WICHITA STATE (5-1, 0-0 AAC) at -/rv OKLAHOMA STATE (6-1, 0-0 Big 12)
Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021 | 7 p.m. CT
Stillwater, Okla. | Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
 
Tickets: OKState.com
TV: ESPN+ w/ Mike Wolfe & John Holcomb
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen) w/ Mike Kennedy & Bob Hull
Live Stats: ShockerStats.com
Series: OSU leads 31-10 (15-4 in Stillwater)
 

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TELECAST:
The game will air on ESPN+ with Mike Wolfe (PxP) and John Holcomb (Analyst) on the call. ESPN+ subscribers can stream live and on demand via the ESPN App. Subscriptions  are $6.99 monthly or $69.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+.
 
SHOCKER RADIO:
Listen live on KEYN 103.7 FM and online at GoShockers.com/Listen with Mike Kennedy (now in his 42nd season as Voice of the Shockers) and Bob Hull (analyst). Pregame coverage begins one hour before tipoff.
 

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OPENING TIPS:

• Wichita State goes in search of its third-consecutive win at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Wednesday when it takes on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in non-conference action.
• WSU defeated OSU on its home floor in December of 2017 and 2019. Prior to that, the Shockers were a combined 2-17 in Stillwater.
• WSU is looking to become just the third non-conference foe to win three-straight at GIA, joining Tulsa (1979, 81, 83, 85) and DePaul (1945, 49, 50).
• WSU and OSU revived their series in 2016 and will play for the fifth time in six years. During that span the road teams are a perfect 4-0.
• On Dec. 12 of last year, OSU defeated the Shockers, 67-64, in front of just over 500 fans at Charles Koch Arena. Cade Cunningham delivered a game-winning three with 10 seconds left.
• OSU (6-1) rides a five-game winning streak after an overtime road win at Oral Roberts last Friday. The Cowboys average a nation-best 41.3 points from their bench and also rank among the D-I leaders in blocks (5th, 7.4), steals (t-5th, 11.7) and field goal percentage defense (11th, .359).
• WSU (5-1) is coming off a 61-55 road victory at Mizzou last Friday. Tyson Etienne scored 13 of his game-high 18 after halftime for the Shockers, who never trailed and led by as many as 13 down the stretch.
• Etienne, last year's American Athletic Conference co-Player of the Year, averages a team-high 18.6 points and 3.2 threes-per-game. He's scored 73 points over his last three games – 60 of them after halftime.
• Reserve forward Kenny Pohto was named AAC Freshman of the Week on Monday after scoring in double-figures for the second straight game. He had 10 points and seven boards in just 16 minutes at Mizzou. Pohto is the team's second-leading scorer on a per-minute basis (16.7-per-40).
• Five of the Shockers' first six games have been decided by six-points-or-less. Their four victories are tied for second nationally behind James Madison (5).
• Isaac Brown has won three-quarters of his games as Shocker head coach (21-7), tying Gary Thompson for the best 28-game start in the program's modern era. Notably, Thompson's 28th game and 21st victory came against OSU in the 1965 Midwest Regional Final.
• WSU is 6-2 in true road games under Brown. The Shockers' .750 road winning percentage (84-28) since the start of the 2011-12 season is second only to Gonzaga.
• WSU ranks 22nd nationally in three-point defense, limiting foes to 25.9 percent.
• Wednesday marks West Texas A&M transfer Qua Grant's 100th collegiate game. He's played 2,999 minutes in parts of four seasons. The two-time D-II All-American has over 1,800 career points and led his team to a national runner-up finish in 2021.

 

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LAST TIME OUT:
Nov. 26 in Columbia, Mo. | WSU 61, Mizzou 55

• WSU used a strong defensive effort to defeat Mizzou for the first time in five tries dating back to 1950.
• Tyson Etienne scored 13 of his 18 points after halftime and WSU, which never trailed, used an 8-0 run to build a double-digit lead midway through the second half.
• WSU's platoon of centers also enjoyed a productive night with starter Morris Udeze tallying 15 points and five rebounds to go with Kenny Pohto's 10 points and seven boards. The pair combined to sink 10-of-14 shots, helped by five dunks. For his efforts, Pohto was named AAC Freshman of the Week.
• The Shockers finished with a 41-35 advantage on the glass, with Craig Porter Jr. and Ricky Council IV grabbing seven rebounds apiece to share the team lead with Pohto. Porter also blocked two shots and dished out a team-best four assists in 26 minutes.
• Amari Davis topped the scoring for Mizzou with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
• Mizzou (3-3) shot just 34.8% from the field and missed 16 of its 18 three-point attempts.
• Over an 18-minute stretch (7:28 1h to 9:25 2h), MU went 4-of-29 from the field.
• WSU shot 46.9% and connected on 6-of-17 threes.
• The Shockers won despite committing 18 turnovers (to Mizzou's 12) and connecting on just 9-of-20 free throw tries. They missed 4-of-6 in the final 60 seconds, including the front end of two 1-and-1s, allowing the Tigers to cut a 13-point deficit to half-a-dozen.

 

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THREES COMPANY:

• Dexter Dennis and Tyson Etienne are both rocketing up WSU's all-time three-point field goal list. Dennis (149) is 10th and needs just four more to match David Kyles (153 from 2008-12) for ninth. Etienne (143) is 12th -- one shy of Paul Guffrovich for 11th-place.

WSU Career Leaders // 3-Point Field Goals:
6. Conner Frankamp (2015-18) -- 164           
7.Markis McDuffie (2015-19) -- 160  
8. Landry Shamet (2015-18) -- 159    
9. David Kyles (2008-12) -- 153         
10. Dexter Dennis (2018-Pr.) -- 149   
11. Paul Guffrovich (1987-91) -- 144 
12. Tyson Etienne (2019-Pr.) -- 143   
13. Fred VanVleet (2012-16) -- 141   

• Dennis needs one more three-pointer to reach 150 for his career. He would be just the 10th Shocker to achieve that milestone and the seventh-fastest (92 games).
• Etienne's 143 threes in 58 career is the most ever by a Shocker at that stage -- 16 more than current Phoenix Sun Landry Shamet, who drained 127 in his first 58 contests.

Fastest Shockers to 150 Career 3-Pointers:
1. Landry Shamet (2015-18) -- 69^th Game
2. Sean Ogirri (2004-07) – 72nd
3. Ron Baker (2012-16) -- 75th
4. Randy Burns (2001-05) -- 79th
5. Conner Frankamp (2015-18) -- 86th
6. Terrell Benton (1998-02) -- 90th
7. Jason Perez (1996-00) -- 94th
8. David Kyles (2008-12) -- 125th
9. Markis McDuffie (2015-19) -- 126th                                  
Dexter Dennis (2018-Pr.) has 149 and will play his 92^nd Game at OSU
Tyson Etienne (2019-Pr.) has 143 and plays his 59^th at OSU

 

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JOINING THE DRAMA CLUB:

• Five of WSU's six games this year have been decided by two-possessions in either direction. The Shockers are 4-1 in those games.
• In parts of two seasons under Isaac Brown WSU has played two-possession games against 21 of its 26 Division I opponents. The Shockers have won 14 of them (No. 1 nationally since the start of the 2020-21 season).

Most Wins in Two-Possession Games (6-points-or-less) // 2020-21 to Pr.
1. Wichita State -- 14 
2. Western Kentucky -- 13     
3. Oklahoma State -- 12         
Data Source: College Basketball Reference Play Index; As of Nov. 30

PORTER CARRIES THE LOAD:

• Craig Porter Jr. was the Shocker Radio player of the game at Mizzou, despite not scoring a single point. He shared the team lead in rebounds (7), assists (4) and blocks (2).
• Porter is finding his groove in his first season as a starter. The junior point guard battled injuries and COVID protocol during his debut season while playing behind a pair of all-conference guards but is beginning to look like the stat-sheet-stuffer that helped lead Vincennes (Ind.) to an NJCAA national title.
• Porter's career junior college numbers look like typos, but he's deceptively athletic. At 6-foot-2, he averaged 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 6 assists.
• In parts of two seasons at WSU, Porter owns a 2.41 assist-to-turnover ratio (41A, 17 TO).

 
BENCH IMPRESSIVE:

• Four of the Shockers' top-six scorers on a per-minute basis are reserves. The quartet of Kenny Pohto (16.5), Ricky Council IV (16.2), Monzy Jackson (12.3) and Qua Grant (12.6) provide some serious firepower.
• WSU's bench is contributing an average of 24.8 points-per-game or roughly 37% of the scoring -- an impressive number in light of how many close games the Shockers have played this season.
• WSU has gotten at least 20 points out of its bench in each of the last five games.

 
POWERED BY TYSON:

• All-American candidate Tyson Etienne is averaging just over 37 minutes-per-game (37:05) – 17th nationally.
• Etienne averaged 2.9 threes-per-game last year, shattering Landry Shamet's school record. This year he's on pace to smash his own mark. Etienne's 3.20 threes rank 34th nationally. Etienne missed the Nov. 16 game against Tarleton. In the three games since his return to the lineup, he's averaging 24.3 points and 4.7 triples.
• Etienne attempted 27 shots in the overtime game against Arizona – most by a Shocker since January, 1985 when Xavier McDaniel (the nation's leading scorer) hoisted 27 in an OT win over Creighton. His 15 three-point attempts in that game were one shy of the school record.
• Etienne's deepest three-point attempt (and make) came just ahead of the buzzer in the season-opening win over Jacksonville State. Tied at 57, he dribbled down the clock then swished a step-back three from the edge of the center court logo with 2.2 seconds remaining. It was later measured at 31 feet, 9.5 inches.
• Etienne has shown a penchant for late-game heroics. His three-pointer with 13 seconds left forced overtime against Arizona at the Roman Main Event in Las Vegas. Two nights later, he drew a foul with 3.4 seconds to go against UNLV and calmly drained two free throws for a 74-73 win.
• Just call him Tyson-at-the-End. The second-time sophomore is averaging 14.6 points on 46.2% three-point shooting (12-of-26) after halftime, compared to 4.0 points on 4-of-20 three-point shooting in the first half of games.
• That's not a new development. In 2020-21, Etienne averaged 5.9 points (35.4%) in the first half and 10.2 (41.2%) thereafter.
• WSU is 12-2 when Etienne scores at least 20 points.  He's done it twice this season already.
• Etienne topped 20 points 10 times in 22 games last season (tied for the AAC lead), including in seven of the 13 league games.
• Etienne has made at least one free throw in 29-straight games going back to his freshman year (2019-20). That's the longest Shocker streak since the 2003-04 season when Jamar Howard put together a run of 58.

WSU Players // Consecutive Games with a Free Throw (1993-Pr.):
58 -- Jamar Howard (2001-02 to 2003-04)
30 -- Maurice Evans (1997-98 to 1998-99)
29 -- Tyson Etienne (2019-20 to Present)
29 -- Randy Burns (2002-03 to 2003-04)
27 -- Cleanthony Early (2013-14)

 

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ON THIS DATE: DEC. 1           

• WSU is 14-9 all-time on Dec. 1, last playing in 2018.
• The Shockers are 5-2 in December games under Isaac Brown with four-straight wins.
• 1951 – Naismith Hall of Famer Ralph Miller coacherd his first collegiate game and 2,000-point scorer Cleo Littleton made his freshman debut for the Shockers at Colorado.
• 1980 –  WSU set a modern-era record for margin of victory, steamrolling Hardin-Simmons by 59 points (105-46). That Shocker team would go on to play in the Elite Eight.
• 2018 – WSU unveiled a life-size bronze statue of late All-American Dave Stallworth outside of Charles Koch Arena. Hours later, the Shockers played inspired basketball against NCAA at-large selection Baylor, leading by as many as 33 points late in the first half.

 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES WITH OSU:

• OSU holds a lopsided, 31-10 lead in the all-time series.
• The road team has won all four meetings since the series' 2016 revival.
• This is the third of a four-year agreement between the schools. OSU comes to Wichita in 2022.
• The Shockers are 4-15 all-time in Stillwater (4-14 at GIA) but have won back-to-back for the first time ever.
• WSU is just 5-16 against OSU in Wichita, including 2-4 at the Roundhouse. OSU has won its last three visits (2002 at the Kansas Coliseum, 2016 at INTRUST Bank Arena and 2020 at Charles Koch Arena).
• The series began in December, 1934 when first-year head coach Henry Iba swept a home-and-home. Iba is the head coach of record for 31 of the 41 series games.
• WSU is 4-6 against OSU coaches not named Henry Iba, including 2-1 against Mike Boynton.
• The Cowboys got a sizeable headstart, winning 18 of the first 19 meetings between 1934 and 1953. Since 1965, when the Shockers defeated OSU in the Midwest Regional, WSU teams are a combined 5-6 against OSU.
• OSU was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference for 31 years back when the school was known as Oklahoma A&M. The Cowboys (Aggies) won 19 of the 24 conference meetings against WSU (University of Wichita) between 1945 (when the Shockers joined) and 1956 (when OSU made its exit).
• The most important series meeting took place in the 1965 Midwest Regional Final at K-State's Ahearn Fieldhouse. The Shockers stuck with their starting-five for all 40 minutes in a 54-46 victory. Kelly Pete finished with 19 points and nine rebounds to go with 12 points from Vernon Smith and 11 from Dave Leach. WSU scored on its first nine possessions, then spent the next 35 minutes milking the clock to secure a Final Four bid.
• The series took a 25-year hiatus from 1965 to 1990 before Eddie Sutton and Mike Cohen brought it back. On Dec. 8, 1990, John Cooper (who would later serve as an OSU assistant under Boyton) scored 21 points to lead the Shockers to a 72-69 win at Levitt Arena, but a top-10 OSU squad earned revenge the following year.
• The schools played another four-year series from 1999-2002 with OSU winning three of them.
• On Dec. 6, 2000, playing in just its fifth game under new head coach Mark Turgeon, WSU stunned Sutton's Pokes, 61-59. Down 29-19 at halftime, the Shockers rallied behind Terrell Benton's 16 second-half points.
• The following year, WSU pushed No. 14 OSU to the brink in a 61-59 loss at GIA.
• A home-and-home series in 2016 and 2017 ended another 14-year series drought.
• On Dec. 17, 2016, OSU handled the Shockers, 93-76 at INTRUST Bank Arena in a battle of eventual NCAA tournament teams. The loss snapped a school-record 42-game non-conference home winning streak.
• The sixth-ranked Shockers returned the favor in December, 2017 behind Landry Shamet's career-high 30 points. It was their first win at GIA in 60 years.
• The teams did not officially play in 2018-19 but took part in a preseason closed-door scrimmage at CKA.
• WSU returned to GIA on Dec. 8, 2019 and scored an 80-61 victory over a Cowboy team ranked 25th in the Coaches Poll, behind 19 points from true freshman Tyson Etienne. The Shockers led by as many as 29 points down the stretch.
• OSU avenged the loss the following year in its first visit to the Roundhouse since 2000. Attendance was limited to 5% of capacity (525) due to COVID-19 restrictions. WSU tied the game at 64 on a pair of Morris Udeze free throws, but OSU's Cade Cunningham hit a guarded three with 10 seconds remaining to lift the Cowboys to a 67-64 victory.

 
LAST TIME vs. OSU:
Dec. 12, 2020 in Wichita | OSU 67, WSU 64

• Freshman Cade Cunningham hit a game-winning shot with 9.8 seconds remaining to lift Oklahoma State in a battle of eventual NCAA tournament teams.
• Tyson Etienne scored 19 points to lead the Shockers, who fell to 1-2 on the year. Alterique Gilbert (14) and Morris Udeze (10) also finished in double-figures.
• Isaac Likekele paced OSU with 14 points, and Rondel Walker added 13.
• In another stalwart defensive effort, Dexter Dennis held the 6-8 Cunningham – a consensus first team All-American -- to half of his season scoring average – 10 points on 11 shots.
• Shot No. 11 was a back-breaker for WSU, which had tied it moments earlier on a pair of Udeze free throws.
• OSU put the ball in the hands of Cunningham, who pulled up off the dribble from the left wing and sank a contested three to give the Cowboys a 67-64 lead.
• OSU won the rebounding battle, 44-33, and outscored WSU 17-3 on fast breaks and 38-5 on bench points.
• The Shockers made 17-of-22 free throws but shot just 36% from the field. They were a frigid 5-of-26 from three (.192) and missed 13 of their 14 second-half tries.
• WSU trailed by seven near the 7:00-mark but launched an 8-0 run. Gilbert's layup with 3:00 to go gave them their only lead of the second half.

 
SCOUTING OSU:

• Oklahoma State must replace the No. 1 overall pick in last year's NBA Draft, Cade Cunningham (20.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.5 apg last year), but don't feel too sorry for head coach Mike Boynton Jr.
• The Cowboys return four starters from a team that finished 21-9 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament and have added four highly-regarded transfers to the mix, including 2021 AAC Freshman of the Year and former five-star recruit Moussa Cisse (Memphis) and a former McDonalds All-American Bryce Thompson (Kansas).
• OSU earned a share of fifth-place in the Big 12 preseason poll – tied with West Virginia.
• Third-year sophomore Avery Anderson III is a preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention pick and the team's top returning scorer (12 ppg last year).
• The Cowboys are ineligible for 2022 postseason play due to NCAA sanctions but are out to a 6-1 start. OSU's best win to-date came on a neutral floor (Uncasville, Conn.) against NC State, 74-66, in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase title game. The Pokes extended their winning streak to five games last Friday with a 78-77 road win at Oral Roberts.
• The Cowboy stat sheet shows remarkable balance. Nine players average at least 7.0 points-per-game and 10 average between 13 and 29 minutes.
• The OSU bench averages a nation-best 41.3 points-per-game. 53.2 percent of the Cowboy points have come from reserves – second only to Houston Baptist (54.5%). Each of the team's top-two scorers come off the bench:
• 6-9 sophomore forward Kalib Boone was the Big 12's leading shot-blocker in 2021. He's averaging a team-high 10.4 points and has swatted 15 shots in just five games this year.
• The 6-foot-10 Cisse has blocked 17 shots.
• That pair are a big part of the reason that OSU ranks fifth nationally in blocks (7.4) and 12th in field goal percentage defense (.359). The Pokes are also +5.0 in the turnover column.
• Senior guard Bryce Williams is putting up 10.2 points-per-contest and is coming off a 21-point effort at ORU.
• Five different Cowboys average at least a steal-per-game, led by Rondel Walker (2.2) and Anderson (2.0).
• 6-1 junior guard Isaac Likekele was an All-Big 12 honorable mention choice in 2020

 
MATCHUP MASHUP:

• OSU is WSU's closest Division I neighbor. Gallagher-Iba Arena is roughly 123 miles from Charles Koch Arena by car. By contrast, K-State's Bramlage Coliseum is 129 miles door-to-door and KU's Allen Fieldhouse is 169.
• WSU has won nine of its last 15 against Big 12 foes dating back to the 2009-10 season. That includes a 2-2 mark against OSU. The Shockers host K-State Sunday.
• OSU's staff includes some familiar faces: Fifth-year assistant Scott Sutton was head coach for 18 years at Oral Roberts and won two of his three meetings with the Shockers. On Dec. 30, 2003, ORU became the first visiting team to win a game at CKA post-renovation.
• Third-year analyst Barry Hinson faced the Shockers 32 times as head coach at Missouri State and SIU.
• Memphis transfer Moussa Cisse tallied 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks last year in his lone meeting with the Shockers (Jan. 21, 2021 at FedExForum).
• OSU twins Keylan & Kalib Boone are the fourth set of brother WSU has faced already this year.

 

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A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….
... Improve their record to 6-1.          
...Make them 7-2 in true road games under Isaac Brown with four-straight wins.
... Be their third-straight at Gallagher-Iba.
...Make them 5-17 all-time in Stillwater.
... Narrow OSU's all-time series lead to 31-12.
... Be their third in four tries against OSU.
... Make road teams a perfect 5-0 since the series' 2016 revival.
... Make them 3-1 vs. OSU's Mike Boynton.
... Make Brown the fastest Shocker head coach to 22 wins (29th game) -- three games faster than Gary Thompson in 1964-65 and four ahead of Eddie Fogler (1986-87).
 
A SHOCKERS LOSS WOULD…
... Drop their record to 5-2.
... Snap a two-game winning streak at Gallagher-Iba Arena and make them 4-18 all-time in Stillwater.
... Extend OSU's series lead to 32-11.
... Give OSU a 3-2 edge since the series' 2016 revival.
... Be the first win by a home team in that span.
... Make them 2-2 against OSU's Mike Boynton.
... Make Boynton the first opposing head coach to beat Isaac Brown twice.
... Be less good than a win.
 

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UP NEXT:

• The Shockers host their annual downtown game at INTRUST Bank Arena and face cross-state rival Kansas State for the first time in 18 years on Sunday, Dec. 5 (5 p.m. CT, ESPNU).
• Tickets – which start at $20 – are available online at selectaseat.com or by visiting the Select-A-Seat Box Office at INTRUST Bank Arena (M-F, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).