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MBB Preview: at Temple (Feb. 16)

2/14/2023 4:26:00 PM

WICHITA STATE (13-12, 6-7) at TEMPLE (14-12, 8-5)
Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023 | 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET)
Philadelphia, Pa. | Liacouras Center
 
TV: ESPN+ w/ Jim Lighthall & Joey Johnson
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM (goshockers.com/listen) w/ Mike Kennedy & Bob Hull
Live Stats: shockerstats.com
Series: Temple leads 6-5 (2-0 in Philly), Last: Feb. 7, 2021 in Wichita (WSU, 70-67)
 
 
OPENING TIPS:
  • The Wichita State Shockers travel to Philadelphia Thursday evening for an American Athletic Conference clash with the Temple Owls inside the Liacouras Center.
  • The Shockers (6-7) look to even their AAC ledger for the first time after an 0-3 start but will have to do something they haven't done since Dec. 22 -- win a weekday game. They've swept their last six weekend contests but have dropped six straight midweek matchups.
  • Temple is WSU's longest road jaunt (1,201 miles as the crow flies), but the last two trips to Philadelphia have been called off due to health and safety protocol. As a result, the teams last played at the Liacouras Center more than three years ago (Jan. 15, 2020).
  • WSU has won five of the eight AAC era matchups but is 0-2 against Temple on its home court. Nationally-ranked Shocker teams tumbled in 2018 and 2020.
  • Like WSU, Temple has been better this year on the road (6-4) than at home (7-6). The Owls won their first five AAC road tilts before dropping back-to-back at SMU and Memphis. WSU is 5-3 in enemy territory with three straight wins, compared to 7-7 on their home court.
  • WSU erased a five-point deficit in the final minute of regulation in Sunday's 91-89 double-overtime win over SMU. The Shockers shot a season-best 57.1% and Kenny Pohto (28 points), Craig Porter Jr. (21) and Jaykwon Walton (20) became WSU's first trio of 20-point scorers in more than 35 years. Porter made a game-tying layup with two seconds left in regulation and scored six of WSU's 11 points in double-OT.
  • One of nine new transfers on this year's active roster, Walton is averaging a team-best 14.1 points and his 63.8% true shooting percentage is the league's second-highest behind Houston's J'Wan Roberts (65.0%).
  • Porter – one of just two holdovers from last season – averages 12.4 points. He leads the team and ranks among the AAC leaders in blocks (3rd, 1.7) , assists (6th, 4.2), steals (11th, 1.3) and rebounds (12th, 6.1).
  • Porter's 75 career blocks are 16th all-time at WSU. He needs one more to match Ron Baker (76; 2012-16) for most by a Shocker guard.
  • The other returner, Pohto, has been a breakout performer over the second half of the season. He's averaging 11.5 points and 6.8 boards in AAC play.
  • The Shockers began the week as one of just 22 teams that are holding opponents under 40% from the field (.398). They've kept 15 of their 25 foes under that line.
  • WSU hasn't put up great offensive numbers this year but is trending sharply upward. The Shockers have shot better than 50% from the field in four of their last six games and are averaging 80.0 points in that span.
  • Sophomore guard Shammah Scott celebrates his 21st birthday on Thursday.
  • WSU is 24-21 (.523) in AAC road games in six seasons since joining the league, including 9-9 under third-year head coach Isaac Brown.
 

ON THIS DATE: FEB. 16
  • 1963 – The ninth-ranked Shockers upset No. 1 Cincinnati, 65-64, behind sophomore All-American Dave Stallworth's 46 points. That total stood more than two decades as the school record before Antoine Carr put up 47 in his final game (1983). The victory snapped a 37-game winning streak for UC, which had led by six points with 3:10 to play before Stallworth mounted his own personal 7-0 run to put the home team in front. Stallworth's final line: 14-of-22 from the field and 18-of-23 at the foul line.
 
 
LAST TIME ON SHOCKER BASKETBALL…
Feb. 12, 2023 (Wichita) | WSU 91, SMU 89 2ot
  • WSU rallied from a six-point deficit in the final 72 seconds of regulation for a double-overtime win.
  • Kenny Pohto (career-high 28 points on 13-of-15 shooting), Craig Porter Jr. (22 points, six assists) and Jaykwon Walton (20 points) became WSU's first trio of 20-point scorers since 1988.
  • WSU trailed by five points with less than a minute to play in regulation when Porter stole an inbound pass and nailed a three-pointer. After a defensive stop, he stuck a game-tying lineup with two seconds on the clock to force overtime. The senior had six of WSU's 11 points in the decisive second overtime period.
  • Zhuric Phelps (26 points, seven steals) and Efe Odigie (21) led the scoring for SMU, which was unable to capitalize on a 25-12 advantage in turnovers.
  • WSU shot a season-high 57.4% from the field.
  • SMU shot 46.8%, but missed 10-of-15 shots and 7-of-11 free throws in the final 1:18 of regulation plus OT.
  • WSU scored on its first seven possessions in a 63% first half shooting display but still trailed 39-38 at the break.
  • According to ESPN's win probability calculator, SMU's chances peaked with 1:18 to play, up 75-69 and at the line for a 1-and-1. The Mustangs missed the front end. Walton's free throw made it a five-point game and Porter took over from there.
  • SMU scored 28 points off of WSU's 25 turnovers -- most by a Shocker team in 15 years.
  • WSU snapped a three-game home losing streak and avoided its first four-game skid since 2007-08.
  • It was WSU's seventh consecutive win over SMU. Four of those games have come down to the final seconds.
 

SMU LEFTOVERS:
  • The double-OT win over SMU (Feb. 12) marked the first time in 35 years that the Shockers have had a trio of 20-point scorers in the same game. Dwayne Praylow (24 points), Lew Hill (21) and Sasha Radunovich (21) all had big scoring nights in a 116-92 victory over Bradley on Feb. 1, 1988. The last instance prior to that was on Feb. 28, 1980 when Cliff Levingston (34), Antoine Carr (32) and Randy Smithson (23) teamed up in a 117-104 win at Drake.
  • The Shockers set a school record with just two turnovers against Cincinnati earlier this season -- and lost by 10. Sunday versus SMU they committed 25 (most by a Shocker team since 2008) and won. Go figure.
  • WSU's -13 turnover margin against SMU (25-12) was its worst since a Jan. 13, 2013 loss at Evansville (22-9). That Shocker team went on to the play in the Final Four.
  • WSU last a won a game with a margin of -13 or worse on Jan. 7, 2003 against Indiana State at the Kansas Coliseum. The Shockers lost the turnover battle 24-7 but won the war, 71-55. They outshot visiting Sycamores 55.1-30.2% and won the rebounding battle, 49-19
  • WSU's 91-89 double-overtime win over SMU snapped a string of four-straight OT losses. The Shockers had been 0-2 previously this year (Mizzou and Tulane). They're 3-4 now in three seasons under Isaac Brown.
  • Three overtime games are the most WSU has played in a season since 2007-08 (4). One more OT game would tie the school record (4) set six times previously.
  • Three OT games are the most WSU has played at home since 2005-06. Wins over Bradley, Southern Illinois (2ot) and Creighton and lifted them to the MVC title.
  • The Shockers are 7-6 now in overtime games at the Roundhouse in the 20 seasons since its renovation.
 
 
SCOUTING THE OWLS:
  • Temple is in its fourth season under former Owl standout and 13-year NBA veteran Aaron McKie.
  • The Owls return four starters from last year's fourth-place finisher and also welcome back guard Khalif Battle, who was on track for an all-conference 2021-22 season before injuring his foot seven games in.
  • Battle has bounced back to average 18.6 points-per-game (fourth on the AAC leaderboard) along with 2.96 threes on 35.5% accuracy. Per KenPom, he's has taken 32.5% of the team's shots (20th nationally).
  • 6-5 sophomore Damian Dunn (14.3 ppg) was a preseason first team all-conference pick after earning second team honors last spring.
  • Dunn (117/140, .836) and Battle (97/108, .898) have combined to average nearly 10 free throw attempts-per-game. The Owls rank 15th nationally in free throw percentage (.768).
  • Sophomore point guard Hysier Miller (8.3 ppg) and 6-7 sophomore Zach Hicks (9.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg) have started every game. Miller leads the team in assists (3.5) and Hicks averages 2.4 threes on 34.7% efficiency.
  • The quartet of Battle, Dunn, Miller and Hicks all average more than 31 minutes-per-game.
  • 6-10 UCF transfer Jamille Reynolds (10.3 ppg) is the team's top rebounder at 5.8-per-contest and 6-8 sophomore Nick Jourdain has team-best 32 blocks.
  • Temple was rolling in late January with a four-game winning streak that included a road upset of No. 1 Houston and back-to-back overtime wins against USF and UCF, but the Owls (8-5 AAC, tied for fifth) have since dropped three straight to begin the month of February.
 
 
MATCHUP MASHUP: 
  • WSU redshirt freshman Jalen Ricks played with Temple's Emmanuel Okpomo during the 2019-20 season at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. The pair helped Oak Hill to a 36-3 record and a GEICO Nationals bid.
  • Due a combination of unbalanced schedules, weather and COVID-19, WSU also ended long layoffs against two other AAC rivals last month. The Jan. 29 visit to ECU's Minges Coliseum was their first since February, 2019 and the Jan. 22 game at SMU's Moody Coliseum marked their first trip since Mar. 1, 2020.
 
 
THE SERIES WITH TEMPLE:
  • Temple leads the all-time series 6-5, but WSU has won five of the eight meetings since joining The American.
  • Closely contested games have been the norm in this series. Seven of the 11 have been decided by five points in either direction and three have gone to overtime.
  • Temple is one of just two AAC teams that the Shockers haven't beaten on the road since joining (0-5 at UH).
  • The Shockers have twice eliminated the Owls from the AAC tournament with quarterfinal wins.
  • The teams played three times prior to WSU's move to The American, including twice in the 1980s under the late John Chaney. On Dec. 22 1983, Temple ended WSU's 22-game home winning streak (as school record that stood for more than three decades) with a 78-73 victory. Junior All-American Xavier McDaniel played all 40 minutes and tallied 24 points and 18 rebounds.
  • A year later (Jan. 27, 1985), the Owls squeezed out a 62-60 win in the championship game of the Pizza Hut Shoot Out. The Shockers held a 51-42 advantage with 8:56 remaining, but Tim Perry's three-foot jumper at the buzzer capped a furious Temple comeback.
  • In the 2011 Puerto Rico tipoff, the Shockers battled back from down eight at the 7:00-mark to force overtime, but Temple won 78-74 in extra time behind 23 points from Ramone Moore. Toure' Murry scored a game-high 24 for the Shockers, who went on to win 25 of their next 27 games en route to an NCAA bid.
 
 
NO LEAD IS SAFE:
  • The team leading at halftime has lost six of the eight American era matchups between WSU and Temple.
  • The Shockers lost their first Liacouras Center visit on Feb. 1, 2018 (81-79 in OT). WSU led by eight at the intermission and by seven with 5:02 to go  but managed just two more points in regulation. Shizz Alston Jr. made a game-tying layup with seven seconds left plus two go-ahead free throws with 18 seconds to play in overtime.
  • Two weeks later in Wichita (Feb. 15, 2018), the Shockers rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit for a 93-86 win, overcoming Temple's arena record 16 triples.
  • The following year in Wichita (Jan. 6, 2019), the Shockers led by 13 at the break and by 11 with just over 3:00 to play. Temple scored the last 11 points of regulation to force overtime and went on to win, 85-81.
  • Alston hit a three ahead of the halftime buzzer in a 2019 AAC quarterfinal matchup, but WSU rode Markis McDuffie's career-high 36 points to an 80-74 upset.
  • Jan. 15, 2020 in Philly, the Shockers led by six at halftime but scored just six points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Temple roared back to win by 12.
  • Feb. 27, 2020 in Wichita, WSU erased a seven-point deficit in the last 4:00 with an 11-1 run.
  • The Feb. 7, 2021 meeting between the teams featured 20 lead changes (most since CKA's 2003 renovation).
 

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
  • Make them 14-12.
  • Even their AAC record at 7-7 after an 0-3 start.
  • Make them 6-3 in true road games with four consecutive victories.
  • Be their first-ever in three trips to Liacouras Center.
  • Even the all-time series with Temple at 6-6 and make them 6-3 against the Owls in the AAC era.
  • Snap a six-game losing streak in midweek games.
 
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
  • Drop them  to 13-13 (6-8 AAC)
  • Make them 0-3 all-time at the Liacouras Center.
  • Snap a three-game road winning streak (5-4).
  • Be their seventh straight midweek loss.
  • Give Temple a 7-5 series lead.
  • Be less good than a win.
 
 
UP NEXT: A BYE
 
AND THEN:  MEMPHIS
Thursday, Feb. 23 | 6 p.m.  CT | ESPN2
Wichita, Kan. / Charles Koch Arena
  • The Shockers have a full week off before  playing host to Memphis.
  • The Tigers won a Jan. 19 clash at FedExForum (88-78) behind big nights from Deandre Williams (29 points, 15 rebounds) and Kendric Davis (20 points, five assists). James Rojas had 19 to lead WSU.
  • The Shockers have lost the last five meetings, including back-to-back in Wichita.
  • Memphis (19-6, 9-3) has won seven of its last eight outings with the lone loss coming in overtime to Tulane. The Tigers host UCF (Thursday) and travel to first-place Houston (Feb. 19) before facing the Shockers.
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