Wichita St. @ Tulsa preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) Tulsa 68, Wichita St. 79

After a disappointing 1-6 start to conference play, Wichita State reeled off four straight victories before falling 72-62 to No. 25 Cincinnati on Sunday. The Shockers are hoping a date with a familiar foe will get them back in the win column as they visit Tulsa on Wednesday for the 130th all-time meeting between the programs - with Wichita State winning 11 of the last 12 in the series.

Although the Shockers suffered through their worst shooting performance in two months on Sunday (26.8 percent), they had a positive outcome on the glass as they outrebounded the Bearcats 51-42 and turned 19 offensive boards into 24 second-chance points. “It’s about small victories for us,” Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall told reporters after his team fell to 1-7 in true road games. “We didn’t win (Sunday’s) game – we weren’t supposed to win the game. (The Bearcats are) a very good team with a great home-court advantage. But we saw positives.” Tulsa’s only setback in its last five contests was a 79-68 defeat at Wichita State on Feb. 2 and it will be seeking revenge on its home court, where it owns a 12-2 record this season - losing only to conference-leader Cincinnati and eighth-ranked Houston. The Golden Hurricane needed overtime on Sunday to extend their winning streak to three games as they posted a 77-73 road triumph over East Carolina that saw six players hit double digits in scoring - including junior Martins Igbanu, who was 7-for-8 from the floor en route to team highs of 16 points and eight rebounds.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT WICHITA STATE (12-12, 5-7 American): Dexter Dennis recorded team highs of 14 points and 13 rebounds on Sunday for his first career double-double and the first by a Shockers freshman in 11 years. Wichita State got encouraging contributions from its three centers - Jaime Echenique, Asbjorn Midtgaard and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler, who combined for 17 points, 25 rebounds and six blocks against the Bearcats. In the Shockers’ victory over the Golden Hurricane on Feb. 2, Markis McDuffie finished with a game-high 27 points – the most by a member of the Shockers against Tulsa since 1991.

ABOUT TULSA (16-10, 6-7): The Golden Hurricane received a dominant performance from their bench on Sunday as they outscored ECU’s reserves 33-2, with Jeriah Horne registering 12 points. Tulsa’s defense fueled its offense early in the contest, limiting the Pirates to 1-of-10 shooting and forcing five turnovers over the first eight minutes en route to a 17-3 lead. The Golden Hurricane continue to give a strong effort on the defensive end as their 40.1 field-goal percentage defense has them ranked third in the conference and 24th nationally.

TIP-INS

1. The Golden Hurricane have increased their 3-point accuracy during league play as they’re shooting a league-best 37.9 percent from beyond the arc in 13 games, compared to 32.5 percent over their 13 non-conference contests.

2. McDuffie has made at least one 3-pointer in a career-high 15 straight games and is shooting 40.1 percent from long distance over that span.

3. Tulsa G/F DaQuan Jeffries leads the team in scoring (13.8 points), rebounds (5.5), steals (1.2) and blocks (1.2).

PREDICTION: Tulsa 75, Wichita State 72