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UCF at Wichita State: College basketball game preview, TV schedule, prediction

By Lukas Harkins

WICHITA, KS - NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Gregg Marshall of the Wichita State Shockers yells out instructions against the College of Charleston Cougars during the first half on November 13, 2017 at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
WICHITA, KS - NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Gregg Marshall of the Wichita State Shockers yells out instructions against the College of Charleston Cougars during the first half on November 13, 2017 at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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The Wichita State Shockers has dropped their last two contests. Can they get back on track in front of their crowd against the UCF Knights?

Matchup: UCF Knights (13-6, 4-3) at Wichita State Shockers (15-4, 5-2)

Date and time: Thursday, January 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET

TV schedule: ESPN2

Location: Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, KS

Team Trends

Wichita State enters this game having lost two games in a row. For a team that has spent the majority of the season in the top-10, this is a major surprise. During this poor stretch, the biggest issue for the Shockers has been their ball movement. Usually one of the best teams in the nation when it comes to taking care of the ball, Gregg Marshall’s team has been sloppy recently, especially in their loss to Houston. Through the first 18 games of the year, Wichita State had turned the ball over 11.8 times per game on average. However, in the road loss to the Cougars, the team gave it away 18 times. That will not cut it.

UCF might not rank highly in terms of turnovers forced per game but the team is very solid defensively. For the year, they are third in the nation in scoring defense while allowing 59.1 points per game. This number is great but they are now playing without their defensive anchor in Tacko Fall, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury. The Knights are coming off of an extremely close win over South Florida in their last game. Playing on the road against an elite opponent like Wichita State will be difficult and they need to play a better game than in their win over the Bulls.

What does this mean for Wichita State?

This team needs to figure itself out again. Losing two in a row is very rare for this program and they are not looking to drop their third straight. The team is still in solid shape to reach the NCAA Tournament but their seeding took a serious hit over the last week. Cincinnati is the only sure-fire at-large team that they will face during the rest of the season so piling up wins at this point is important.

This win would put the team back in the right frame of mind. Securing victories is the most important thing for any team and the Shockers will want to do just that at home in this one. With a home game against Tulsa following, the homestand could be coming at just the right time.

What does this mean for UCF?

UCF is sitting right on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Now that they are without Tacko Fall, the team may take a step back but they should be able to compete for a bid nonetheless. The Knights still have both of their matchups with Wichita State (including this one) and a date with Cincinnati left to secure high-quality wins.

Snagging a win in this would be a great start towards working themselves back into consideration. The Knights have work to do but there is time to do it.

Next: Most recent Bracketology field (Jan. 22)

Overall, I think that UCF will be able to slow Wichita State down enough to make this a close game. However, with how much Wichita State needs a win and the fact that they own the home court, I like the Shockers to pull away down the stretch.

Prediction: Wichita State 64, UCF 55.