Wichita State Basketball: 2019-20 keys to beat Houston after first AAC loss

Wichita State Basketball lost their first game of the season in AAC play on Wednesday at Temple and are now looking to bounce back on Saturday against Houston.

The loss also saw the Shockers’ 9-game winning streak come to an end. It also dropped them to 3-1 in conference play and into a 4-way tie for first place in the conference. Wichita State Basketball had managed to climb all the way up to 16th in the most recent AP poll, but now a second consecutive loss could very well see them drop out of the top-25 entirely. To avoid that fate, they’ll need to beat a Houston squad who is also currently a part of that 4-way tie for first.

Houston’s season got off to a tough start with them losing two of their first four games, but they have won 9 out of 11 since then, including 3 of 4 in AAC play. That run includes a win over SMU Wednesday where they bounced back from their own first loss of the AAC season. That loss came in a close game at Tulsa last Saturday. Houston is one of many teams who find themselves on the “getting votes” list for the AP poll and a win over Wichita State could be just the push they need to get themselves into the top 25.

This matchup is another battle for AAC supremacy as the winner keeps themselves no worse than tied atop the conference and the loser falls behind in the race for the regular-season title. The clash will take place on Saturday afternoon at Charles Koch Arena where the Shockers are notoriously tough to beat, including a 12-0 record there this season. Here are 3 keys for the Shockers to stay undefeated at home.