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Sunday, Jan. 21 | 1:00 p.m. CT
Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
WICH -4.5
TV: ESPN+ with Ryan Urquhart & Jim Louk
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM with Mike Kennedy & Bob Hull
OPENING TIPS
• Wichita State wraps up a two-game road swing through the Sunshine State at South Florida on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
• Wichita State is 16-11 all time when playing on Jan. 21.
• The Shockers lead the series with South Florida, 9-1, and have won eight straight against the Bulls.
• South Florida is 10-5 overall and 3-1 after knocking off No. 10 Memphis Thursday night in Memphis. The Bulls snapped Memphis' 10-game win streak, erasing a 20-point deficit in the second half.
• Wichita State is coming off a sixth straight loss after falling to No. 23 Florida Atlantic on Thursday, 86-77. The Shockers let an 11-point halftime lead slip away against the Owls.
• The 6-game losing streak is the longest since Wichita State also dropped 6 straight from 12/28/08-1/14/09.
• The Shockers are 0-4 to begin conference play for the second time in three seasons (2021-22 started 0-4).
• Wichita State has lost its last seven games against ranked opponents and is 0-3 this season against teams ranked in the Top 25.
• Since joining the American Athletic Conference, Wichita State is 3-13 against ranked teams.
• 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-Chandlerexhausted their eligibility, and four others exited via the transfer portal.
SCOUTING SOUTH FLORIDA
• Led by first year head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, South Florida enters the matchup at 10-5 and 3-1 in league play.
• Abdur-Rahim came to USF after leading one of the nation's most stunning turnarounds at Kennesaw State, where he guided a 1-win season to a 26-9 record, ASUN Conference regular season and tournament titles and the program's first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament berth in 2022-23.
• In four seasons at Kennesaw State (2019-23), Abdur-Rahim oversaw progressive growth in the Owls program, doubling the program's wins every season, before culminating in KSU's first winning record as an NCAA Division I program and first ASUN conference titles (regular season and tournament) in 2022-23.
• The former NCAA Division II power transitioned to Division I in men's basketball in 2005-06 and had peaked at a 14-18 mark in 2017-18 before Abdur-Rahim took over the program.
• Abdur-Rahim earned ASUN Coach of the Year and NABC District 3 Coach of the Year honors and was named the 2023 Hugh Durham Award winner (Division I Mid-Major Coach of the Year) by CollegeInsider.com and Georgia Men's College Coach of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. He was also a finalist for the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year award.
• He finished his KSU tenure with a 45-74 record in four seasons, going 39-27 the last two years, doubling his win total every season on campus before culminating with a school-record 26 wins.
• South Florida was picked to finish ninth in the Preseason American Athletic Conference Coaches Poll.
• The Bulls rely heavily on their bench for production, ranking 36th in the NCAA and 2nd in the conference averaging 27.80 points per contest. The USF bench has outscored its opponent's bench 368-222. Opposing benches are averaging just 17.07 points per game.
• Selton Miguel leads the team with 15.1 points per contest and is fourth on the squad with 3.9 boards per game. He is third on the team with 18 steals and 30 assists. Miguel leads the American and ranks 5th nationally in three-point percentage at 47.5%
• Chris Youngblood is second on the squad with 14.7 points per game. He is averaging 2.5 rebounds per game to go along with 32 assists, 10 blocks and 11 steals. He is shooting 81.9 percent from the free-throw line, which is tied for 156th in the country and ninth in the AAC.
• Jayden Reid leads the team with 62 assists. He is tied for 126th in the NCAA at 4.1 assists per game and is seventh in the AAC. He has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.10, which is 25th in the country, second in the conference and fifth among NCAA freshmen. He paces the squad with 21 steals. He averages 2.7 rebounds per game to go along with 7.9 points per contest.
• Kasean Pryor leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per contest. He averages 11.3 points per game with 24 assists and 20 steals. He has a team-best 15 blocks.
• The Bulls average 76.3 points per game on 42.7% shooting and 33.1% from beyond the arc. USF is converting 72.4% of its free throw attempts. They average only 10.7 turnovers a game. USF ranks 28th nationally in free throws made per game, 29th in turnover margin and 31st in free throw attempts per game.
• Defensively, they allow 70.5 points and opponents are converting 42.8% of their field goal attempts and 32.2% of their attempts from long range. They force 14.5 turnovers a game.
THE SERIES VS. SOUTH FLORIDA
• Wichita State has dominated the series with South Florida since joining the American Athletic Conference. The Shockers are 9-1 against the Bulls with eight straight wins in the series.
• Wichita State is 3-1 at the Yuengling Center with three consecutive victories.
• This marks the first time in 10 meetings South Florida will not be led by Brian Gregory on the bench.
• In seven seasons since joining the American, Wichita State and South Florida have played a regular season home-and-home only three times. Due to the league's unbalanced schedule the Shockers did not travel to Tampa in 2017-18 or 2021-22. USF did not play in Wichita in 2018-19 or this season.
• Four of the last six matchups have been decided by five points or less.
• South Florida's only win against Wichita State came in 2019 at the Yuengling Center where the Shockers were held to just 41 points.
• The Bulls have never had a 20-point scorer in the 10 meetings. Russell Tchewa came close last season with a team-high 19 in Tampa.
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... Make them 9-9 this season.
... Make them 1-4 in AAC play.
... Snap a six-game losing streak.
... Make them 17-11 all time on Jan. 21.
... Give Paul Mills 115 career coaching victories.
... Run their record to 1,666-1,254 all time.
... Make them 10-1 vs. South Florida all time.
... Be their 9th straight win over the Bulls.
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... Make them 8-10 this season.
... Drop them to 0-5 in AAC play.
... Be their seventh straight loss - the longest since 2000-01.
... Make Paul Mills 8-10 as Wichita State head coach.
... Drop them to 16-12 all time on Jan. 21.
... Drop their record to 1,665-1,255 all time.
... Make them 9-2 all-time vs. South Florida.
... Snap an 8-game win streak against the Bulls.
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