The Wichita State Shockers’ run of seven straight trips to the NCAA Tournament is in real jeopardy. Wichita State was stunned by Louisiana Tech in its season opener, and things haven’t gotten much better since that point. Gregg Marshall knows he and his team have their work cut out for them over the next two months, and they need to go on a long winning streak if they want to get back to March Madness. A win over the Cincinnati Bearcats would be huge.
This AAC showdown will take place on Saturday, January 19, 2019. Tip-off will be at 2 p.m. ET from Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. The game will be broadcast on CBS.
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Odds Analysis
Cincinnati is currently in a three-way tie for first-place in the AAC, but the Bearcats have struggled to get the wins they’ve needed to. They needed overtime to get past both Tulsa and Connecticut, and they have only defeated Tulane convincingly in conference action. The Bearcats do have a big win against city rival Xavier and a blowout win over UCLA to their credit, but they couldn’t defeat the two best teams they have played (Ohio State and Mississippi State) and must avoid missteps.
The Shockers have been shockingly bad for much of the year. (Sorry, I had to.) Wichita State lost to Davidson and Alabama in neutral site games, and the team was blitzed by Oklahoma, losing to the Sooners by 32 points. They looked like they righted the ship after that, but then they suffered four straight losses with three of those coming in conference action. Wichita State picked up a needed win over UCF on Wednesday night to pick up their first AAC win, but the Shockers know they need this one too.
Key Injuries
Neither one of these teams have anyone listed on the injury report.
Player to Watch
Jarron Cumberland is the leader of the Bearcats. Cumberland leads the team with 17.8 PPG, and he is who the Bearcats turn to when they need a basket. He is a high volume shooter that isn’t afraid to fire away, but he has been off the mark with his shooting these last two weeks. Cumberland is sinking just 40 percent of his field goals over his last four games, he is 28 percent from the three-point line during that time too.
He has a knack for getting to the free throw line though. His ability to drive into the paint and draw contact has been the difference for the Bearcats in their last two games, and he has sunk 25 free throws in that time. Cumberland will look to have similar success here.
Key Stat
The Shockers’ woes can be tied to their inability to sink shots. As a team, Wichita State is hitting just 41.9 percent of its field goals and 31 percent of its three-pointers on the year, and that’s kept them from picking up wins. Gregg Marshall has never been the type to have his team run at a high tempo, but they have always been efficient prior this season, so this doubly hurts.
One of the few bright spots for the team has been 6’11 Colombian Jaime Echenique. Echenique is hitting 57.4 percent of his field goals and 43.8 percent of his three-point attempts this season. He began the season as a rotation player, but he is now playing starter’s minutes because of his ability to knock down shots.
Prediction
The Bearcats are going to be too much for the Shockers here. Although this is a road game, they have had an extra night of rest, and Mick Cronin’s crew rebounds and plays defense well. Wichita State will stay relatively close, but it won’t be enough.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Cincinnati 74, Wichita State 69
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