 from three-point range.
  • UC leads the league in defensive rebounding percentage (.788).
 
 
SPACE INVADERS:
  • Cincinnati is one of only four teams with three-plus wins at Charles Koch Arena since its 2003 renovation and the only one from that group with a winning mark.
  • Cincinnati's three-game winning streak is tied with Southern Illinois (2007-09) for the second-longest in the CKA era. Northern Iowa won four straight from 2005-08.
  • The Bearcats' three-game winning streak is the building's longest active (1955-Pr.) ahead of a handful of two-game streaks: St. Peter's (1992, 1995), Purdue (1987, 1989), Pepperdine (1984, 1999) and Kansas (1990, 1992) have also won their two most-recent visits. 

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

 
 
MATCHUP MASHUP:
  • Both teams have a set of brothers. Trey and Trevin Wade for WSU and twins Gabriel and Mason Madsen for the Bearcats.
  • UC sophomore Zach Harvey returns to his home state. He led Topeka Hayden to a 4A state title in 2018.
  • In the last five meetings between the teams, the Bearcats have attempted almost twice as many free throws as the Shockers (132-68) and outscored them 92-57.
  • UC's 80-79 victory in Wichita last February marks the only time in the last two seasons that the Shockers have lost a game when scoring more than 65 points.
 
 
ON THIS DATE:  JAN. 10
1972 – WSU defeated Loyola at Levitt Arena, 71-57, by shutting down LaRue Martin – the first overall pick in that year's NBA Draft. Martin finished with 10 points and 21 rebounds but shot a miserable 5-of-23 from the field.
1974 – Cal Bruton's 20-foot jumper from the top of the key broke a 79-all tie with five seconds to play in WSU's 81-79 victory at Tulsa.
 
 
THE SERIES WITH CINCINNATI:
  • This is series game No. 37. Cincinnati leads 24-12. WSU took the inaugural meeting in Feb. 2018 but UC has won the last six.
  • UC is 10-8 in Wichita and has won its last three visits.
  • UC won a pair of one-possession games in 2019-20.
  • The Bearcats also 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.
 
AMERICAN ERA MATCHUPS WITH CINCINNATI:
 
2/18/2018 | Highland Heights, Ky. | #19 WSU 76, #5 CIN 72
The Shockers ended Cincinnati's nation-best 39-game home winning streak and scored their first top-5 road win in 54 years behind Landry Shamet's 19 points and five assists. WSU scored 76 points on 52.3% shooting against a UC team that came in ranked second nationally in both scoring and field goal percentage defense.
 
3/4/2018 | Wichita | #10 CIN 62, #11 WSU 61
The Bearcats spoiled senior day and denied the Shockers a share of the AAC regular season title. UC, which entered the day with a one-game lead, claimed the crown outright. WSU trailed by a point with 17 seconds to play but missed three shots. Shamet's driving layup was blocked out of bounds, Conner Frankamp missed a three and Darral Willis' putback was snuffed out.
 
1/19/2019 | Wichita | CIN 66, WSU 55
In front of another national network audience on CBS -- UC broke open a close game in the final minutes. Jarron Cumberland and Justin Jenifer sank 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.
 
2/23/2019 | Cincinnati | CIN 72, WSU 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 and Cumberland's 27 points.
 
3/15/2019 | Memphis | #24 CIN 66, WSU 63
The Shockers showed just how far they'd come when the teams met for a third time in the AAC semifinals (Mar. 16). WSU 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.
 
2/6/2020 | Wichita | CIN 80, WSU 79
Jarron Cumberland's three-point play with 3.5 seconds remaining lifted Cincinnati. Jaime Echenique finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for the Shockers, and Dexter Dennis added 16 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting. Cumberland (24 points) was 1-for-8 from three but converted 8-of-9 inside the arc and 5-of-6 free throws. The lead changed hands four times in the final minute. WSU went ahead 79-77 on a Grant Sherfield three with 16 seconds remaining. Cincinnati shot 68.2% in the first half and 54.5% for the game – both season-highs for a Shocker opponent. The Bearcats led 41-35 at halftime and by as many as nine points early in the second half. WSU shot 48.5% but was outscored 14-5 at the foul line.
 
2/23/2020 | Cincinnati | UC 67, WSU 64
Jarron Cumberland made 16 of his conference-record 22 free throw attempts to help Cincinnati hold off WSUin front of 12,137 fans at Fifth Third Arena. Jaime Echenique (10 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks) tallied his fifth double-double for the Shockers. Cumberland went 3-of-11 from the field but drew 13 Shocker fouls on his way to 24 points to lead Cincinnati. Wichita State shot 32.8% from the field, including 7-of-26 from deep, and cashed in 15-of-17 free throws. Cincinnati shot 37.7% and knocked down 6-of-19 from beyond the arc while hitting 21-of-30 free throws. The Shockers led by as many as five points late in the first half but missed their last six shots. Cincinnati closed the half on an 8-0 run to go into the break up 31-28. It was the last of nine first-half lead changes. WSU missed 6-of-7 to begin the second half, and UC expanded its lead to nine points near the 13:00-mark. WSU roared back to tie it at 58 on Echenique's three-point play 4:32 to go. Over the last 4:00, WSU had eight shots in the air that would have given them the lead but missed them all. The Bearcats had played four-straight overtime games – tied for the NCAA record -- and nearly played a fifth, but WSU missed a half court heave at the buzzer.
 
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... make them 7-3 with wins in six of their last seven.
... up their conference record to 3-1.
... make them 4-2 at home with three-straight wins.
... snap a six-game losing streak vs. Cincinnati and be their first AAC era win over the Bearcats in Wichita.
... narrow UC's series lead to 24-13 (10-9 in Wichita)
... be WSU's first against Brannen (1-2).
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... drop them to 6-4.
... make them 2-2 in league play.
... drop them 3-3 at home.
... be their seventh straight to UC -- WSU's longest vs. any opponent since Tulsa's 13-gamer (1993-2002).
... give UC four-straight wins at CKA (tied with UNI for longest since the 2003 renovation).
... give UC a 25-12 series lead (11-8 in Wichita).
... be less good than a win.
 
 
UP NEXT:
  • The Shockers are home again Wednesday night to take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6 p.m. CT, ESPN+).
  • WSU won the first meeting on Dec. 15 in Tulsa by a score of 69-65.
  • The Shockers have won 14 of the last 16 series meetings. 
  • Tulsa has dropped eight-straight to the Shockers in Wichita (seven at CKA, one at INTRUST Bank Arena), last winning on Dec. 8, 2001.
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