Wichita State’s American schedule includes visits from Cincinnati, SMU, UConn
Wichita State’s entrance into the American Athletic Conference seems significantly more powerful with Thursday’s release of home and road games for men’s and women’s basketball.
The good news is the men’s team gets visits from almost all the brand names a fan could wish for. The bad news is the Connecticut women’s team will not come to Koch Arena.
Coming to Koch Arena this winter: Cincinnati, Connecticut, SMU, Tulsa, Houston, Temple and Central Florida to play the Shocker men.
“It’s exciting that we’re going to get guys like that in here,” WSU sophomore guard Landry Shamet said.
WSU will play those seven schools home and away.
The schedule reunites the Shockers with former Missouri Valley Conference opponents Tulsa, Cincinnati and Houston.
▪ Cincinnati returns to Wichita for the first time since 1981, when the teams played a non-conference game. The Bearcats played their last game in Wichita as an MVC school in 1970.
▪ Houston last came to Wichita in 1960 to play an MVC game. The Cougars lost a 2005 NIT game in Koch Arena.
▪ Tulsa has been a regular non-conference opponent in recent seasons to both Koch Arena and Intrust Bank Arena. The Hurricane exited the MVC in 1996.
The Shockers play at East Carolina and Memphis, also a former MVC member, with no home games. South Florida and Tulane travel to Koch Arena but don’t get home games with the Shockers.
Wichita State played a non-conference game at Memphis in 1983. Its last game against the Tigers as conference opponents came in 1973 at Memphis.
Scheduling in the AAC matches seven schools picked to have similar success in two-game series in order to help power rankings (RPI) and create matchups for TV. Teams play a single game against the four remaining schools to minimize the effects of bad teams on the RPI.
The WSU women will play a 16-game schedule with home-and-away series against Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane and Tulsa. The schedule, like the men’s, is designed to help the RPI of upper-level teams and give lower-level teams a chance to win.
The Shockers will play the American’s three 2017 NCAA teams — Connecticut, Temple, South Florida — once each. All of WSU’s home-and-home opponents finished with losing records in conference play.
The Shockers travel to Central Florida, Connecticut and East Carolina. Cincinnati, South Florida and Temple visit Koch Arena.
Athletic director Darron Boatright said WSU had no influence on receiving a home game with UConn as a welcome-to-the-AAC bonus. There is a chance UConn will visit Koch Arena in 2018-19. The conference, Boatright said, attempts to schedule return games between the three single-game opponents when those teams match up again as single-game opponents.
If WSU were to move up in the American standings, it could earn a home-and-home with UConn in 2018-19.
Complete schedules with dates and TV information are expected in the early fall.
Paul Suellentrop: 316-269-6760, @paulsuellentrop
Men’s American basketball schedule pairings
School | Home | Away | Home and away |
Central Florida | Houston, Tulane | East Carolina, Tulsa | Cincinnati, Connecticut, Memphis, South Florida, SMU, Temple, Wichita State |
Cincinnati | East Carolina, Tulsa | South Florida, Tulane | Houston, Connecticut, Memphis, Central Florida, SMU, Temple, Wichita State |
Connecticut | South Florida, SMU | Houston, Tulane | Cincinnati, East Carolina, Memphis, Central Florida, Tulsa, Temple, Wichita State |
East Carolina | Central Florida, Wichita State | Cincinnati, Temple | Connecticut, Houston, Memphis, South Florida, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa |
Houston | Connecticut, Tulsa | Central Florida, Memphis | Cincinnati, East Carolina, South Florida, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Wichita State |
Memphis | Houston, Wichita State | SMU, Temple | Cincinnati, Central Florida, Connecticut, East Carolina, South Florida, Tulane, Tulsa |
South Florida | Cincinnati, Temple | Connecticut, Wichita State | Central Florida, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa |
SMU | Memphis, Temple | Cincinnati, Tulsa | Central Florida, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, South Florida, Tulane, Wichita State |
Temple | East Carolina, Memphis | South Florida, SMU | Cincinnati, Central Florida, Connecticut, Houston,Tulane, Tulsa, Wichita State |
Tulane | Cincinnati, Connecticut | Central Florida, Wichita State | East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, South Florida, SMU, Temple, Tulsa |
Tulsa | Central Florida, SMU | Cincinnati, Houston | Connecticut, East Carolina, Memphis, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, Wichita State |
Wichita State | South Florida, Tulane | East Carolina Memphis | Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, SMU, Temple, Tulsa |
Women’s American basketball schedule pairings
School | Home | Away | Home and away |
Central Florida | East Carolina, Tulane, Wichita State | Cincinnati, Houston, Tulsa | Connecticut, Memphis, South Florida, SMU, Temple |
Cincinnati | Central Florida, Memphis, Tulane | Connecticut, SMU, Wichita State | East Carolina, Houston, South Florida, Temple, Tulsa |
Connecticut | Cincinnati, Tulsa, Wichita State | East Carolina, Houston, SMU | Central Florida, Memphis, South Florida, Temple, Tulane |
East Carolina | Connecticut, Temple, Wichita State | Central Florida, South Florida, Tulane | Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulsa |
Houston | Central Florida, Connecticut, Memphis | South Florida, Temple, Tulsa | Cincinnati, East Carolina, SMU, Tulane, Wichita State |
Memphis | South Florida, SMU, Tulane | Cincinnati, Houston, Temple | Central Florida, Connecticut, East Carolina, Tulsa, Wichita State |
South Florida | East Carolina, Houston, SMU | Memphis, Tulsa, Wichita State | Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Temple, Tulane |
SMU | Cincinnati, Connecticut, Tulsa | Memphis, South Florida, Tulane | Central Florida, East Carolina, Houston, Temple, Wichita State |
Temple | Houston, Memphis, Tulsa | East Carolina, Tulane, Wichita State | Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida, SMU |
Tulane | East Carolina, SMU, Temple | Central Florida, Cincinnati, Memphis | Connecticut, Houston, South Florida, Tulsa, Wichita State |
Tulsa | Central Florida, Houston, USF | Connecticut, SMU, Temple | Cincinnati, East Carolina, Memphis, Tulane, Wichita State |
Wichita State | Cincinnati, South Florida, Temple | Central Florida, Connecticut, East Carolina | Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa |
This story was originally published June 8, 2017 at 1:08 PM with the headline "Wichita State’s American schedule includes visits from Cincinnati, SMU, UConn."