Wichita St. @ Oklahoma State preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 17, 2016 ) Oklahoma State 93, Wichita St. 76

With all five starters returning from a team that won 31 games a season ago, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall has challenged his veteran squad in the non-conference schedule while it prepares for its first foray into the American Athletic Conference. The No. 6 Shockers continue their preparation when they visit Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Wichita State lost by one point to eighth-ranked Notre Dame in in the Maui Classic but has knocked off California, Marquette, No. 22 Baylor and NCAA Tournament-tested South Dakota State 95-85 on Tuesday. The Shockers trailed by as many as 13 in the second half but used an 18-1 run to pull ahead as Landry Shamet had 21 points and eight assists, and Shaquille Morris added 15 of his 20 points in the second half. “(These games) prepare you for that type of stuff and being in those type of situations," Morris said after the game. "Coach loves to throw adversity into our practice, so when we get into situations like tonight we know how to stay poised and execute down the stretch." The Cowboys are off to a 7-1 start under first-year coach Mike Boynton, but they’ve split their two games against major-conference teams with the win coming over a Pittsburgh team that returns just three career starts from a season ago.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT WICHITA STATE (7-1): The Shockers shot 55.1 percent against from the floor against the Jackrabbits and won for the first time in nine games over the past three years while allowing an opponent to shoot 50 percent. "It was a bad scheme on our part," Marshall said. "We confused them and had too many concepts. In the second half, we decided to switch all ball screens, (guards and wings), regardless of who their matchups were. ... The resolve, the toughness, the refuse-to-lose attitude, all of those things were what carried us tonight." Morris and Shamet lead the team in scoring at 14.6 points apiece, followed by Darral Willis Jr. at 11.6 points and Connor Frankamp at 11.5 points per game. Shamet leads the team in assists (4.3) and is shooting 19-of-36 beyond the arc as well as 16-of-17 from the line.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (7-1): Senior guard Kendall Smith scored 14 points and added five assists and the Cowboys shot a season-best 53 percent in an 83-62 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Sunday. Boynton has stressed defense and his team has responded, allowing just 62.3 points per game on 39.8 percent shooting while forcing 16.5 turnovers per game. Senior forward Jeffrey Carroll leads the team with 14.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game with Smith (10.8 points, team-high 3.9 assists) and sophomore guard Thomas Dziagwa (10.5 points, 24-of-48 on 3-pointers) as the only other double-digit scorers.

TIP-INS

1. The Shockers have won seven straight road games and are a national-best 42-6 in true road games since the start of the 2013-14 campaign.

2. The Cowboys have won four straight overall and 15 straight non-conference home games. They are 210-6 (.967) in non-conference games since 1989.

3. Wichita State G Conner Frankamp has 23 assists and four turnovers for the season - a 5.75 assist-to-turnover ratio.

PREDICTION: Wichita State 74, Oklahoma State 62