The Oklahoma State basketball team travels to Kansas to face the 9-2 Wichita State Shockers looking to extend their winning streak to three games.
It could be a really big week for the Oklahoma State basketball team. After a 102-66 victory over the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, the Pokes travel to Kansas to face the Wichita State Shockers on Dec. 17 at 6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN3.
The Pokes have won two straight games against the Golden Lions and also against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, since losing a heartbreaker to the Maryland Terrapins 71-70 in College Park. This is an opportunity for OK State to add another quality win out of conference to impress the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee at the end of the season.
Wichita State enters this game with a record of 9-2, and the Shockers are 6-0 at home. Meanwhile, OK State has a record of 8-2 overall, and 1-1 on the road.
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Now let’s take a look at the background of both teams and prediction.
Wichita State Shockers
The Shockers have had a very respectable season up to this point. Their only losses are to Louisville and Michigan State who were both top 25 teams at the time. They have three players in double figures for scoring. Sophomore forward Markis McDuffie is the leading scorer with 10.5 points per game. McDuffie is also averaging 4.7 rebounds per game, and 1.7 assists per game.
Junior forwards Darral Willis Jr. and Zach Brown are the other two Shockers in double figures, both averaging right at or just above 10.0 points per game.
This team uses a deep and talented rotation of 10 players who are all playing an average of at least 13.5 minutes per game. The depth that the Shockers have is something that could be hard to match for the Pokes.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
A chance to get a quality road win against an out of conference opponent is not an opportunity that is given that often. The Pokes are likely to be the underdog considering the Shockers are undefeated at home.
For the first time in a few weeks OK State is fully healthy. Sophomore point guard Jawun Evans returned against the Golden Lions after missing his first game of the seasons against Tulsa. That is 21.6 points per game that is back in the starting lineup.
Possibly the biggest key to success for the Pokes is the elevation of the play of senior shooting guard Phil Forte. Known as a career sharpshooter, Forte is shooting a career-low 33.3 percent from behind the three-point line. That will have to change if the Cowboys want to open up the floor for guys like Evans and junior forward Jeffrey Carroll, who is also scoring in double-figures at 15.9 points per game.
This is the last big test for OK State before they move into conference play against West Virginia on Dec. 30.
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Oklahoma State 78, Wichita State 76