It figures to be a low-scoring affair as the No. 22-ranked Wichita State Shockers (15-5) visit Evansville to play the Aces (18-4). The game starts at 4:00 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 31 and will air on ESU and ES3.
The Aces were victorious over Southern Illinois 85-78 on Thursday. Mislav Brzoja led all scorers on the team with 25 points on 9-for-12 shooting. The Shockers, meanwhile, are coming off an 80-54 win over Loyola Chicago on Wednesday. Ron Baker played well for Wichita State, recording eight points, seven rebounds, and six steals.
Baker has been on a tear over the last five games for the Shockers, averaging 14.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.4 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.2 three-pointers.
Points could be at a premium in this matchup between two of the nation’s best defenses. Evansville ranks 34th in the nation in defensive efficiency (95.4), while Wichita State is 15th (93.4).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Shockers won the first game 67-64. Fred VanVleet was a top performer in the victory with 16 points, five rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and two three-pointers.
Evansville is a slight two-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 141 points. The Aces enter the game with records of 18-4 Straight Up (SU) and 9-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Aces are an incredibly accurate shooting team from three-point range with a .382 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Evansville, which ranks 22nd at 1.46.
On the other side, Wichita State has a SU record of 15-5 and an ATS record of 11-7. Most recently, Wichita State is 9-1 ATS over the last 10 games. The Shockers rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 32nd-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.41. Wichita State’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents making only 6.0 shots from the three-point line per game. They average 7.8 steals per game, good for 43rd in the nation.
Wichita State won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against Evansville to 8-2 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. However, Evansville leads the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Wichita State held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five game, while Evansville wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Wich, ATS Winner – Evan, O/U – Under
Notes
Evansville is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Evansville’s last 5 games.
Evansville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Evansville is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Wichita State.
Evansville is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Wichita State.
Evansville is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Wichita State.
Evansville averages 78.2 points per game this season. Wichita State is one of the best teams in points allowed, giving up just 61.5 points per game (ranked seventh).
Evansville averages 82.1 points per home game (ranked 70th). Wichita State allows 66.8 points per away game (ranked 27th).
In its last game, Wichita State won by a margin of 26 points. Evansville is 7-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Wichita State has a 10-1 record in blowouts.
The Wichita State Shockers rank 38th for their offensive rating of 113.8. The Evansville Aces have a defensive rating of 95.4 (ranked 34th).
The Evansville Aces have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking second in the nation with a FG% of 52.1%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Wichita State Shockers are winless with a 0-1 record.
The Evansville Aces rank higher based on their field goal percentage (second) than their effective field goal percentage (ninth). The Wichita State Shockers rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (153rd) than their field goal percentage (189th).
The 22nd-ranked team in the category, Evansville has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.46 this season. Wichita State ranks 32nd with an A/TO of 1.41.
Evansville ranks 36th in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, Wichita State ranks 85th.
Though Wichita State is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 24.4% (ranked fourth), Evansville is undefeated (1-0) when its TO% is 24.4% or greater.
