The No. 14-ranked Wichita State Shockers opened up the college basketball season with a vengeance by winning their first four matchups by an average of 23 points per game. Wichita State may be out to prove that last season’s Final Four run that ended with a four-point loss to the eventual National Champion Louisville was not a fluke. Coach Greg Marshall and the team believe that they are good enough to win a championship and may spend the entire season trying to prove it.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane started the season with two close losses after ending last year with a mediocre 17-16 record. The team has not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 2003, but with three talented players in Rashad Smith, Tim Peete and Shaquille Harrison, they just might have a chance to end that streak. Let’s take a closer look at Wednesday’s Wichita State versus Tulsa matchup and figure out which side of the game has the most value to wager on.

Wichita State at Tulsa Betting Story Lines

Wichita State is coming off of a dominant 14-point victory over the Tennessee State Tigers on Saturday. The Shockers trailed by one point at halftime, but they managed to score 57 points in the second half to earn their fourth straight victory of the season. Third-year guard Tekele Cotton led the team with 18 points, three rebounds and one assist in 27 minutes worth of action. Wichita State had three players score in double-figures and had center Kadeem Coleby grab eight rebounds.

The Shockers shot 45 percent from the field and made 42 percent of their three-point attempts, but they missed 10 free throws and were only 66 percent from the charity stripe. The team out-rebounded Tennessee State by nine boards, and the Shockers have been very good on the glass to start the year. Wichita State has out-rebound their first four opponents by a combined 27 boards. The Shockers are not expected to play a Top-25 team all season, but they will have a couple of tough matchups against the SEC.

The Golden Hurricane have already lost their first two games of the season, and they are already in danger of going 0-4 as they will face two Top-25 teams over their next two games. The Golden Hurricane will host the No. 14-ranked Wichita State on Wednesday then head on the road to play the No. 23-ranked Creighton Bluejays next Saturday. The team managed to score 93 points during their last outing but still fell short of a victory against the Missouri State Bears.

The Golden Hurricane led the Bears by four points at halftime, but then they gave up 57 points in the second half to lose their matchup by three points. Tulsa was led by second-year guard Shaquille Harrison, who scored 21 points and added three assists, two rebounds, and three steals. Forward Rashad Smith also added 19 points and four rebounds. The team shot 49 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free throw line, but they gave up nine three-pointers and 49 free throw attempts, which was ultimately the difference in the game.

Wichita State at Tulsa NCAA Betting Odds and Key Trends

Wichita State opened as a -5.5 point favorite over Tulsa, according to BetOnline. Both sides of the wager opened with a -110 vig, and the total was off the board. The Shockers are 4-0 ATS during their last four road games and 7-1-1 ATS during their last nine nonconference games. The team is also 6-1-1 ATS during their last eight overall games and are 5-1-1 ATS during their last seven matchups following a straight up win.

Tulsa is 4-1-1 ATS during their last six games following a SU loss, and the Golden Hurricane have the same ATS record during their last five overall games. The team has struggled during their last four Wednesday games and has not covered a spread in that span. The Golden Hurricanes are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 home games, but they are 2-5-1 ATS after scoring more than 90 points during their previous game. Head-to-head, the Shockers are 4-1-1 ATS during the last six meeting between the two teams, while the favorite has covered in three of the last five matchups.

Free College Basketball Picks: Wichita State at Tulsa Predictions

Tulsa has endured a slow start to the 2013-14 college basketball season and has only played two games, while most other teams have played four. That extra rest may come back to haunt them as Wichita State is primed and ready add another victory to their record. Last season the Shockers beat Tulsa by 26 points at home, and they should be able to cover the 5.5 points on the road during Wednesday’s matchup. Wichita State should be able to control the boards and take advantage of a Tulsa team that has trouble defending the three-point line and allows too many free-throw attempts—take Wichita State minus the points.

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Read more articles by George Monroy