Inside the Court: A Glimpse at South Florida’s Showdown on January 6th

SOUTH FLORIDA (8-6, 1-0) vs. WICHITA STATE (10-4, 0-1)
Monday, Jan. 6 | 6:00 p.m. CDT
Wichita, Kan. | Charles Koch Arena

TV: ESPN2 featuring Chuckie Kempf & John Williams
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM with Mike Kennedy & Dave Dahl

Baby Races: During halftime, 15 infants (ages 6mo – 12mo) will race across 12 feet of Devlin Court within Charles Koch Arena for a chance to win a $1,000 contribution to a 529 Savings Plan sponsored by SJ Prill Financial & Investment, Inc. | SIGN UP

OPENING TIPS
• Wichita State welcomes South Florida tonight for the Shockers’ American home debut on ESPN2.
• The Shockers recently faced a defeat on the road against Temple in their American Athletic Conference opener, with a score of 91-85.
• Since joining the American Athletic Conference, Wichita State holds a 3-5 record in conference openers but has lost its last four first league games.
• Xavier Bell achieved a career-best 29 points against Friends. Over his last six games, he is averaging 19.8 ppg, scoring 20 or more in three of the preceding four contests.
• Bell reached the milestone of 1,000 career points on Dec. 17 against Kansas City, being one of two players on the roster with over 1,000 points alongside Justin Hill.
• After missing the last non-conference match against Friends, Hill made his comeback against Temple, achieving his third 20-point game of the season with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.
• Quincy Ballard recorded his third consecutive double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds at Temple. In his last three games, he is averaging 13.0 points and 13.0 rebounds.
• The Shockers concluded the non-conference season with a record of 10-3, their finest out-of-conference performance since 2019-20 when they went 12-1 against non-league teams.
• Throughout November, Wichita State posted a 6-1 record. Under Paul Mills during his two seasons, the Shockers have a record of 13-2 in November contests.
• Wichita State ranks 24th nationally for defensive rebounds per game (28.36).
• Ballard leads the American Athletic Conference in blocks per game (2.08) and holds the 22nd position nationally. His 27 total blocks lead the league and place him 34th in the NCAA.
• Ballard broke the single-season school record for field goal percentage and also ranked among the top five in blocks per game and total blocks for the 2023-24 season.
• Ballard positioned himself 4th on the Wichita State career blocks chart against K-State with 115. He is on track to surpass the WSU career record for blocks per game at 2.02.
• Senior forward Ronnie DeGray III remains out for the next few games due to a fractured wrist sustained against Monmouth on Nov. 18.
• Eight student-athletes from Wichita State’s roster possess NCAA Tournament experience: Quincy Ballard (Florida St.), Xavier Bell (Drexel), Harlond Beverly (Miami), Ronnie DeGray III (Missouri), Justin Hill (Longwood), AJ McGinnis (UNCG), Zane Meeks (San Francisco), and Corey Washington (St. Peter’s).

SCOUTING SOUTH FLORIDA

• Wichita State has excelled in its matchups against South Florida since it became part of the American Athletic Conference, achieving a record of 9-2 against the Bulls, with eight wins in the last nine encounters.

• South Florida ended Wichita State’s eight-game winning streak in the series last season in Tampa.

• Wichita State has an impeccable 5-0 record against the Bulls on their home court, Charles Koch Arena.

• In the eight years since joining the American, the Shockers and South Florida have faced off in regular season home-and-home contests just three times, making this season the fourth instance.

• Wichita State is set to return to Tampa in a month on Feb. 9.

• Four of the last five encounters were determined by a margin of five points or fewer.

SCOUTING SOUTH FLORIDA

• Ben Fletcher has been appointed interim head coach for the 2024-25 season following the unfortunate passing of Amir Abdur-Rahim.

• Fletcher, who held the position of assistant head coach during the 2023-24 season, was elevated to associate head coach in June 2024. He brings extensive coaching experience, mentorship, and a steadfast commitment to the men’s basketball program on and off the court. Renowned for his focus on player development, Coach Fletcher played a pivotal role in leading the Bulls to success last season.

• Before his tenure at USF, Fletcher worked as an assistant coach under Abdur-Rahim during a rebuilding phase at Kennesaw State, leading the Owls from just one win in 2019-20 to a school-record 26 wins in 2022-23 and their first Division I NCAA Tournament appearance.

• Following a commendable freshman year, Jayden Reid secured a position on the AAC Preseason Second Team. He finished the 2023-24 season on nine different record lists for South Florida Freshmen and earned a selection to the 2023-24 AAC All-Freshman Team.

• Reid presently leads the Bulls in scoring (12.4 ppg), assists (57), and steals (24).

• Kobe Knox ranks second on the squad in scoring at 11.2 ppg.

• Jamille Reynolds tops USF in rebounding (7.7 rpg) while contributing 10.8 points per game.

• The Bulls are positioned 21st nationally for fast break points, and they heavily rely on their bench scoring. Their 28.57 bench points per game rank 46th nationally.

ON THIS DATE: JAN. 6

• 1968 – WSU defeated visiting Saint Louis, 77-72, after trailing by as many as 15 points at the 14:00 mark. Saint Louis had a 67-57 lead with 5:30 left before the Shockers mounted a 20-5 run. WSU forced four consecutive turnovers. Ron Mendell tied the game at 67 with a basket and then put the hosts ahead 69-67 with 2:22 remaining.

• 1982 – A capacity crowd of 19,591 at Madison Square Garden witnessed the Shockers overpower Iona, 97-78. This marked WSU’s first victory at the iconic venue after four NIT losses between 1954 and 1966. Cliff Levingston finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Aubrey Sherrod added 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting for the Shockers, who shot 64.9 percent from the field, including 17-of-22 in the second half (.773).

• 1987 – WSU stunned Danny Manning and No. 16 Kansas at Levitt Arena, 54-49.

• 1988 – Joe Griffin set a school record with 16 assists (11 of them before halftime) during a 94-72 victory over Oral Roberts.

MILESTONE WATCH

• Quincy Ballard is just 10 blocks away from reaching 125 for his Wichita State career.

• Harlond Beverly is 18 points away from 1,000 career points.

• Bijan Cortes is 36 assists short of 250 for his career.

• Justin Hill is 32 assists away from reaching 500 for his career.

• AJ McGinnis is 99 points from achieving 1,000 for his career.

TEMPLE LEFTOVERS

• Wichita State suffered its third consecutive loss against the Owls and currently stands at 6-9 historically versus Temple.

• The Shockers now hold a record of 15-12 when playing on January 3.

• Under Paul Mills, Wichita State has an 11-3 record when scoring between 80-89 points.

• Wichita State’s 15 offensive rebounds marked a seasonal best.

• The Shockers achieved double-digit steals for the fourth occasion this season.

• Temple’s 54 points in the second half were the highest scored by an opposing team this season.

• Wichita State fell to 8-2 this season when ahead at halftime.

• Justin Hill tallied a game-high 25 points, marking his third 20-point game this season, tying him for the team lead.

• With five rebounds and five assists, he has accomplished two 20-5-5 performances this season.

• Hill’s three steals matched a seasonal best.

• Xavier Bell finished two points short of his fourth consecutive 20-point performance. He has scored 10 or more in every one of the last six games.

• This marked his 10th game in double figures this season and the 34th of his career at Wichita State.

• Bell’s three assists tied a seasonal high, while his three steals fell one shy of a season high.

• Corey Washington achieved his 10th game in double figures with a total of 13 points.

• He has been averaging 8.1 rebounds over his last seven games.

• Quincy Ballard recorded his third consecutive double-double and fourth of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

OLD TIMERS

• With COVID continuing to influence eligibility, numerous schools across the nation have several student-athletes on their rosters in their fifth, sixth, and even seventh years. Wichita State is tied for second in the nation with seven student-athletes in their fifth year or higher of collegiate basketball.

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD…                                                                     

… Bring their season record to 11-4.

… Make them 1-1 in conference play.

… Raise their home record to 7-1 this season.

… Improve their historical record to 10-2 against South Florida.

… Make Paul Mills 26-23 as the head coach of Wichita State.

… Grant Mills 132 coaching victories in his career.

… Enhance their record to 273-62 at Charles Koch Arena.

… Raise their all-time record to 1,683-1,268.

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD…                                                                     

… Leave them with a season record of 10-5.

… Drop them to 0-2 in conference play.

… Update their all-time record against South Florida to 9-3.

… Represent the first instance of USF achieving back-to-back victories against the Shockers in their matchup history.

… Make Paul Mills 25-24 as Wichita State’s head coach.

… Decrease Mills’ career record to 131-108.

… Result in a 272-63 record at Charles Koch Arena.

… Reduce their historic record to 1,682-1,269.

GAME 16: at UTSA                                                            

• Wichita State holds a 3-0 all-time record against UTSA.

• The Shockers and Roadrunners faced off only once the previous season. This will be Wichita State’s inaugural trip to San Antonio to take on UTSA.

• All three previous matchups took place in Wichita.

• The Roadrunners start the 2024-25 season with a record of 6-7 and are 0-1 in conference play.

• UTSA is under the guidance of first-year head coach Austin Claunch.