Wichita State Shockers
Missouri Valley (27-5, 16-2)
Wichita State has a roster full of upperclassmen and that has made things a little easier for Coach Gregg Marshall in 2011-2012. This is a group that last season won the NIT and they have plenty of postseason experience. Even the newcomers have fit in quite nicely and the Shockers have a better team than they did when they won the NIT.
Big Wins: 11/17 vs Colorado (67-58), 12/4 UNLV (89-70), 2/11 at Creighton (89-68)
Bad Losses: 11/18 vs Alabama (60-70), 1/28 at Drake (86-93), 3/3 vs Illinois State (64-65)
Coach: Gregg Marshall (5 seasons at Wichita State)
Why They Can Surprise:
The frontcourt lost the most from last season, but the emergence of Garrett Stutz has turned WSU into a major contender. The 7-0, 255 pound center has always been a nice presence in the paint and could do a little scoring and rebounding, but everything has come together for him this season. He leads the Shockers in points, rebounds and blocked shots, but he has become a dynamic scorer and that has made every defense think twice about what they want to do. If they double Stutz, the shooters will knock down open looks. If they do not double Stutz, he can score 25 or more points. Now it takes a special defender, and usually two, to keep Stutz shutdown. The biggest beneficiaries of Stutz’s improvement are the outside shooters. Guards Joe Ragland and David Kyles and forward Ben Smith are all very effective from beyond the arc. Ragland starts beside fellow guards Demetric Williams and Toure’ Murry. Ragland is the point guard, but Murry is the dynamic all-around player who can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry.
Why They Can Disappoint:
There are not many weaknesses for this group as long as they do not run into a team that is simply more athletic and more talented than them. However, Wichita State’s lack of frontcourt depth could be an issue. Carl Hall used to start beside Stutz, but is now pretty much just his backup. Those two will still play on the floor together, but when Hall joins Smith in the frontcourt, this is a pretty small team. Hall is a big bodied 6-8, 233 pound power forward, but Smith is only 6-5 and more of a shooter than anything else. Coach Marshall has made it work with Smith at the four spot, but defensively that has been a problem at times and will likely be more of a problem in March.
Probable Starters:
Joe Ragland, Senior, Guard, 13.4 ppg, 3.4 apg
Demetric Williams, Junior, Guard, 5.7 ppg, 2.4 apg
Toure’ Murry, Senior, Guard, 12.2 ppg, 3.3 apg, 4.8 rpg
Ben Smith, Senior, Forward, 9.9 pppg, 3.3 rpg
Garrett Stutz, Senior, Center, 13.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Tekele Cotton, Freshman, Guard, 2.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Carl Hall, Junior, Forward, 8.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg
David Kyles, Senior, Guard, 8.5 ppg, 1.9 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.7 (19th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.4 (61, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.5 (12, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.2 (22, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.0 (94, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.3 (50, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.1 (25, 3)
Rebound Margin: 6.7 (15, 1)
Assists Per Game: 14.8 (44, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.2 (61, 4)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Wichita State 2011 NIT First Round win over Nebraska
Wichita State 2011 NIT Second Round win over Virginia Tech
Wichita State 2011 NIT Quarterfinal win over College of Charleston
Wichita State 2011 NIT Semifinal win over Washington State
Wichita State 2011 NIT Final win over Alabama
Wichita State 2010 NIT First Round loss to Nevada
Wichita State 2009 CBI First Round win over Buffalo
Wichita State 2009 CBI Second Round loss to Stanford
Wichita State 2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over Seton Hall
Wichita State 2006 NCAA Round of 32 win over Tennessee
Wichita State 2006 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to George Mason
Wichita State 2005 NIT Opening Round win over Houston
Wichita State 2005 NIT First Round win over Western Kentucky
Wichita State 2005 NIT Second Round loss to Vanderbilt
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
