Halftime Report
Fortunes may be turning around for Wichita State after losing six in a row. After one quarter, neither team has the match in the bag, but Wichita State leads 35-32 over South Florida. This game is far closer than the pair’s previous matchup, which was decided by 20 points.
If Wichita State keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 9-9 in no time. On the other hand, South Florida will have to make due with a 10-6 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Wichita State Shockers @ South Florida Bulls
Current Records: Wichita State 8-9, South Florida 10-5
How To Watch
What to Know
South Florida is 1-9 against Wichita State since January of 2018 but they’ll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Sunday. Both teams will face off in an American Athletic battle at 2:00 p.m. ET at Yuengling Center. The timing is sure in South Florida’s favor as the squad sits on six straight wins at home while Wichita State has not had much luck on the away from home, with four straight road losses dating back to last season.
Last Thursday, the Bulls skirted by the Tigers 74-73 thanks to a clutch free throw from Kasean Pryor with 4 seconds left in the second quarter. The victory was all the more spectacular given South Florida was down 20 points with 6:59 left in the first half.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead South Florida to victory, but perhaps none more so than Selton Miguel, who scored 23 points. Those 23 points set a new season-high mark for him. Pryor was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 21 points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Shockers couldn’t handle the Owls on Thursday and fell 86-77. Wichita State got off to an early lead (up 13 with 14:22 left in the first quarter), but sadly they weren’t able to maintain that momentum.
Despite their defeat, Wichita State saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Quincy Ballard, who scored 18 points, was perhaps the best of all. As a matter of fact, that’s the most points Ballard has scored all season.
The Bulls are on a roll lately: they’ve won eight of their last nine matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 10-5 record this season. As for the Shockers, they have not been sharp recently, as they’ve lost eight of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-9 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: South Florida have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.8 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Wichita State struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 41 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Going forward, South Florida is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 4.5 points. For those looking to play the spread, keep South Florida’s opponent in mind: they have a subpar 2-6-1 record against the spread vs Wichita State over their last nine matchups.
Odds
South Florida is a 4.5-point favorite against Wichita State, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 4.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is set at 150.5 points.
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Series History
Wichita State has won 9 out of their last 10 games against South Florida.
- Mar 05, 2023 – Wichita State 69 vs. South Florida 49
- Jan 08, 2023 – Wichita State 70 vs. South Florida 66
- Feb 12, 2022 – Wichita State 73 vs. South Florida 69
- Mar 12, 2021 – Wichita State 68 vs. South Florida 67
- Mar 06, 2021 – Wichita State 80 vs. South Florida 63
- Dec 22, 2020 – Wichita State 82 vs. South Florida 77
- Feb 20, 2020 – Wichita State 65 vs. South Florida 55
- Jan 21, 2020 – Wichita State 56 vs. South Florida 43
- Jan 22, 2019 – South Florida 54 vs. Wichita State 41
- Jan 07, 2018 – Wichita State 95 vs. South Florida 57
