East Carolina @ Wichita St. preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 14, 2019 ) East Carolina 57, Wichita St. 73

Wichita State enjoyed a decade of excellence that put it on college basketball's national stage, reeling off multiple 30-win seasons and one Final Four run. The Shockers look as if they'll begin the next decade on a similarly high note as they streak into 2020 to face visiting East Carolina on Wednesday in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

Since suffering its lone loss of the season to West Virginia in the Cancun Classic, Wichita State has strung together five straight wins, including triumphs over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, a previously-ranked VCU squad and - most recently - an 84-66 victory against Abilene Christian. "It was good for us to end 2019 with a win like we did," freshman guard Tyson Etienne told reporters after Sunday's defeat of the Wildcats. "It's just setting the tone for the next decade and what we'll do in the 2020s. I'm grateful to be able to close out an amazing decade for Shocker basketball, one of the greatest programs in college sports." The Pirates rebounded from a 2-7 start by winning each of their last four games. Star sophomore Jayden Gardner had 25 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's 82-74 win over Eastern Kentucky.

TIME: 3 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (6-7): Gardner leads the AAC in scoring by a comfortable margin at 20.7 points per game, and he entered Tuesday third in rebounding (9.2). He was 9-of-14 from the floor in Saturday's win and received some solid support from junior guard Tyrie Jackson, who scored 16 points to push his average to 10.8 - second on the team - as the Pirates stayed hot by putting up 50 points in the second half. "We talk to our guys we need to make this an expectation," coach Joe Dooley told reporters. "That's building things over the course of time. And not taking winning for granted either. It's not easy."

ABOUT WICHITA STATE (11-1): Sophomore guard Erik Stevenson leads a balanced scoring attack with 12.6 points per game, as seven others average between 6.3 and 11.2 points. Freshman guard Grant Sherfield (9.6) posted his first career double-double with 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting and 11 rebounds in Sunday's win, while fellow reserve DeAntoni Gordon stood out with seven rebounds and a block in his first action since Dec. 8. "I'm so happy for him," senior center Jaime Echenique told reporters of Gordon. "In practice, he's so patient and he doesn't ever put his head down. He's always ready for his time coming."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Gardner has five straight games with at least 22 points.

2. Etienne hit 3-of-4 from 3-point range against Abilene Christian and entered Tuesday second among qualified AAC shooters at 47 percent beyond the arc.

3. Wichita State won all four meetings since it joined the AAC before the 2017-18 season.

PREDICTION: Wichita State 75, East Carolina 63