Houston @ Wichita St. preview

Houston at Wichita St.

Ninth-ranked Wichita State will put its 25-game home winning streak on the line when it hosts Houston on Thursday in the first meeting of the new American Athletic Conference rivals since 2005. The Shockers have won 65 of their last 66 home games.

It’s a matchup of the league’s top two shooting teams as Wichita State leads the AAC with a 48.3 percent clip, narrowly edging Houston’s 48.2 percent mark. The Shockers won their American debut 72-62 at Connecticut on Saturday, and have captured three straight and seven of their last eight overall contests. The Cougars held on for a 76-73 victory over visiting Temple on Saturday despite receiving just eight points from Rob Gray, the conference’s leading scorer at 19 per game. Houston has won four straight games and 11 of its last 12.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT HOUSTON (12-2, 2-0 American): The Cougars have a dangerous backcourt led by Gray, who had his streak of 43 consecutive games with a double-digit point total snapped against the Owls. Backcourt mate Corey Davis Jr. (11.1 points) and reserve guard Armoni Brooks (9.9) both can light it up from 3-point range. Houston doesn’t have a wealth of size in the frontcourt, but 6-6 forward Devin Davis (11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds) has been effective.

ABOUT WICHITA STATE (11-2, 1-0): The Shockers make a league-best 9.5 3-pointers per game, well ahead of last season’s school-record pace of 8.8. Leading scorer Landry Shamet (17 points, 4.7 assists) leads the way, hitting 52.9 percent from long range with a team-high 36 3-pointers, and Conner Frankamp (11.5 points) also likes to shoot from beyond the arc. The Shockers also get it done in the paint, though, as they rank fourth nationally in rebounding margin - with Darral Willis Jr. (12.4 points, 7.2 rebounds) and Rashard Kelly (5.9, 8.2) leading the way.

TIP-INS

1. Wichita State has finished even or better on the boards in all 13 games this season and 18 straight dating to last March, while Houston has outrebounded 13 of its 14 opponents.

2. Shamet has made at least three 3-pointers in six of his last seven games, and Frankamp has recorded at least one in a school-record 34 consecutive games.

3. Houston F Breaon Brady is averaging 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two conference games, well above his season averages of 5.8 and 5.4.

PREDICTION: Wichita State 79, Houston 74