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MBB Preview: Alcorn State (Nov. 12)

11/11/2022 5:28:00 PM

ALCORN STATE (0-1) at WICHITA STATE (1-0)
Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022 | 3:02 p.m. CT
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
 
Tickets: 316-978-FANS or goshockers.com/tickets
TV: ESPN+ w/ Shane Dennis & Bob Hull
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen) w/ Mike Kennedy & Dave Dahl
Live Stats: ShockerStats.com
Series: WSU leads 2-0 (2-0 in Wichita); Last: Dec. 14, 2021 in Wichita (WSU, 82-63)
 
 
TICKETS:
Fans can purchase seats at goshockers.com/Tickets, by phone at 316-978-FANS (3267), or in person at the Shocker Ticket Office, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on game days beginning 90 minutes before tipoff.
 
SHOCKER LIGHTS:
Tipoff is just after 3 p.m. CT, but fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 2:45 p.m. for a pregame light show. To take part, download and open the GoShockers app. Select "Shocker Lights" from the menu, allow permissions and wait for your app to sync to the music.
 
WATCH:
The game will air on ESPN+ with Shane Dennis (PxP) and Bob Hull (Analyst) on the call.  ESPN+ subscribers can stream live and on demand via the ESPN App. Subscriptions for the ESPN+ app are $9.99 monthly or $99.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+ streaming services. Visit plus.espn.com for more information.
 
LISTEN:
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 42nd season together on radio. Kennedy is in his 43rd season as Voice of the Shockers. Pregame coverage begins one hour before tipoff.
 
 
OPENING TIPS:
  • Wichita State takes on defending SWAC champion Alcorn State (pronounced "ALL-corn") Saturday afternoon at Charles Koch Arena.
  • The Shockers opened Monday with a 79-55 home win over Central Arkansas. Craig Porter Jr. scored a career-high 22 points in just over 20 minutes and collected four assists and three steals. Quincy Ballard joined him in double-figures with 10 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks in 13 minutes. WSU held the visitors to 30.1% shooting, including 4-of-30 from deep.
  • WSU is 2-0 all-time against Alcorn, helped by last December's 82-63 victory at the Roundhouse. Kenny Pohto set career-highs in that game with 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
  • This is the 298th game in the 20 seasons since Charles Koch Arena's renovation (November, 2003 to present). A win would be the Shockers' 250th in that span.
  • Also post-renovation, WSU teams are 50-2 in November games at CKA with 10 straight wins. The only setbacks have come against UMKC (2008) and LA Tech (2018).
  • The 2022-23 Shockers will lean on Porter, a fifth-year senior point guard who led last year's team in assists (3.6), steals (1.6) and blocks (1.1). He and sophomore big man Kenny Pohto are the only holdovers from the 2021-22 active roster. Brown must otherwise replace over 80% of the team's points and minutes.
  • 10 of the 12 WSU players who saw action Monday are newcomers (a school record for most Shocker debuts). That group includes eight transfers and a pair of redshirt freshmen.
  • WSU was picked eighth out of 11 teams in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll.
  • KenPom ranks the Shockers 81st nationally (No. 62 among defenses and 110th offensively).
  • Alcorn is picked second in the SWAC preseason poll and sits 327th out of 363 teams in KenPom's ratings. The Braves return much of their nucleus from last year's NIT team that won the school's first SWAC title since 2002.
  • This is WSU's last home action until Nov. 26. They're at Richmond next Thursday then play two Hall of Fame Classic games in Kansas City on Nov. 21-22.
 
 
LAST TIME:
Nov. 7 | Charles Koch Arena | WSU 79, Central Ark. 55
Craig Porter Jr. scored 16 of his career-high 22 points in the first half, and new-look Wichita State opened its new season with a win.
10 of the 12 players that checked in for WSU did so for the first time in a Shocker uniform.
Porter – one of just two holdovers from last year's active roster – looked like an entirely different player, as well, hunting shots and more-often-than-not sinking them. He finished 9-of-11 from the field and added four assists and three steals.
The Shockers scored the game's first 11 points and mounted another 20-2 run just before halftime to pull away. They led by as many as 28 down the stretch.
Quincy Ballard scored 10 of the Shockers' 38 bench points on 4-of-5 shooting and blocked a pair of shots.
Camren Hunter and Johannes Kirisipuu scored 13-each for UCA, which made just 4-of-30 threes and finished the night at 30.1% from the field.
 

TRENDING:
  • Craig Porter Jr. was 9-of-11 from the field against UCA. It was the most field goal makes by a Shocker in a season-opener in 23 years. Jason Perez scored 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting to lead WSU past McNeese (Nov. 19, 1999) at then-Levitt Arena.
  • Porter has blocked at least one shot in each of his last seven games, dating back to February of last season.
  • Since the start of the 2011-12 campaign, WSU is 66-4 against non-conference opponents inside the Roundhouse. Two of those losses came during the pandemic with crowd restrictions in place.
  • WSU is 6-1 in November games in parts of three seasons under Isaac Brown (including 4-0 at home). The lone loss came in overtime to Arizona in Las Vegas.
  • In parts of three seasons under Brown, WSU is 20-4 when outshooting its foe from the field and 21-5 when finishing with a higher three-point percentage.
  • The Shockers are also 22-1 when scoring at least 70 in regulation and a perfect 8-0 when they make it to 80.
 
 
BIG CONTRIBUTOR:
  • 7-foot Florida State transfer Quincy Ballard has turned heads with his performances against Newman in the exhibition and in Monday's opener against UCA. Against admittedly undersize opponents, the big man has combined for 17 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in just under 23 minutes. On a per-40-minute basis, his production comes out to 30.0 points, 21.1 rebounds and 8.8 blocks.
  • Ballard has certainly made the most of his minutes and during his Thursday press conference, Head Coach Isaac Brown teased that more may soon be in store:
  • "He does a tremendous job every day coming to practice and trying to get better. He has a great attitude. He's coming off the bench right now… and he's taking advantage of the minutes that he's getting. He's the one guy on the team that I can say has earned more minutes already. He's got to continue to get better, continue to defend at a high level in the ball screen coverage, continue to rebound and continue to finish at the rim like he's doing."
  • Ballard is the seventh 7-footer to play for the Shockers, joining a club that includes Asbjorn Midtgaard (2017-20), Ehimen Orupke (2010-13), Garrett Stutz (2008-12), Paul "Big Show" Wight (1991-92), Greg Dreiling (1981-82) and Ron Smith (1970-71).
 
 
SCOUTING ALCORN:  
  • Located in Lorman, Miss., Alcorn State is the oldest public historically black land-grant institution in the United States (founded in 1871).
  • Third-year head coach Landon Bussie is the SWAC's reigning coach of the year after taking a team picked seventh in the preseason to its first conference title in 20 years.
  • The Braves went 14-4 in SWAC play but missed out on the Big Dance after falling in the conference tournament title game.
  • Alcorn returns most of its nucleus in 2022-23 but is picked second behind another Shocker non-conference opponent, Texas Southern (which will also visit Charles Koch Arena
  • 6-7 sophomore Keondre Montgomery is the team's top returning scorer (9.8 ppg). He started his career at Mississippi State.
  • 6-3 guard Dominic Brewton (9.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg) led the Braves in rebounding last year and was named to the SWAC preseason all-conference second team.
  • 5-11 sophomore Byron Joshua (6.9 ppg) uses his quickness to disrupt defenses and is coming off a 15-point, six assist performance in the season-opener.
  • That trio combined for 41 of Alcorn's 58 points in Monday's 73-58 loss at Ole Miss. The Braves trailed by a point at halftime and were within four near the 12:00-mark of the second half before the hosts pulled away.
  • Alcorn's 2021-22 squad won with balance. 14 different Braves started at least once and nine averaged 5.6 points or more.
  • Alcorn will play its first 13 regular season games at road or neutral sites. The team's home opener isn't until Jan. 2 against Jackson State. A year ago, Alcorn opened with 15-straight road games before debuting at home on Jan. 15.

MATCHUP MASHUP: 
  • Former Shocker Trevin Wade is in his first year at Alcorn. He averaged 2.1 points in nine games for WSU in 2020-21 before transferring to Eastern Kentucky, where he redshirted the 2021-22 season. Wade did not appear in Monday's season opener.
 
 
ALL-TIME vs. ALCORN:          
  • WSU is 2-0 against Alcorn with home wins in November, 2009 and December, 2021.
Dec. 14, 2021 (Wichita) | WSU 82, Alcorn 63
WSU's platoon of centers loomed large in a 19-point win… Kenny Pohto set career-highs with 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals to go with Morris Udeze's 15 points and six boards… The Shockers outscored their smaller counterparts 46-16 in the paint and enjoyed a 43-30 rebounding edge… Oddyst Walker scored 16 to lead Alcorn… Craig Porter Jr. banked six assists for WSU in 19 turnover-free minutes… Playing in his 62nd career game, Tyson Etienne became the fastest Shocker to 150 career threes… WSU shot 51.6% in the first half for a 44-30 lead. Alcorn hit a series of jumpers to pull within seven (55-48) on Walker's three with 13:04 to play.
WSU answered with a 17-5 run, fueled by second-chance points. The Shockers granned 13 offensive rebounds in the second half.
 
Nov. 30, 2009 (Wichita) | WSU 87, Alcorn 52
The Shockers forced 19 first-half turnovers and 28 overall in a 35-point rout… Aaron Ellis led a group of five double-figure scorers with 14 points and Garrett Stutz tallied a double-double (10 pts, 12 reb)… JaMarkus Holt paced the Braves with 13 points… The Shockers were up 42-24 at the intermission and scored the first 10 points of the second half. They led by as many as 40 in the closing minutes… WSU finished +16 in the turnover column and outscored Alcorn 36-1 in points-off-turnovers.
 
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….
  • ... Make them 2-0 for the second straight year and for the 47th time in the program's 116 seasons.
  • ... Be the 250th win at Charles Koch Arena in the 20 seasons since its renovation (250-48, .839).
  • ... Up their all-time series lead over Alcorn to 3-0.
 
 
UP NEXT:
  • The Shockers travel to Richmond next Thursday evening (6 p.m. CT, ESPN+).
  • The first-ever meeting between the schools tips off a two-game home-and-home series. The Spiders come to Wichita in November, 2023.
  • WSU has won seven-straight non-conference road games, last losing Dec. 21, 2018 at VCU (also located in Richmond, Va.).
  • Richmond (24-13, 85 NCAA NET) returns two starters, including 1,000-point scorer Tyler Burton, from a team that won the A-10 tournament and upset fifth-seeded Iowa in the NCAA first round.
  • The Spiders committed just 9.8 turnovers-per-game last season (ninth nationally).
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