Nov 25, 2006, 17:15 GMT
Baton Rouge, LA - A Top-25 battle takes place down on the bayou this Saturday, as the 24th-ranked Wichita State Shockers take on the sixth-ranked LSU Tigers.
Wichita State is in the AP Poll for the first time since 1983, as the team has jumped out to a 3-0 start. The Shockers put an end to George Mason's 12-game home winning streak with a 72-66 triumph last Saturday. Following this contest, WSU will play three of its next five in front of the hometown faithful.
As for LSU, it is 2-0 on the season, having disposed of Nicholls State and UL-Monroe in dominating fashion. The Warhawks posed very little threat as they fell to the Tigers by 31 points, while the Colonels probably wish they hadn't shown up at all as they lost by 54.
Wichita State and LSU have met twice previously with each team winning once. However, it's been 24 years since the last meeting when the Shockers squeaked out a 66-65 victory.
Sean Ogirri scored 19 points, and three other Shockers finished in double figures in last week's 72-66 win at George Mason. Ryan Martin set a new career high with 16 points and recorded his first career double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds, while Kyle Wilson added 16 points and P.J. Couisnard chipped in with 11 in the winning effort. Wichita State took exceptional care of the basketball, turning it over just seven times and in the process lowering its turnover rate to 11.7 per game. The Shockers dropped 10 three-pointers in the contest, and they are now shooting a solid 41.9 percent from beyond the arc, and have hit no fewer than seven treys in any game thus far. Wilson leads the team in scoring at 14.7 ppg, but Ogirri is hot on his heels with 14.3 ppg. Martin and Couisnard check in with 12.3 and 11.0 ppg, respectively, with the former serving as the team's leading rebounder (8.3 rpg), and the latter its top playmaker (5.0 apg).
Averaging 21 points and eight rebounds per game, LSU star forward Glen Davis is off to another impressive start. The 6-9 Baton Rouge native is shooting an eye- popping 70 percent from the field and 76.5 percent from the foul line. He has scored in double figures in 42 straight games and has 29 career double-doubles. Davis poured in a game-high 26 points and grabbed eight boards in LSU's recent blowout win over UL-Monroe, draining 10-of-15 field goal attempts and 6-of-9 free throws. Tasmin Mitchell, a 6-7 forward averaging 17.5 ppg here in the early going, was nearly perfect on the night, hitting 7-of-8 shots from the floor, including 5-of-6 three pointers to finish with a career-high 21 points. Darnell Lazare and Dameon Mason reached double figures as well, netting 16 and 10 points, respectively, as the Tigers shot 60 percent from the field and claimed a 42-28 rebounding advantage.
© 2006 The Sports Network
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