Wichita State (11-4, 7-2) at UCF (5-9, 3-8)
- Time: 3PM PST | 5PM CST | 6PM EST
- Location: Addition Finance Arena, Orlando, FL
- TV: ESPN+
Tip-Off
The Shockers are sitting in a tie for first place in the AAC with Houston while the Knights ended a three-game losing streak over the weekend with a 65-58 win at Tulsa. Wichita State leads the series, 6-0, and the Shockers are 2-0 in Orlando.
Wichita State guard Tyson Etienne leads the league in scoring at 18.1 points per game while Morris Udeze leads the AAC by shooting 62 percent from the field.
The Shockers defeated the Knights, 93-88, in overtime on Jan. 30 as Etienne went for 29 points. Wichita State erased an-eight point deficit with four minutes to play.
Vs. The Spread
Wichita State:
- The Shockers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games
- Wichita State is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games vs. AAC competition
- WSU is 4-1 ATS in it’s last five road games
UCF:
- The Knights are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games
- The OVER has been the play in 5 of UCF’s last 7 games
- The OVER has also been in the play in 5 of the 6 games between Wichita State and UCF
Last Time Out
Tyson Etienne scored 20 points and made the go-ahead layup with 42 seconds remaining as the Shockers slipped by Temple, 70-67. Trey Wade had 12 points and Morris Udeze had 11 points and seven boards as the game saw 20 ties and 15 lead changes.
Darius Perry and Brandan Mahan had five triples each as UCF stopped Tulsa 65-58 on Saturday. Perry led UCF with 18 points as the three-point game which yielded 13-of-28 was the difference. Tulsa trailed 57-44 with 9:51 to play before hitting a 12-0 run over a seven-minute stretch in which the Golden Hurricane held UCF scoreless.
| Teams | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita State | -2 (-115) | -140 | O 142 (-115) |
| UCF | +2 (-105) | +120 | U 142 (-105) |
Advantage, Wichita State
Continuing to play with a fervor on the defensive end will be in to the Shockers’ advantage as they are 27th in the nation in defensive field goal percentage (39.9%) and are 10th nationally in three-point percentage defense (27.9%). They have held 22 of their last 23 opponents under 50 percent from the field. The exception? UCF shot 57.4 percent back on Jan. 30 when Wichita State took a 93-88 win.
Key Shockers’ Stat:
Ricky Council, IV, has come off the bench and yielded some productive results as he averages 18.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per 40 minutes. His top out put was an effort of 23 points in 23 minutes in a Jan. 10 win over Cincinnati.
X-Factor:
The mental toughness of the Wichita State program is a carry over to it’s tough defense and it’s play away from home. The Shockers are 14-7 in their last 21 road games as they post a 3-2 record this season.
Advantage, UCF
Cleaning up ball handling and being able to manage the Shockers’ quality defense could put the Knights in position to pull out an upset at home. UCF is averaging 15.7 turnovers per game as Brandon Mahan and Darius Perry are the only two regular players in the rotation who have more assists than turnovers. The Knights have averaged 19.3 turnovers per outing over their last three. Valuing the basketball should help the three-point became behind Mahan’s 45.3 percent from the arc as he and Darin Green, Jr., lead the Knights with 29 makes.
Key Knights’ Stat:
Darius Perry is picking his game back up as he is averaging 16.3 points while making 14-31 shots, including nine triples in his last three games. Perry is picking up four assists per game in his last seven contests.
X-Factor:
Post presence will go along way against Morris Udeze as UCF’s rotation consists of eight players who are all between 6-4 and 6-9 and have enough athleticism to get to the basket or two score with athletic ball moves. The same scenario unfolds on the defensive end as the Knights have to account for Udeze and his post moves down low.
Winner: Wichita State (-2) 73, UCF 67
Over-Under: Take UNDER 142
