WICHITA STATE (11-7, 1-4) at #24/22 MEMPHIS (14-4, 4-1)
Thursday, Jan. 23 | 6:00 p.m. CDT
Memphis, Tenn. | FedExForum
 
TV: ESPN2 with Kevin Brown & Jon Crispin
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM with Mike Kennedy & Bob Hull
 

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OPENING TIPS
• Wichita State heads out on the road for two straight, beginning with a trip to #24 Memphis Thursday night.
• Wichita State has dropped three of its first four American Conference games following a 75-72 buzzer beating loss to ECU on Saturday.
• Wichita State has lost nine straight vs. ranked foes and is 58-147 all-time against Top 25 teams. The last ranked road win came at #5 Cincinnati on Feb. 18, 2018.
• The Shockers allowed 88+ points in each of the first three conference games. The last time Wichita State allowed three straight conference opponents to score 88+ was in 1978-79.
• Corey Washington logged his 4th double-double of the season in the loss to ECU, finishing with 19 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. His 18 rebounds were the most by a Shocker since Troy Mack had 22 vs. SW Missouri State on Jan. 18, 1999.
• Xavier Bell is averaging 18.9 ppg over his last 10 games, and scored 20 or more in four of the last eight.
• Quincy Ballard scored a career-high 22 points on a career-best 11-of-12 shooting at UTSA. He has four double-doubles in the last seven games and is averaging 13.0 points and 10.7 rebounds during that stretch.
• Ronnie DeGray III returned to action on Jan. 14 after missing nearly two months with a fractured wrist. He scored all 8 of his points vs. Charlotte in the 2nd half.
• Wichita State has a trio of 1,000-point scorers on the roster. Xavier Bell reached 1,000 career points on Dec. 17 vs. Kansas City and Harlond Beverly made it to 1,000 on Jan. 14 vs. Charlotte. Justin Hill has more than 1,500 career points.
• Ballard leads the American Athletic Conference in blocks per game (1.82) and ranks 41st nationally. His 31 total blocks rank second in the league, while ranking 47th in the NCAA.
• Ballard shattered the single season school record for field goal percentage and also had top five marks in blocks per game and total blocks in 2023-24.
• Ballard moved into 4th on the Wichita State career blocks list vs. K-State with 119. He's on pace to break the WSU career record for blocks per game at 1.95.
• Eight student-athletes on Wichita State's roster have NCAA Tournament experience: Quincy Ballard (Florida St.), Xavier Bell (Drexel), Harlond Beverly (Miami), Ronnie DeGray III (Missouri), Justin Hill (Longwood), AJ McGinnis (UNCG), Zane Meeks (San Francisco) and Corey Washington (St. Peter's).

THE SERIES WITH MEMPHIS
• This is the 34th meeting all-time. Memphis leads 20-13 (10-3 AAC era) with wins in eight of the last nine meetings.
• Six of Memphis' 10 wins in the AAC era have been by double digits.
• Wichita State snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Tigers in the second round of the AAC Championship last season.
• In the first meeting last season, Memphis was ranked No. 13 and even climbed as high as No. 10 in the AP poll, but finished the conference season 7-7 over its final 14 games.
• Wichita State is 8-7 against Memphis in Wichita (1-4 AAC era). All 15 matchups have taken place at the Roundhouse.
• Since Wichita State joined the American in 2017-18, Wichita State and Memphis have played each other twice in every season but two (2018, 2021). The only reason they didn't in 2021 was due to COVID canceling the game.
• The Shockers won on their first visit to FedExForum (Feb. 6, 2018) but have since dropped six-straight. They're 3-13 all-time against the Tigers in Memphis.
• Wichita State does own two other wins at FedExForum as part of its run to the 2019 AAC semifinals.
• Wichita State is 2-10 against Penny Hardaway.
• The Tigers swept the 2021-22 series, winning by 18 in Wichita and by 24 in Memphis.
• The series in 2022-23 was much closer, but the Shockers still found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
• Memphis needed 29 points from DeAndre Williams to defeat the Shockers by 10 in Memphis on Jan. 19. One month later, Memphis outlasted the Shockers in Charles Koch Arena, 83-78.
• Memphis won both regular season meetings again in 2023-24 in very different fashion. The first a dominant win, and the second on a game-winner in the final seconds.
• The only neutral site meeting between the two schools came in 2014 when they meet at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Fall, S.D. to begin the 2014-15 season.
• Ron Baker scored a game-high 21 points and added five rebounds, six assists and two steals to lead Wichita State to a comfortable 71-56 win in front of a sellout crowd.

SCOUTING MEMPHIS
• Led by seventh year head coach Penny Hardaway, Memphis enters the matchup at 14-4 and 4-1 in league play.  The Tigers are ranked No. 24 in the AP Top 25 and No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
• In six seasons since returning to his alma mater as head coach, Hardaway, has led the Tigers to a 142-66 record, six-straight 20-win seasons, the 2021 National Invitation Tournament championship, the 2023 AAC tournament championship and two consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2023.
• Hardaway's 142 wins are sixth-most all time at Memphis. Only three of Memphis' 16 head coaches since World War II have won 20 games in each of their first six seasons at the helm, now including Hardaway.
• In his tenure, Hardaway has mentored two first-round NBA Draft picks, three American Athletic Conference Freshmen of the Year, eight all-conference selections, five all-freshman honorees and an AAC Tournament MVP. The Tigers have won eight games against ranked opponents, been ranked inside the top-10 on two occasions and twice had the nation's No. 1 recruiting class.
• The Tigers own a 19-4 record against Power Five opponents over the last three years, dating back to a Dec. 14, 2021 win over No. 6 Alabama. Eight of the 19 wins have come against ranked teams.
• Through Jan. 18, Memphis has nine wins that rank as Quad 1 or Quad 2 games in the NCAA's NET Rankings, which is 2nd most in Division I. Auburn (10) is the only team with more Q1 and Q2 wins.
• Memphis is 5-2 in Q1 contests, only Auburn, Oregon and Kentucky have more wins.
• Memphis was picked to finish 2nd out of 13 teams in the Preseason American Athletic Conference Coaches Poll.
• Memphis had four players honored on the American Athletic Conference Preseason Awards list. PJ Haggerty and Tyrese Hunter were each selected to the first team, while former Shocker Colby Rogers landed on the second team.
• Jared Harris was named the American Preseason Freshman of the Year.
• Haggerty currently ranks 7th on KenPom.com's Player of the Year standings. He ranks 2nd in the NCAA in scoring (22.1), free throws made (132) and free throws attempted (163).
• He has 12 games of 20+ points and has converted at least five free throws in 14-of-18 games.
• Hunter leads the Tigers in assists (61) and three-point percentage (43.6 percent), while ranking 2nd in scoring (15.1 ppg).
• Rogers is shooting 37.0 percent from long range to go with 11.7 points per game.
• Dain Dainja pulls down a team-best 6.3 rebounds to go with 11.7 points.
• Memphis ranks 12th nationally in three-point percentage (39.3), 13th in free throws made per game (18.3) and 13th in free throw attempts per game (25.1).
• The Tigers struggle taking care of the ball where they rank 327th in turnovers per game and 317th in assist-to-turnover ratio.

CONNECT THE DOTS
• A familiar face resides on the Memphis roster once again this season in the way of senior Colby Rogers. Rogers departed Wichita State after two seasons. The Georgia native led the Shockers in scoring (16.4 ppg) in 2023-24, while also breaking the single season school record with 99 made three-pointers.

IT STARTS WITH DEFENSE
• Through 18 games Wichita State has already allowed five opponents to score 88 or more points, which is the most since 1982-83. The Shockers are 0-5 this season when they allow 88+.
• The Shockers have allowed 88+ points in each of the first three conference games. The last time Wichita State allowed three straight conference opponents to score 88+ was in 1978-79.

ON THIS DATE: JAN. 23
• 1953 – The Shockers defeated a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time since the AP Poll's launch (1948-49), downing No. 17 Oklahoma City, 66-62. They had been 0-17 against ranked teams prior to that game, however second-year head coach Ralph Miller's squad went on to upset two more that year.
• 1978 – The Shockers downed Indiana State in overtime, 74-70, despite 33 points from Larry Bird.
• 1981 – Randy Smithson hit two free throws with seven seconds to play and the Shockers overcame 43 points from Lewis Lloyd to defeat Drake, 89-88. Cliff Levingston paced the Shockers with 28 points and 18 rebounds.
• 1985 – In a battle of All-Americans, WSU's Xavier McDaniel (37 points, 19 rebounds, four steals) outduels visiting Creighton's Benoit Benjamin (31 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks) to lead the Shockers to an 82-81 victory at Levitt Arena. Benjamin is selected No. 3 overall to the LA Clippers in that summer's NBA Draft, and McDaniel goes one pick later to the Seattle Sonics.

MILESTONE WATCH
• Quincy Ballard is 14 blocks away from 150 in his collegiate career. He is 3 games away from his 100th career game.
• Harlond Beverly is 8 games away from his 150th career game.
• Bijan Cortes is 30 assists away from 250 for his career. He played in his 100th career game on Jan. 18 vs. East Carolina.
• Ronnie DeGray III needs 5 more games to reach his 100th career game.
• Justin Hill is 17 assists shy of 500 for his career. He needs 6 more games to reach his 150th career game.
• AJ McGinnis is 93 points away from reaching 1,000 for his career.

EAST CAROLINA LEFTOVERS
• Wichita State lost its third straight game vs. the Pirates, falling to 7-4 all-time vs. East Carolina.
• The Shockers are now 17-15 when playing on Jan. 18.
• For the second time in the last three games Wichita State made just five total free throws. Prior to that their season low was 10.
• Wichita State was a season best +16 on the glass, including a season-high 20 offensive rebounds.
• The Shockers' 47 total rebounds tied a season high. Wichita State dropped to 7-3 this season when outrebounding its opponent.
• Corey Washington scored a team-high 19 points to go with a career-high 18 rebounds. It marked his 14th game in double figures.
• Thirteen of his 18 rebounds came in the second half.
• His four double-doubles are second on the team.
• He's averaging 9.1 rebounds over his last 10 games.
• Xavier Bell has scored 10 or more in each of the last 10 games behind 18 points.
• It was his 14th game in double figures this season and 38th of his career at Wichita State.
• Quincy Ballard recorded his team-leading 5th double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
• It marked his seventh game with 10 or more rebounds and 10th game with 10 or more points.
• Justin Hill scored 13 of his 16 points after halftime. His 13 games in double figures are second most on the team.
• His 6 assists tied a season high, which he set in the season opener at WKU.

OLD TIMERS
• With COVID still impacting eligibility, several schools around the country have multiple student-athletes on their rosters playing in their fifth, sixth and even seventh seasons. Wichita State is tied for second in the country with seven student-athletes in their fifth year or higher of collegiate basketball.

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...                                                                     
... Make them 12-7 this season.
... Make them 2-4 in conference play.
... Snap a 9-game losing streak vs. ranked opponents.
... Improve their road record to 2-3 this season.
... Move them to 14-20 all time vs. Memphis.
... Snap a six-game losing streak in Memphis.
... Make Paul Mills 27-26 as Wichita State head coach.
... Give Mills 133 career coaching victories.
... Run their record to 1,684-1,271 all time.

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...                                                                     
... Make them 11-8 this season.
... Drop them to 1-5 in conference play.
... Be their 10th straight loss against Top 25 teams.
... Make them 1-4 on the road this season.
... Drop them to 13-21 all time vs. Memphis.
... Be their seventh straight loss to the Tigers in Memphis.
... Make Paul Mills 26-27 as Wichita State head coach.
... Lower Mills' career record to 132-111.
... Drop their record to 1,683-1,272 all time.

GAME 20: AT TULSA                                                              
• Wichita State is 78-64 all-time vs. Tulsa.
• The two teams split the regular season series a year ago.
• The Golden Hurricane are 8-10 overall and 2-3 in AAC play.
• Tulsa is led by third year head coach Eric Konkol.