Shockers Host Sooners Saturday at INTRUST Bank Arena

Wichita State vs Oklahoma at Intrust Arena Dec. 14th

OKLAHOMA (7-1) at WICHITA STATE (8-1)

SATURDAY, DEC. 14, 2019 | 5:05 P.M. CT

WICHITA, KAN. / INTRUST BANK ARENA (15,004)

TV: ESPN2 (WatchESPN)

RADIO: KEYN 103.7 (GoShockers.com/Listen)

SERIES: OU LEADS 6-2 (3-1 in Wichita)

WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State plays its 10th annual downtown game at 5 p.m. CT Saturday against the Oklahoma Sooners inside INTRUST Bank Arena.

Sunday's matchup airs nationally on ESPN2 and is also available on the ESPN App, accessible on computers, smart phones, tablets and other devices, to fans who receive their video subscription through an affiliated provider. Chuckie Kempf and Robbie Hummel have the call.

Division I college basketball's most-tenured tandem, Mike Kennedy and Dave Dahl, tip off their 39th season together on radio (KEYN 103.7 FM and online at goshockers.com/listen). Kennedy, who is now in his 40th year as Voice of the Shockers, will call is 1,237th consecutive game.

Catch the Gregg Marshall Show on Monday nights throughout the season. Join host Mike Kennedy and Coach Marshall LIVE from 6-7 p.m. at A.J.'s Sports Grill at The Alley, or listen on KFH (97.5 FM / 1240 AM). The show is rebroadcast in a television format Mondays at 9 p.m. on YurView Kansas (Cox 2022). Upcoming Shows Dates: Dec. 16, Jan. 6, Jan. 13, Jan. 27

Tickets are still available. To Purchase call 855-755-SEAT, log on to selectaseat.com or visit the Select-A-Seat Box Office at INTRUST Bank Arena.

OPENING TIPS:

The Shockers are 7-2 at INTRUST Bank Arena. Last December they defeated Southern Miss, 63-60.
The Sooners are one of just two visiting teams that have beaten the Shockers downtown (OSU is the other). On Dec. 16, 2017, in a battle of future first round draft picks, WSU's Landry Shamet finished with 17 points and five assists, but OU's Trae Young scored 29 and set an arena-record with 10 assists to lead the Sooners past the third-ranked Shockers, 91-83.
The teams play for the fourth-consecutive year. WSU won in 2016 in Oklahoma City but has dropped the last two meetings. OU leads 6-2 all-time (3-1 in Wichita).
Both teams received votes in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll. The Shockers tallied six points -- up from four last week.
WSU has an eight-game home winning streak dating back to last February. The Shockers are 6-0 in Wichita this year and 122-11 (.917) since the 2011-12 season.
The Shockers boast the nation's 11th best defense, per KenPom's efficiency ratings and rank 39th overall.
WSU begins a six-game homestand -- its longest since the 2002-03 season. The stretch includes four 2019 NCAA tournament teams (OU, VCU, ACU & Ole Miss) and concludes with nationally-ranked Memphis on Jan. 9.
The Shockers are coming off an 80-61 win on Sunday at [rv/25] Oklahoma State. AAC Freshman of the Week Tyson Etienne scored a game-high 19 points on five threes. Jamarius Burton (AAC weekly honor roll) handed out a career-high 11 assists with one turnover to go with seven points, eight boards and three steals.
The Shockers rank among the national leaders in turnover margin (15th, +5.7, A:TO ratio (21st, 1.38) and scoring margin (20th, +16.4).
Burton (26th, 2.82) and Erik Stevenson (9th, 3.86) are among the nation's top-30 in A:TO ratio.
Stevenson (team-high 13.4 points) has reached double-figures seven times and has two 20-point games. He's 11-of-28 (.393) from three over his last four games.

SCOUTING THE SOONERS:

Oklahoma returns three starters from its 2018-19 team that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament but lost seven other letter-winners from that group.
Big 12 coaches picked the Sooners to finish eighth out of 10 teams in the league's preseason poll (one point behind seventh-place Iowa State).
The Sooners are out to a 7-1 start that includes neutral court wins over Minnesota, Oregon State and Missouri. OU's only loss came to Stanford (73-54) in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.
OU has played just three home games so far. This will be the team's sixth road or neutral site game. The Sooners last saw action Dec. 5 at North Texas where they rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to win 82-80.
A trio of Sooners do the bulk of the scoring -- each averaging more than 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds.
6-foot-9 Brady Manek (14.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection last year.
6-7 senior Kristian Doolittle (16.0 ppg, 8.4 rpg) was the BIg 12's Most Improved Player in 2018-19 and was an honorable mention preseason All-Big 12 pick back in October.
Junior guard Austin Reaves (a former Shocker) leads the team in scoring (17.6) and minutes (34.9).
Sophomore guard Jamal Bieniemy leads the teams in assists (22) and steals (12).
OU has thrived with mistake-free basketball. The Sooners rank among the nation's top-10 in fewest turnovers (9th, 10.4) and fewest fouls (5th, 12.9).

MATCHUP MASHUP:

22nd year WSU head coach Gregg Marshall (510-197) and OU's Lon Kruger (646-410 in 34 seasons) have combined for 1,156 career victories.
A native of Silver Lake, Kan., Kruger played and coached at Kansas State. As a head coach he's 9-2 all-time against the Shockers (4-1 at KSU, 2-0 at Florida, 1-0 at Illinois and 2-1 at OU).
Marshall is 1-2 against Kruger and 1-3 overall against the Sooners, having previously coached Winthrop against OU in the first round of the 2000 NCAA tournament.
Sooner junior Austin Reaves played his first two seasons at WSU before transferring to OU. He sat the 2018-19 season, per NCAA transfer rules. Reaves averaged 6.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists over 66 games. He shot 45.1% from three (82-of-182). As a sophomore he set a school record with seven three-pointers in the first half of a home win over Tulsa.
OU first-year assistant Pooh Williamson worked two seasons under Mark Turgeon at Wichita State (2005-07) and helped the Shockers to the 2006 Sweet 16.
OU first-year assistant Jim Molinari's name might also be familiar to a few longtime Shocker fans. He was head coach at Bradley for 11 seasons (1991-02) and faced WSU 24 times during that span.

THE SERIES:

WSU and Oklahoma meet for the fourth-consecutive year. The December, 2016 game ended a 41-year series hiatus. The Shockers won that game (played in Oklahoma City) but have dropped the last two encounters.
The Sooners lead 6-2 all-time (3-1 in Wichita)
OU won all three pre-World War II matchups. The first modern era games came in 1974 and 1975. OU won by 20 in Norman, but the Shockers avenged the loss a year later with a 65-60 victory at Levitt Arena. Robert Elmore scored 20 points in both games.

Dec. 10, 2016 – Oklahoma City -- WSU 76, OU 73

In the final installment of the All-College Classic, game MVP Daishon Smith scored all 13 of his points in the second half (highlighted by a SportsCenter top-10 dunk) and finished with six assists. Edmond, Okla. native Shaquille Morris tallied seven points, six rebounds and five blocks.

Dec. 16, 2017 – Wichita – OU 91, WSU 83

In a battle of future NBA first round draft picks, WSU sophomore Landry Shamet finished with 17 points and five assists, but OU (ranked 24th in the Coaches Poll) upset the third-ranked Shockers behind freshman Trae Young's 29 points and arena-record 10 assists… Darral Willis Jr. recorded a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds… The loss snapped a 14-game home winning streak for WSU… OU led 54-39 at halftime thanks to 10 first-half threes.

Dec. 8, 2018 – Oklahoma City -- OU 80, WSU 48

Markis McDuffie (19 pts, 7 reb, 3 stl) scored his 1,000th career point, but WSU otherwise struggled in its first road game…. Erik Stevenson tallied eight points, five rebounds and a pair of steals off the bench… The 32-point margin marked WSU's worst loss under Marshall. WSU's shooting (24.2%) and rebounding (-19 margin) numbers were its worst in more than 20 years… The Shockers trailed by eight at halftime, 35-27, despite shooting just 28%... Jaime Echenique's three-pointer sliced the margin to five, 35-30, but OU outscored WSU 29-6 over the next 11 minutes... WSU's shooting slump deepened in the second half when it hit just 4-of-16.

TRENDING:

Shockers foes are shooting just 41.2% from inside the arc (16th nationally).
The Shockers opened the 2018-19 campaign at 8-11 but are 22-5 since.
Last year's team didn't reach the eight-win mark until Jan. 16. Win No. 9 didn't come until Jan. 30.
WSU is now guaranteed a winning non-conference record for the 22nd-consecutive season.
Wichita State is 65-18 (.783) under Gregg Marshall in the month of December.
The Shockers have won the turnover battle in eight of their nine games this year (-4 vs. ORU on Nov. 23).
The Shockers have won the rebounding battle in eight of their nine games this year (-17 vs. WVU on Nov. 27).
The Shockers forced 26 steals in their two games last week against Central Arkansas and Oklahoma State. Their 7.9 steals-per-game this year would be the best by a Shocker team in 22 years.
WSU forces an average of 17.44 turnovers-per-game (37th nationally). The Shockers forced 30 against UCA last Thursday and 18 more at OSU.
WSU leads the AAC in assists (16.2, turnover margin (+5.56) and A:TO ratio (1.4).
WSU also averages a league-best 8.7 threes-per-game. Despite a longer three-point distance, the Shockers are shooting 34.7% as a team -- up from 30.8% a year ago.
The five Shockers newcomers have combined to hit 40.4% from deep (42-of-104, led by Tyson Etienne (24-of-52, .462) and Trey Wade (10-of-24, .417).
The Shockers are outscoring opponents by an average of 25.1 points-per-40-minutes with sophomore Erik Stevenson on the floor. Jamarius Burton (24.9, Jaime Echenique (24.0) and Trey Wade (20.6) are also north of the 20-mark.
WSU's streak of seven-straight true road wins (the nation's second-longest active run) goes back to last February. It includes power five victories at Clemson, Indiana and now OSU.

POP'N FRESHMAN:

KenPom rates freshman Tyson Etienne as one of the nation's most-efficient offensive peformers. His O-Rating ranks second nationally among freshmen and No. 19 overall (players utilized on at least 20% of possessions).

KenPom Offensive Efficiency – Freshmen (min. 20% of possessions used):1. Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana) -- 131.8 (21.4%)2. Tyson Etienne (Wichita St.) -- 128.3 (20.7%)3. Zeke Nnaji (Arizona) -- 122.4 (24.9%)4. Onyeka Okongwu (USC) -- 122.1 (25.4%)5. Nico Mannion (Arizona) -- 119.0 (24.8%)6. Vernon Carey (Duke) -- 118.5 (30.4%)KenPom.com // As of Dec. 11, 2019

Etienne share the American Athletic Conference lead in both three-pointers-per-game (2.67) and three-point percentage (.462). The latter ranks No. 22 nationally (min. 2.5 threes-per-game).
Etienne is on track to break a pair of WSU freshmen three-point shooting records. 27 years ago, Chad Elstun averaged 2.19 threes-per-game. Landry Shamet hit 72 triples as a redshirt freshman in 2016-17, but Etienne is on pace for 82 by the end of the regular season.
Etienne is also on pace for 41 steals, which would challenge Toure' Murry's rookie mark (44 in 2008-09).

SOME LINES ABOUT LINEUPS:

Which players begin the game rarely ends up mattering on a prototypical Marshall squad. He's used 147 different combinations this year.
11 different Shockers are averaging 10+ minutes (with a 12th -- DeAntoni Gordon -- clocking 8.6-per-game).
Eight Shockers are averaging 5.0+ points-per-game.
Shocker reserves are averaging 29.0 points collectively and a bench player has led the scoring on four occasions already.
Erik Stevenson (5x, Trey Wade (3x, Dexter Dennis (2x) and Grant Sherfield (2x) are the only Shockers who have clocked more than 30 minutes in a game this season.
10 different Shockers have started a game this year, and only Wade and Stevenson have been in the lineup for all nine.
Marshall has started four different centers this year. Jaime Echenique (last year's starter) moved into the lineup on Dec. 5 against Central Arkansas.

BOLSTERED BY BURTON:

Jamarius Burton has scored in double-figures in five of his seven games since returning from an ankle injury suffered four minutes into the season opener. In that span, Burton is averaging 11.3 points, 4.3 assists in 23.4 minutes shooting 49.2% from the field.
Burton spent the off-season refining his jumper, and the work has paid off. He's hit half of his threes this year (7/14) compared to 10-of-38 as a freshman (.263).
Burton flirted with a triple-double in the win at Oklahoma State, finishing with seven points, eight rebounds, 11 assists, three steals and just one turnover. He took a seat with more than 5:00 to play and the Shockers leading comfortably.
Burton's 11 assists at OSU were a career-high and tied for the second-most ever by a Shocker in a road game.

Most Assists in a True Road Game (WSU, All-Time):

13 -- Bob Trogele – at DePaul (12/10/1977)

11 -- Bill Lang -- at Oregon St. (12/1/1972)

11 -- Landry Shamet -- at ECU (1/11/2018)

11 -- Jamarius Burton -- at Oklahoma St. (12/8/2019)

WICHITA STATE AT INTRUST BANK ARENA:

Wichita State annually hosts a non-conference men's basketball date downtown. Past Shocker opponents include Tulsa (2010, UAB (2011, Southern Miss (2012 & 2018, Tennessee (2013, Saint Louis (2014, Utah (2015, Oklahoma State (2016) and Oklahoma (2017 & 2019). WSU is 7-2 all-time at the arena and has played four games there in front of capacity crowds.

Dec. 21, 2010 -- WSU 82, Tulsa 79

WSU's first appearance in the new building came against its oldest rival. The crowd of 14,112 was, at the time, the largest to ever watch a college basketball game in Wichita. David Kyles hit three treys in the first two minutes of the game and scored 14 of the Shockers' first 16 points. Garrett Stutz added 20 points, and the Shockers sent the fans home happy.

Nov. 25, 2011 -- WSU 68, UAB 46

One of the best defensive performances of the Gregg Marshall era came in year-two of the downtown series, when WSU held a UAB team fresh off a Conference USA title and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament to just 46 points.

Dec. 22, 2012 -- WSU 59, Southern Miss 51

In another defensive masterpiece against a Southern Miss squad that would go on to post 27 wins, WSU overcame a 12-point second half deficit by limiting the Eagles to four points over the final eight minutes.

Dec. 14, 2013 -- #12 WSU 70, Tennessee 61

WSU clinched the best start in school history by beating eventual Sweet-16 qualifier Tennessee, 70-61, to improve to 10-0. Tekele Cotton led the way with 19 points.

Dec. 6, 2014 -- #8 WSU 81, Saint Louis 52

The Shockers posted the most lopsided win in INTRUST Bank Arena history in December of 2014, crushing defending Atlantic-10 champion, Saint Louis by 29 points.

Dec. 12, 2015 -- WSU 67, #25 Utah 50

WSU committed just three turnovers while forcing 19 in a 17-point rout of nationally-ranked Utah. Markis McDuffie connected on four of his five three-point attempts.

Dec. 17, 2016 -- Oklahoma State 93, WSU 76

Darral Willis Jr. scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds (nine of them on the offensive glass, but the double-double wasn't enough to overcome a red-hot OSU, which knocked down 14 threes.

Dec. 16, 2017 -- Oklahoma 91, #3 Wichita State 83

Freshman standout Trae Young scored 29 points and dished out an arena-record 10 assists to lead a Sooner team that came in ranked 24th in the Coaches Poll. A consensus first team All-American, Young was selected No. 5 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. WSU's Darral Willis Jr. became the first player with multiple 20-point games at the arena, finishing with his second double-double in as many trips (20 pts, 12 reb).

Dec. 15, 2019 -- Wichita State 63, Southern Miss 60

Jaime Echenique's alley-oop from Ricky Torres provided the go-ahead basket with 40.7 seconds left and the Shockers -- who had led by as many as 17 points near the 14:00-mark -- survived USM's comeback bid.

INTRUST BANK ARENA RECORDS:

Team Bests:

Points: 94 – Seton Hall vs. NC State (3/15/18)

3-Pointers: 14 – 2x, Last: Oklahoma St. at Wichita St. (12/17/16)

Free Throws: 35 -- Wichita State vs. Oklahoma St. (12/17/16)

Rebounds: 44 – 2x, Last: San Diego St. vs. Houston (3/15/18)

Assists: 20 – Wichita St. vs. Saint Louis (12/6/14)

Blocks: 8 – Wichita St., 2x, Last: vs. Oklahoma St. (12/17/16)

Steals: 10 – Kansas St. vs. West Virginia (2ot) (12/8/11)

Individual Bests:

Points: 39 – Rob Gray (Houston) vs. San Diego St. (3/15/18)

3-Pointers: 6 – Justin Hurtt (Tulsa) at Wichita St. (12/21/10)

Free Throws: 14 – Darral Willis Jr. (WSU) vs. Oklahoma St. (12/17/16)

Rebounds: 23 – Angel Delgado (Seton Hall) vs. Kansas (3/17/18)

Assists: 10 – Trae Young (Oklahoma) at Wichita St. (12/16/17)

Steals: 4 – 2x, Last: Ron Baker (WSU) vs. Utah (12/12/15)

Blocks: 4 – Jamuni McNeace (Oklahoma) at Wichita St. (12/16/17)

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD….

... make them 9-1 on the year.

... give them nine-straight home wins.

... make them 8-2 all-time at IBA (1-1 vs. OU).

... make Marshall 2-3 vs. OU (2-2 as WSU coach).

... make Marshall 9-6 vs. Big 12 opponents at WSU.

... make WSU 3-0 against teams from Oklahoma (OU, OSU, ORU) with two still to play against Tulsa.

... make WSU 3-6 vs. OU (2-3 in Wichita, 1-1 at IBA).

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…

... drop them to 8-2.

... snap an eight-game home winning streak.

... make them 7-3 at IBA (0-2 vs. OU).

... give OU a 7-2 series lead with three-straight wins.

... make WSU 2-10 all-time vs. Lon Kruger.

... be just their 12th setback in Wichita in the last nine seasons (122-12).

... be less good than a win.

UP NEXT:

Wichita State battles VCU on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Charles Koch Arena. The 11 a.m. tip airs on ESPN2.
It's the back-end of a home-and-home that began last December in Richmond, Va. (70-54, VCU).
In their last visit to Wichita (Feb., 2011, the Final Four-bound Rams edged the NIT Champion Shockers on a last-second free throw.

Shockers Host Sooners Saturday at INTRUST Bank Arena

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