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Wednesday, Jan. 24 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena
WICH -3.5
TV: ESPN+ with Shane Dennis & Bob Hull
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM with Mike Kennedy & Dave Dahl
OPENING TIPS
• Wichita State returns home for two straight games, beginning with East Carolina on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
• Wichita State coaches will wear suits and sneakers as part of the NABC's Coaches vs. Cancer Week. Cancer doesn't wait, and neither should you. Visit coaches.cancer.org to find a screening location near you.
• Wichita State is 12-13 all time when playing on Jan. 24.
• The Shockers lead the series with East Carolina, 7-1. The Pirates picked up their first-ever win against Wichita State in Charles Koch Arena last season.
• East Carolina is 9-10 overall and 2-4 to begin conference play. After opening the league slate 2-1, the Pirates have lost their last three games.
• Wichita State is coming off a seventh straight loss after falling at South Florida on Sunday, 72-68.
• The 7-game losing streak is the longest since Wichita State dropped 11 in a row during Mark Turgeon's first season in 2000-01.
• The Shockers are 0-5 to begin conference play for the first time since 2008-09. That team lost its first six league games.
• Colby Rogers (16.2 ppg; leading scorer) has made a three-pointer in all 18 games this season and multiple in 14 of the 18. He leads the AAC in 3PT per game (2.78), total 3PT FG made (50) and 3PT Pct (38.8%).
• His streak of 18 straight games with a made three-pointer is the 7th longest in school history.
• In 13 of the 18 games Rogers has tallied 15 points or more - a team best. He has a team-high five 20-point games.
• Wichita State ranks 18th nationally in rebounds per game and 20th in defensive rebounds per game.
SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA
• Led by second year head coach Michael Schwartz, East Carolina enters the matchup at 9-10 and 2-4 in league play.
• In Schwartz's first season at the helm, the Pirates posted a 16-17 overall record and a 6-12 mark in conference play. The 16 wins were the most for the Pirate program in nearly a decade (2013-14) and the six conference victories tied for the most since the Pirates joined the American prior to the start of the 2014-15 season.
• ECU defeated South Florida 73-58 in the first round of the AAC tournament to win its first game in the tournament since 2017.
• Considered one of the most versatile and well-rounded assistant coaches in college basketball, Schwartz spent the seven seasons on staff at the University of Tennessee – including four as the associate head coach. In the fall of 2019, Schwartz earned feature placement on The Athletic's list of the nation's top-25 up-and-com-ing college basketball coaches.
• East Carolina was picked to finish fifth in the Preseason American Athletic Conference Coaches Poll.
• The Pirates are led by Preseason American Athletic Conference Second Team selection RJ Felton who scores a team-high 16.1 points per game. He ranks seventh in the AAC in scoring. Felton pulls down 6.3 rebounds (second on the team) and has a team-best 36 steals and 14 blocks.
• Felton had back-to-back games of 30+ points in November, and has scored 10 or more in all but two games this season.
• Ezra Ausar is second on the team in scoring at 14.1 per game and adds 5.6 rebounds. Ausar is shooting 55.3% from the field
• Brandon Johnson leads the Pirates in rebounding at 8.9 per game to go with 14.1 points. He's second on the team in steals with 28. Johnson ranks third in the American in rebounds per game and second in defensive rebounds and total rebounds. His seven double-doubles are tied for the most in the American and 30th in the NCAA.
• Bobby Pettiford Jr. - a transfer from Kansas has dished out a team-high 73 assists to just 22 turnovers this season. He scores 8.3 points per game. Pettiford ranks 18th nationally and first in the American in assist to turnover ratio at 3.32.
• The Pirates average 70.9 points per game on 43.0% shooting and 30.8% from beyond the arc. East Carolina is converting 69.4% of its free throw attempts. They average only 11.0 turnovers a game. East Carolina ranks third in the American in turnovers per game at 11.0. The Pirates are good on the offensive glass, ranking top 65 nationally, but rank near the very bottom in the NCAA in defensive rebounding.
• Defensively, they allow 69.1 points and opponents are converting 43.4% of their field goal attempts and 30.8% of their attempts from long range. They force 12.7 turnovers a game.
THE SERIES VS. EAST CAROLINA
• Wichita State and East Carolina had never played prior to the Shockers joining the league in July, 2017, and they haven't had many encounters since then, either. This is only the ninth game in seven seasons.
• The Shockers are 7-1 (3-1 in Wichita) against the Pirates.
• East Carolina shocked Wichita State a year ago in Charles Koch Arena, handing the Shockers a 79-69 home loss for its first
• Three of the eight meetings came in 2018-19 when Wichita State swept the home-and-home and defeated East Carolina in the first round of the AAC tournament in Memphis.
• The teams met just once in 2017-18 and 2019-20 due the league' unbalanced schedule. Both 2020-21 dates were canceled due to COVID-19. The Shockers traveled to Greenville for the 2021-22 AAC opener, but that contest was called off just hours before tipoff.
• Wichita State is 3-0 at ECU's Minges Coliseum but hasn't played one game there since Feb. 6, 2019.
• Only two of the games played between the two schools have been decided by single digits. The closest finish came in 2020 when Wichita State won by just six points in Charles Koch Arena.
RECORD BOOK WATCH
• Quincy Ballard is on pace to shatter the single season school record for field goal percentage.
• Through 18 games Ballard is shooting 70.2% (59-for-84) 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 3.4 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 12 blocks to move into the top 10 on the single season total blocks list.
A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...
... Make them 9-10 this season.
... Make them 1-5 in AAC play.
... Snap a seven-game losing streak.
... Make them 13-13 all time on Jan. 24.
... Give Paul Mills 115 career coaching victories.
... Run their record to 1,666-1,255 all time.
... Make them 8-1 vs. East Carolina all time.
A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...
... Make them 8-11 this season.
... Drop them to 0-5 in AAC play.
... Be their eighth straight loss - the longest since 2000-01.
... Make Paul Mills 8-11 as Wichita State head coach.
... Drop them to 12-14 all time on Jan. 24.
... Drop their record to 1,665-1,256 all time.
... Make them 7-2 all-time vs. East Carolina.
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