Wichita St. @ Connecticut preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 10, 2018 ) Connecticut 74, Wichita St. 95

Barring a remarkable turnaround, a pair of impressive streaks will come to an end for Wichita State, which entered this season with seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and nine 25-win seasons in a row. The slumping Shockers will try to pick up their first road victory of the season when they visit Connecticut on Saturday in an American Athletic Conference matchup.

Wichita State is coming off one of the worst offensive performances in school history, falling at South Florida 54-41 for its sixth loss in seven games. “I’m kind of embarrassed to say," coach Gregg Marshall said in assessing his team's performance. "We were not very good ... at all.” The Huskies ended a two-game slide by rolling to an 87-71 win over last-place Tulane, providing a much-needed morale booster after the school self-imposed sanctions on the basketball program and announced huge financial losses in the athletic department. “Defeat would have been unimaginable,” coach Dan Hurley said. "The program is going through something it probably hasn’t gone through in a long time."

TV: 6 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT WICHITA STATE (8-10, 1-5 AAC): The Shockers, who graduated all five starters from last season's team, scored only 15 first-half points in the debacle at South Florida as Markis McDuffie was the only player in double figures with 11 points. Wichita State shot 28.3 percent from the floor, was 2-for-18 from 3-point range, converted on only 9-for-22 at the free throw line and committed 20 turnovers. "It’s pretty frustrating, but it is what it is," Marshall said. "You can’t trade anybody. You can’t make any moves on the waiver wire. We’re just going to have to ride it out.”

ABOUT CONNECTICUT (11-8, 2-4): Leading scorer Jalen Adams followed up a 27-point effort in a loss at Tulsa by scoring a season-high 31 while adding five rebounds, three steals and three assists against Tulane. “Coaches really aren’t supposed to say this, but if he’s not taking 18-20 shots a game for us, as well as playmaking, it’s gonna decrease our chances of winning," Hurley said. "For us to be good ... he’s gonna have to play with that type of attacking mindset.” UConn's struggling front line got a boost from forward Josh Carlton, who scored a season-high 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting and grabbed eight boards.

TIP-INS

1. UConn G Christian Vital is averaging 16.3 points while hitting on 10 of 19 3-pointers over the last three games.

2. McDuffie has scored in double figures in 17 straight games.

3. Huskies F Sidney Wilson is expected back in the lineup after sitting out the last game.

PREDICTION: Connecticut 81, Wichita State 72