Connecticut @ Wichita St. preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 26, 2019 ) Wichita St. 60, Connecticut 80

Connecticut seeks its first true road win of the season when it visits Wichita State on Thursday. The Huskies took a late lead after battling back from a 15-point deficit with nine minutes remaining Sunday against 22nd-ranked Cincinnati but saw their losing streak reach five games after suffering a 64-60 setback.

“The crowd just was awesome and certainly willed us in the second half, when we were on the ropes,” Huskies coach Dan Hurley told reporters. “Credit Cincinnati. They have the culture we want. They have the culture on the court that we want.” Hurley made the decision to bring Christian Vital off the bench for the first time in 46 games and it seemed to work for the Huskies as the 6-2 junior guard recorded team highs of 14 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes – his fewest during conference play. Wichita State began Saturday’s game against Memphis as if it was determined to reach .500 after its 1-6 conference start but let its 16-point, first-half lead evaporate and dropped an 88-85 decision. Jaime Echenique provided his best performance in a Shockers uniform, registering a team-leading 17 points on a season-best 87.5 shooting effort (7-for-8) while pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT CONNECTICUT (13-14, 4-10 American): Alterique Gilbert’s offensive woes continued Sunday as the sophomore guard is shooting 28.6 percent (8-for-28) and is 0-for-12 from 3-point range in two games since being removed from the starting lineup. Gilbert recorded five of his team’s seven assists in the loss to Cincinnati - a total that tied a season low for a UConn squad that is averaging the second-fewest amount of assists in the conference (12.9). The Huskies rank second in the conference with 75.4 points per game but have been held to 63 or fewer in four of their last five contests – a total they failed to hit just three times previously.

ABOUT WICHITA STATE (13-13, 6-8): Dexter Dennis has found his shooting touch as he went 5-for-7 from 3-point range against Memphis en route to a team-high 17 points and is 15-for-24 from beyond the arc over his last three contests. One game after registering the first double-digit assist performance by a Wichita State freshman in 46 years, Jamarius Burton added a team-best nine against Memphis and is leading the squad with 3.2 per game. Coach Gregg Marshall was hoping to register his 300th victory with the program on Saturday, but instead the 88 points allowed by the Shockers were the most recorded by a visiting team during his 12-year tenure.

TIP-INS

1. Wichita State’s four remaining regular-season games are against the bottom four teams in the American Athletic Conference standings (UConn, SMU, East Carolina and Tulane).

2. Connecticut C Josh Carlton is third in the conference in field-goal percentage (58.6), third in offensive rebounding (3.2) and second in blocks (1.7).

3. The Huskies have gone 1-6 since defeating the Shockers 80-60 at home on Jan. 26.

PREDICTION: Wichita State 69, Connecticut 64