Alabama v. Wichita State

Who will WIN this matchup?

Alabama Crimson Tide (3-1)

Wichita State Shockers (2-2)

Current odds:

Alabama Crimson Tide: (-200)

Wichita State Shockers: (+170)

• The line for this game is Alabama by 4.5 points.

• The Crimson Tide boast six players averaging at least 9.3 points and shot 50.8 percent from the field against Ball State after connecting on just 37.3 percent in the 68-52 first-round loss to Northeastern. “I am really proud of our team and I thought we played with maximum energy on both ends of the floor,” Alabama coach Avery Johnson told reporters after Friday’s win. “… We rebounded the ball and had a balanced scoring attack. We are not going to be very good when one guy gets double figures.”

• McDuffie registered eight points on 3-of-11 shooting in the season-opening loss to Louisiana Tech, but has averaged 24.7 in the last three games after scoring 24 and draining three key shots from behind the 3-point arc in the final six minutes Friday. Wichita State, which lost to Davidson in Thursday’s first round, faces the Crimson Tide for the sixth time in nine seasons and the Shockers have won three of the first five matchups.

• Junior guard Tevin Mack, a transfer from Texas, stepped up to score 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting — 5-of-9 from 3-point range — in the win over Ball State after totaling 19 in the first three contests. Sophomore guard John Petty was held to seven points Friday, but leads the team at 13.5 per game while senior forward Donta Hall is next with 11 to go along with team-bests of eight rebounds and two blocks. Freshman guard Kira Lewis Jr. has cooled off since scoring 21 against Appalachian State last Sunday, connecting on 6-of-16 from the field in the tournament.

• McDuffie, a 6-6 forward from New Jersey, has drained 14-of-27 from 3-point range in the first four games and the rest of the team is just 22-of-70 from behind the arc (31.4 percent). Senior guard Samajae Haynes-Jones is the only other Shocker averaging in double figures at 12.8 per game and leads the team with 4.8 assists, but is just shooting 32.8 percent from the floor. Freshman guard Erik Stevenson (8.8 points per game) is just 4-for-19 shooting in the tournament while 6-11 junior Jaime Echenique had a double-double Friday and leads the team in rebounding (7.8).

• McDuffie, who has 935 career points, boasts 29 field goals with zero assists in 2018-19.

• Alabama sophomore G/F Herbert Jones was 6-for-10 from the field Friday after going 6-for-21 the first three games.

• The Shockers have outrebounded their last three opponents after being beaten by 11 on the boards by Louisiana Tech.