WICHITA STATE (10-7, 2-2) at FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 | 8:00 p.m. CDT
Boca Raton, Fla. | Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena
 
TV: ESPN2 with Rich Hollenberg & Jon Crispin
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM with Mike Kennedy & Bob Hull
 

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OPENING TIPS
• Wichita State begins a Florida swing trip at Florida Atlantic on Thursday at 8 p.m. CDT on ESPN2.
• Wichita State is 15-18 all time when playing on Jan. 15. This is the first time playing on the date since 2020.
• All seven of Wichita State's losses have come by 6 points or fewer.
• Through 17 games Wichita State is one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the country at 14.9 per game - good for 7th nationally. That mark would be the best in a single season in school history.
• Kenyon Giles has scored 10+ points in 16 of the 17 games this season, including seven 20-point games. Giles has matched or set a new career high in three of the last four games. He poured in a career-high 33 points vs. North Texas, the most points by a Shocker since Markis McDuffie (34) in 2019.
• In his 33-point explosion vs. North Texas, Giles was 13-for-17 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. His 13 made field goals were the most by a Shocker since Cleanthony Early on Jan. 9, 2013.
• Giles is averaging 24.8 PPG over his last four games. He's shooting 47.4% (27-for-57) from 3-point range over his last 6 games. He's riding an 8-game streak with multiple 3-pointers. The school record is 10 straight.
• Giles ranks 5th nationally in total three-pointers made (60) and 12th in three-pointers made per game (3.53). Xavier Bell led the Shockers in made three-pointers last season with 35 for the whole year. Giles needed only 12 games to surpass that total this season.
• Giles is one of only six players in the country with 60 made three-pointers on 40.0 percent shooting or better from beyond the arc.
• Michael Gray Jr. recorded his first career double-double vs. Rice, tying a career-high with 25 points and grabbing a career-high 10 boards.
• Karon Boyd has scored 20+ in two of the last four games, including a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double at Charlotte.
• Boyd (49) and Will Berg (52) account for 39.9% of WSU's offensive rebounds this season.
• Dre Kindell ranks 2nd in the American in assist-turnover ratio at 3.00.
• Four different Shockers have recorded a double-double through the first 16 games: Berg (4), Boyd (3), Gray Jr. (1) and TJ Williams (1).
• In WSU's conference opening road win at UAB, the Shockers trailed by as many as 16, before completing the comeback. It was the largest comeback win since 2023 at Tulsa (16) and tied for the 8th largest comeback in program history.
• Wichita State is 4-5 in conference openers since joining the American Conference and had dropped its last four league lid-lifters until defeating UAB on New Years Eve. Wichita State won its conference opener for the first time since 2020.

THE SHOCKS, IN SHORT
• Wichita State returns just 0.9 percent of its scoring from a season ago. The Shockers lost their top nine scorers from 2024-25 and 12 total letterwinners. Wichita State  lost seven players to graduation (Xavier Bell, Harlond Beverly, Matej Bosnjak, Bijan Cortes, Ronnie DeGray III, Justin Hill, AJ McGinnis, Zane Meeks) and four to the transfer portal (Quincy Ballard: Mississippi State, Corey Washington: SMU, Yanis Bamba: Maine, Zion Pipkin: South Plains JC).
• Wichita State brings back only two returners that logged minutes in 2024-25: Joy Ighovodja (87 minutes) and walk-on Henry Thengvall (8 minutes). TJ Williams is the only other returner, but he did not see any action after redshirting.

THE SERIES VS. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
• This is just the sixth meeting all-time between Wichita State and Florida Atlantic.
• In the only meeting a year ago, Wichita State went into Boca Raton and came out with a 75-68 road win. Xavier Bell led the way with a game-high 24 points. Bijan Cortes had a breakout game with 16 points and 7 assists.
• Two years ago the two programs met on Super Bowl Sunday when Florida Atlantic came out with a 95-82 win in overtime. The Owls outscored the Shockers 21-8 in the extra session behind a 14-2 run in just over 3:00 minutes.
• A back and forth game saw nine ties and 11 lead changes. Neither team led by more than six until overtime when Florida Atlantic pulled away.
• Xavier Bell (25) and Colby Rogers (21) combined for 46 points. Vladislav Goldin (20) and Brandon Weatherspoon (19) led the Owls. FAU was nearly perfect at the free throw line, going 20-for-22.
• In the first meeting as members of the American, Florida Atlantic erased an 11-point halftime deficit to win, 86-77, in Boca Raton.
• Florida Atlantic outscored the Shockers, 55-35, in the second half and shot nearly 60% from the field.
• Colby Rogers and Quincy Ballard both scored a team-high 18 points.
• Alijah Martin spearheaded the Owl comeback with a game-high 22 points and 9 rebounds.
• Wichita State won the only other matchup in the 1998-99 season opener back on Nov. 18, 1998 in Henry Levitt Arena, 88-85.
• The Shockers held off the Owls behind a pair of 20-point performances from Maurice Evans and Jason Perez.
• Evans finished with 24 points on 8-of-20 shooting to go with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
• Perez also added 24 points along with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• Wichita State had no answer for Florida Atlantic's Damon Arnette who recorded a monster double-double with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
• Defense was optional that night as both teams shot better than 50 percent from the field. A good portion of the game was spent at the free throw line. The two teams combined for 54 fouls and 63 free throw attempts. Wichita State was 20-for-31 at the line and FAU, 25-for-32.
• The game also featured 50 turnovers between the two teams.

SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC
• Led by second year head coach John Jakus, Florida Atlantic enters the matchup at 10-6 and 2-1 in league play - its third year in the American Conference.
• Jakus brings a championship pedigree built from his time at premier programs as an assistant and director of operations with Baylor and Gonzaga, where he was led by two of the nation's best head coaches in Scott Drew and Mark Few.
• Jakus' 12 seasons at the Division I level has resulted in nine NCAA Tournament appearances, a 2019-2020 campaign in which they were ranked No. 5 in the nation before the season's cancellation, an NIT championship in 2013 and a national title in 2021.
• On Drew's staff for a total of nine seasons, and the associate head coach at Baylor since 2022, Jakus has helped lead the Bears' national resurgence. Highlighted by the program's 2021 National Championship title, Baylor has compiled a 217-86 overall record, a 100-58 mark in Big 12 Conference play, six NCAA Tournament appearances and two Sweet 16 appearances with Jakus on staff.
• A coach with strong international ties, Jakus gained extensive experience as a professional coach in Europe prior to joining the Baylor staff in 2012. He was head coach and assistant general manager of ABA Strumica in Macedonia (2010-11) and also worked with Athletes in Action as volunteer head coach for both NCAA and professional basketball trips and as international basketball head coach and director from 2005 to 2014.
• Florida Atlantic entered its third season in the American Conference picked sixth in the preseason coaches poll, one spot behind Wichita State.
• The Owls are led by a pair of dynamic scorers in Devin Vanterpool and Kanaan Carlyle. Vanterpool leads the Owls in points (16.3), rebounds (6.8), steals (27) and three-pointers made (35), while ranking second on the team in assists (45).
• Carlyle puts up 15.2 points per game to go with 4.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He is converting on 90.0 percent of his free throw attempts this season.
• Devin Williams provides an elite defensive presence inside with his 51 blocked shots. He ranks 2nd nationally in total blocks and blocks per game. As a team, FAU ranks 9th in the country in blocks per game.

CONNECT THE DOTS
• The Baylor connections run deep between the two coaching staffs at Wichita State and Florida Atlantic. Three members of the Owls' staff either played at Baylor or got their coaching start at Baylor.
• Wichita State head coach Paul Mills and Florida Atlantic head coach John Jakus are both branches of the Scott Drew coaching tree. Jakus spent two seasons as a graduate assistant on the staff at Baylor while Mills was an assistant coach (2012-14). Jakus is another in the long line of Drew assistants to join the head coaching ranks (Mills, Tang, McCasland).
• First year assistant coach Aditya Malhotra also got his start as a graduate assistant for the Bears from 2013-15 when Mills and Jakus were on staff. He would spend four seasons in Waco with Mills.
• Also on staff for the Owls is first year assistant coach Isaiah Austin, a former Baylor standout from 2012-14 when both Mills and Jakus were in Waco.

KG THE BUCKET
• Kenyon Giles has seven 20-point games this season with three of those coming in the last four games with 26 at UAB, 27 at Charlotte and a career-high 33 vs. North Texas. His 33-point outburst vs. the Mean Green marked the most points by a Shocker since Markis McDuffie scored 34 on March 15, 2019 vs. Temple. Giles scored his 33 points on an ultra-efficient 13-of-17 from the field, a perfect 4-of-4 beyond the arc and 3-of-3 at the free throw line. His 13 made field goals were the most since Cleanthony Early made 13 on Jan. 9, 2013 when he dropped a career-high 39 on SIU. Giles was also the first Shocker since Landry Shamet on Nov. 20, 2017 to go 4-of-4 or better from three-point range.
• Giles' 33 points are tied for the 3rd most by a player in the American Conference this season, trailing only USF's Wes Enis (36) and Tulsa's David Green (34).
• He started his hot streak when he scored a then career-high tying 26 at UAB in the American Conference opener. Twenty-four of those 26 came from beyond the arc when he knocked down a career-high 8 three-pointers. His 8 three-pointers tied for the second most in a single game in school history, one shy of the school record held by Jason Perez's 9. The last Shocker to make 8 three-pointers in a game was Joe Ragland 14 years ago on Dec. 4, 2011.
• Three days later he poured in a new career-high 27 at Charlotte behind six more three-pointers.
• Giles has scored 317 total points this season - 176 of those have come after halftime. The 5-10 guard scores 55.5 percent of his points in the second half.
• He had three 20-point games in November, becoming the first Shocker since McDuffie in 2018 to have three 20-point performances in the month of November.

GRAY AREA
• Michael Gray Jr. recorded his first career double-double on Jan. 7 vs. Rice. He matched a career high with 25 points and grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds. He is the first Shocker to have a 25-10 game since Markis McDuffie on March 15, 2019 vs. Temple.
• Gray is averaging 14.7 points per game over his last three games. The four games prior he was averaging just 6.5 per game.

KB 1K
• Karon Boyd eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark on Jan. 3, 2026 at Charlotte. He entered the game 12 points shy and finished the game with 21 - his second 20-point game of the season.
• Boyd now has 1,023 career points with 183 of those coming this season at Wichita State. He joins teammate Kenyon Giles as the two members of the 1,000 point club on this year's team.

VALENCIA SIDELINED FOR SEASON
• Wichita State's depth took a hit right after Christmas when junior forward Jaret Valencia went down with a season ending achilles injury during practice. Prior to the Christmas break, Valencia had been playing his best basketball of the season.

A GOOD COMEBACK AND NOT SO GOOD COMEBACK
• In Wichita State's conference opening win at UAB on Dec. 31, the Shockers trailed by as many as 16 in the game before completing the comeback for a 5-point win. It marked the largest come-from-behind win since Jan. 14, 2023 at home vs. Tulsa when the Shockers also came back from 16 down.
• The 16-point deficit tied for the 8th largest in a comeback win in program history.
• Three days later Wichita State found itself on the wrong side of a giant comeback. The Shockers led by as many as 18 in the second half on Jan. 3 at Charlotte, before the Niners mounted a come-from-behind win in double overtime.
• Wichita State's 18-point lead tied for the 4th largest in a loss in program history. It was the 3rd largest second half lead in a loss in program history.

FROM BEHIND THE ARC AND BEYOND
• Kenyon Giles is spearheading the long range bombing. He ranks 5th in the NCAA in total 3-pointers made (60), 12th in three-pointers per game (3.53), 17th in three-point attempts (141) and 30th in three-point percentage (42.6%).
• At the current pace, Giles is on track to break the single season school record for three-pointers made per game (3.53). His 8.29 three-point attempts per game would also be the second most in a single season at Wichita State.
• Giles was one of only five players in the country this season to make at least 20 three-pointers through the first five games of the season.
• He is the first Shocker in program history to knock down 20 three-pointers in the first five games of a season.
• To put that into perspective, Giles needed only 12 games to pass the Shockers' three-point leader from a season ago (Xavier Bell - 35).

FASTEST TO 60
• Kenyon Giles became the fastest Shocker to reach 60 made three-pointers in a single season in program history on Jan. 11 vs. North Texas. Giles needed only 17 games to make his 60th three-pointer of the season, three fewer games than former Shocker, Tyson Etienne.

CRASHIN THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
• Wichita State ranks 8th nationally in offensive rebound percentage at 40.0%. The Shockers average 14.9 offensive rebounds a game, which ranks 7th in the country. At the current rate, that average would easily break the single season program record. The school record was set back in 1995-96 at 13.8 offensive rebounds per game.
• Four Shockers have 30 or more offensive rebounds this season. The quartet of Will Berg, Karon Boyd, TJ Williams and Emmanuel Okorafor make up 63.6 percent of Wichita State's offensive rebounds.

MILESTONE WATCH
• Karon Boyd scored his 1,000th career point on Jan. 3 at Charlotte and played his 100th career game on Nov. 26 vs. Saint Mary's. He needs 8 steals to reach 100 and 36 rebounds to reach 750.
• Kenyon Giles surpassed 1,500 career points on Jan. 7 vs. Rice. He played his 100th career game on Nov. 8 vs. Prairie View A&M. He needs 44 assists to reach 250 career assists.
• Michael Gray Jr. is 10 assists away from 100 for his career. He is 15 games shy of his 100th career game.
• Emmanuel Okorafor needs 44 rebounds to reach 250 for his career.
• Jaret Valencia is 94 points shy of 600 and 7 blocks away from 100 career blocked shots.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 15
• 1907 – In the program's second season, Percy Bates became the first Shocker to score 30 points in a game, accounting for 31 of the team's 41 tallies in a win over Lewis Academy.
• 2007 – Kyle Wilson poured in 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, as Wichita State edged rival Creighton in the Roundhouse, 62-59. Despite the slim margin of victory there were only two lead changes in the entire game. A low possession game saw Wichita State attempt just 44 field goals, converting 50 percent of them.
• 2011 – Wichita State hammered Drake on the glass, outrebounding the Bulldogs by 25, as Wichita State improved to 16-3 on the season with a 68-54 win in Des Moines.
• 2012 – Toure' Murry and David Kyles combined for 32 points in a road win at Indiana State, 75-65. Wichita State knocked down 10 three-pointers and went to the free throw line 29 times.

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...                                                                     
... Make them 11-7 this season and 3-2 in American Conference play.
... Improve their record to 3-2 on the road this season.
... Move them to 3-2 all time vs. Florida Atlantic and be their second straight win over the Owls in Boca Raton.
... Make Paul Mills 45-41 as Wichita State head coach.
... Give Mills 151 career coaching victories.
... Run their record to 1,702-1,286 all time.

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...                                                                     
... Drop them to 10-8 this season and 2-3 in American Conference play.
... Make them 2-3 on the road this season.
... Move them to 2-3 all time vs. Florida Atlantic and make them 1-2 all time in Boca Raton.
... Make Paul Mills 44-42 as Wichita State head coach.
... Lower Mills' career record to 150-126.
... Drop their record to 1,701-1,287 all time.

GAME 19: at SOUTH FLORIDA                                                               
• Wichita State leads the series vs. the Bulls 11-3 all time, including a 4-2 record in Tampa.
• This will be Wichita State's fourth straight year making the trip to Tampa.
• The two teams split the regular season series in 2025, and then Wichita State ended South Florida's season in the American Conference Championship.
• South Florida enters the matchup at 10-6 and 2-1 in American Conference play.
• Bryan Hodgson is in his first season as the head coach at South Florida after a successful two-year stint at Arkansas State.