Pokes Set to Face Tough Wichita State Team in Stillwater

The Wichita State Shockers come to town Sunday for a regional rivalry game with Oklahoma State

Wichita State (7-1, 0-0 AAC) at RV/25 OSU (7-1, 0-0 Big 12)
Date / Tipoff: Dec. 8, 2019 / 1 p.m. CT
Site: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
Series: OSU leads 30-9 (15-3 in Stillwater)
Last: WSU won 78-66 on Dec. 9, 2017 in GIA
Broadcast: ESPNU (Chuckie Kempf, King McClure)
Webcast: WatchESPN app or ESPN.com
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: Sirius/XM Internet 986

Oklahoma State is back in action in GIA Sunday afternoon as the Wichita State Shockers come to town for the 40th all-time meeting between the two teams.

The Cowboys are coming off a tough home 81-74 loss to Georgetown this past Wednesday. It marked the Cowboys first loss of the season, and could prove to be very beneficial for Mike Boynton’s young players. Senior Lindy Waters had one of the best games in orange and black as he posted a career-high 29-points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field.

It was a rough night for the Pokes as they were outrebounded 43-29, with sophomore Yor Anei playing 18 minutes and finishing the game with zero rebounds.

Another issue for the Pokes against the Hoyas was that they were without starting point guard Isaac Likekele, who missed the game due to an undisclosed illness. It was freshman Chris Harris getting his first career-start, and he finished the night 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

The Shockers are led by guard Erik Stevenson who’s averaging 13.5 points on 41 percent shooting from the field, and 3.4 assists per game. As for rebounds, that falls to forward Trey Wade, who’s averaging 6.5 rebounds per game, with 4.3 coming on the defensive end.

This is going to be a tough challenge for the Pokes as Wichita State has been a solid program that travels very well as a fan base. The Shockers also bring one of the nation’s top defenses into Stillwater. In their first eight games of the season, they’re winning by an average margin of 16.2 points, while holding their opponents to 60.1 points per game. They’re also holding their opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field, and they don’t allow too many trips to the free throw line, just 11.3 FT per game.