9:05 pm
February 20

Wichita State @ Tulsa

Who will WIN this matchup?

Wichita State Shockers (12-12)

@ Tulsa Golden Hurricane (16-10)

 

Current odds:

Wichita State Shockers: (+105)

Tulsa Golden Hurricane: (-125)

 

 The line for this game is Tulsa by 1.5 points

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

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

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Tulsa Golden Hurricane