With four wins over SEC and Big 12 teams, WSU has one of the best resumes in country
Wichita State’s 74-54 win over Mississippi on Saturday at Koch Arena marked its second victory in two tries against Southeastern Conference opponents this season to go along with back-to-back wins over the Big 12’s Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. It is believed to be one of the only times in school history that has happened.
No. 1 Gonzaga is 5-1 against teams in the SEC, Big 12, ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12. Another team also has four wins against teams those leagues, and the No. 24 Shockers meet that team — No. 9 Memphis — Thursday at home.
“Any time you win, it feels good, but this one feels kind of different,” sophomore guard Erik Stevenson said of Saturday’s victory.
The Shockers outscored the Rebels 20-1 in points off turnovers. They out-rebounded them 38-30. They had more assists and fewer turnovers.
The Shockers had the game’s top two scorers in guard Erik Stevenson, who had a career-high 29, and Jamarius Burton, who added 16. Stevenson said playing up to the competition has always been one of his best attributes.
Defensively, they were just as good. Mississippi senior guard Breein Tyree entered the game as the leading scorer in the SEC. He finished with nine points on 2-of-9 shooting. Stevenson and coach Gregg Marshall gave Burton credit.
“We held them to 16 baskets,” Marshall said. “That’s not too many in a 40-minute game.”
Mississippi previously beat Penn State of the Big Ten and lost by a point to Memphis.
WSU’s lone loss this season came to West Virginia on a neutral court. Memphis lost to No. 14 Oregon on a neutral court and against Georgia at home minutes before the Shockers tipped off.
The Shockers entered their game against Mississippi at No. 11 in the NET rankings, which the NCAA uses to seed tournament teams and make at-large selections.
WSU stands in front of a massive opportunity to put a staple through the AAC. Memphis enters the game on the heels of a 65-62 loss to Georgia of the SEC. SMU, Houston and others will have their say in the final standings, but Thursday’s game in Wichita will go a long way in determining the American’s regular season champion.
“We’re 13-1, so we’ve been trending upward for a while,” Marshall said. “But that Memphis game will be its own animal. ... It should be a highly entertaining game. I anticipate Koch Arena being kind of like it was vs. Cincinnati in 2017-18, last game of the regular season. You’re going to see some future pros on both sides. It’s going to be one heck of a basketball game.”
WSU recently re-entered the AP Top 25 poll. It was the first time the Shockers have been ranked since March 12, 2018. With another resume-building victory, that ranking seems on the rise.
“We were picked fourth, I believe, (in the AAC) before the season started, and obviously that didn’t sit well with us,” Stevenson said. “We feel like we’re better than that, and we’re coming out here and we’re proving that. We’re handling our business, controlling what we can control and setting ourselves up for a good position on Thursday night.”
This story was originally published January 4, 2020 at 7:25 PM.