Oral Roberts @ Wichita St. preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 19, 2018 ) Oral Roberts 63, Wichita St. 84

Wichita State will look to open its schedule with five consecutive wins for the fourth time in head coach Gregg Marshall’s 13-year tenure when the Shockers host Oral Roberts on Saturday. The Shockers have been using a balanced attack this season and Tuesday was no different during a wire-to-wire 74-52 victory over Gardner-Webb.

Marshall is getting quality minutes from everyone on his roster as seven of his players are averaging between 8.5 and 12 points while 11 are playing more than 10 minutes per game. Shockers guard Erik Stevenson has bought into the team game and is picking his spots better in his sophomore season as he’s tallied 20 points, six assists, three steals and no turnovers over his last two games. “(Stevenson)’s letting the game come to him,” Marshall told reporters. “His last two games have been really, really good. He’s playing the best basketball he’s played since he’s been here.” Oral Roberts sophomore Kevin Obanor matched his career-high with 31 points and pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds as the Golden Eagles ended a two-game losing streak with a 73-60 win over Rogers State on Tuesday.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT ORAL ROBERTS (2-3): The Golden Eagles pulled out a victory Tuesday without senior Emmanuel Nzekwesi, who made the All-Summit preseason first team and is averaging 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds this season. “That’s a really good win. I just don’t think people understand how good of a basketball team Rogers State is,” head coach Paul Mills told reporters. “I thought our guys did a good job of picking up the slack with Emmanuel out and doing things that we should do night in and night out. I’m very proud of the effort tonight.” Freshman guard Max Abmas is averaging a team-high 16.4 points and has hit 18 3-pointers through five games.

ABOUT WICHITA STATE (4-0): Sophomore Morris Udeze set a career-high for the second straight game as he followed up a 14-point performance against Tennessee Martin on Saturday with 15 points against Gardner-Webb. The Shockers have won the rebounding and turnover battles in every game this season and have held each of their opponents under 40-percent from the field. Wichita State opponents have committed 67 turnovers while converting just 49 two-point baskets through four games which has helped the Shockers put claim to the American Athletic Conference’s top scoring defense at 57.8 points allowed per game.

TIP-INS

1. The Shockers have won by double-digits 191 times in the last 10 seasons – second most in the country behind only Gonzaga (222).

2. Wichita State G Jamarius Burton set his career high in rebounds with eight (since matched on two occasions) when the Shockers defeated Oral Roberts 84-63 last December.

3. The Shockers enter Friday ranked fourth nationally with a 1.89-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio with Burton having the third best individual mark in the country at 10-to-1.

PREDICTION: Wichita State 77, Oral Roberts 61