A look at every men’s basketball non-conference game for this season

Khánh Nguyễn/ The Sunflower

Wichita State sophomore Tyson Etienne looks to drive pass OSU freshman Cade Cunningham during the game at Charles Koch Arena on Dec.12.

Wichita State has officially released its non-conference schedule for the upcoming season in a release last Monday. Currently, the Shockers have eight home games on its slate for the 2021-22 season.

With WSU putting their final touches on its non-conference schedule, here is a breakdown of every non-conference opponent scheduled to be faced this season.

Jacksonville State, Nov. 9

The Shockers will open up the regular season this year against the Gamecocks. The two teams have only met once, with WSU winning the matchup, 69-65 in 2018. Jacksonville State is set to return its top three scorers following an 18-9 season.

South Alabama, Nov. 13

South Alabama is looking to build off a successful 17-11 season with the additions of Lance Thomas (Memphis) and Jay Jay Chandler (Texas A&M) this offseason. This will be the first meeting between the two schools. 

Tarleton State, Nov. 16

The Shockers will take on Tarleton State for the first time in its history early on in non-conference play. The Texans are coming off a 10-10 season last year and a 5-7 record in conference play last year. 

Roman Main Event (Las Vegas), Nov. 19-21

This year’s non-conference tournament for WSU, will be held in Las Vegas with the Shockers taking on Arizona in the first round. The Wildcats are in its first season without head coach Sean Miller at the helm, following his firing last April. Arizona lost its top scorer – James Akinjo, 15.6 points per game – over the offseason. 

The Shockers will take on the winner of Michigan/UNLV if they get past Arizona. The Wolverines are fresh off a trip to the Elite Eight, while the Runnin’ Rebels are looking to build off a 12-15 season last year.

@Missouri, Nov. 26

After making the NCAA Tournament last year, the Tigers had a roster shakeup over the offseason with eight players leaving the program. The Tigers will return Kobe Brown and Javon Pickett, who combined for 14.2 points per game last year.

Both teams faced off last season with the Tigers taking the matchup, 72-62. Missouri currently leads the all-time series, 4-0. 

@Oklahoma State, Dec. 1

For the third straight season, the Shocker will take on OSU, this time in Stillwater. The Cowboyswill be without freshman guard, Cade Cunningham, this season after he was selected with the No 1 pick this summer. OSU will return four of its starters from a year ago, while adding AAC Freshman of the Year Moussa Cisse and Kansas transfer Bryce Thompson. 

In last year’s meeting , the Cowboys won the meeting by a score of 67-64, following a game-winner by Cunningham in the final seconds. Tyson Etienne led the way for WSU with a team-high 19 points in the loss.

Kansas State (INTRUST Bank Arena), Dec. 5

The Shockers will face in-state rival Kansas State this season for the first time since 2003. The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 54-50, and have won the last two meetings. KSU is coming off a 9-20 season but is slated to return four of its top five scorers from last year.

Norfolk State, Dec. 11

Fresh off a trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans are looking to build off a 17-8 campaign last year. Norfolk State lost four of their top-five scorers from a year ago, but will return Joe Bryant, Jr. who averaged the second most points on the team. This matchup will be the first meeting between the two schools. 

Alcorn State, Dec. 14

The Shockers will take on Alcorn State for the second time in its history and first since 2009. WSU won the lone matchup between the two schools with an 87-52 victory. Last season, the Braves went 6-13 and finished with a 6-7 record in conference play.

North Texas, Dec. 18

The Mean Green are looking to build off last year’s Conference USA Tournament Championship and trip to the NCAA Tournament this season. UNT won its first-round game against Purdue in overtime but lost to Villanova in the second round.

They will be without leading scorer Javion Hamlet and much of the supporting cast from a year ago. The two schools have a storied history with each other with WSU leading the series 26-11 but haven’t played since 1982.

Prairie View A&M, Dec. 22

The Shockers will take on Prairie View A&M for the fourth time all-time after taking the three previous matchups. Last season, the Panthers went 16-5 and 13-0 in the SWAC but ultimately fell one game away from the NCAA Tournament. They lost to Texas Southern in the championship game of the SWAC Tournament. ending their season.