Ricks, ACU visit Wichita State
Abilene Christian (7-5) vs. Wichita State (10-1)
Charles Koch Arena, Wichita, Kansas; Sunday, 3 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two guards will be on display as Payten Ricks and Abilene Christian will take on Erik Stevenson and Wichita State. The senior Ricks is averaging 13.4 points over the last five games. Stevenson, a sophomore, is averaging 14.4 points over the last five games.
LEADING THE CHARGE: This will be a Wichita homecoming for Wildcats senior Ricks, who’s averaging 13.6 points and 2.5 steals this season. He has been complemented nicely by Kolton Kohl, who’s recording 10.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. On the opposing bench, Stevenson has averaged 13.2 points and 5.3 rebounds while Trey Wade has put up nine points and 7.4 rebounds.POTENT PAYTEN: Ricks has connected on 38.4 percent of the 86 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 8 for 21 over the last three games. He’s also made 89.5 percent of his free throws this season.
STREAK SCORING: Wichita State has won its last eight home games, scoring an average of 78.8 points while giving up 62.1.
ASSIST RATIOS: The Wildcats have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Shockers. Wichita State has an assist on 47 of 80 field goals (58.8 percent) across its past three outings while Abilene Christian has assists on 65 of 92 field goals (70.7 percent) during its past three games.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Abilene Christian has forced opponents into committing turnovers on 29.2 percent of all possessions this year, the second-highest rate among all Division I teams. That figure’s climbed to 31.7 during the team’s five-game winning streak.