Memphis will look to snap a four-game losing streak Thursday night when it hosts Wichita State. This will be the second meeting between the two teams after the Shockers beat Penny Hardaway’s team by 15 points in Wichita in January.
In the first game, the Tigers shot 40.7 percent from the field and went 3-for-19 from three-point range, and they turned the ball over 17 times. Wichita State dominated the paint, grabbing 40 rebounds, and they scored 38 points in the paint.
The Shockers scored 13 second-chance points off 12 offensive rebounds and 17 points off turnovers. 7-foot-2 center Will Berg came off the bench and recorded 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a steal in 24 minutes of action.
Since that game, Paul Mills’ team has only lost two games, at Tulsa and against South Florida, and they currently sit in third place. The Shockers have won three games in a row, but they almost lost a week ago at East Carolina, winning by three points in double overtime.
As a team, Wichita State averages 77.4 points per game, and it averages 44.4 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from behind the arc and 67.6 percent from the free-throw line. Senior Kenyon Giles leads the team with 19.1 points per game, but he’s averaging 26.5 points and four rebounds over his last four outings.
The UNC-Wilmington transfer recorded 27 points in the most recent game against Temple, going 5-for-10 from three-point range.
Against the Tigers, Giles and Karon Boyd both led the team with 14 points. Boyd is the second-leading scorer on the team, and he’s averaging 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Defensively, the Shockers allow 70.3 points per game, and opposing teams average 42.4 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from deep. Wichita State forces 11.2 turnovers per game, and it averages 13.2 points off turnovers.
Mills’ team averages 40.6 rebounds per game, and five players average more than four rebounds per game.
The Shockers have three games remaining in the regular season, and they have a great opportunity to receive a bye in the conference tournament as a top-four seed.