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Tyson Etienne

Shockers Host Memphis Saturday on CBS

12/30/2021 5:21:00 PM

rv/- MEMPHIS (6-5, 0-1 AAC) at WICHITA STATE (9-3, 0-0 AAC)
Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022 | 11:06 a.m. CT
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
 
Tickets: 978-FANS (3267) or GoShockers.com/Tickets
TV: CBS w/ John Sadak & Jim Spanarkel
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen) w/ Mike Kennedy & Dave Dahl
Live Stats: ShockerStats.com
Series: MEM leads 14-12 (4-8 in Wichita); Last: Jan. 17, 2021 in Memphis (MEM, 72-52)
 

PROMOTION:
WSU will "stripe" Charles Koch Arena on Saturday. Fans are encouraged to wear their designated color, based on section number:
YELLOW: Sections 101, 102, 105, 106, 110, 111, 114, 115, 118, 120, 122, 124
BLACK: Sections 103, 104, 107, 108, 109, 112, 113, 116, 117, 119, 121, 123, 125, 126
 
"RING" IN THE NEW YEAR:
Own a piece of Shocker history by purchasing a replica AAC Championship ring for just $15 (available for pickup at Saturday's game or anytime after). Reserve yours at goshockers.com/rings.
 
TICKETS:
Tickets are still available for Saturday's game at GoShockers.com/Tickets by calling the Shocker Ticket Office at 316-978-FANS (3267).
 
TELECAST:
The game will air live to a national network audience on CBS (KWCH-TV in Wichita) with John Sadak (pbp) & Jim Spanarkel (analyst). Fans can stream the game for free (no sign-in or authentication required) at cbssports.com or via the CBS Sports Mobile App.
 
SHOCKER RADIO:
Listen live on KEYN 103.7 FM and online at GoShockers.com/Listen. Division I college basketball's longest-tenured duo, Mike Kennedy (pbp) and Dave Dahl (analyst) are in their 41st season together on radio. Kennedy is in his 42nd season as Voice of the Shockers. Pregame coverage begins one hour before tipoff.
 
 
OPENING TIPS:
  • A national CBS audience will watch Wichita State open up the New Year and its American Athletic Conference title defense, Saturday morning, against the Memphis Tigers inside Charles Koch Arena.
  • Wednesday's original opener at East Carolina was postponed less than five hours before tipoff due to health and safety protocol within the ECU program.
  • WSU overcame 10 AAC postponements or cancellations in 2020-21 (all initiated by opposing teams) to win the league's regular season title with an 11-2 mark.
  • The Shockers look to shake off the rust from a 10-day layoff since their Dec. 22 rout of Prairie View (102-66).
  • WSU -- picked fourth in the AAC preseason poll behind Houston, Memphis and SMU -- posted a 9-3 non-conference record, highlighted by road wins over 2021 NCAA tournament teams Mizzou and Oklahoma State.
  • Minus three starters, Memphis dropped its AAC opener Wednesday at Tulane, 85-84, to fall a game back.
  • Penny Hardaway returns a solid core from last year's NIT champion, led by All-AAC guard Landers Nolley II, and has the nation's top recruiting class, headlined by five-stars Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates.
  • This is the 27th meeting all-time. Memphis leads 14-12 but is 4-8 in Wichita. Its last visit came nearly two years ago (Jan. 9, 2020) when then-No. 23 WSU knocked off the 21st-ranked Tigers, 76-67. The teams did not play in Wichita last year due to a COVID-19 pause at Memphis.
  • Memphis handed the Shockers their most-recent AAC regular season loss (Jan. 21, 2021 at FedExForum). WSU bounced back to win its last seven and the title.
  • WSU owns an 11-game AAC home winning streak, last losing Feb. 6, 2020 vs. Cincinnati.
  • WSU has been the AAC's best defensive rebounding team, by percentage (.745) but will face a Tiger team that leads the league on the offensive glass (.392).
  • WSU has been excellent defensively (35th, per KenPom), forcing turnovers on 22.5% of all possessions (40th) and blocking 14.7% of all shots (26th). Foes average 61.8 points on 39.4% shooting (28.8% from three).
  • AAC preseason player of the year, Tyson Etienne averages a team-high 14.7 points and just over 2.5 threes-per-game. He's topped 20 points on three ocassions.
  • Morris Udeze (12.2 ppg, team-high 5.6 rpg) has seven-straight double-figure scoring games and is averaging 15.9 points on 63% shooting over that span.
  • Point guard Craig Porter Jr. (4.1 ppg, team-high 3.1 apg, 2.12 A:TO Ratio) has handed out 16 assists with just one turnover in his last three games.
 
 
SCOUTING MEMPHIS:
  • With a veteran core returning from last year's NIT Championship squad and the nation's top recruiting class, Memphis entered the season with heavy fanfare, but the talented Tigers have struggled to put the pieces together. Memphis climbed as high as No. 9 in the Nov. 22 AP Poll during a 5-0 start but has since dropped five of its last six. The lone victory was a big one -- at home over sixth-ranked Alabama on Dec. 14. However, an untimely COVID-19 pause kept the Tigers from building on that momentum. Down three starters and coming off a 15-day layoff, they dropped their conference opener Wednesday at Tulane, 85-84.
  • Fourth-year head coach and former NBA All-Star Penny Hardaway has a deep bench. 11 Tigers average between 10 and 26 minutes, led by a pair of five-star freshmen: Emoni Bates (25.8) and Jalen Duren (24.4).
  • 6-9 forward DeAndre Williams was an impact transfer for the Tigers last season out of Evansville and is averaging a team-high 11.2 points in his second go-around along with 4.9 rebounds.
  • Duren, a 6-10 forward and the AAC's preseason freshman of the year, is the latest in a line of freakishly-athletic rim protectors to play for Hardaway. He's averaging 10.8 points on 67% shooting and is the conference's leading shot-blocker (2.8) and second-leading rebounder (7.6).
  • Bates, a 6-9 freshman forward, is the only other Tiger scoring in double-figures at 10.8 points.
  • 6-foot-7 junior guard Landers Nolley II was a first team All-AAC choice last spring after leading the Tigers in scoring. He's averaging 9.3 points this year.
  • The Tigers have a large stable of veteran guards that includes 6-5 junior Lester Quinones (8.3 ppg), 5-9 senior Tyler Harris (7.2 ppg, 48.5% 3-Pt) and 6-0 senior point guard Alex Lomax (5.9 ppg). Lomax leads the team in assists (3.0) and steals (1.8).
  • Memphis plays fast (73.1 possessions ranks 20th nationally per-KenPom) and loose (24.4 turnover percentage ranks 350th out of 358) but still piles up points through free throws and second-chance opportunities. The Tigers lead the nation in free throw attempts-per-game (25.6) and are eighth in offensive rebound percentage (.392).
  • Memphis has crushed opponents on the glass (+5.5) and ranks among the nation leaders in blocks (3rd, 6.91) and steals (40th, 9.00).
MATCHUP MASHUP:
  • Memphis assistant Cody Toppert was head coach of the Eberline Drive team that took part in last summer's TBT Wichita Regional. Top-seeded Eberlein was upset in the third round by eventual TBT runner-up Florida TNT.
  • Memphis point guard Alex Lomax originally signed with WSU but was granted his release after Penny Hardaway accepted the Memphis job.
  • The last two WSU-Memphis matchups in Wichita have followed a similar script with the Shockers racing to large leads, only for the Tigers to claw their way back into it: In January, 2019, the Shockers led 12-2 and 17-4, but Memphis was within three before halftime... In Memphis' first AAC era visit to Wichita (Feb. 23, 2019), WSU led 15-4 and 23-8. Memphis sliced the deficit to 4 by halftime and took the lead with 16:58 to play.
THE SERIES:
  • This is the 27th meeting all-time. Memphis leads 14-12.
  • The Tigers won the lone matchup last year at FedExForum but did not make a return trip to Wichita due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Tiger program.
  • This is Memphis' first visit to the Roundhouse since Jan. 9, 2020 when No. 23 WSU defeated No. 21 Memphis, 76-67 in a battle of nationally-ranked teams.
  • WSU is 8-4 vs. Memphis at the Roundhouse (1-1 AAC).
  • WSU is 3-10 at Memphis (1-3 AAC era).
  • The Shockers' last win at FedExForum came against Temple in the 2019 AAC quarterfinals. They went 2-1 in that event, defeating ECU in the first round and dropping a nailbiter to Cincinnati in the semifinals. Their last win over Memphis at FedExForum came Feb. 6, 2018.
  • WSU is 2-4 against Memphis in The American Era and 0-1 under second-year head coach Isaac Brown.
  • WSU is 1-4 against Penny Hardaway.
  • WSU and Memphis played 11 times from 1968-73 during Memphis' six-year stopover in the MVC. The Tigers won six of the 11 games between the two.
MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENTS:
  • In the first-ever meeting (Feb. 7, 1959 in Wichita), Ron Heller hit a jumper in OT to lift the Shockers, 95-92.
  • On Jan. 13, 1968, helped by big plays from forwards Ron Washington and Warren Armstrong (Jabali), WSU fought off Memphis State's second-half comeback bid for a 77-69 victory in the first Missouri Valley Conference meeting between the schools.
  • On Jan. 30, 1969, Greg Carney's jumper with six seconds left gave WSU a 71-69 home victory.
  • On Dec. 30 1974, Calvin Bruton, playing with a leg cast to protect torn ligaments in his right foot, scored 18 points in WSU's upset win at No. 16 Memphis, 95-91.
  • On Feb. 7, 1983, the Tigers (led by Keith Lee and Andre Turner) downed WSU (led by Antoine Carr and Xavier McDaniel), 85-73. It was one of just three losses for the 1982-83 Shockers, who finished 25-3 but were ineligible for postseason. It would be more than 31 years before the teams met again on the hardwood.
  • On Nov. 18, 2014, No. 11 WSU won a neutral site game at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, 71-56. All-American Ron Baker led the scoring with 21 points.
  • On Feb. 6, 2018, the Shockers won their FedExForum debut and the first American Era meeting, 85-65. Landry Shamet scored 20 points.
 
 
PASSING THE EYE TEST:
  • CBS is making its third trip to Wichita after carrying two previous matchups against Cincinnati on Mar. 4, 2018 and Jan. 9, 2019. The former was CBS' first-ever broadcast from the Roundhouse.
  • This is WSU's fourth CBS regular season appearance in five seasons since joining The American. The Shockers won their conference debut at UConn on Dec. 30, 2017. Appearance No. 5 comes next Saturday at Houston.
  • WSU-Memphis will be among the very first Division I college basketball games of 2022. Three other games also tip at 11 a.m. CT: West Virginia at Texas, ECU at South Florida and Creighton at Marquette.
ON THIS DATE IN SHOCKER HISTORY (JAN. 1):
  • WSU is 7-8 all-time on New Year's Day but has won its last four: 2010 vs. Drake (61-38), 2011 at Bradley (79-63), 2017 vs. Bradley (100-66) & 2020 vs. ECU (75-69).
  • 1948 – The Shocker football team played its one-and-only New Year's Day bow game against Pacific at the third annual Raisin Bowl in Fresno, Calif. WU boasted one of the nation's best offenses, led by All-American running back Linwood Sexton and quarterback Jimmy Nutter (who was also a key cog on the basketball team).
  • Also 1948 -- Playing without Nutter, the Shocker cagers still managed to defeat Miami of Ohio (65-51) in the semifinals of the Emporia Invitational and went to claim the title a day later with a victory over host Emporia State.
 
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….
... Make them 10-3 on the year (1-0 AAC).
... Give them eight-straight conference wins.
... Give them 12-consecutive AAC home wins going back to February, 2020.
... Make them 7-2 at home this year (6-2 at CKA).
... Up their all-time record against Memphis to 13-14 (9-4 in Wichita) and make them 3-4 against the Tigers since joining The American.
... Give Brown the best 35-game start in WSU's modern era (26-9).
... Give them a 4-1 record in AAC openers with three-straight wins.
 
A SHOCKERS LOSS WOULD...
...Drop them to 9-4 (0-1 AAC).
...Put them below .500 in league play for the first time since March, 2019.
... Drop their home record to 6-3 (5-3 CKA).
... Up Memphis' series lead to 15-12 (5-8 in Wichita).
... Be their third-straight vs. Memphis (2-5 AAC era).
... Be less good than a win.
 
 
UP NEXT:
The Shockers are off until next Saturday, Jan. 8 when they travel to Houston for another CBS showcase game (11 a.m. CT).
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