Wichita State Shockers
MVC (30-4, 17-1)
Gregg Marshall has Wichita State dancing for the sixth straight season. The Shockers won’t be satisfied to just be in the tournament, as they have won at least one game in each of the last five tournaments and have the talent to win this year as well. Despite losing Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker, Coach Marshall led his team to a thirty win season and dominated the Missouri Valley Conference. Wichita State lacks the experience they’ve had in recent years, but still play tremendous defense and have depth offensively. Even though this is a new look Wichita State, they can make an impression in the tournament like its predecessors did.
Big Wins: 12/3 at Colorado State (82-67), 1/8 at Northern Iowa (80-66), 2/4 Illinois State (86-45)
Bad Losses: 11/25 vs Michigan State (72-77), 12/17 Oklahoma State (76-93), 1/14 at Illinois State (62-76)
Coach: Gregg Marshall
Why They Can Surprise:
Wichita State has always been a dangerous team because of their defense, but this may be the best offensive team Gregg Marshall has had. The Shockers are a deep team with ten players averaging double-digit minutes. Six of those players average at least seven points per game and no one in the rotation averages less than four points. As a team, Wichita State shoots above 40% from three, led by Conner Frankamp and Landry Shamet each shooting around 45% from downtown. As if the offense isn’t scary enough by itself, Wichita State’s defense smothers their opponents. The Shockers give up a minuscule 62.4 points per game and allow the competition to only make about 38% of their field goals.
Why They Can Disappoint:
For as good as Wichita State looks on the court, their résumé is rather lackluster. They had one win against tournament teams and that was versus South Dakota State, who barely had a winning record. And the Shockers lost by double digits on the road against Illinois State. Even though the Shockers dominated their conference foes, the Missouri Valley had a down year and didn’t provide opportunities for quality wins. Therefore, they may not be very polished facing the strong teams they’ll see in the tournament. One potential weakness for this team is their lack of experience. They lost their leaders from the last four tournament runs and have a lot of new faces in the line-up. There’s only one freshman with major playing time, but the Shockers have no seniors in the rotation.
Probable Starters:
Conner Frankamp, Junior, Guard, 9.2 ppg, 2.7 apg
Landry Shamet, Freshman, Guard, 11.1 ppg, 3.3 apg
Zach Brown, Junior, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 1.6 apg
Markis McDuffie, Sophomore, Forward, 11.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Shaquille Morris, Junior, Forward, 9.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Landry Shamet, Freshman, Guard, 11.1 ppg, 3.3 apg
Zach Brown, Junior, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 1.6 apg
Markis McDuffie, Sophomore, Forward, 11.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Shaquille Morris, Junior, Forward, 9.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Key Role Players:
Rashard Kelly, Junior, Forward, 5.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Darral Willis, Junior, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Rauno Nurger, Junior, Forward, 5.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Daishon Smith, Junior, Guard, 5.0 ppg, 2.0 apg
Austin Reaves, Freshman, Guard, 4.2 ppg, 1.2 apg
Darral Willis, Junior, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Rauno Nurger, Junior, Forward, 5.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Daishon Smith, Junior, Guard, 5.0 ppg, 2.0 apg
Austin Reaves, Freshman, Guard, 4.2 ppg, 1.2 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 82.1 (22nd in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.4 (16, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.3 (41, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.8 (5, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.7 (67, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 40.8 (5, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.4 (76, 2)
Rebound Margin: 8.9 (5, 1)
Assists Per Game: 16.6 (22, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.1 (27, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2016 NCAA Opening Round win over Vanderbilt
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over Arizona
2016 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Miami (FL)
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over Indiana
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kansas
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Notre Dame
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over Cal Poly
2014 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kentucky
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Pittsburgh
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Gonzaga
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over LaSalle
2013 NCAA Regional Final win over Ohio State
2013 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Louisville
2012 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Virginia Commonwealth
2011 NIT First Round win over Nebraska
2011 NIT Second Round win over Virginia Tech
2011 NIT Quarterfinal win over College of Charleston
2011 NIT Semifinal win over Washington State
2011 NIT Final win over Alabama
2010 NIT First Round loss to Nevada
2009 CBI First Round win over Buffalo
2009 CBI Second Round loss to Stanford
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over Seton Hall
2006 NCAA Round of 32 win over Tennessee
2006 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to George Mason
2005 NIT Opening Round win over Houston
2005 NIT First Round win over Western Kentucky
2005 NIT Second Round loss to Vanderbilt
*all team stats through 3/5
