WSU Sports
Bryan Holmgren, Assistant Director of Media Relations
WICHITA – Bookended by a pair of network television appearances, Wichita State’s American Athletic Conference men’s basketball schedule – released Friday morning — promises unprecedented exposure, with all 18 conference dates and eight additional non-conference games selected for air on national linear television (CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and CBS Sports Network).
CBS is set to carry the Shockers’ American opener at UConn on Saturday, Dec. 30 and the network’s cameras come to Wichita for the Sunday, March 4 regular season finale against Cincinnati. Both tip at 11 a.m. CT.
As many as half of WSU’s 30 regular season contests are earmarked for either CBS, ESPN or ESPN2. Addition- al games will air on ESPNU (5) and CBS Sports Network (6). Five other dates, including the Nov. 4 exhibition opener will appear statewide on YurKS (formerly Cox Channel Kansas), available to Cox Communications subscribers on Cox HD 2022.
The Conference Schedule
Following the opener at UConn, Shocker fans get their first live look at American Athletic Conference action on Thursday, Jan. 4 against Houston (ESPN or ESPN2). South Florida visits three days later for a Sunday afternoon tip on CBSSN.
Following a Jan. 11 visit to East Carolina (8 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2), the Shockers play the first hoops installment of their “Havoc in the Heartland” rivalry series at Tulsa on Saturday, Jan. 13 (6:30 p.m., ESPNU). The Golden Hurricane make a return trip on Sunday, Jan. 28 (5 p.m., CBSSN).
Other January home dates include midweek matchups against SMU on Jan. 17 (6 p.m., ESPNU) and Central Florida on Jan. 25 (8 p.m., ESPN2). In between, the Shockers travel to Houston on Jan. 20 (11 a.m., ESPNU).
WSU plays back-to-back road games to begin the month of February at Temple (Feb. 1, 6 p.m., ESPN/ ESPN2) and Memphis (Feb. 6, 8 p.m., CBSSN), then returns to Wichita for games against UConn (Feb. 10, ESPN/ESPN2) and Temple (Feb. 15, 6 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2).
The Shockers close with a difficult five-game stretch, beginning with a trip to Cincinnati on Sunday, Feb.
18 (3 p.m., ESPN). WSU faces Tulane for the first-and-only time on Feb. 21 (6:30 p.m., CBSSN), then hits the road for games at SMU on Feb. 24 (ESPN/ ESPN) and UCF (Mar. 1, 6 p.m. ESPN).
The network-televised Senior Day finale against Cincinnati features two teams with lofty preseason expectations. The Bearcats (30-6 in 2016-17) and Shockers (31-5) are both expected to begin the year in the top-25.
Non-Conference Times, Television Info Finalized
Wichita State’s Dec. 16 INTRUST Bank Arena game has been selected by ESPNU with a 6 p.m. CT tip, meaning the Shockers will play six of their 12 non-conference games on the ESPN Family of Networks.
Road games at Baylor (Dec. 2, ESPNU) and Oklahoma State (Dec. 9, ESPN2) were announced previously. The Shockers are also guaranteed three appearances on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU during the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, beginning with a Nov. 20 matchup against California on ESPN2.
Two other non-conference home games have been picked up by CBSSN: Nov. 13 against College of Charleston and Dec. 22 vs. Florida Gulf Coast.
The five Cox games will all tip at 7 p.m. CT (Henderson State, Nov. 4; UMKC, Nov. 10; Savannah State, Nov. 28; South Dakota State, Dec. 5; and Arkansas State, Dec. 19)