WICHITA STATE (18-10, 10-5) at MEMPHIS (12-15, 7-7)
Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 | 8:00 p.m. CDT
Memphis, Tenn. | FedExForum
 
TV: ESPN2 with John Schriffen & Chris Spatola
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM with Mike Kennedy & Bob Hull
 

---

OPENING TIPS
• Wichita State goes for its first-ever regular season sweep of Memphis Thursday night on ESPN2.
• At 10-5, Wichita State is currently tied for second in the American standings with Tulsa.
• Wichita State is 17-12 all time when playing on Feb. 26.
• Wichita State has played four overtime games this season, tied for the most in a single season. The Shockers are 3-1 in those games.
• Wichita State has played multiple double overtime games this season, the first time since 1962-63.
• Seven of Wichita State's 10 losses have come by 6 points or fewer.
• Through 28 games Wichita State is one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the country at 14.6 per game - good for 4th nationally. That mark would be the best in a single season in school history.
• Wichita State currently owns the longest streak in the nation with 22 straight games of 10+ offensive rebounds.
• TJ Williams is coming off his best games as a Shocker at ECU. He scored a career-high 27 points, including 11 in the two overtimes.
• Kenyon Giles has scored 10+ points in 25 of the 28 games this season, including 14 games of 20+ and 2 games of 30+.
• He has 20+ points in four straight games, tied for the 6th longest in school history.
• Giles is only the fourth Shocker since 2000 to have multiple games of 30 or more points in a season, joining Jason Perez (1999-00), Joe Ragland (2011-12) and Markis McDuffie (2018-19).
• Giles' 14 20-point efforts are 6th most in a single season.
• Giles is currently averaging 19.1 PPG for the season, which would be the highest by a Shocker since Jason Perez in 2000.
• His 19.1 PPG ranks 2nd in the American. In league play, Giles ranks 2nd at 21.1 PPG with 10 20-point outings in 15 games.
• Giles ranks 13th nationally in total 3-pointers made (93) and 15th in 3-pointers/game (3.32). Xavier Bell led the Shockers in made 3-pointers last season with 35 for the whole year. Giles needed only 12 games to surpass that total this season.
• His 93 made three-pointers are already 2nd most in a single season at Wichita State. He is just 6 shy of tying the program record of 99 set by Colby Rogers in 2024.
• Giles is one of only four players in the country with 90 made three-pointers, 40 assists and 40 steals.
• He poured in a career-high 33 points vs. North Texas, the most by a Shocker since Markis McDuffie (34) in 2019.
• Will Berg recorded career highs in rebounds (15) and blocks (4) at USF. He's the first Shocker to post 15 rebounds and 4 blocks in a game since Garrett Stutz on Feb. 4, 2012.
• Berg ranks 4th in the American in rebounding at 8.1 per game. His 3.5 offensive rebounds per game rank 3rd. In conference games, he's averaging 3.7 o-boards, second most.
• Karon Boyd (67) and Berg (94) account for 39.4% of Wichita State's offensive rebounds this season.
• Five different Shockers have recorded a double-double through the first 28 games: Berg (6), Boyd (4), Williams (1),  Michael Gray Jr. (1) and Emmanuel Okorafor (1).
• Okorafor recorded his first career double-double vs. Temple behind a career-high 13 points and 10 rebounds.

THE SERIES VS. MEMPHIS
• This is the 38^th meeting all-time. Memphis leads 22-15 (12-5 AAC era) with wins in 10 of the last 13 meetings.
• Six of Memphis' 12 wins in the American era have been by double digits.
• Wichita State snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Tigers in the second round of the American Championship in 2024.
• In the first meeting of the 2023-24 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 10-7 against Memphis in Wichita (3-4 American era). All 17 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 seven-straight. They're 3-14 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 4-12 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 two teams split the series in 2024-25 with the home team winning each game.
• The only other 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 eighth year head coach Penny Hardaway, Memphis enters the matchup at 12-15 and 7-7 in league play.   
• In eight seasons since returning to his alma mater as head coach, Hardaway, has led the Tigers to a 167-83 record, seven-straight 20-win seasons, the 2021 National Invitation Tournament championship, the 2023 and 2025 American tournament championship and three trips to the NCAA Tournament in the last four seasons in 2022, 2023 and 2025.
• In his tenure, Hardaway has coached two NBA first-round picks, mentored three American Conference Freshmen of the Year and developed multiple All-Conference and All-Freshman honorees. Under his leadership, Memphis has twice had the nation's No. 1 recruiting class and eight wins over ranked opponents, with multiple stints in the national top 10.
• Only three Division I teams enter the year with no returning players - Memphis and Baylor make up two-thirds of that group, joining Miami.
• The Tigers were picked as the favorite in the American Preseason Coaches poll with 143 total points and 11 first-place votes. Dug McDaniel and Aaron Bradshaw both earned a spot on the American Conference Preseason First Team.
• The Tigers boast one of the nation's best three-point defenses, ranking top-15 nationally and 14th in the country in games holding opponents under 30% from deep (11 times this season).
• Memphis has scored 96.3% of its points this season from Division I transfers (1,883/2,003).
• Memphis features seven players averaging at least 6.0 points per game this season (15th DI). It marks the pogram's highest total in at least the last 30 years.
• McDaniel paces the Tigers in scoring at 12.8 points per game to go with 3.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He is one of only four Division I players with 115 assists, 50 steals and 35 three-pointers.
• McDaniel had a streak of 16 straight games with at least three assists and one steal snapped on Feb. 19 at South Florida.
• Sincere Parker has provided an offensive spark off the bench, highlighted by a 40-point effort at UAB earlier this month.
• Over his last six outings, he is averaging 18.8 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting better than 48 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point range.
• For the season he scores 11.9 points per game.

CONNECT THE DOTS
• Wichita State is familiar with a few Tigers on the Memphis roster in 2026. Point guard Dug McDaniel is in his first season with the Tigers after transferring from Kansas State. The Shockers beat the Wildcats in Koch Arena last season with McDaniel on the roster.
• Quante Berry spent his first two seasons at Temple before moving to Memphis this season. Berry started against the Shockers last season when Wichita State made the trip to Philadelphia.

DOWN BUT NEVER OUT
• In Wichita State's double overtime win at East Carolina, the Shockers had a 5.6% chance to win at the end of regulation according to KenPom. Wichita State trailed by 4 with 12 seconds to go until Kenyon Giles delivered a game-tying 4-point play.
• Wichita State also faced a similar situation in early December at Northern Iowa. The Shockers had just a 5.8% chance to win in overtime until closing the game on a 9-1 run.
• Wichita State's lowest win probability came on the road at South Florida before escaping with an OT win by one. The Shockers had just a 4.5% chance after the Bulls used a 23-3 run at the end of the first half and into the start of the second.

TRENDING UP
• With only three conference games remaining, Wichita State has already secured a conference record no worse than .500. At 10-5 in the American, Wichita State has its most conference wins in three seasons and has its first 10-win conference season since 2021.
• As it stands now, Wichita State is tied for 2nd in the standings with Tulsa, but the Shockers hold the edge in the tiebreaker, which if the season ended today, would give Wichita State a coveted top 2 seed in the conference championship. The top 2 seeds earn a triple bye all the way to the semifinals.
Wichita State hasn't been a top 4 seed in the American Conference Championship since winning the regular season and earning the top seed in 2021.
• South Florida currently has a two-game lead on the other 12 teams, but teams 2-8 are separated by just two losses. Wichita State and Tulsa have five losses, while UAB, Tulane and Charlotte have six. Florida Atlantic and North Texas are currently the last two teams in the tournament with seven losses. UTSA has officially been eliminated from the conference tournament, while Rice and East Carolina sit in the other two slots that would not make it to Birmingham.

TEMPLE LEFTOVERS
• Wichita State moved to 7-9 all time vs. Temple, snapping a three-game losing streak against the Owls.
• The Shockers are 19-6 when playing on Feb. 21.
• Wichita State improved to 14-8 in February under Paul Mills.
• Under Mills, Wichita State is 43-11 when leading at the half and 42-5 when leading with 5:00 minutes left.
• Wichita State is 6-0 this season when holding its opponent to fewer than 60 points.
• Wichita State has tied or outrebounded 24 of its 28 opponents this season.
• Wichita State has had 10 or more offensive rebounds in 22 consecutive games.
• Wichita State held Temple to just 57 points, tied for a season low.
• Wichita State's 50 field goal attempts were a season low.
• Wichita State's one blocked shot also tied a season low.
• TJ Williams had his second straight game in double figures and ninth of the season.
• Kenyon Giles reached double figures for the 25th time this season and scored 20+ for the 14th time.
• Giles has made at least one three-pointer in 27 of the 28 games and multiple 24 of the 28.
• Emmanuel Okorafor recorded his first career double-double.
• He set career highs in points (13), free throws made (7) and free throw attempts (9). His 10 rebounds tied a career high.
• The trio of Giles, Okorafor and Williams accounted for 52 of Wichita State's 69 points.

KG THE BUCKET
• Kenyon Giles has 14 20-point games this season with nine of those coming in the 14 conference games with 26 at UAB, 27 at Charlotte,  a career-high 33 vs. North Texas, 22 at USF, 27 vs. ECU, 23 vs. Charlotte, 24 vs. South Florida, 31 vs. Tulsa, 24 at ECU and 27 vs. Temple. 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.
• His 14 games of 20 points or more are 6th most in a single season in program history. Cliff Levingston and Xavier McDaniel are next on the list at 15.
• He's only the fourth Shocker since 2000 to have multiple 30-point games in a season.
• 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.
• 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.

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 1,144 career points with 304 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.

FROM BEHIND THE ARC AND BEYOND
• Kenyon Giles is spearheading the long range bombing. He ranks 13th in the NCAA in total 3-pointers made (93), 15th in three-pointers per game (3.32), 10th in three-point attempts (242) and 66th in three-point percentage (38.4%).
• At the current pace, Giles is on track to break the single season school record for three-pointers made per game (3.32). His 8.64 three-point attempts per game would also be the most in a single season at Wichita State. He's already entered the single season Top 10 list for total three-pointers and is only 6 shy of tying the school record.
• 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).

CRASHIN THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
• KenPom ranks Wichita State 12th nationally in offensive rebound percentage at 38.0%. The Shockers average 14.6 offensive rebounds a game, which ranks 4th 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.
• Five Shockers have 30 or more offensive rebounds this season. The quintet of Will Berg, Karon Boyd, TJ Williams, Emmanuel Okorafor and Dillon Battie make up 70.6 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 4 steals to reach 100 and 30 rebounds to reach 800.
• 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 25 assists to reach 250 career assists.
• Michael Gray Jr. is 30 assists away from 150 for his career. He is 4 games shy of his 100th career game.
• Emmanuel Okorafor needs 41 rebounds to reach 300 for his career.
• Jaret Valencia is 94 points shy of 600 and 7 blocks away from 100 career blocked shots.

ON THIS DATE: FEBRUARY 26
• 1968 – In his final home game, senior Warren Armstrong tallied the last of his four career "triple-doubles" to lead the Shockers to a 95-88 win over Loyola Chicago.
• 1977 – Robert Elmore paired 17 points with 19 boards in a 74-66 win over West Texas State. It was the senior's 23rd-consecutive double-digit rebounding effort – a school record since exceeded only by Xavier McDaniel.
• 2011 – On the final day of the regular season, Wichita State lost a winner-take-all battle for the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title to Missouri State, 69-64, at JQH Arena in Springfield. The teams entered the day with identical 14-3 records.

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...                                                                     
... Make them 19-10 this season and 11-5 in American Conference play.
... Be their fourth straight win.
... Move them to 16-22 all time vs. Memphis and give them a regular season sweep of the Tigers for the first time ever.
... It would snap a seven-game losing streak in Memphis.
... Make Paul Mills 53-44 as Wichita State head coach.
... Give Mills 159 career coaching victories.
... Run their record to 1,710-1,289 all time.

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...                                                                     
... Drop them to 18-11 this season and 10-6 in American Conference play.
... Snap a three-game win streak.
... Move them to 15-23 all time vs. Memphis and give them a season split with the Tigers.
... Be their eighth straight loss in Memphis.
... Make Paul Mills 52-45 as Wichita State head coach.
... Lower Mills' career record to 158-129.
... Drop their record to 1,709-1,290 all time.

GAME 30: at UTSA                                                                     
• Wichita State is 4-1 all time vs. UTSA, but 0-1 vs. the Roadrunners in San Antonio.
• This is the only meeting between the two schools this season.
• UTSA enters the matchup at 5-22 and 1-14 in American play.
• Austin Claunch is in his second season as the head coach at UTSA.