WICHITA, Kan. – UTSA men’s basketball (8-14, 2-7 AAC) is back out on the road and headed to Kansas for a midweek showdown with the Wichita State Shockers (9-13, 1-8 AAC) on Wednesday night at Charles Koch Arena. The Roadrunners came up short on a late rally in the second meeting with Rice, while the Shockers have dropped two straight after building up leads, including surrendering a late lead to Memphis in the final minute of Saturday’s matchup at FedEx Forum. This is the first time UTSA and Wichita State will meet as American Athletic Conference opponents and the first trip for the Roadrunners to Wichita since 2004. The game will tip at 6:30 p.m. and stream live on ESPN+ alongside the radio broadcast on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket.
Champions for Literacy
While the Shockers are hosting Educator Appreciation Night, Wichita State is teaming up with United Way to promote childhood literacy and a fundraiser in coordination with Champions for Literacy. The Roadrunners will join the Shockers in wearing Champions for Literacy wristbands to support the cause.
On the Air and on the Web
Wednesday’s 6:30 p.m. meeting between the Roadrunners and Shockers is set to stream live on ESPN+ for subscribers, with Shane Dennis and Bob Hullon the broadcast call.
On the radio with Andy Everett (play-by-play), the broadcast will appear on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket and, as always, will feature a 30-minute pregame and 15-minute postgame show – available online at Ticket760.com or via the free iHeartRadio app.
Wichita State Athletics will also provide LIVE STATS.
Last Time Out
‣ The Roadrunners fought their way back from a 16-point deficit in the second half against Rice, closing the gap to just a single possession in the final minute of Saturday’s conference rematch at the Convocation Center.
‣ After trimming the deficit to just two points under a minute, a pair of Rice free throws created a new gap and UTSA couldn’t get a bucket to fall on the final offensive opportunity.
‣ After Rice rushed out to an early lead, UTSA pushed back to gain the advantage for over two minutes, but Rice started really pouring shots in from the perimeter to take back the momentum. Breaking a 19-all tie, Travis Evee scored eight to lead Rice on a 12-4 run across the next six minutes and then the Owls closed the half on another 8-2 run to lead at the break, 39-28.
‣ Rice was able to build up a 16-point lead early in the second half by dropping shots from beyond the arc – opening the second half going 4-for-5 from long range.
‣ Beginning with Carlton Linguard Jr.’s putback with 4:43 to go, UTSA began to scrap its way back into the game, firing off a 15-3 scoring push - Adante' Holiman drained a triple in the corner with 33 seconds on the clock – narrowing the game to a two-point difference.
‣ Anthony Selden was fouled and put away the Owls’ two most crucial free throws with 21 seconds remaining – ultimately sealing the 80-76 Rice win.
‣ Jordan Ivy-Curry scored 19 for his 10th double-figure performance in 12 appearances, while Christian Tucker scored 14 with eight assists.
‣ After being out of action due to injury since the beginning of conference play, point guard Adante' Holiman took the floor again against Rice, hitting 3-for-4 from long range for 11 points – adding to his current 9.3 ppg through 13 games this season.
‣ As the season moves into week 14, it’s also the 14th consecutive week for Tucker leading the American Athletic Conference all-around in assists, pacing the league with an NCAA 25th-most 125 dimes on an NCAA 27th-best 5.7 apg average. Tucker needs just three assists to tie for a spot in the UTSA single season top 10 assists.
‣ Ivy-Curry leads the team with 18.8 ppg, including an AAC fourth-highest 21.22 ppg in conference games. He ranks second for the Roadrunners behind Tucker with 3.75 apg and is among the UTSA rebound leaders at 5.6 rpg.
‣ Leading the team in rebounds ahead of Ivy-Curry, Linguard averages 5.9 rpg and Trey Edmonds comes in at 5.8 rpg, the trio helping UTSA to register an AAC-high 40.09 rpg as a team – ranking 22nd in the NCAA.
‣ The Roadrunners record can be quite deceptive, as UTSA has been in contention during numerous losses, with six setbacks coming by single digits, including four outings decided by six points or less. In both games against ranked opponents, UTSA pushed the game to overtime with scoring over 100 points before falling in the extra period.
‣ This game marks a homecoming of sorts for eighth-year head coach Steve Henson, hailing from just under an hour away in McPherson, Kan. Henson was a star guard at Kansas State in the late 80s before being selected in the second round of the 1990 NBA Draft by Milwaukee – leading to a six-year NBA career.
Series with Wichita State
The Roadrunners and Shockers will meet on Wednesday for the third time overall and first as AAC foes – WSU leads the series 2-0. The last meeting was Dec. 21, 2004, in Wichita with an 84-79 WSU win after UTSA led at half by seven but a 58-point WSU second half sealed the final. The series began in 1998, also in Wichita.
Scouting Wichita State
‣ A perennial nationally recognized program that saw a resurgence in the 2000s under Mark Turgeon and then Greg Marshall, the Shockers have had some challenges the past three seasons, leading to a coaching change to first-year head coach Paul Mills – entering Wednesday’s game with an equally-deceptive 9-13 record and just one conference win.
‣ Mills took over WSU following six seasons turning around Oral Roberts to a 30-5 season in 2022-23.
‣ Leading eight players shooting over 40 percent from the field, junior guard Colby Rogers tops the Shockers with 15.4 ppg on 41.1 percent shooting, knocking down a team-high 61 three-pointers for an AAC-leading 2.77 3FG/game – coming in at 49th nationally. Rogers also kicks in 45 assists, the second most on the team.
‣ Fellow guard, Wichita-raised junior Xavier Bell is scoring 11.6 ppg with 54 assists, while junior guard is pacing the team with 72 assists (3.43 apg) since transferring from Miami (FL), putting in 10.4 ppg.
‣ KCMO forward Dalen Ridgnal paces WSU on the boards with 6.7 rpg and 8.0 ppg in the paint, just ahead of Swedish junior forward Kenny Pohto 6.2 rpg and 10.1 ppg. Junior center Quincy Ballard also captures 6.0 rpg and leads the team with an AAC-high 50 blocks on an NCAA 27th-best 2.27 bpg.
‣ The Shockers also feature a familiar face as the graduate transfer landing spot for Jacob Germany, who played four seasons with the Roadrunners (2019-23). Germany’s name appears in six categories of the UTSA career record book, and he ended his time at UTSA in ninth on the all-time scorers list at 1,293 points and fourth on the all-time rebounders list with 531 boards. Germany has played in six games for the Shockers this season and hasn’t seen action since December 30 against Kansas.
Up Next
The Roadrunners will return to action on Saturday at the Convocation Center, hosting East Carolina on officially-proclaimed “210 Day” with a nationally televised ESPNU broadcast scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m.
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