Jan 06, 2021

Wichita State Shockers to challenge Houston

Posted Jan 06, 2021 11:58 AM

HOUSTON, Texas—Wichita State looks to continue its winning ways on the road and stay atop the American Athletic Conference standings when it travels to No. 11 Houston Wednesday night.

Opening Tips:

  1. The Shockers improved to 3-0 in true road games with Saturday's 83-79 non-conference victory at Ole Miss. Tyson Etienne scored a career-high 29 and WSU overcame a seven-point deficit in the final 8:00.
  2. WSU still hasn't played a conference home game but is 2-0 in AAC play after wins at Tulsa and USF.
  3. Houston's 74-60 victory at SMU on Sunday gave the Shockers sole possession of first-place for the first time since mid-January of last year when they started 3-0 ahead of six other one-loss teams.
  4. The NCAA released its first set of NET rankings on Monday. Six AAC schools are in the top-100: UH (7), SMU (48), WSU (63), Tulsa (66), UCF (72) &  Memphis (94).
  5. The Shockers are 2-1 in Quadrant-1 games, with road victories over Tulsa (66) and Ole Miss (62). Wednesday's game goes in that column. Their only losses have come at home to Mizzou (10) and Oklahoma State (35).
  6. WSU entered the week as one of just six Division I teams that are 3-0 or better on the road.
  7. As of Monday, WSU was one of seven with multiple Quadrant-1 road victories, joined by Houston, Villanova, Mizzou, Oklahoma State, Providence and Seton Hall.
  8. Beginning Wednesday against preseason favorite Houston, the Shockers (picked seventh) will play on the road this month against each of the top-4 teams in the AAC poll, continuing Jan. 17 at SMU (3rd), Jan. 21 at Memphis (2nd) and Jan. 27 at Cincinnati (4th).
  9. WSU won its first AAC era meeting with UH three years ago but is 0-5 since (0-2 at the Fertitta Center).
  10. A 76-43 loss at UH last year was WSU's worst since 2003.
  11. Etienne was selected for the AAC honor roll for a third time on Monday. He was also the league's player of the week on Dec. 28. The sophomore ranks among the league leaders in scoring (t-4th, 17.0), threes-per-game (t-3rd, 2.75), three-point percentage (4th, .373), free throw percentage (7th, .826) and assists (15th, 2.8).
  12. UConn grad transfer Alterique Gilbert leads the team in assists (3.3) and ranks second in scoring (11.6). He's reached double-figures in all six games against D-I foes.
  13. Junior forward Morris Udeze (8.1 ppg, 1.1 blocks) is a Houston native and a graduate of Fort Bend Travis High.
  14. The Shockers scored 83 points on 52% shooting against an Ole Miss team that ranked among the national leaders in both defensive categories. Houston has a similar resume, holding goes to 56.3 (5th) on 37.8% (18th).
  15. WSU will play at least 10 of its next 15 at home, beginning Sunday against Cincinnati (3:30 p.m. CT). Start time for that game has been pushed back 30 minutes to accomodate a national TV window on ESPN2.


WHO'S HOT:

  1. Tyson Etienne has topped the 20-point mark in two of the last three games (he played limited minutes against Newman in between). Saturday's 29-point performance at Ole Miss was his third 20-point effort of the season and the fifth of his career.
  2. Morris Udeze is shooting over 70% from the field over his last six games (19-of-27, .704). He's averaging 10.2 points in that span.
  3. Brown has been raving about the practice play of back-up center Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler, and we're beginning to see it for ourselves. The 6-9 junior scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting against Newman and knocked down 2-of-3 from deep. He gave WSU a big lift in its AAC opener at Tulsa, with nine of his 10 points and four of his five rebounds coming before halftime.


ALSO TRENDING:

  1. Forget bench points. What about bench rebounds? WSU ranks sixth nationally in that category (yes, it's a real category). Per RealGM reserves are averaging a combined 18.9 rebounds-per-game, 
  2. That number is propped up by a pair of newcomers: 6-6 freshman guard Ricky Council IV (5.6) and 6-7 sophomore forward Clarence Jackson (5.1).
  3. The Shockers haven't shot it well but tip the offensive scales in their favor by taking good care of the basketball (league-low 11.2 turnovers), crashing the offensive glass (13.4-per-game ranks 36th nationally) and getting to the foul line at a decent clip. Opponents have blocked just 15 shots in eight games.
  4. WSU's schedule is the nation's 34th-toughest, per NET, and ranks 24th according to KenPom's weighted data.
  5. The offense has had it particularly tough. Wednesday's game against Houston will be the Shockers' fifth against a KenPom top-40 defense.
  6. Isaac Brown is one of 13 head coaching rookies leading Division I programs on a full-time or interim basis in 2020-21 and the only coach on that list from a Major 7 conference (P5 + Big East + American). Brown's .750 winning percentage (6-2) is tops among that group.
  7. Brown is the first Shocker head coach in the modern era to win his first three games in hostile territory.
  8. The Shockers were outshot in each of their first five contests, during which they averaged 70.6 points on 37.7% shooting. They've turned the tables in each of the last three (at USF, Newman and at Ole Miss), averaging 82.0 points on 47.0%.
  9. The Shockers are 4-1 in close games (decided by five points in either direction).
  10. WSU's only losses have come to teams that are either ranked (Mizzou) or receiving votes (Oklahoma State). The Shockers had limited rosters for both games.


ROAD WARRIORS:

  1. WSU has been one the nation's best road teams over the last decade. Its .763 road winning percentage sicne the start of the 2010-11 season trails only to Gonzaga.
  2. The Shockers have won 14 of their last 19 in enemy territory going back to February, 2019.
  3. Wichita State is 17-12 in AAC road games in four seasons since joining. The Shockers are one of only three teams, along with Cincinnati (19-9) and Houston(19-11) that have a winning conference road record in that span.


THE RANKING FILE:

  1. WSU is seeking its first AP top-25 win since Jan. 9, 2020 when the 23rd-ranked Shockers downed No. 21 Memphis at Charles Koch Arena.
  2. No. 11 Houston is the highest-rated opponent that the Shockers have faced since falling to No. 10 Cincinnati at home on Mar. 4, 2018.
  3. The Shockers last top-25 road win came Feb. 18, 2019 at No. 5 Cincinnati. They also beat No. 16 Baylor on the road that year.
  4. WSU won at Oklahoma State on Dec. 8, 2019. The Cowboys were ranked 25th in the Coaches Poll at that time but were just outside the AP top-25.
  5. In fact, the Shockers went 3-1 last year against Coaches top-25 teams with wins over Memphis, VCU (also unranked in the AP) and Oklahoma State.


ON THIS DATE:  JAN. 6           
1931 -- The Shockers faced Tulsa for the first time ever. The schools are now up to 133 games (and counting).
1968 – WSU vanquished visiting Saint Louis, 77-72, after trailing by as many as 15 points at the 14:00-mark and by 10 with 5:30 remaining. Ron Mendell scored the go-ahead basket at the 2:27-mark.
1973 – In the third-place game at the University of Houston's Bluebonnet Classic, WSU finished off West Texas State, 66-62, behind Bob Wilson (21 points) and Rich Morsden (20). That tournament marked WSU's lone appearance at Hofheinz Pavilion (replaced in 2018 by the Fertitta Center). The Shockers had fallen to Texas A&M in the semifinal and did not face the host Cougars. 
1982 – A sellout crowd of 19,591 at Madison Square Garden watched the Shockers dismantle Iona, 97-78. It was WSU's first win at the historic venue after four NIT losses between 1954 and 1966. Cliff Levingston finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds and Aubrey Sherrod scored 22 on 9-of-10 shooting for the Shockers, who shot 64.9 percent from the field, including 17-of-22 in the second half (.773).
1987 – WSU upset Danny Manning and No. 16 Kansas at Levitt Arena, 54-49.
1988 – Joe Griffin set a school record with 16 assists (11 of them before halftime) in a 94-72 win over Oral Roberts.

LITTLE GUYS; BIG UPS:

  1. 5-foot-11 Trevin Wade dunked against Newman (twice actually), becoming the shortest Shocker to record one in a regular season game. 
  2. Three guys listed at 6-feet even have done it -- most recently Samajae Haynes-Jones, who converted his only career slam in the 2019 NIT at Madison Square Garden. Robert George dunked 14 times in his two seasons (1990-92).

Shortest Shocker Dunkers (1976-Pr.):
5-11 – Trevin Wade (2020-21) – 2
6-0 – Robert George (1990-92) – 14
6-0 – Terrance Flowers (1993-96) – 3
6-0 – Samajae Haynes-Jones (2017-19) -- 1
6-1 -- Daishon Smith (2016-17) -- 3
6-1 -- Wendell Preadom (2005-08) -- 1


SCOUTING HOUSTON:

  1. Houston (7-1, 3-1) is in search of its third straight AAC title. The Cougars were tri-champs in 2020 and outright winners on 2019 on their way to the Sweet 16.
  2. Houston is grinding out wins with an elite defense and pure stubbornness on the offensive end. The Cougars are dominating both rebounding (+9.4) and turnover margins (+4.67) and are holding opponents to just 56.3 points (fifth nationally) on 37.8 percent shooting (18th). They're shooting less than 41% for the year but enter the week ranked ninth nationally in offensive rebounds-per-game (15.2).
  3. UH was a unanimous favorite in the league's preseason poll and reached No. 5 in the rankings after a 7-0 start. The Cougars suffered their first loss last Tuesday at Tulsa but bounced back Sunday to hand SMU its first loss.
  4. Kansas transfer Quentin Grimes tops the team at 17.7 points and also averages 7.0 boards. Led by Grimes (42-of-57, .894), UH has made over 74% of its free throws.
  5. Marcus Sasser (15.3 points) is the AAC's best three-point shooter by volume (3.1-per-game).
  6. Caleb Mills – the AAC's preseason player of the year – has played in just four games this year.
  7. Dejon Jarreau is a stat-stuffer at 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and a team-high 3.4 assists.
  8. Glue guy Justin Gorham is the team's leading rebounder (8.8) and is coming off a 19-rebound performance at SMU. He's the nation's third-best offensive rebounder (4.8) after snagging nine of them on Sunday.


MATCHUP MASHUP:  

  1. Junior forward Morris Udeze is a Houston native and a 2017 graduate of Fort Bend Travis High He played a year of prep school ball in Florida before signing.
  2. No current Shockers has taken part in a win over Houston, save for Alterique Gilbert, who had nine points and three assists in UConn's, 77-71, senior night over the Cougars at Gampel Pavilion.
  3. WSU has had at least one Houston-area native on every roster since the 2001-02 season. That run began with 1,600-point scorer Randy Burns (out of Booker T. Washington High School). P.J. Couisnard and Karon Bradley were key contributors on the Shockers' 2006 Sweet 16 team. Toure' Murry (Kelin Forrest HS) finished with 1,539 points from 2008-12 and went on to play parts of two NBA seasons.
  4. The Cougars are grabbing over 40% of their own misses (.404 ranks fourth nationally)…  WSU has led the league in defensive rebounding percentage in two of the last three years but ranks 10th out of 11 AAC teams in 2020-21 (.669 down from .759 in 2019-20).
  5. Houston foes are shooting just 24.5% from three, and the Shockers are holding opponents to 28.5% from deep. Those are the two-best marks in The American.
  6. Houston ranks fifth nationally in scoring defense. The Cougars have held seven of their nine opponents to 60 points-or-less. None have managed more than 67.
  7. WSU has scored at least 62 in every game and topped 80 in each of its last three contests.
  8. Over the last two seasons, the Shockers are 26-1 when scoring at least 65 and 1-9 when scoring less than 65.
  9. The Shockers have the AAC's second-highest scoring offense (74.9 ppg), trailing only SMU (80.7). Houston held the Mustangs to 60 Sunday at Moody Coliseum.


THE SERIES:

  1. This is the 32nd meeting all-time. WSU leads the series 17-14.
  2. The Cougars have won five of the six encounters in the AAC era, including all three in Houston (two at Fertitta Center and one at Texas Southern's H&PE Arena).
  3. Houston's 65-54 win at Charles Koch Arena last season ended a 14-game home winning streak. The Cougars finished out the sweep with a 76-43 win at the Fertitta Center on Feb. 9, 2020 (WSU's worst loss since 2003).
  4. The Shockers are 3-10 against the Cougars in Houston.
  5. WSU last defeated UH on its home floor on Jan. 2, 1960 (the Cougars' final year in the MVC).
  6. The Shockers' last win in Houston came 38 years ago to the day (Jan. 6, 1973) at Hofheinz Pavilion when they took down West Texas State in the Bluebonnet Classic consolation game.


A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... make them 7-2 with six-straight wins.
... up their conference record to 3-0.
... make them 4-0 in true road games with wins in 15 of their last 20 since February, 2019.
... snap a five-game losing streak against Houston (2-5 AAC era) and make them 18-14 all-time.
... be their first at UH since 1960 (4-10).
... be their first over an AP top-25 foe since Jan. 9, 2020 when they defeated Memphis in Wichita.
... be their first AP top-25 road win since the 2017-18 season when they won at both No. 5 Cincinnati (Feb. 18, 2018) and No. 16 Baylor (Dec. 2, 2017).
... be their first win over a top-25 Coaches Poll team since Dec. 8, 2019 at No. 25 Oklahoma State (which was also receiving AP votes).

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... drop them to 6-3 and snap a five-game win streak.
... be their first conference loss (2-1).
... be their first true road loss (3-1).
... be their sixth-straight to Houston (1-6 AAC era).
... narrow their all-time series lead on UH to 17-15.

UP NEXT:
The Shockers return home to face Cincinnati (Sunday, 3:30 p.m. CT). Tipoff has been moved back 30 minutes to accomodate a national broadcast window on ESPN2.
UC is trying to become the first visiting team to win four-straight at Charles Koch Arena since its 2003 renovation.

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