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MBB Preview: Houston (Feb. 2)

1/31/2023 6:27:00 PM

#3/3 HOUSTON (20-2, 8-1) at WICHITA STATE (11-10, 4-5)
Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023 | 8 p.m. CT
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena
 
Tickets: 316-978-FANS (3267) / goshockers.com/tickets
TV: ESPN2 w/ John Schriffen & Tim Welsh
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM (goshockers.com/listen) w/ Mike Kennedy & Dave Dahl
Live Stats: shockerstats.com
Series: WSU leads 18-17 (13-4 in Wichita); Last: Feb. 20, 2022 in Wichita (UH, 76-74 2ot)
 
 
OPENING TIPS:
  • WSU welcomes No. 3/3 Houston to Charles Koch Arena on Thursday night for an 8 p.m. CT tip on ESPN2.
  • The Cougars enter the week with a half-game lead over Temple in the conference standings and are No. 1 in the NCAA's NET rankings.
  • WSU last faced an AP top-3 team in the 2013 Final Four (No. 2 Louisville) and last beat one in that Round of 32 that year (No. 1 Gonzaga). WSU's last regular season game against an AP top-3 foe came Jan. 4, 1990 when it played host to No. 2 Kansas at then-Levitt Arena.
  • WSU is 6-5 against AP top-3 teams inside the Roundhouse (1955-pr.). The last of those wins was Feb. 25, 1967 over No. 2 Louisville (84-78).
  • Over the last 10 years, WSU is 5-2 against AP top-25 opponents in Wichita (1-1 vs. UH).
  • WSU leads the all-time series with the Cougars, 18-17, including 13-4 in Wichita.
  • The last two Houston visits have been classics. In 2021, the Shockers upset the sixth-ranked Cougars, 68-63, on their way to the AAC regular season title. No. 11 UH prevailed last year in double-overtime, 76-74. Craig Porter Jr. hit a game-tying three with 5.4 seconds left, but the Cougars went the length of the floor for J'Wan Roberts' game-winning slam ahead of the horn.
  • Thursday's game brings together two of the NCAA's top field goal percentage defenses. UH ranks second nationally (.352) and WSU is 13th (.391).
  • The Shockers have won four of their last six, including Sunday's 85-72 road victory at ECU. Porter led the way with 20 points. James Rojas scored 14 of his 19 in the first half to help WSU build a 21-point halftime lead.
  • WSU is 1-3 in AAC home games this year (compared to 32-11 over its first five seasons). The four opponents have averaged 10.5 threes on 41.6% accuracy.
  • One of just two returners from last year's active roster, Porter is averaging 12.5 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds. He ranks among the conference leaders in blocks (3rd, 1.8), assists (8th, 3.9) and steals (10th, 1.4).
  • Leading scorer Jaykwon Walton (13.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) is one of nine new transfers who have clocked minutes.
  • The new-look Shockers are slowly building chemistry on offense. They've topped 70 points in six straight games after doing so just five times in the first 15 contests.
 
 
ON THIS DATE: FEB. 2
  • 1961 – The WU freshman team added newcomer Dave Stallworth to its active roster for a game against the Southwestern College "B" Team. Stallworth – who had enrolled at the university at the start of the spring semester – finished with 30 points and 16 rebounds.
  • 1962 – In his varsity debut, Stallworth supplied 18 points and 13 boards in a 79-71 win over Marquette.
  • 1984 – A standing-room only crowd of 10,666 watched Karl Papke bank in a running hook shot with eight seconds to play for a 66-64 win over No. 11 Tulsa.
  • 2000 – Jason Perez (33 points) hit a school-record nine threes on 12 attempts and WSU stunned Southwest Missouri State, 72-69.
 
 
LAST TIME ON SHOCKER BASKETBALL:
Jan. 29, 2023 (Greenville, N.C.) | WSU 85, ECU 72
  • WSU's first game in four years at Minges Coliseum felt just like old times. The Shockers built up a 21-point halftime lead and rolled to an 85-72 win.
  • Craig Porter Jr. posted team-highs 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists for WSU, which last played a game at ECU in February, 2019 due to a combination of unbalanced schedules and COVID-19 cancelations.
  • James Rojas scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half and finished with seven rebounds and four steals. He drew nine fouls and converted 11-of-14 free throws.
  • Jaykwon Walton (13 points, seven rebounds) and Kenny Pohto (10 pts) also finished in double-figures.
  • The Shockers shot 60% from the field to build a 49-28 halftime lead -- their fifth-largest in a true road game in the last 50 years. Notably, the fourth-largest margin on that list (22 points) came in their 2018 visit to ECU.
  • The lead grew to as many as 27 near the 7:00-mark of the second half, but ECU finished on a 12-2 run.
  • The Shockers shot 50.9% for the day, including 5-of-14 from three (.357), and converted 22 of 27 free throws.
  • WSU struggled defensively in last month's 79-69 loss to the Pirates but held them to 37.3% in the rematch. ECU made 11 threes but needed 35 attempts.
  • RJ Felton led the Pirate attack with 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting (2-of-11 from deep). Benjamin Bayela scored 18 off the bench on 6-of-8 three-point shooting.
 

 
TRENDING:
  • Craig Porter Jr. enters the week as one of just five Division I players who are averaging at least 3.0 assists, 1.0 block and 1.0 steal-per-game.
  • Porter's 71 career blocks are 17th all-time at WSU. He needs two more to catch Larry Callis (73 from 1992-96) for 16th and five more to match Ron Baker (76; 2012-16) for most by a Shocker guard.
  • James Rojas reached in double-figures six straight times (after doing so twice in the first two months) and is averaging 13.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in that span with a pair of double-doubles.
  • Walton is shooting 73.5% from inside the arc (25/34) and averaging 5.3 free throw attempts (up from 2.7 in non-conference play).
  • Walton is 6-of-11 from three over the last two games to shake out of a month-long shooting slump. Prior to that, he was just 2-of-18 from deep in conference play.
  • Assistant coach Billy Kennedy celebrates his birthday Thursday.
  • The Shockers went the first seven conference games without a halftime lead but enjoyed fast starts in both games last week. They led Tulane by 13 at the intermission (48-35) and East Carolina by 21 (49-28).
  • Houston is one of two AAC opponents that the Shockers have yet to face. Temple is the other.
  • WSU has played five Quadrant I or II games so far. Six of the last nine regular season games fall into that category.
 
 
SCOUTING HOUSTON:
  • Houston lost four starters off its 2021 Final Four team but still found a way to reach the Elite Eight in 2022. Four more starters departed last spring, including a pair of first team all-conference picks, but the Cougars still haven't missed a beat.
  • Houston (20-2, 8-1) has already reached the 20-win mark for an eighth consecutive season under Kelvin Sampson. His team is No. 3 in both major polls and No. 1 in the NCAA's NET ratings.
  • The Cougars rank among the top-10 in both offensive (8th) and defensive (4th) efficiency, per KenPom and No. 2 overall.
  • The Cougars have outscored their opponents by a nation-best 20.5 points-per-game. They're surrendering just 54.9 points (3rd nationally) on 35.2% shooting (2nd) and have out-rebounded foes by an average of 7.8-per-contest (11th).
  • The Cougars also rank among the nation's top-10 in turnover margin (+4.9), committing less than 10-per-game (9.9, 4th) while forcing 14.7.
  • Preseason All-American Marcus Sasser missed most of last season to injury but is averaging a team-best 16.2 points along with 2.6 threes on 37% accuracy.
  • Point guard Jamal Shead – a second team all-conference pick last year -- averages 5.2 assists and ranks among the national leaders in A:TO ratio (27th, 2.71).
  • Jerace Walker -- the AAC's preseason freshman of the year – is putting up 11.1 points and 6.5 boards.
  • 6-7 sophomore forward J'Wan Roberts (9.9 ppg) is the team's top rebounder at 7.0-per-contest.
 
 
THE SERIES:
  • The teams have played 33 times. WSU leads 18-17.
  • One (or both) teams have been nationally-ranked for all 11 AAC era clashes (WSU 4x, UH 8x).
  • The Shockers are 2-8 in AAC era matchups with UH but are 2-2 in Wichita. One of the losses came in double-OT.
  • The former Missouri Valley Conference rivals faced off 20 times during a 10-year overlap from 1950-60.  (1950-60). The Shockers won 13.
  • The Shockers are 13-4 overall against UH in Wichita with three of the four losses coming in one-possession games. They're 8-3 against the Cougars at the Roundhouse (1955-pr.).
  • The Cougars have played NCAA tournament games in Wichita on five occasions (1966, '67, '71, '73 and 2018), going a combined 4-3. In 1968, senior Elvin Hayes scored 74 points in Midwest Regional wins over Louisville and TCU to send the UH to the Final Four... In 2018, WSU hosted First & Second round games at INTRUST Bank Arena. The Cougars opened with a win over San Diego State but lost to national runner-up Michigan at the buzzer on Jordan Poole's halfcourt heave, 64-63.
 
 
LAST MEETING WITH HOUSTON
Feb. 2022 (Wichita) | #11 Houston 76, WSU 74 (2ot)
  • WSU's Craig Porter Jr. scored 17 points including a game-tying three with 5.4 seconds left in double-overtime, but UH survived an upset bid thanks to some quick thinking from Jamal Shead, who dribbled quickly  up the floor, to the edge of the lane and shoveled to a cutting J'Wan Roberts for the game-winning dunk with 1.2 seconds left.
  • Neither side led by more than six points in 50 minutes of blue collar basketball.
  • Josh Carlton tallied 23 points (12 in OT) and 11 rebounds for UH, which swept the AAC regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the Elite Eight.
  • Ricky Council IV shared high-scoring honors among Shockers with 17 points and 10 rebounds... Both sides shot 39% in a physical affair.
  • The Shockers outscored the visitors 23-9 at the foul line on 88.5% accuracy, but the Cougars had 18 more field goal attempts. They scored 22 points off turnovers and 23 on second-chances.
  • WSU won the overall rebounding battle (43-42) but struggled to keep the Cougars off the offensive glass, especially after starting center Morris Udeze fouled out in the final minute of regulation. 11 of UH's 20 overtime points came after offensive rebounds (7).
 
 
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD…
  • Make them 12-10 with wins in 5 of their last 7.
  • Get them back to .500 in AAC play (5-5) after an 0-3 start.
  • Be their first over an AP top-25 opponent since defeating No. 6 Houston on Feb. 18. 2021.
  • Be their highest-ranked victim since a 2013 NCAA tournament win over No. 1 Gonzaga.
  • Be their highest-rated home victim since Feb. 25, 1967 when they knocked off No. 2 Louisville.
  • Give Isaac Brown a 2-3 record against Houston.
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
  • Drop them back to .500 (11-11, 4-6 AAC).
  • Make them 1-4 this year in AAC home games.
  • Make them 2-9 against Houston in the AAC era (2-3 in Wichita).
  • Even the all-time series (18-18).
  • Be less good than a win.
 
 
UP NEXT:  at TULSA
Sunday, Feb. 5 | 2 p.m.  CT | ESPN+
Tulsa, Okla. | Reynolds Center
  • WSU is on the road for a third straight weekend.
  • The Shockers rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to win the first meeting back on Jan. 14.
  • Tulsa (5-15, 1-8) travels to Cincinnati Wednesday.
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