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Craig Porter Jr.

Shockers Host "Yellow-Out" Saturday vs. SMU

2/3/2022 4:18:00 PM

SMU (16-4, 7-1 AAC) at WICHITA STATE (11-8, 2-5 AAC)
Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022 | 5:05 p.m. CT
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
 
Tickets: 316-978-FANS or goshockers.com/tickets
TV: ESPNU w/ Drew Carter & Sean Harrington
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen) w/ Mike Kennedy & Dave Dahl
Live Stats: ShockerStats.com
Series: WSU leads 6-4 (4-2 in Wichita) | Last Meeting: Can't remember
 
 
YELLOW OUT:
Saturday is a YELLOW OUT. Fans are encouraged to wear yellow to the game.
 
HALL OF FAME HALFTIME:
WSU will induct five new members into the Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame: Chelsey Feekin (Volleyball), Brent Kemnitz (Baseball Coach), Aliphine Tuliamuk (Cross Country/Track & Field), Gordon Vadakin (Bowling Coach) and Hunter Veith (Track & Field).
 
TELECAST:
The game will air on ESPN2 with Drew Carter (PxP) and Sean Harrington (Analyst) on the call.
Fans with ESPN2 in their cable/satelite package 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. 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:
  • Wichita State returns to Charles Koch Arena on Saturday evening for a much-procrastinated matchup with the SMU Mustangs.
  • The schools have had six-different postponements since their last on-court meeting nearly two years ago. They did not play last season due to multiple COVID-19 shutdowns at SMU. This year's Jan. 23 game in Dallas was called off after a similar pause at WSU and plans for a Feb. 3 makeup date were spoiled by severe winter storms throughout the region.
  • In the most-recent game, played on Mar. 1, 2020 at SMU's Moody Coliseum, WSU staged the largest comeback in school and conference history, storming from 24-down in the final 14:00 to win 66-62 behind Dexter Dennis' seven three-pointers.
  • This will be SMU's first appearance in Wichita since Jan. 30, 2019 (a span of 1,102 days). The Shockers also won that one in dramatic fashion, 85-83, on Samajae Haynes-Jones' last-second layup. Notably, that WSU team entered the day with a 1-6 AAC record but went on to win 14 of its next 17 on the way to an NIT semifinal appearance.
  • WSU is 4-1 against SMU since joining the conference and leads the all-time series 8-6 (4-2 in Wichita).
  • The Shockers are coming off a 58-48 win over Tulsa on Tuesday, in which they held the visitors to just 18 second-half points. Ricky Council scored a team-high 11 points – all after halftime. Knotted at 37 near the 11:00-mark, WSU outscored Tulsa 21-4 over the next 10 minutes to pull away for its 10th-consecutive home victory over the Hurricane.
  • SMU carries momentum into Saturday with wins in five-straight and 13-of-14. Fourth-year guard Kendric Davis (20.1 ppg) is the conference's leading scorer.
  • AAC preseason player of the year, Tyson Etienne is the Shockers' top scorer (14.4 ppg). His 17 career 20-point games are tied with former Shockers Cleanthony Early and Markis McDuffie for the most by a WSU player since the turn of the century.
  • Craig Porter Jr. leads the team in assists (3.3) and has a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He's blocked at least one shot in 10-straight games.
  • Morris Udeze (11.1 ppg) is the team's top rebounder at 6.2-per-contest.
  • Ricky Council IV (10.8 ppg) is the league's highest-sc oring reserve (starter in less than 25% of games).
  • KenPom rates the WSU defense 30th nationally in efficiency.
 
 
ON THIS DATE IN SHOCKER HISTORY: FEB. 5
2000 – Senior Jason Perez topped 30 points for the second straight game, putting up 34 against Evansville.
2014 -- Behind 19 points from All-American Cleanthony Early, fourth-ranked WSU earned a 65-58 road win over second-place Indiana State to improve to 24-0.
 
 
THE SHOCKERS ARE...
... 11-1 when opponent assists <>
... 0-7 when opponent assists > turnovers.
... 6-2 when outshooting the other team (15-2 IB era).
... 7-0 when holding their opponent under 60 points.
... 4-8 when surrendering 60+ points.
 
 
LOVIN' FEBRUARY:
  • WSU is 5-0 in February games under Isaac Brown, continuing a tradition of late-season excellence. Since 2012, WSU's .842 February winning percentage (64-12) is the third-highest in Division I.

NCAA Division I // February Winning Percentage // 2012-Pr.:
1. Gonzaga (70-10) -- .875     
2. Vermont (62-11) -- .849     
3. Wichita St. (64-12) -- .842 
4. Belmont (62-14) -- .816     
5. Kansas (60-14) -- .812        
As of 2/3/2022 // Data Source: College Basketball Reference PlayIndex

 
 
SHOCKER BLOCK PARTY:
  • Not many point guards double as a rim-protector, but that's what Craig Porter Jr. brings to the table. His streak of 10-straight games with a block is one of the 10-longest by a Shocker in the last 40 years.

WSU Players // Consecutive Games with a Block // 1980-Pr.:
25 -- Antoine Carr (6-9, F, 1980-81)
24 -- Antoine Carr (6-9, F, 1982-83*)
14 -- Jaime Echenique (6-11, C, 2018-19)
12 -- Shaquille Morris (6-8, C, 2017-18)
11 -- Claudius Johnson (6-6, F, 1990-91)
11 -- Jaime Echenique (6-11, C, 2020-21)
10 -- Cliff Levingston (6-8, F, 1980-81)
10 -- Ehimen Orukpe (7-0, C, 2012-13)
10 -- Jaime Echenique (6-11, C, 2018-19)
10 -- Craig Porter Jr. (6-2, PG, 2021-22)
* = Streak began previous season

 
 
ON THE WAY TO 1K:
  • WSU is close to adding two new members to its 1,000-point club. Dexter Dennis is 83 points shy and Tyson Etienne needs just 89 more. They would be Nos. 48 and 49.
  • It's been nearly 38 months since a Shocker last reach that milestone (Markis McDuffie became No. 47 on Dec. 8, 2018). It will be the widest gap between 1,000-point scorers in school history. Prior to it, the lengthiest lull was the three years and one day between Jason Perez (Jan. 9, 1999) and Terrell Benton (Jan. 10, 2002).
  • The shortest gap? WSU welcomes three members to the club in a span of 41 days during the 2014-15 season with Ron Baker (Feb. 7, 2015), Tekele Cotton (Mar. 6, 2015) and Fred VanVleet (Mar. 20, 2015). In 2003-04, juniors Randy Burns (Jan. 17, 2004) and Jamar Howard (Jan. 28, 2004) both made it over a 12-day period. HOWEVER, the title goes to Xavier McDaniel (Jan. 30, 1984) and Aubrey Sherrod (Feb. 5, 1984) who both did it in the same week during the 1983-84 campaign.
  • Dennis grabbed his 500th career rebound on Jan. 16 against Cincinnati and is looking to become just the eighth Shocker guard with the combo of 1,000 points and 500 boards. Baker was the last to do it back in 2016.
 
 
TYSON 3333333333333333TIENE:
  • Etienne has connected on at least one triple in 16-straight contests. That's tied for the sixth-longest streak in school history.
  • Etienne sank his 50th three-pointer of the season on Tuesday in just his 18th game. That ties his school record, set last year and shared with current Phoenix Sun Landry Shamet who connected on his 50th in game No. 18 of the 2017-18 season.

WSU Season Records // Fastest to 50 3-Pointers:
18th Game –
Tyson Etienne (2021-22)       
Tyson Etienne (2020-21)       
Landry Shamet (2017-18)      
20th Game --
Ron Baker (2014-15)  
Terrell Benton (2000-01)       
Maurice Evans (1998-99)       

 
 
ALSO TRENDING:
  • KenPom rates the Shocker defense 30th nationally in efficiency. WSU is holding opponents to low shooting percentages (35th in effective field goal percentage, 46.0%) and generating turnovers (61st, 21.0%) and blocks (21st, 14.1) at a high rate.
  • WSU has held double-digit leads in five of its eight losses this year; three of them in conference play.
  • WSU is 7-5 (.583) this year when holding a lead of at least 10-points, compared to 4-3 (.571) in other games.
  • Over the last five games, the Shockers have trailed for a combined 32 minutes, 36 seconds (16.3% of the 200 total minutes), yet have just two wins to show for it.

WSU Last 5 Games:
Jan. 12 – Tulane – Led for 32:29 // Tied for 2:44 // Trailed for 4:37
Jan. 16 – Cincinnati – Led for 27:00 // Tied for 8:12 // Trailed for 4:48
Jan. 26 – UCF – Led for 38:44 // Tied for 1:16 // Never Trailed
Jan. 29 – at Tulane – Led for 20:17 // Tied for 1:24 // Trailed for 18:19
Feb. 1 – Tulsa – Led for 29:16 // Tied for 5:52 // Trailed for 4:52

 
 
THREES COMPANY:
Tyson Etienne (177 career threes) and Dexter Dennis (163) are both in the top-10 on WSU's career triples list and could both shoot their way into the top-5 by the end of the year.
On Dec. 14, Etienne became the fastest Shocker to 150 threes (62 games), besting Landry Shamet by seven games.

WSU Career Leaders // 3-Point Field Goals:
1. Randy Burns (2001-05) -- 248
2. Ron Baker (2012-16) -- 242
3. Sean Ogirri (2004-07) -- 200
4. Terrell Benton (1998-02) -- 197
5. Jason Perez (1996-00) -- 196
6. Tyson Etienne (2019-Pr.) – 177
7. Conner Frankamp (2015-18) -- 164
8. Dexter Dennis (2018-Pr.) -- 163
9. Markis McDuffie (2015-19) -- 160
10. Landry Shamet (2015-18) – 159

 
 
SCOUTING SMU:
  • SMU returned three starters from a team that finished 11-6 (7-4 AAC) and advanced to the NIT, including First Team All-AAC pick Kendric Davis.
  • The junior point guard is the league's top scorer (20.1 ppg) and also ranks among the leaders in assists (4th, 4.7), free throws made (1st, 114), free throw percentage (1st, .877), three-pointers (5th, 2.5) and minutes (5th, 34.0).
  • He's joined by transfer Marcus Weathers, a second team A-10 pick last year. The 6-3 guard is averaging 11.7 points and is the AAC's second-leading rebounder at 7.0-per-game.
  • 6-4 junior Emmanuel Bandoumel is also scoring in double-figures at 10.5 points and is knocking down 2.15 threes-per-game on 37.1% accuracy.
  • SMU opened the year 3-3 but has since won 13 of its last 14. The only loss in that stretch came Jan. 6 at Cincinnati.
  • The Mustangs are a perfect 11-0 at home and have won 13-straight at Moody going back to last season.
  • SMU is No. 53 in the latest NET ratings but has played just four Quadrant I or II contests. The Mustangs' non-conference schedule rated 314th out of 358 Division I schools, per NCAA NET.
  • KenPom rates the SMU offense 40th nationally in efficiency. The Mustangs are shooting well (36.6% from three and 45.5% overall) and getting to the line with regularity (15.2 free throw makes ranks second in the league and 36th nationally).
  • SMU opponents are doing the opposite, so far. The Mustangs have held them to low shooting percentages (.397 ranks 31st nationally) and avoided fouls. Opponents average 9.9 free throw makes on 14.8 attempts (both league lows).
  • In part due to a short bench, SMU played at a plodding pace in its first four years under Tim Jankovich, never ranking higher than 310th in tempo. With a full bench and Davis at the controls, Jankovich loosened the reigns in 2021 and the Mustangs jumped to 141st in tempo. This year, they're 144th.
 
 
MATCHUP MASHUP: 
  • WSU is 11-6 against Tim Jankovich (4-1 at SMU and 7-5 during his time at Illinois State; 2007-12).
  • Jankovich has Kansas ties. He played collegiately at Kansas State (1979-82) and was an assistant coach for the Wildcats for two more years (1984-86). From 1997-99, he served as head coach at Hutchinson Community College, just up the road from Wichita, where he guided the Blue Dragons to consecutive NJCAA national tournaments. Jankovich was a member of Bill Self's original staff at Kansas (2003-07) before accepting the head coaching job at Illinois State in 2007.
  • Former Shocker John Cooper is in his second year as an assistant coach at SMU. He replaced K.T. Turner (an assistant on WSU's 2013 Final Four team) when the latter left for Texas.
  • Cooper played four seasons at WSU (1987-91) -- two under Eddie Fogler and two for Mike Cohen -- and helped the Shockers to an NCAA tournament bid as a freshman and an NIT appearance as a sophomore. He's No. 32 on the school's all-time scoring list (1,163 points), despite suffering a season-ending injury eight games into his senior year.
  • SMU senior big man Isiah Jasey played a prep year at Sunrise Christian Academy. He started his collegiate career with two seasons at Texas A&M where he played for current WSU assistant Billy Kennedy.
 
 
THE SERIES WITH SMU:
  • This is meeting No. 15 in the series. WSU leads 8-6 with four-straight wins.
  • The Shockers are 3-4 in Dallas but have won all three visits to Moody Coliseum since joining The American.
  • The series' most-important game took place on a neutral floor in Manhattan, Kan. in the 1965 Midwest Regional Semifinal. Behind 31 points from Kelly Pete, the Shockers knocked off SMU 86-81 on their way to the FInal Four.
  • WSU's move to The American ended a 22-year series hiatus. The teams split a four-game non-conference series from 1993-96. The Shockers won twice in Wichita. SMU held serve with two wins in Dallas.
 
 
WSU-SMU IN THE AMERICAN ERA:
 
Jan. 17, 2018 (Wichita) | SMU 83, #7 WSU 78
Behind 33 points from Shake Milton, SMU snapped the Shockers' 27-game Roundhouse winning streak and saddled them with their first AAC loss following a 5-0 start. The Mustangs shot 63.8% from the field and 11-of-22 from three in a low-possession game.  Milton was 11-of-14, including 5-of-6 from distance. Landry Shamet finished with 20 points and 10 assists to lead WSU, which had won 67 of its last 68 games on campus coming in. In a twist of fate, Shamet and Milton became teammates the following year with the 76'ers after both declared early for the NBA Draft.
 
Feb. 24, 2018 (Dallas) | #13 WSU 84, SMU 78
Markis McDuffie scored 26 points and Shaquille Morris added 21 to help the Shockers win for the first time ever at Moody Coliseum. It was their fifth visit all-time and first since 1994. Against an SMU team that came in ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense (62.9 ppg), the Shockers put up 84, led by McDuffie's 11-of-14 shooting. Jahmal McMurray paced SMU with 28 points and hit six of the Mustangs' 15 threes. With Milton and others injured, SMU used just seven players, and eventually wore out. The Shockers expanded a 37-35 halftime lead to as many as 17, helped by a 41-23 rebounding edge and 17 offensive boards.
 
Jan. 30, 2019 (Wichita) | WSU 85, SMU 83
Samajae Haynes-Jones scored the game-winning basket (a driving, twisting, reverse-layup) with 1.0 second remaining to break an 83-all tie. It was a major turning point for the 2018-19 Shockers who came in 8-11 and riding a three-game winning streak but went on to win 14 of their next 17 on their way to the NIT semifinals. Haynes-Jones and Erik Stevenson scored 17-each to lead a group of five double-digit scorers. SMU's Isiaha Mike (24 points) hit four three-pointers in the first half to send the Mustangs into the break with 45-38 cushion. WSU tied it four minutes into the second half. Over the last 15:44, neither side led by more than four points. From the 5:41-mark onward, neither side held more than a two-point advantage.
 
Mar. 3, 2019 (Dallas) | WSU 67, SMU 55
The Shockers put away short-handed SMU early behind Markis McDuffie's 15 points and nine rebounds. WSU never trailed using first-half runs of 11-0 and 10-0 to pull away. The Shockers led by 13 at halftime and by as many as 21 in the second half. Ferron Hunt scored 14 points off the bench for the Mustangs, who hit just 3-of-26 from three-point range.
 
Mar. 1, 2020 (Dallas) | WSU 66, SMU 62
WSU staged a comeback for the ages. The Shockers trailed 50-26 with 14:48 to go, at which point ESPN.com's probability calculator gave the host Mustangs a 99.8% chance of victory. WSU outscored SMU 40-12 the rest of the way to win 66-62, helped by Dexter Dennis' seven threes.
It was the largest second-half comeback in both WSU and AAC history and tied for the 14th largest in NCAA history (at the time). It was also one of the 10-largest second-half comebacks by a visiting team.
 
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….
... Make them 12-8 with wins in 3-of-4.
... Make them 3-5 in AAC play after an 0-4 start.
... Up their home record to 9-5 (9-4 at CKA).
... Be their fifth-straight vs. SMU and up their series lead to 9-6 (5-2 in Wichita).
... Make them 5-1 vs. SMU in AAC era games.
... Make them 6-0 in February games under Brown.
 
A SHOCKERS LOSS WOULD...
... Drop them to 11-9 (2-6 AAC).
... Snap a six-game February winning streak dating back to 2020.
... End a four-game winning streak vs. SMU.
... Narrow their series lead to 8-7 (4-2 AAC era).
... Be less good than a win.
 

UP NEXT:
  • The Shockers hit the road Tuesday for a rematch against UCF in Orlando (8 p.m. CT, ESPNU).
  • WSU won the first meeting on Jan. 26 in Wichita by a score of 84-79 behind 31 points from Ricky Council IV and improved to 8-0 against the Knights.
  • WSU is back home next Saturday against the South Florida Bulls (7 p.m. CT, ESPNU). Reserve your seats by calling 316-978-FANS or logging on to goshockers.com/tickets.
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