Wichita State Shockers
Missouri Valley (24-8, 16-2)
Wichita State challenged themselves early and they were not up for it. After winning just two games in their first six contests, the national spotlight quickly moved away from the Shockers and their high preseason expectations seemed way off. But after that slow start, Coach Gregg Marshall and company started playing like we all thought they would. There have been a few more losses along the way, as would be expected over the course of a long season, but this is an experienced team on the perimeter and the frontcourt is getting better every day.
Big Wins: 12/12 Utah (67-50), 1/20 at Northern Iowa (74-55), 1/31 at Evansville (78-65)
Bad Losses: 11/27 vs Alabama (60-64), 2/6 at Illinois State (53-58), 2/13 Northern Iowa (50-53)
Coach: Gregg Marshall
Why They Can Surprise:
Point guard Fred VanVleet has had an absolutely amazing career and he was no different during his senior season, averaging 12.0 points, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. VanVleet is a capable outside shooter and that opens up space for him to use his speed and get around overzealous defenders. VanVleet can create something out of nothing and that is a great asset to have on a team that does not score a ton of points. Ron Baker is another senior guard who has earned plenty of national accolades. On the year he is averaging 14.2 points, 3.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals. He is the team’s most prolific outside shooter and always plays very good defense. The backcourt also boasts fellow senior Evan Wessel and sophomore Connor Frankamp. Wessel will not put up big numbers, but he is extremely valuable on the defensive end. Wessel can knock down some three-pointers, but Frankamp off of the bench has been more consistent sparking the offense with his outside shot.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The main loss from last year’s team that beat Kansas in the NCAA Tournament was forward Darius Carter. It took some time, but some youngsters have developed their games and are starting to turn into dangerous frontcourt options. Freshman Markis McDuffie is the best scorer of the bunch, mostly due to his ability to step outside and hit the long ball. Shaquille Morris and Zach Brown can have some decent scoring games as well, although neither is particularly effective on the glass. Rashard Kelly is the underclassmen who can help the most on the glass. But the frontcourt is not all underclassmen. Anton Grady leads the unit and is the team’s rebounder in the frontcourt and most effective interior scorer. Against teams that contain VanVleet and Baker and have a big frontcourt, Wichita State will find themselves in some trouble. They cannot afford to get pushed around in the paint and watch their rebounding margin suffer as a result.
Probable Starters:
Fred VanVleet, Senior, Guard, 12.0 ppg, 5.7 apg, 1.5 spg
Evan Wessel, Senior, Guard, 3.7 ppg
Ron Baker, Senior, Guard, 14.2 ppg, 3.2 apg, 4.8 rpg, 1.5 spg
Zach Brown, Sophomore, Forward, 7.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Shaquille Morris, Sophomore, Forward, 6.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Connor Frankamp, Sophomore, Guard, 6.1 ppg
Anton Grady, Senior, Forward, 8.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Markis McDuffie, Freshman, Forward, 7.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Rashard Kelly, Sophomore, Forward, 4.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.2 (173rd in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 59.3 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.4 (205, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.5 (6, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.3 (144, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.0 (253, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.4 (114, 5)
Rebound Margin: 4.6 (53, 1)
Assists Per Game: 14.3 (111, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 9.9 (9, 2)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NCAA Second Round win over Indiana
2015 NCAA Third Round win over Kansas
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Notre Dame
2014 NCAA Second Round win over Cal Poly
2014 NCAA Third Round loss to Kentucky
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Pittsburgh
2013 NCAA Third Round 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 Second Round 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 3/6
