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TULANE (8-9, 5-3 AAC) vs WICHITA STATE (10-7, 1-4 AAC)
WSU -2.5
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2022 | 11:00 AM CT
NEW ORLEANS, LA | FOGELMAN ARENA
TV: ESPNU with Drew Carter & Mark Enthusiadams
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM https://www.radio.com/keyn/listen
SERIES: Wichita State leads 6-1 (2-0 in NOLA)
LAST MEETING: January 12, 2022 in Wichita (Tulane, 68-67)
GAME NOTES:
- After stopping a four-game slide, Wichita State looks to build some positive momentum when it travels to New Orleans for an American Athletic Conference matchup against the Tulane Green Wave (11 a.m. CT).
- Ricky Council IV scored a career-high 31 points on 16-of-20 free throw shooting in Wednesday's 84-79 victory over UCF.
- The defending champs were 0-4 in league play prior to the win, which was their first in 35 days.
- COVID-19 has made it tough for the Shockers to find much of a rhythm. The Dec. 29 opener at ECU was called off after a pause within the ECU program. WSU was without key players in close home losses to Tulane (67-68) and Cincinnati (57-61) and postponed subsequent road games at Temple (Jan. 19) and SMU (Jan. 23). The latter was rescheduled for next Thursday.
- Makeup games will make for a brutal February. WSU plays three times in five days next week, beginning Tuesday against Tulsa. They'll face SMU back-to-back, Thursday in Dallas and Saturday in Wichita.
- WSU won the first six series meetings against Tulane before losing Jan. 12 in Wichita, 68-67. Council finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds, but his buzzer-beating layup was negated by a charging call. The Shockers played without veterans Dexter Dennis and Morris Udeze. WSU's box score archive goes back to 1970. A 14-point halftime lead tied for second-largest in a loss.
- Etienne, the AAC preseason player of the year, is the team's leading scorer (14.3 ppg). He's topped 20 points in three of his four career meetings with Tulane, including Jan. 12 when he scored 20 points on six threes.
- Craig Porter Jr. leads the team in assists (3.2) and his 2.08 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks among the top-100 in the nation.
- Morris Udeze (11.6 ppg) is WSU's leading rebounder (5.7) and is coming off a 16-point effort against UCF.
- Council's tied an unofficial school record points by a reserve (31). His season scoring average jumped from 9.8 to 11.1 points -- highest among AAC players who have started less than a quarter of their team's games.
- WSU is 2-1 in true road games and 7-3 in parts of two seasons under Isaac Brown.
- WSU has finished .500-or-better on the road in 11-straight season (2010-11 to 2020-21). The Shockers' .752 road winning percentage over that span (94-31) is second only to Gonzaga.
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