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Joe Pleasant

Shockers Tango with Tulane Saturday Morning on ESPNU

1/28/2022 12:15:00 AM

WICHITA STATE (10-7, 1-4 AAC) at TULANE (8-9, 5-3 AAC)
Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022 | 11:01 a.m. CT
New Orleans, La. | Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse
 
Tickets: tulanegreenwave.com
TV: ESPNU w/ Drew Carter & Mark Adams
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen) w/ Mike Kennedy & Bob Hull
Live Stats: ShockerStats.com
Series: WSU leads 6-1 (2-0 in New Orleans); Last: Jan. 12, 2022 in Wichita (TLN, 68-67)
 
 
TELECAST:
The game will air on ESPNU with Drew Carter (PxP) and Mark Adams (Analyst) on the call.
Fans with ESPNU in their cable/satelitepackage can stream live and on demand via the ESPN App.
 
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.
 
 
OPENING TIPS:
  • After stopping a four-game slide, Wichita State looks to build some positive momentum Saturday when it travels to New Orleans for an American Athletic Conference matchup against the Tulane Green Wave (11 a.m. CT).
  • Ricky Council IV scored a career-high 31 points on 16-of-20 free throw shooting in Wednesday's 84-79 victory over UCF.
  • The defending champs were 0-4 in league play prior to the win, which was their first in 35 days.
  • COVID-19 has made it tough for the Shockers to find much of a rhythm. The Dec. 29 opener at ECU was called off after a pause within the ECU program. WSU was without key players in close home losses to Tulane (67-68) and Cincinnati (57-61) and postponed subsequent road games at Temple (Jan. 19) and SMU (Jan. 23). The latter was rescheduled for next Thursday.
  • Makeup games will make for a brutal February. WSU plays three times in five days next week, beginning Tuesday against Tulsa. They'll face SMU back-to-back, Thursday in Dallas and Saturday in Wichita.
  • WSU won the first six series meetings against Tulane before losing Jan. 12 in Wichita, 68-67. Council finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds, but his buzzer-beating layup was negated by a charging call. The Shockers played without veterans Dexter Dennis and Morris Udeze. WSU's box score archive goes back to 1970. A 14-point halftime lead tied for second-largest in a loss.
  • Etienne, the AAC preseason player of the year, is the team's leading scorer (14.3 ppg). He's topped 20 points in three of his four career meetings with Tulane, including Jan. 12 when he scored 20 points on six threes.
  • Craig Porter Jr. leads the team in assists (3.2) and his 2.08 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks among the top-100 in the nation.
  • Morris Udeze (11.6 ppg) is WSU's leading rebounder (5.7) and is coming off a 16-point effort against UCF.
  • Council's tied an unofficial school record points by a reserve (31). His season scoring average jumped from 9.8 to 11.1 points -- highest among AAC players who have started less than a quarter of their team's games.
  • WSU is 2-1 in true road games and 7-3 in parts of two seasons under Isaac Brown.
  • WSU has finished .500-or-better on the road in 11-straight season (2010-11 to 2020-21). The Shockers' .752 road winning percentage over that span (94-31) is second only to Gonzaga.
 
 
TRENDING:
  • WSU's win over UCF put a stop to a four-game losing streak -- the program's longest since January, 2019. That Shocker team lost four-straight and ultimately 7-of-8 during a 1-6 start to conference play but bounced back to finish 10-8 and reach the semifinals of the AAC tournament.
  • The Shockers started 0-4 in conference for the first time since the 2008-09 season when they opened MVC play 0-6 under second-year head coach Gregg Marshall. That group rallied to an 8-10 finish. WSU finished over .500 in conference play in every season since (12-straight).
  • The win also snapped a three-game home losing streak (WSU's longest since a five-game skid during the 2007-08 campaign).
  • Council's 31-point outing marked the 10th time in the AAC's nine seasons that a reserve has gone for 30+ points and it tied for the most in a conference contest.
  • It was WSU's first 30-point game since Mar. 15, 2019 when Markis McDuffie scored 34 in an AAC quarterfinal win over Temple. 

The American // 30-Point Games by Reserves (*=conference game):
35 -- Zach Hicks (Temple) – Delaware St. (12/22/2021)
31 – Justin McBride (UCF) – Bethune-Cookman (11/30/2014)
31 – Rob Gray (Houston) – LSU (12/13/2015)
31 – Samajae Haynes-Jones (Wichita St.) – Savannah St. (11/28/2017)
31 – Kyvon Davenport (Memphis) – Tennessee (12/15/2018)
31* – Cameron Tyson (Houston) – at Tulane (1/28/2021)
31* – Ricky Council IV (Wichita St.) – UCF (1/26/2022)
30* – Markel Crawford (Memphis) – South Fla. (1/14/2017)
30 – Christian Vital (UConn) – Boston U. (11/19/2017)
30* – Martins Igbanu (Tulsa) – UCF (2/9/2020)

  • Dexter Dennis grabbed his 500th career rebound against Cincinnati and needs just 99 more points to reach 1,000. That would make him just the eighth Shocker guard with the combo of 1,000 points and 500 boards. Ron Baker was the last to do it back in 2016.
  • A five-point outing against UCF stopped a run of five-straight games in which Tyson Etienne has led the Shockers in scoring. He's done so in 10 of his 16 games.
  • Over his last seven games, Craig Porter Jr. has a sparkling 3.75 assist-to-turnover ratio (30:8).
  • In the last encounter with Tulane, he set career-highs for points (18), rebounds (9), steals (4) and minutes (33).
  • WSU's last two opponents, UCF and Cincinnati, both made exactly 10-of-26 three-point attempts against the Shockers (.385). That marked the first time this season that an opponent has connected on double-digit triples. Prior to that, WSU had been holding foes to a league-low 28.7% from deep. UNLV is the only opponent that has shot better than 40% from long range this year (9 on 47.4% accuracy).
  • Likewise, UCF reversed a season-long rebounding trend for the Shockers. They entered the week as the conference's best defensive rebounding team, by percentage but surrendered 21 second-chance points on 20 offensive rebounds to the Knights. UCF's +9 advantage on the glass was a season-high for a Shocker foe.
 
 
ON THIS DATE IN SHOCKER HISTORY: JAN. 29         
1965 – Three-time All-American Dave Stallworth scored 45 points in a 93-92 overtime loss at Loyola Chicago. The following night at the Roundhouse, he concluded his Shocker career with 40 points in a win over Louisville.
1972 – Terry Benton was everywhere at once in a 92-60 win over Tulsa, finishing with 20 points, 22 rebounds and 10 assists.
 
 
SCOUTING TULANE:  
  • After piecing together transfer-heavy rosters in each of his first two seasons, third-year coach Ron Hunter has the luxury of experience and continuity in his third go-around with the promise of even better things to come.
  • Tulane's roster includes 10 holdovers (three of them starters) from last year's team, which finished 10-13 (4-12 AAC). Eight of the 10 rotation players are listed as freshmen or sophomores.
  • At 5-3, Tulane has already exceeded last year's conference win total. A sixth victory would match their highest total since joining the AAC. The 2014-15 Green Wave went 6-12 in their debut season.
  • Improved shooting has helped key Tulane's turnaround. The Green Wave shot 29.8% from three last year (319th nationally). This year they're connecting at a .368-clip (tops in the conference and No. 45 nationally).
  • 6-5 sophomore Jaylen Forbes was a third team all-conference pick last year after transferring from Alabama. He's averaging 15.6 points and 2.6 threes on 38% accuracy this year.
  • Hunter upgraded at the point guard spot with 6-foot LSU transfer Jalen Cook, who ranks second on the AAC leaderboard at 19.6 points-per-game and averaging 2.3 threes on 42% shooting.
  • 6-8 sophomore forward Kevin Cross has progressed in his second year after transferring from Nebraska. He averages 13.8 points and is the team's leading rebounder (6.1) and shot-blocker (15).
  • Tulane ranks among the national leaders in turnover margin (28th, +3.8) but is among the bottom-10 in rebound margin (341st, -6.1).
  • Hunter (25 wins shy of 500 for his career) keeps opposing offenses off-balance with a matchup zone that requires precision ball-movement. Per KenPom, over 64% of opponent baskets come with an assist.
 
MATCHUP MASHUP: 
  • Forbes reached double-figures in 14 of Tulane's 16 AAC games last year. The two exceptions came against WSU and Dexter Dennis, who limited him to a combined 14 points on 1-of-22 shooting (0-for-12 from three).
  • Dennis missed the game in Wichita earlier this month due to illness, and Forbes exploded for 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
  • Dennis has shot well against the Green Wave, knocking down 12-of-25 from deep in five career games, including a buzzer-beater his freshman year.
  • Tyson Etienne has averaged 18.5 points on 19-of-36 (.528) three-point shooting in four career meetings with Tulane. That includes a pair of 20-point performances. He was 6-for-8 from three in the Feb. 16, 2020 matchup and made 6-of-13 in the most-recent game.
  • WSU coach Isaac Brown's hometown (Pascagoula, Miss.) is less than two hours from New Orleans along the Gulf Coast. He finished his collegiate career in upstate Louisiana, helping ULM to the (1993) NCAA tournament as a senior.
  • Assistant coach Billy Kennedy has even deeper Louisiana ties. He was on staff at Tulane during the 1989-90 season and helped head coach Perry Clark restart program after a four-year absence. Kennedy played and later served as head coach at Southeastern Louisiana.
  • Tulane assistant Kevin Johnson worked two years under Kennedy when the latter was head coach at Centenary (1997-99).
  • Tulane assistant Ray McCallum was head coach at Detroit from 2008-16 and twice faced the Shockers as part of ESPN's BracketBusters series.
  • Mickey Loomis, general manager of the NBA's Pelicans and the NFL's Saints, earned his maste's degree in sport administration from Wichita State in 1982.
  • Dennis (whose hometown of Baker, La. is less than 100 miles from New Orleans) is the first Louisiana native to play for the Shockers and a distant cousin of Aaron James, the first player ever drafted by the expansion New Orleans Jazz.. His mother, Dawn McQuirter, played collegiately at Grambling.
 
THE SERIES:
  • WSU leads 6-1 (4-1 in Wichita and 2-0 in New Orleans).
  • Prior to 2019, WSU had played three others times in New Orleans but never against Tulane. A loss to the University of New Orleans in the 1982-83 season opener was one of just three suffered by the Shockers, who were led that year by Antoine Carr and Xavier McDaniel. WSU's lone victory in the Big Easy came in the 1981 Midwest Regional Semifinal, played inside the Louisiana Super Dome. Mike Jones' last-second jumper (known in Shocker lore as "the shot") gave WSU a 66-65 win over in-state rival Kansas in "The Battle of New Orleans." Two days later, WSU fell to top-seed LSU in the Elite Eight.
 
LAST MEETING WITH TULANE:
Jan. 12, 2022 (Wichita) | TLN 68, WSU 67
Ricky Council IV's would-be game winner wasn't to be. His buzzer-beating layup was negated by a charging foul, and Tulane held on for a one-point victory – its first over the Shockers in seven tries. Jaylen Forbes scored 20 points and Jalen Cook added 18 points and five assists for Tulane, which trailed by 14 at halftime (tied for the second-largest halftime lead in a WSU loss since 1970) and by 16 near the 16:00-mark. Tyson Etienne had 20 points to pace short-handed WSU, which played without starters Morris Udeze and Dexter Dennis due to illnesses. Craig Porter Jr. established new career-highs with 18 points and nine rebounds and four steals and Council logged his first double-double as a Shocker with 12 points and a career-high 15 boards. The Shockers scored the game's first 11 points and led 42-28 at halftime after hitting 8-of-18 first-half threes. Tulane's offense came to life with points on 17 of its first 24 second-half possessions. The Green Waved surged in front at the 7:20 mark after a 14-3 run. The lead changed hands four more times, capped by Kevin Cross' bucket with 1:55 left (the final points for either side). Tulane twice stopped WSU in the last 17 seconds, first tying up Etienne on his way to the hoop. The possession arrow favored WSU with three seconds left, but Nobal Days slipped in front of a driving Council to draw the game-saving charge.
 
WSU-TULANE IN NEW ORLEANS:
The Shockers return to Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse for just the third time in five seasons. They're 2-0 there previously.
 
Mar. 9, 2019 (New Orleans) | WSU 82, TLN 79
Dexter Dennis sank a corner three with no time on the clock to give WSU an 82-79 victory in its first-ever visit to Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse... Tied at 79, WSU inbounded under the Tulane basket with 0.5 seconds left. Dennis flashed to the near corner, caught a pass from Ricky Torres and uncorked the game-winner a split-second before time expired... Samajae Haynes-Jones scored a team-high 15 points for WSU... Caleb Daniels scored 31 of his game-high 36 points in the second half for Tulane, which lost its 20th-straight game and became the first American team to finish 0-18... The second half featured wild momentum swings. WSU led by nine at the break. Tulane outscored the Shockers 27-9 over the first 10 minutes of the second half to build its own nine-point cushion. WSU scored 36 points over the final 10:17... Down 60-52 at the 8:52-mark, WSU used a 9-0 run to take the lead back, and the teams traded the clutch baskets the rest of the night.
 
Mar. 3, 2021 (New Orleans) | WSU 78, TLN 70
Playing for the first time in 13 days, WSU took care of Tulane to move within a win of the AAC title. Trey Wade scored a career-high 23 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting. Dexter Dennis (20 pts, 13 reb) and Morris Udeze (12 pts, 10 reb) both added double-doubles, and Alterique Gilbert's 12 assists were a new career-high and the most by a Shocker in over 30 years. Tyson Etienne (12 pts) had six dimes and three steals. Gabe Watson paced the Green Wave with 14 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting. WSU players were anxious to play after three-straight cancelations -- all due to COVID-19 cases at opposing schools. The Shockers showed little sign of rust, using a 10-0 run to go up 25-13 near the 8:00-mark. WSU matched its season-high with 46 first-half points on eight threes and led by 13 at the intermission. Tulane clawed to within five with 14:00 left but would get no closer.
 
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….
... Make them 11-7 with back-to-back wins.
... Make them 2-4 in AAC play after an 0-4 start.
... Up their road record to 3-1 (8-3 under Brown).
... Extend their series lead to 7-1 (3-0 in New Orleans).
... Make them 5-1 vs. Ron Hunter (4-1 TLN, 1-0 IUPUI).
 
A SHOCKERS LOSS WOULD...
... Drop them to 10-8 (1-5 AAC).
... Even their road record at 2-2.
... Be their first in three trips to Devlin Fieldhouse.
... Give Tulane back-to-back series win after dropping the first six meetings.
... Be less good than a win.
 
 
UP NEXT:
  • The Shockers have a busy week ahead with three games over a five-day stretch.
  • WSU will salute the MTXE era (early 1980s) and wear throwback uniforms for its Tuesday night home game against Tulsa (8 p.m. CT, ESPNU).
  • Call 316-978-FANS or visit gohockers.com/tickets to purchase seats.
  • The Shockers play back-to-back against SMU on Thursday in Dallas (6 p.m. CT, ESPN+) and Saturday in Wichita (4 p.m. CT, ESPNU). The former is a makeup date for the Jan.23 contest which was postponed due to health and safety protocol.
  • WSU is 4-1 against the Mustangs since joining the AAC and leads the all-time series 8-6. The teams did not play last year due to multiple COVID-19 shutdowns at SMU.
  • The Shockers have won all three AAC era visits to Moody Coliseum, most recently on Mar. 1, 2020 when they rallied from a 24-point second-half deficit for an improbably 66-62 victory.
  • SMU's Feb. 5 visit to Wichita will be its first since Jan. 30, 2019 (1,102 days). WSU won that one, 85-83, on Samajae Haynes-Jones' last-second layup.
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