WICHITA STATE (8-8, 0-3) at #23/RV FLORIDA ATLANTIC (13-4, 3-1)
Thursday, Jan. 18 | 6:00 p.m. CT
Boca Raton, Fla. | Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena
TV: ESPN2 with John Schriffen & Perry Clark
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM with Mike Kennedy & Bob Hull
OPENING TIPS
• Wichita State prepares for a road swing through the Sunshine State beginning with another ranked matchup at No. 23 Florida Atlantic on Thursday.
• Wichita State is 17-13 all time when playing on Jan. 18.
• The two programs have met just once prior to Florida Atlantic joining the American.
• Florida Atlantic is ranked No. 23 in the AP and receiving votes in the Coaches Poll at 13-4 overall and 3-1 after winning its first three of its first four conference games.
• Wichita State is coming off a fifth straight loss after falling to No. 13 Memphis on Sunday, 112-86.
• The 26-point loss was the second-worst in an American Athletic Conference game.
• The 112 points were the 5th most a Wichita State team has surrendered in school history. It was the first time since 1994 an opponent had topped the century mark, and first time Wichita State allowed 100+ at home since 1972.
• The 5-game losing streak is the longest since Wichita State dropped 6 straight from 12/28/08-1/14/09.
• Wichita State has lost its last six games against ranked opponents and is 0-2 this season against teams ranked in the Top 25.
• Since joining the American Athletic Conference, Wichita State is 3-12 against ranked teams.
• Harlond Beverly has 41 assists over his last 10 games. Beverly now leads the team in assists with 55.
• Colby Rogers (16.1 ppg; leading scorer) has made a three-pointer in all 16 games this season and multiple in 13 of the 16. He leads the AAC in 3PT% (39.6%) 3PT per game (2.75) and total 3PT FG made (44).
• His streak of 16 straight games with a made three-pointer is the 10th longest in school history.
• In 12 of the 16 games Rogers has tallied 15 points or more – a team best.
• Wichita State ranks 17th nationally in rebounds per game and 23rd in defensive rebounds per game.
• Quincy Ballard ranks 19th nationally in blocks (36). He had a career-high 7 vs. Norfolk State on Nov. 25.
• Ballard has scored 10 or more points in three of the last five games. He had three total in the first 11 games of the season. In the last five games, he’s 19-for-24 (79.2%) from the field.
•Wichita State posted a winning non-conference record for the 26th consecutive season, and has the league’s seventh-best NET ranking.
• Per KenPom the American Athletic Conference is ranked the 9th best conference in the NCAA.
• Wichita State returns only 20.3 percent of its scoring from a season ago, having lost its top four scorers. Pohto is the only returner to average more than 4.0 points per game. Craig Porter Jr., James Rojas, Gus Okafor and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler exhausted their eligibility, and four others exited via the transfer portal.
SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC
• Led by sixth year head coach Dusty May, Florida Atlantic enters the matchup at 13-4 and 3-1 in league play – its inaugural year in the American Athletic Conference.
• The Owls are coming off the greatest season in school history in 2022-23, appearing in the program’s first NCAA Final Four. FAU finished the campaign 35-4.
• Prior to 2022-23, the Owls had one previous appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
• May was named the CBS Sports National Coach of the Year, as well as the NABC All-District 17 Coach of the Year, Conference USA Coach of the Year and Palm Beach County Coach of the Year.
• He is the Owls’ all-time leader in coaching wins with a record of 114-64, despite having only been on the FAU sidelines for five seasons. FAU has not had a losing season in the five years of the May era.
• The Owls also captured the Conference USA Tournament and Regular Season Championships, both for the first time in school history.
• May joined FAU after three years as an assistant coach at Florida, where he helped the Gators compile a 69-37 record, including back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. The Gators reached the second round of this year’s tournament after advancing to the Elite Eight in 2017.
• FAU enters the matchup ranked No. 23 in the AP Top 25 and receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Owls were ranked as high as No. 7 just a couple weeks ago following a double overtime win against No. 4 Arizona, 96-95.
• FAU is 2-1 against other teams ranked by the AP, defeating No. 4 Arizona, 96-95, No. 12 Texas A&M, 96-89, and falling to No. 11 Illinois, 98-89.
• The Owls are the American Athletic Conference’s only team inside the top 30 of the NET. Of the teams inside the top 30, only Purdue, Tennessee, Connecticut and Wisconsin have more Quad 1 and 2 wins than FAU’s 5-2 mark.
• Entering a New Era in the American Athletic Conference, the Owls racked up preseason honors from the league’s coaches. FAU was voted No. 1 in the AAC preseason poll, while Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin were both named the conference’s Preseason Players of the Year, as well as named to the AAC Preseason All-First Team.
• Davis leads the Owls in scoring (17.4 ppg) and steals (29), while shooting 50.0% from the field and 47.8% from beyond the arc.
• Since the beginning of December, he is averaging 20.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game.
• He was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week following his performance against No. 4 Arizona.
• Vladislav Goldin leads the nation in field goal percentage at 71.9% on almost eight shots per game. In the midst of a monster start to the 2023-24 campaign, he is second on Florida Atlantic in points per game (14.6) and leads the team in rebounds per game (7.1), total blocks (24), and double-doubles (5).
• Martin rounds out the leading scorers for FAU at 12.2 points per game. He is second on the team in steals with 27 and also grabs 5.1 rebounds per game.
• The Owls have three different players with at least 40 assists this season, led by Jalen Gaffney and Bryan Greenlee with 54 apiece.
• The Owls rank second in the AAC in scoring at 82.4 points per game (29th in NCAA) on 49.1% shooting (20th in NCAA). They are converting on 36.2% of their attempts from beyond the arc.
• Defensively, they allow 71.0 points and opponents are converting 42.8% of their field goal attempts.
THE SERIES VS. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
• This is just the second meeting all-time between Wichita State and Florida Atlantic.
• Wichita State won the only other matchup in the 1998-99 season opener back on Nov. 18, 1998 in Henry Levitt Arena, 88-85.
• The Shockers held off the Owls behind a pair of 20-point performances from Maurice Evans and Jason Perez.
• Evans finished with 24 points on 8-of-20 shooting to go with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
• Perez also added 24 points along with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• Wichita State had no answer for Florida Atlantic’s Damon Arnette who recorded a monster double-double with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
• Defense was optional that night as both teams shot better than 50 percent from the field. A good portion of the game was spent at the free throw line. The two teams combined for 54 fouls and 63 free throw attempts. Wichita State was 20-for-31 at the line and FAU, 25-for-32.
• The game also featured 50 turnovers between the two teams.
• Florida Atlantic will make the return trip to Wichita in a few weeks on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 11.
RECORD BOOK WATCH
• Quincy Ballard is on pace to shatter the single season school record for field goal percentage.
• Through 16 games Ballard is shooting 68.5% (50-for-73) from the field. The current school record is 61.6% by Steve Grayer set in 1987-88.
• That number would rank 2nd nationally but to qualify players must average 5 FGM per game. Currently Ballard is at 3.1 FGM per game.
• On the defensive end, Ballard is trending towards a top five season blocking shots. He’s currently fourth on the single season blocks per game list.
• Ballard needs just 15 blocks to move into the top 10 on the single season total blocks list.
LEAD GUARDS
• Colby Rogers and Xavier Bell have formed a potent 1-2 scoring attack for Wichita State through 16 games. Rogers leads Wichita State in scoring at 16.1 per game and Bell is right behind at 12.8.
• Rogers ranks 8th in the American in points and 8th in points per game.
• The duo of Rogers and Bell make up 39.0 percent of Wichita State’s scoring as they’ve accounted for 463 points.
• Rogers has scored in double figures in 13 of the first 16 games, and Bell in 12 of the 16. They each have multiple 20-point outings to their name (Rogers – 5, Bell – 3).
COLBY ROG3333333333333333RS
• Colby Rogers is riding a streak of 16 straight games with at least one made three-pointer to start the season.
• He has multiple three-pointers in 13 of the first 16 games, including 10 of the last 12.
• Rogers is attempting 6.9 three-pointers per game, which currently stands as the third most in school history behind Tyson Etienne (8.30 in 2021-22; 7.55 in 2020-21).
• His 2.75 three-pointers made per game are currently the second-most in school history.
ACCESS DENIED
• Wichita State has an elite rim protector in Quincy Ballard. His season was cut short in 2022-23 due to injuries, so he’s only played 26 total games in his Shocker career. In those 26 games he has 50 blocked shots. Thirty-six of those have come in the first 16 games.
• Through 16 games his 36 blocks rank 19th nationally and his 2.25 blocks per game also rank 19th.
• He has multiple blocks in all but four games this season.
BOARD OF APPROVAL
• Through the first 16 games of the season Wichita State has been among the nation’s top rebounding teams. Wichita State ranks 17th nationally in rebounds per game, 23rd in defensive rebounds per game and 61st in rebound margin.
• Wichita State has four players averaging 4.5 or more rebounds per game (Dalen Ridgnal – 7.6; Kenny Pohto – 7.1; Quincy Ballard – 6.3; Harlond Beverly – 4.8).
• Wichita State has been outrebounded six times this season with four of those coming in the last five games.
• Wichita State has pulled down 40 or more rebounds in 9 of the 16 games, including three games of 50+.
• Wichita State has grabbed 73.3% of its possible defensive rebounds this season. That number would be the ninth best in school history.
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD…
… Make them 9-8 this season.
… Make them 1-3 in AAC play.
… Be their first ranked win since 2021 vs. #6 Houston.
… Snap a five-game losing streak.
… Make them 18-13 all time on Jan. 18.
… Give Paul Mills 115 career coaching victories.
… Run their record to 1,666-1,253 all time.
… Make them 2-0 vs. Florida Atlantic all time.
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…
… Make them 8-9 this season.
… Drop them to 0-4 in AAC play.
… Make them 0-3 vs. ranked teams this season.
… Be their sixth straight loss.
… Make Paul Mills 8-9 as Wichita State head coach.
… Drop them to 17-14 all time on Jan. 18.
… Drop their record to 1,665-1,254 all time.
… Make them 1-1 all-time vs. Florida Atlantic.
UP NEXT
GAME 18: at SOUTH FLORIDA
• South Florida is 9-5 and under first year head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim.
• The Shockers swept both regular season meetings a season ago, 70-66 in Tampa and 69-49 in Wichita.
• Wichita State leads the all-time series, 9-1, and has won each of the last eight meetings.
• Wichita State is 3-1 against the Bulls in Tampa with the lone loss coming in 2019, 54-41.
• Four of the last six meetings have been decided by five points or less.