Tyson Etienne looks to keep hot streak going for Wichita State basketball vs. USF
Tyson Etienne has hit a groove, playing more like last season when he won the American Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year in the last four games for the Wichita State men’s basketball team.
During the last four games, Etienne has reached 20 points three times and is averaging 19.3 points, bolstered by 4.8 three-pointers made per game on 42.2% accuracy beyond the arc. Compare that to his season averages before the streak: 14.3 points, 2.5 three-pointers per game and 30.8% three-point shooting.
It’s clear Etienne is on a hot streak for Wichita State entering Saturday’s 7 p.m. game against South Florida at Koch Arena broadcast on ESPNU. The Shockers (12-9, 3-6 AAC) are in desperate need of a win over the 10th-place Bulls (7-15, 2-8 AAC), which would be their fourth straight at Koch Arena.
“For me, it was just switching to attack mode and trusting my abilities and not being passive,” Etienne said after scoring 26 points in WSU’s 71-66 loss at UCF. “I feel like I’ve been doing a good job lately of getting to my spots.”
The quantity of shots Etienne is launching hasn’t changed the last four games, but it feels like the quality has. Some of that has to do with WSU playing two teams that primarily play zone defense (Tulane and Tulsa), but the Shockers have done a better job of freeing Etienne up on set plays to catch-and-shoot like he was last season.
What has been frustrating for WSU coach Isaac Brown is that the Shockers have been unable to fully capitalize on Etienne’s resurgence, losing both games on the road in the final minute of losses at Tulane, 67-66, and UCF, 71-66.
A season after winning seemingly every close game during the regular season, WSU has lost all four games in conference play this season decided in the final minute.
“Tyson is going to make shots,” Brown said after the UCF loss. “We’ve just got to defend at a high level and not turn it over.”
Etienne isn’t just terrorizing opponents from deep lately, he showed in the UCF game his ability to punish teams that decide to switch their centers onto him on ball screens. Etienne scoring three straight times to spearhead a 16-2 run in the second half, torching the UCF big man three straight times by going to the basket, pulling up for a fade-away jumper and a floater.
“IB told me if they switch, then go ahead,” Etienne said. “That meant a lot for my coach to say that. I just tried to take advantage.”
UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said afterward that it wouldn’t surprise him if Etienne finishes the season strong.
“He’s a terrific player,” Dawkins said. “He hasn’t gotten off to the start that he had last year, but everyone knows he’s one of the best guards in the league and one of the best guards in the country. He showed it (against UCF) when he got going.”
Etienne was also behind WSU’s late rally, knocking down a pair of three-pointers in a span of 30 seconds to close UCF’s lead to two points in the final 90 seconds. The Shockers missed their one chance at a potential game-tying shot, then had another chance erased by a missed call by officials in the final minute.
“That was a big swing for us when Tyson was hitting those shots,” WSU point guard Craig Porter said. “We depend on him a lot to get back into games and we knew that we were always in it. But him hitting those definitely sparked us and helped us go in the right direction.”
A season after posting tremendous efficiency on high volume, Etienne has seen his shooting percentages plummet this season. There’s a multitude of reasons behind it — poor spacing by WSU, lack of effective set plays for Etienne and poor shot selection — but the late-season surge could help the Shockers reach their potential at the right time.
Chances of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament are long gone, but WSU still can make a run at the conference tournament in Fort Worth in March. To do so, the Shockers will need to be playing their best brand of basketball in the coming weeks and the team knows they have to get back to that on Saturday against a USF program they’ve historically dominated in Wichita.
South Florida at WSU men’s basketball
Records: USF 7-15, 2-8 AAC; WSU 12-9, 3-6 AAC
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Koch Arena (10,506), Wichita
TV: ESPNU (Mike Couzens & Mark Adams)
Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM (Mike Kennedy & Dave Dahl)
KenPom says: WSU 65, USF 51
Last meeting: 68-67 WSU win in AAC tournament in Fort Worth on March 12, 2021
Projected starting lineups
Wichita State Shockers
| Pos. | No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Year | Pts | Reb. | Ast. |
| G | 3 | Craig Porter | 6-2 | 185 | Jr. | 6.1 | 4.5 | 3.4 |
| G | 1 | Tyson Etienne | 6-2 | 200 | So. | 15.3 | 2.8 | 2.0 |
| G | 0 | Dexter Dennis | 6-5 | 210 | Jr. | 8.5 | 5.3 | 1.6 |
| F | 32 | Joe Pleasant | 6-8 | 220 | Jr. | 2.7 | 2.9 | 0.3 |
| C | 24 | Morris Udeze | 6-8 | 235 | Jr. | 10.9 | 6.1 | 0.4 |
Coach: Isaac Brown, second season, 28-15
South Florida Bulls
| Pos. | No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Year | Pts | Reb. | Ast. |
| G | 23 | Caleb Murphy | 6-4 | 185 | So. | 11.9 | 3.3 | 3.1 |
| G | 1 | Javon Greene | 6-2 | 190 | Sr. | 9.4 | 4.6 | 2.2 |
| G | 24 | Jamir Chaplin | 6-5 | 195 | Jr. | 9.2 | 4.6 | 1.3 |
| F | 15 | Corey Walker | 6-8 | 220 | Fr. | 3.4 | 3.0 | 0.8 |
| C | 54 | Russel Tchewa | 7-0 | 260 | Jr. | 6.4 | 5.2 | 0.4 |
Coach: Brian Gregory, fifth season, 64-81
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