Wichita State men’s basketball set to play Texas Tech in closed practice scrimmage
The Wichita State men’s basketball team is in store for a stiff challenge before the start of the regular season.
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, the Shockers have arranged a closed practice scrimmage against Texas Tech. The scrimmage will be on a mid-October Saturday with both teams meeting in the middle to play in Wichita Falls, Texas.
A WSU spokesperson could not confirm any details of the event, claiming programs are not allowed to advertise or promote a closed scrimmage per NCAA rules,
It has been common in recent seasons for WSU to test itself before the season against a Big 12 opponent, most recently scrimmaging against Oklahoma State twice.
Traditionally, WSU has started the joint practice session with drills and predetermined situations, like working against zone defenses, out-of-bounds plays and half-court sets. The day typically ends with a 40-minute scrimmage officiated with outside referees.
While Texas Tech is in a transition phase with first-year coach Mark Adams taking over the program, the Red Raiders appear to have restocked their roster with plenty of talent via the transfer portal. Davion Warren (Hampton), Kevin Obanor (Oral Roberts), Bryson Williams (UTEP), Mylik Wilson (Louisiana) and Adonis Arms (Winthrop) all averaged double-figures last season, while Texas Tech also added a highly-regarded recruit in junior-college transfer K.J. Allen.
Going into Isaac Brown’s second season as head coach and his first full offseason, WSU wants to build on a 16-6 campaign that saw the team win the regular season American Athletic Conference championship and lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
WSU returns a strong core starting with the reigning AAC Co-Player of the Year in guard Tyson Etienne, who averaged 16.3 points last season. The Shockers also return long-time starters in wing Dexter Dennis and center Morris Udeze, as well as promising talent like Ricky Council IV, Monzy Jackson, Craig Porter and Chaunce Jenkins on top of an intriguing recruiting class.
The first official team practice of the 2021-22 season for WSU will be on Tuesday, exactly six weeks before the Shockers open the regular season on Nov. 9 against Jacksonville State at Koch Arena.
WSU will also play Missouri Southern State in an exhibition on Wednesday, Nov. 3, while the team could potentially host a Shocker Madness event sometime in October.
The last time the Shockers and Red Raiders met in an official contest was one of Gregg Marshall’s first most notable non-conference victories at Wichita State. The date was Dec. 19, 2009 and WSU withstood 62 second-half points from Texas Tech to upset the No. 16-ranked Red Raiders, 85-83, at Koch Arena behind 44 combined points from Clevin Hannah and J.T. Durley.
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
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