Wichita State vs Houston: College basketball preview, TV schedule

In a tremendously contentious American Athletic Conference, Wichita State and Houston will face off as they jostle in the league standings.

TV Schedule: Saturday, Jan. 20,12:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Arena: H&PE Arena, Houston, Texas

With nine teams currently above .500, the American Athletic is a wide-open league. This is illustrated even better by the fact that all of those teams are within three games of one another in the conference standings. Therefore, each game is absolutely paramount to these AAC teams. Two teams near the top of the standings meet for a lunchtime tilt today.

Both Wichita State and Houston are coming into this game after losing their last contest. So, not only is this a game that has plenty of AAC repercussions, but it also gives both squads the chance to regroup. The question of who wins and loses may come down to one or two plays.

The move to the American Athletic has been beneficial so far for the Shockers. They came into this week ranked 7th in the country, and have not skipped a beat since changing conferences. However, they did drop their last game to SMU, their first AAC loss this season. While the Shockers shot a tremendous 53 percent from the field, they were unable to string together stops. This was most evident in their defensive effort against Shake Milton, the Mustang’s top player. The junior poured in 33 points, a season-high on 79 percent shooting. Milton also shot five of six from three-point range.

That loss to SMU snapped Wichita State’s seven-game win streak. In the Shockers’ defense, all three of their losses have come to formidable foes. SMU is ranked 32nd in KenPom while their other two losses came to Notre Dame and Oklahoma. Both of those teams are currently in the KenPom top-25. So, are these losses resume busters? Absolutely not, but they are games you would like to win if you are Gregg Marshall.

Even if they lose the automatic bid in the American Athletic, it is almost a surety that the Shockers will get an at-large. Barring some sort of monstrous setback, they will be playing well into March. They are one of the top rebounding schools in the country, bringing down 41 rebounds per game. That is eight best in the country and the best in AAC by a decent margin.

Houston is a team whose future is not as cemented as Wichita State’s. They do feature a solid 14-4 mark on the season with two of those losses coming in conference play. The Cougars have faced off against the Shockers before, losing that game by 18. While the scoreboard seemed lopsided, much of this had to do with Wichita State’s hot shooting. They shot 45 percent from both the field and three-point range. Compare that to Houston’s 27 percent clip from three in that game. 15 total turnovers did not help the Cougars either.

At this point, Houston needs every win they can get given the fact that they have two bad losses. Dropping games to Drexel and Tulane have hurt the tournament chances for the Cougars. However, a win over the Shockers puts them right back in the conversation.

Their most recent loss to Tulane saw similar results as their game against Wichita State. The Green Wave shot 46 percent from the field and 48 percent from three. Yet again, Houston shot poorly, which led to their downfall. Shooting only 27 percent from deep and 35 percent overall. This leads me to believe that a lack of efficiency from Houston will determine the outcome of their games.

Like Wichita State, Houston is also a good rebounding team, averaging nearly 40 rebounds per contest. They are led offensively by senior guard Rob Gray, who averages 19 points and four assists per game. However, what worries me about Houston is their lack of size on the interior and their reliance on their guards for offensive production.

Next: Will havoc be wreaked this weekend?

Ultimately, the team that commands the glass will win this game. The Shockers have an advantage in that area with players like Shaquille Morris and Darral Willis Jr. If they can beat Houston physically, they should not have any trouble with the Cougars. However, if Houston shoots their average 40 percent from long range, this will be hotly contested.

Ultimately, I am more inclined to believe that Wichita State will control this match-up. While Houston has the home court advantage, it will take a supreme effort to knock-off the Shockers. The Cougars have beaten the teams they are supposed to in the AAC, but have not gone above and beyond, yet. Maybe this will be the game they do it, but it will be a challenge.

Prediction: Wichita State 80, Houston 74