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| Wichita State forward Markis McDuffie |
The Paladins will be the No. 3 seed, while the Shockers will be the No.6 seed. The winner will advance to play the winner between No. 2 Clemson and No. 7 Wright State.
Furman, which posted a 25-7 overall mark and a third-place finish in the Southern Conference (13-5), will take on a Wichita State that finished the season 19-14 and finished sixth overall (10-8) in the 12-team league. It will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs on the college basketball hardwood.
Furman, which posted a 25-7 overall mark and a third-place finish in the Southern Conference (13-5), will take on a Wichita State that finished the season 19-14 and finished sixth overall (10-8) in the 12-team league. It will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs on the college basketball hardwood.
The appearance in the NIT will mark the Furman’s 11th postseason trip in school history, and the first since going to the Final Four of the CollegeInsider (CIT) Tournament before losing to eventual champion St. Peters (L, 51-77) back during the 2016-17 season.
The 2019 tournament will mark the second appearance for the Paladins in the NIT, with that ‘91 appearance seeing the Paladins drop an 86-67 decision to West Virginia.
The Shockers return to the NIT for the first time since the 2011, when the Shockers won the NIT title, which is the only one in Wichita State history.
Overall, the Shockers hold an 8-11 record in 13 NIT appearances. That 2011 title team included an 82-75 win over former Southern Conference member College of Charleston at Koch Arena. The 2012-13 Shockers team captured national attention, making a run all the way to the Final Four.
Coaches:
Furman head coach Bob Richey is in his second season at the helm of the Furman basketball program, having posted a 48-18 record in two seasons, including helping the Paladins to a school-record 25 victories this season. Gregg Marshall is in his 12th season at the helm of the Shockers, and has a 305-112 record at Wichita State, and a 499-195 record in his 21st season overall as a head basketball coach. Marshall spent nine seasons in Rock Hill, S.C., at the helm of the Winthrop basketball program.
Players To Watch Wichita State:
There are some intriguing individual matchups set to go against each other in this matchup. Wichita State is different than what Furman sees in the Southern Conference, but there is one team the Shockers are most like according to Paladin head coach Bob Richey, and that team is East Tennessee State. Much of that has to do with the fact that ETSU head coach Steve Forbes was once an assistant under Gregg Marshall at Wichita State.
“I wouldn’t say there are mirrors in terms of this team looks exactly like this team in our league, but ETSU is probably the closest in terms in of just the size,” head coach Bob Richey said.
“They’ve got a lot of size on the interior...They’ve got three big post players that they're gonna rotate...They’ve got a stretch four that’s different in terms of what [Jeromy] Rodriguez does for ETSU and what [Markis] McDuffie does for Wichita State, but in terms how the teams play and how the team’s coached and the intensity in how they defend and the offensive rebounding and just goes to the boards...They really attack the offensive glass, so we’re going to have to do a good job there. They’re very good in transition offense just like East Tennessee State, so I think that would be the most in terms of similarities,” Richey added.
In the backcourt, the leading trio of guards are 6-0 senior Samajae Haynes-Jones (12.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG), 6-4 freshman Jamarius Burton (6.3 PPG, 3.4 APG) and 6-5 freshman Dexter Dennis (8.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG).
Haynes-Jones’ 12.1 PPG ranks second on the team in scoring average, and he dictates the flow of the offense for the Shockers. The Paladins probably haven’t met a team in the SoCon this season that have three guards that rebound collectively as well as Wichita State does.
The southpaw Haynes-Jones is one of the quickest guards the Paladins will have seen this season, although Samford’s Josh Sharkey and LSU’s Tremont Waters were probably good preppers for the senior from Wichita. Haynes-Jones has three 20-point performances this season.
Haynes-Jones and Dennis are the Shockers decent perimeter threats. Haynes-Jones has connected on 30.3% (60-of-198) from three-point range this season, while Dennis comes into the contest having knocked down 38.6% (44-of-114) from three-point land this season. Dennis was an AAC All-Freshman team selection.
The top player for the Shockers is Markis McDuffie (18.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG), who had one of his best performances of the season against the Temple Owls in the AAC Tournament, posting 34 points in the quarterfinal win. McDuffie has a unique skillset, as the senior has a litany of skills that can stretch a defense.The 6-8 forward is probably most comparable to Furman’s Noah Gurley, in that he has an excellent inside-outside game.
As a result of that skill-set, McDuffie will have a chance to play at a high level at the next level, whether that be in a good European league, or in the NBA. McDuffie had a 32-point effort early in the campaign in an 83-80 win over Providence. All told this season, McDuffie has registered double-figure scoring performances in 30 of 32 games this season for the Shockers.
Only Louisiana Tech and UConn managed to hold McDuffie under double digits this season. He’s averaging 22.3 PPG over his last three games for the Shockers.
McDuffie was voted a second-team All-ACC performer this season, and has increased his scoring average by 10 PPG this season. Prior to his senior season, he worked out with several NBA teams to gauge his draft status, but never retained an agent.
Like Dennis and Haynes-Jones, McDuffie can step out and shoot the three, and his 74 triples so far this season lead the Shockers this season. He’s shooting 34.7% from beyond the arc this season. His 603 points so far this season rank eighth-most in Wichita State history, and currently ranks fourth overall in the AAC in scoring average.
Rounding out the starting five for the Shockers will be 6-11 junior center Jaime Echenique (8.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG). The native of Amazon-based city Barranquilla, Colombia by way of Trinity Valley Community college in Athens, TX, has been a difference-maker in the paint for the Shockers this season. His 5.8 blocks-per-game ranked fourth in the AAC in blocked shots this season, averaging 1.4 swats-per-contest, and he has registered a block in 14-straight games.
The Shockers’ top player off the bench this season has been freshman guard Erik Stevenson (6.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG). The 6-3 guard ranks second on the Shockers roster with 30 steals this season, and has seven double-figure scoring performances this season. He posted a career-high 21 points in a win over Rice back in November. He is shooting 28.1% (41-of-146) from downtown so far this season.
All told, the Shockers are averaging 70.7 PPG and allowing 69.2 PPG, and shoot the ball at a 40.6% from the field, including 31.0% from three-point range, while limiting opponents to 42.1% shooting from the field, including 33.8% from three-point range. The Shockers come in having won 11 of their past 14 games.
Players To Watch Furman:
Furman heads into its first appearance in the NIT since 1991 continuing to be led by senior forward Matt Rafferty (17.2 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 61.7 FG%, 4.3 APG, 2.5 SPG), who will be looking to extend his career as a Paladin with a postseason win Wednesday night over the Shockers.
Rafferty has been a major key to Furman’s school-record 25 wins this season, and his 15-point and career-high 17 rebounds in the early-season, 76-68, overtime win over defending national champion Villanova helped the Paladins grabbed the attention of college basketball.
In the Southern Conference Tournament, Rafferty injured his hand in the Paladins’ quarterfinal round win over Mercer, and in the semifinal loss to UNC Greensboro, managed to post a 17-point, 10-rebound performance despite not being 100%. Rafferty is 100% healthy heading into Thursday night’s showdown with Wichita State. He’s part of a senior class that has amassed a 90-45 record during his Furman career, which is a school-record for Furman in four-year span.
Rafferty’s 79 steals this season are a single-season school record, and he finished the season ranking third in the SoCon in steals-per-game (2.5 SPG). Rafferty was recently ranked as the 34th best player in college basketball by Sports Illustrated, and he ranks in the Top five in the SoCon in eight different categories. He was a consensus First-Team All-SoCon selection.
Teaming with Rafferty in the paint will be Clay Mounce (10.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG) and Noah Gurley (8.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG), who have been key to helping the Paladin success this season. Mounce has come on as one of the most-improved players in the Southern Conference, while Gurley has a unique skill-set that should make him an potentially attractive as a next level prospect as he furthers his career at Furman.
Gurley was voted to the SoCon’s All-Freshman team, and has scored in double figures in 13 games this season, posting a career-high 19 points in a mid-February home triumph over VMI. As a perimeter threat this season, the redshirt freshman from Fayetteville, GA, is shooting 31.7% (33-of-104) from long range this season.
Mounce had a pair of 26-point performances this season, as he did so in non-conference wins over Gardner-Webb and UNC Wilmington. When Mounce has played well, it’s been a real key to Furman’s offensive efficiency and overall team performance. Mounce, a redshirt sophomore, is one of the team’s top perimeter shooters, knocking down 42.5% (51-of-120) from three-point range this season.
The Paladin backcourt will be led by sophomore guard Alex Hunter (9.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.3 APG) and junior shooting guard Jordan Lyons (16.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG). Hunter has come into his own this season as Furman’s point guard after seeing only about 14 minutes-per-game as a freshman last season.
Hunter’s consistency and care with the basketball have been key elements of the Paladins offensive success and efficiency this season. The Raleigh, N.C. native finished the season ranking seventh overall in the SoCon in assists (3.3 APG), and leads the SoCon in assists-turnover ratio (2.9). Hunter has a pair of double-doubles this season, and is shooting 37.2% (58-of-156) from three-point range this season.
Lyons has had a record-setting season for the Paladins so far this season. He tied the NCAA single-game record with 15 triples in a game earlier this season in a win over North Greenville, and has already shattered the single-season three-point field goals mark, which was previously set at 88 by Anthony Thomas back in the 2001-02 campaign, and Lyons already has 101 treys this season.
The junior from Peachtree City, GA, is shooting 34.5% (101-of-293) from long range this season, and with 14 points vs the Shockers on Thursday night, will become the 45th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone in a career.
The top player off the bench for the Paladins is senior shooting guard Andrew Brown (7.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG), who on March 20, 2018, survived life-threatening complications due to a perforated intestine during surgery for a hernia. Six years ago today, Brown survived a stroke. Earlier this summer, Brown broke his foot and then re-fractured against Loyola Chicago in the second game of the season.
Brown is Furman’s most efficient outside threat, and has connected on 44.1% (43-of-103) from three-point land this season.
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