CHARLESTON, S.C. — Wichita State (2-2) battles Alabama (3-1) in the Charleston Classic fifth-place game. The 12:30 p.m. CT tip airs on ESPNU.
OPENING TIPS:
- WSU is 1-1 for the week, losing a defensive struggle to Davidson in Thursday’s quarterfinals (57-53) before bouncing back with an 82-76 victory over App State on Friday.
- The series with Alabama is tied 4-4. This is the sixth meeting in nine seasons. WSU is 3-2 in that stretch, which began with a Shocker win in the 2011 NIT Championship game. WSU swept a home-and-home in 2013 and 2014. Alabama won the last meeting in the 2015 Advocare Invitational.
- WSU shot just 30.8% against Davidson but made over half its shots in the win over ASU (.508). Markis McDuffie scored 15 of his team-high 24 points over the final 6:18, at which point WSU had trailed 66-61. Jaime Echenique logged the Shockers’ first double-double of the year. The JUCO transfer talled 12 points and 11 rebounds (both career highs). Freshman Jamarius Burton dished out a team-best six assists.
- McDuffie has averaged 21.0 points in two Charleston Classic games. He’s 7-of-12 (.583) from three.
- The tournament’s two-leading rebounders entering day-three are WSU’s Erik Stevenson and Jaime Echenique (17-each).
- For the year, McDuffie is averaging 20.5 points. Just one other Marshall Era Shocker (2007-Pr.) has enjoyed a better four-game start to a season: Ron Baker put up 86 (21.5 points) in the first four games of the 2015-16 season.
Most Points, First Four Games (Marshall Era, 2007-Pr.)
Ron Baker (2015-16) – 21.5 (86 points)*
Markis McDuffie (2018-19) – 20.5 (82)
Ron Baker (2014-15) – 18.5 (74)
Shaquille Morris (2017-18) – 17.5 (70)
Landry Shamet (2017-18) – 17.3 (69)
- McDuffie has 935 career points. He needs just 89 more to become the 47th member of WSU’s 1,000-point club.
- In its two wins, WSU has averaged 82.5 points, shot 50.4% from the field and made exactly half of its threes (21-of-42), with McDuffie averaging 28.0 points. In its two losses, WSU has averaged 55.5 points and hit 33.6% from the floor (15/55 from three).
- The Shockers were outrebounded by 11 in the season-opener against Louisiana Tech but have won the battle on the boards in each of their last three games. They outrebounded ASU, 35-29.
Charleston Classic Leaders — Points:
54 — Edwards (Purdue)
42 — McDuffie (Wichita St.)
42 — Forrest (Appalachian St.)
41 — Alexander-Walker (VA Tech)
40 — Gudmundsson (Davidson)
Charleston Classic Leaders — Rebounds:
17 — Stevenson (Wichita St.)
17 — Echenique (Wichita St.)
15 — Boudreaux (Purdue)
15 — Hall (Alabama)
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD…
… improve their record to 3-2.
… give them a fifth-place finish in the Charleston Classic (2-1 for the week).
… give them back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
… give them a 5-4 lead in the all-time series with Alabama.
… make them 4-2 against the Tide under Gregg Marshall.
… make Marshall 11-2 all-time in Charleston, S.C.
… improve Marshall’s career mark to 483-183 in 21 seasons.
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…
… lower their record to 2-3.
… give them a sixth-place finish in the Charleston Classic.
… give Alabama a 5-4 lead in the all-time series.
… make Gregg Marshall 3-3 against the Crimson Tide.
… lower Marshall’s career mark to 482-184 in 21 seasons.
… be less good than a win.
UP NEXT
The Shockers return home to Rice on Sunday, Nov. 25. The 2 p.m. CT tip airs on YurView Kansas (Cox HD 2022 and in all 50 states on YurView.com/Kansas).