Wichita State shouldn’t be this good. The Shockers were powered by Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet for the last four years, but now both have graduated to the pros. They were the heart and soul of these Shockers teams for what felt like an eternity. They’re gone and the Shockers aren’t.
Wichita State sits tied with the Illinois State Redbirds at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference. They don’t have a true star. Instead, Gregg Marshall has to rely on a balanced offense and a deep bench. So far, it’s working in a big way. The Shockers are 25-4 overall and made their debut in the AP Poll this week at No. 25.
This is the first Shockers team in Marshall’s tenure where no senior averages at least five points a game. He has instead leaned on a variety of underclassmen and they are playing unselfishly on both ends of the floor.
Wichita State is one of eight teams that ranks in the top 20 of both offensive and defensive efficiency this season with the No. 18 offense and No. 17 defense, per KenPom.
It shouldn’t shock anyone that this team is contending again, but how they’re doing it is a bit of a surprise. Here’s what you need to know about the Shockers heading into March Madness.
Conference: Missouri Valley
Record: 25-4, 15-1
Who to watch: This team doesn’t have a true star, but sophomore forward Markis McDuffie is their closest thing. After being named the Missouri Valley Freshman of the Year, he leads the team in scoring, rebounding, and steals with 11.8 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, and 1.1 steals a night. He’s their de facto leader, but relies on his lieutenants to help get the job done.
The team operates around three underclassmen: McDuffie, redshirt freshman guard Landry Shamet, and junior forward Darral Willis Jr. - a junior college transfer. They pace the offense while junior center Shaquille Morris helps holds down the paint. No one player has to score 20 points every night because everyone contributes.
Gimme a good stat: The Shockers currently sit atop the MVC in points per game (81.5), rebounding (41 rpg), and assists (17 apg) while not having a single player average over 12 points, six rebounds, nor four assists per game.
What’s their history in March? Marshall is trying to lead the Shockers to their sixth straight tournament. They’ve had varied success the past five years, ranging from being bounced in the Round of 64 to making the Final Four in 2013. Two years ago, they knocked interstate “rival” Kansas off in the Round of 32. Last year, they had to participate in the First Four game before eventually being knocked out of the madness by Miami in the Round of 32.
Joe Lunardi has the Shockers as a No. 9 seed in his most recent Bracketology. While that doesn’t mean as much a month out from the madness, if they’re still around the nine line come tourney time, they could make things interesting.
What are they good at? The Shockers use a full team effort to take care of business on both ends of the floor. Their bench play has been instrumental to their success. They win by controlling the game at both ends of the court, start to end. It’s hard for teams to keep pace with the high scoring, when they are getting locked up on the defensive end.
Marshall’s teams have been known for their tough defense throughout his tenure, as teams have never managed to average more than 65 points per game against them. This team is no different as they are holding teams to the fifth-lowest field goal percentage in the country, and teams shoot just below 39 percent from the field facing this Shockers squad.
What’s their weakness? All four of their losses have come against stiff competition, and come March, that’s all there is. Wichita State’s success stems from their balanced offense. In this sense, their biggest strength is their biggest weakness. They rely on 10 players to contribute at least 13 minutes per game and about five points per game. When players one through 10 don’t show up, they run into trouble. The constant in all four losses has been unbalanced point production. They can’t afford to have any off days once the tournament rolls around.
Can get an at-large bid? Playing in the MVC, their best chance to make March Madness will be to win conference. Lunardi currently has Illinois State in his First Four Out. If the Redbirds win the conference, it would be up to the committee whether the rest of their schedule is enough to get the Shockers an at-large. Their resume, which includes a 1-4 record against teams in the top 50 RPI, doesn’t scream “We got this,” however they’ve saved their best play for the end of the season. If they can carry this winning streak through the end of the season, they should have a case for an at-large bid. Last season, they earned an at-large bid after Northern Iowa won the conference tournament, albeit with a slightly more impressive resume.
Show me a cool play:
Simple defense-to-offense. Morris gets the steal and starts the break and McDuffie trails to clean up the mess. Basketball baby!
Anything else?
Wichita State and Kansas don’t play in the regular season, but wouldn’t it be great if they matched up again in the tournament. They’re in the same state and it would force the Governor of Kansas, Sam Brownback, to either choose a side or do this again:
Lunardi currently has them potentially matching up in the Round of 32. However it is just February, so seeding is still completely subjective. It would be fun though, right?
What’s next for them: The Shockers went 2-0 last week to get them to 10 straight wins, beating the third and fourth ranked teams in the MVC, Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois respectively. The Shockers took down Southern Illinois 87-68 on Feb. 15 and blew past the Panthers 73-44 on Feb 18. They play their last two games of the regular season against Evansville on Feb. 21 and Missouri State on Feb. 25.
Next Game: Evansville vs Wichita State: Saturday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN3.