Wichita State basketball focused on ending three-game losing skid at UCF on Thursday

Before the Wichita State men’s basketball team could prepare for its next opponent, it first had to address its internal issues that bubbled to the surface after a 33-point loss at Houston.

Now that the Shockers have that out of the way, they can focus their attention on trying to snap a three-game losing streak at Central Florida on Thursday. The game tips off at 6 p.m. Central time and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

WSU has swept all four meetings against UCF since arriving in the American Athletic Conference, including an 87-79 victory at Koch Arena less than three weeks ago. But the Shockers (17-6, 5-5 AAC) have lost five of their last seven games, while UCF (13-10, 4-7 AAC) is coming off an 83-75 win over Tulsa in Orlando.

“It’s a big game for us obviously with what’s going on,” WSU coach Gregg Marshall said Monday on his coaches radio show. “There’s still a lot of basketball to be played.”

After a cathartic practice on Monday where players vented their pent-up frustrations, Marshall believes it “was a step in the right direction, maybe two or three steps in the right direction.”

WSU can control several of the things that were non-existent in its last performance, namely its energy, hustle and determination. Marshall said he was embarrassed by WSU’s lack in all three of those categories at Houston.

The coaching staff will prepare the same detailed scouting report for the players to emphasize the ways to beat UCF just like any other game. But in truth, Thursday’s road trip has more to do with WSU than it does about its opponent.

The good news is that WSU has a history of success against UCF. Not only have the Shockers won all four AAC meetings, but they’ve scored at least 75 points in all four games. That’s exactly that kind of trend a team that has failed to crack 56 points or shoot better than 34% from the field in five of the last seven games likes to see entering a game.

But that doesn’t mean Marshall and the coaching staff think Thursday’s game will be a repeat of WSU’s 87-79 win over UCF on Jan. 25.

“They started the game playing two 6-foot-11 guys and they ended the game playing five guards on the court,” Marshall said of UCF. “So really it was like two separate games.”

Marshall is referencing the foul trouble to UCF’s starting 6-11 center Collin Smith, who was the team’s leading scorer, and his 6-11 backup, Avery Diggs, who picked up four fouls in the first half in the first meeting. Those two centers combined to play just 23 minutes, as UCF opted to experiment with a five-guard lineup that had success knocking down 10 three-pointers against WSU.

If UCF goes small again, Marshall said this time WSU will be better prepared.

“If you remember, (WSU center) Jaime (Echenique) was guarding their point guard because he couldn’t shoot,” Marshall said. “Then when we went on the other end, we tried to pound it into Jaime. That was the chess match that was going on. We’ll be more prepared for that this time around.”

Wichita State at Central Florida

Records: WSU 17-6, 5-5 AAC; UCF 13-10, 4-7 AAC

When: 6 p.m. Central time Thursday

Where: Addition Financial Arena (10,000), Orlando, Florida

TV: ESPN2

Streaming: WatchESPN

Radio: KEYN, 103.7 FM

Series: WSU leads 4-0 (WSU leads 1-0 in Orlando)

Projected starters

Coach: Johnny Dawkins, fourth season, 80-44

Coach: Gregg Marshall, 13th season, 325-119

This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 6:00 AM.

Taylor Eldridge

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6270

Wichita State athletics beat reporter. Bringing you closer to the Shockers you love and inside the sports you love to watch.