Central Arkansas @ Wichita St. preview

Wichita State fell short in its pursuit of a becoming the first team to win multiple Cancun Challenge titles and the Shockers return home to face Central Arkansas on Thursday. In a battle of unbeaten teams, the Shockers were the ones to suffer their first defeat as West Virginia came away with a 75-63 victory in the tournament’s championship game last Wednesday.

Sophomore guard Erik Stevenson earned a place on the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll for the first time in his career after matching his personal-best with 22 points against the Mountaineers. Stevenson entered Wednesday ranked seventh nationally with a 4.6 assist-to-turnover ratio while leading Wichita State in scoring (13.6) and assists (3.3). The Shockers have done a great job of limiting turnovers most of the season, committing an uncharacteristic 13 in the first half of their 70-47 win over South Carolina in the semifinal of the Cancun Challenge before proceeding to commit just 12 over their next three halves. Central Arkansas will get back on the court after a 12-day break and is hoping to reverse its fortunes as the Bears enter with a five-game losing streak after a 78-72 overtime loss to Prairie View A&M on Nov. 23.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT CENTRAL ARKANSAS (1-6): Junior Hayden Koval entered Wednesday tied for fourth nationally with four blocks per game and is third among active players in career blocks with 205. The 7-0 Koval is the averaging a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game while junior guard Rylan Bergersen leads the squad in scoring with 14.1 points per game. The Bears are averaging 70 points per game in spite of their outside shooting as they hit just 28.6 percent of their shots from behind the arc.

ABOUT WICHITA STATE (6-1): The Shockers are coming off their worst defensive performance of the season as West Virginia’s 75 points and 41 percent shooting were both opponent highs. They produced a season-low six assists in the game and were hammered on the boards 48-31 - the first time the Shockers were outrebounded this season. In just his third game back after missing a month with a broken hand, senior Jaime Echenique posted his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds off the bench against the Mountaineers.

TIP-INS

1. Wichita State G Jamarius Burton has made 6-of-10 shots from 3-point range this season after going just 10-for-38 from downtown as a freshman last season.

2. Stevenson is the third Shocker to make the AAC’s Honor Roll this season joining G Dexter Dennis (Nov. 11) and Burton (Nov. 18).

3. This will be the first meeting between the programs with the Shockers holding a 16-2 all-time record against current members of the Southland Conference.

PREDICTION: Wichita State 80, Central Arkansas 56