March 7 article who will get seeded too LOW?

Wichita State Shockers

The regular season MVC champs may have suffered a setback in their conference tournament, but that has been the exception rather than the rule for a team that has gone 6-1 in road games against winning teams this year. With a seven-foot center and a guard shooting 50% from three-point range on the year, this is a team that — when they play to their potential — is not limited in how far they can go in the tournament.

Wichita State Articles Feb 29 and Post-Indiana State Win

Wichita is equipped to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. They’ve won eight in a row and 15 of their last 16. They have a barrage of good shooters, including a center who can hit from behind the arc. They have veteran leadership, especially with Joe Ragland running the floor. They sit in the top four in their conference in every positive statistical category. They don’t get into much foul trouble and rarely beat themselves. They also have the best coach few have heard of in Gregg Marshall. I’ve followed Marshall since he took his Winthrop team to Springfield, MO, in an ice storm so bad that he held a practice session in an airport hangar, and still walked out with an impressive win over a good Missouri State team. The guy is a consistent winner and will be the hot name in the offseason. The Shockers are going places, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Toure Murry has embraced his newfound supporting role, a year after carrying Wichita Stateto the NIT title. Being the top scorer was great, but for us to win, I needed to do other things,” Murry said.

The Shockers (27-4) won their season-high ninth straight, won the regular season title with a 16-2 mark.  Murry averaged 11.9 points last season and began this season as the top returning scorer, but is third in scoring this season at 12.1 points per game, behind Stutz (13.8) and Ragland (13.2).  Murry is proud of his 103 assists, which ties him for the top spot on the team with Ragland. Murry has a team-high 38 steals.

The Shockers hit on nine of their first 12 shots on the way to a 20-3 lead after 8:13.Murry scored eight successive points in just under three minutes to push the lead to 32-7 with 4:42 left in the half.  Stutz has 11 double-doubles this season, nine against MVC opponents. They out-rebounded the Sycamores 43-29. WSU made half its shots.

The MVC has two teams in the Top 25 for the first time. Creighton is ranked No. 25.

The Shockers are an NCAA-best 19-3 on the road since the beginning of last season  for BETTING they are 16-12 against the spread,  Their games are 17 OVER and 11 UNDER.  They have covered the spread in the last 7 games leading up to today where they are favored by 12 over Ill State.

Wichita State (Mow’s favorite team name) article highlights Feb 15

 the selection committee might not give them their due, and to this point, neither have the poll voters for college basketball. This team has a better record, against a better strength of schedule, than 13th-ranked San Diego State. They’ve also beaten 11th-ranked UNLV by 19 points, and then-15th ranked Creighton by 21 points — at Creighton. An average game for them this year results in a win by the score of 78-63, which means they’re scoring more points-per-game than the top two teams in the country.

they won the NIT tournament last year

When Joe Ragland can’t miss, and seven-footer Garrett Stutz is making All-American big men look silly, the announcers on CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV will be gushing about how surprising the whole thing is. Don’t make the same mistake they will, be prepared for what will happen.

The aforementioned Ragland has the third highest adjusted shooting percentage in the country, and he’s shooting 47% from range — and there’s much more Stutz than his seven-foot frame

Early Cindy picks article Wichita State Jan 29

Gregg Marshall is one heck of a basketball coach. First, he goes to Winthrop, who’d never been to the NCAA tournament and promptly takes them seven times in nine years. Now, fresh off of winning the NIT last year, Marshall has the Shockers firmly in NCAA contention, thanks in part to a great start in conference play and a solid 19 point win over UNLV as a resume-builder. Wichita is tough because they have a great inside-outside presence. Inside, Garrett Stutz is a force, leading the team in points (12.9/game) and rebounds (7.6/game), while Joe Ragland, Toure Murray and David Kyles anchor the outside beautifully. Three solid guards spells lots of trouble for opposing teams in the Big Dance. Marshall plays a deep bench and coaches a team that shoots well and doesn’t beat themselves on the court.

Wichita State

Big Ten bodies here. This team has the bodies. Starting lineup has guards are 6’4 , and 6’5, center Stutz is 7’0 andForward  Hall is 6’8 230. I saw them play Creighton and it was a battle. Their center got in foul trouble and they had to go to a much smaller lineup. They did trap and run full court defense. Hall is an absolute stud in the post. He wants it and if he gets it will do something with it. Think poor man (not too! poor) Ken Faried.

Their guards looked really big in this game. They had great inside out play and they can hit the 3.

Keep in mind that this team won the NIT last year and beat Nebraska, VTech, Charleston, Washington St, and Alabama in the process.

Bilas Jan: One of the things I like most about the Shockers is that they tend to play better and tougher on the road than they do at home. And as you probably know, NCAA tournament games are played away from home. This is a tough team that has experienced, quality players. Joe Raglandis in his second season, and leads the Shockers in scoring. Toure’ Murry is the best defender, David Kyles the best athlete and Garrett Stutz the best post defender. This is an NCAA tournament team.

Vs Ind State: Watched them again, love them. Announcer did make a great point. This team has such balance, but what happens when they run into a team with fire power. If they play a team that has decent scoring balance.. I think of Illinois, Florida State or Virginia or a team like that, then I think this team wins with defense and balance. But.. if they play a team that can score a lot like Florida, Missouri.. who will step up for them and score 20?

3/5:

Here are the top 10 potential Giant Killers, rated on a scale from 0 to 100 by our 2012 statistical model. These are the highest scores among all eligible teams, whether they are already in the NCAA tournament, working their way through conference championships or awaiting word about their bids. We will get to actual head-to-head odds once we know actual tournament seedings. Also, this is a lot more detailed than we’re going to go into for Giants. You probably know a thing or seven about Syracuse and Kentucky already. This is your chance to keep diving into what could make less famous teams Killer material — and to figure out which schools to root for in the week leading up to Selection Sunday.
Wichita State Shockers (32.9): This one’s easy: The Shockers rank seventh in the NCAA in offensive efficiency (116.9 points per 100 possessions) and 18th in defensive efficiency (90.3 per 100). In fact, the numbers say Wichita State is one of the 10 best teams in the country (BPI: 83.8, ranking ninth), even after a Missouri Valley Conference tournament loss to Illinois State (told you the Redbirds were upset material!).

Mow’s favorite team name, Wichita State preseason article

Last year’s Shockers team hit their stride a little too late, but still ended the year with 29 wins and a NIT championship. The team this year looks different, but not too much worse. They have not one, but two seven-foot centers, and they have one of the hottest coaches in the country right now.

Most surprising to me is how far off of most people’s radar they are. The sexy pick in the MVC appears to be the Creighton Blue Jays, who are a fantastic team, but I think they’ll play second fiddle to Shockers this year. Wichita State’s average victory in their NIT championship run was 76-60, including wins over teams that had received votes in top 25 polls previously in the year. They’ll continue that kind of success this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they won 30 games.

A player to watch for Wichita State is Garrett Stutz, a 7’0″ junior center. In games in which he scored 10 or more points last year, the Shockers were 10-0, but they were 6-7 when he scored 5 or less. He didn’t play much last year (he never played more than 23 minutes in a single game), but in games in which he played at least 20 minutes, he averaged 14 points per game. If he’s given the playing time he probably deserves, he could average around 16 points and 8 rebounds per game this year.

Bracketbusters article cut to team info

The big winners were Utah State, who beat St. Mary’s on the road, and the Colonial’s potential three-bid triumvirate of VCU, Old Dominion, and George Mason. The predominant losers in the TV games were the MVC’s Wichita State, Missouri State plus the aforementioned Gaels out of the WCC. All three would be well-advised to win their conference tournaments as a result if they want to play in the NCAA Tournament.

However, there were more losers that didn’t come close to any airtime.

The CAA’s success at the hands of Wichita State, Missouri State, and Cleveland State likely confined the Missouri Valley to a one-bid league for the fourth straight season and probably did the same to Cleveland State’s at-large candidacy. George Mason, who had just come off of a huge win at VCU last Tuesday to essentially sew up the CAA regular-season title, had nothing to gain by playing a Northern Iowa team that faded from the Valley title race earlier in the month. The Patriots won, and will almost surely be in the tournament.

One of the biggest surprises of this year’s event was Valparaiso’s home win over Missouri State. Valpo put on an impressive offensive display, scoring a phenomenal 1.27 points per possession against a team that had allowed 0.99 a trip in Valley play. On Monday, with a share of the league title on the line were they to win out, the Crusaders bottled it on the road against a middling Wisconsin-Green Bay team. Did Valpo lose because it got to full of itself after the BracketBusters win? Only the great Homer Drew knows that. But the Crusaders did have to get out of the mindset of Horizon League league play they had been in so they could face the Bears, and lost 48 hours after playing the non-conference game.

Article surprises and disappointments (Disappointments)

Mild Disappointments

1. Michigan State — Thought by many to be title contenders this year, the Spartans are projected to earn only an 11 seed into the tournament. Of course, anything can happen in March. Purdue is the only test left on the schedule, but the conference tournament will be a test in the stacked Big Ten.

2. Kansas State — Came out like gangbusters in the beginning of the year, but early losses to Duke and Florida, and narrow victories over Washington State and Loyola (Ill.) marked the decline of the Wildcats heading into Big 12 play. Originally projected as a No. 2 seed into the tournament, now they’re looking at a potential No. 11, unless they can run the table at the conference tournament.

3. Memphis — Expected to easily win the Conference USA title and earn a No. 3 seed into the tournament, the Tigers are tied for fourth in the conference and are projected to be an 11 seed in March. A game at league-leading UTEP is the only significant game on the schedule heading into the conference tournament.

4. Oklahoma State — Another Big 12 team with tournament expectations, the Cowboys were projected to be a No. 11 seed in March after being there last year. But they are near the bottom of the conference standings and don’t have the non-conference resume’ to land an at-large bid. But they could help themselves with a strong showing in the Big 12 tournament.

5. Mississippi State — Predicted to win the SEC West division title and earn a No. 9 seed into the tournament, the Bulldogs are four games behind Alabama in the division standings and barely over .500 in their overall record. While Tennessee is the only really good team left on the schedule, MSU will probably have to reach the conference tournament title game to get a spot in the Big Dance.

Major Disappointments

1. Gonzaga — The Bulldogs were “probable” WCC title contenders this year with a projected No. 4 seed going into March Madness, but with St. Mary’s in the conference lead, the Zags’ only hope for a 13-straight tournament appearance will be a conference tournament title.

2. Butler — After last year’s championship game appearance, many thought the Bulldogs would reload this year and enter March as high as a No. 4 seed. But they, too, will need to win their conference tournament as the Horizon may not be strong enough to land an at-large berth, although Cleveland State and Valparaiso are as tough as anyone in the country — which is why Butler has struggled to run away with the league.

3. Illinois — Projected to finish fourth in the Big Ten and earn a No. 5 seed into the tournament, the Illini are right where they were expected to be in the standings, but could miss the Big Dance altogether. Games left include one at league-leading Ohio State and another at second-place Purdue. It will take a high finish in the conference tournament to get the Illini a March bid.

4. Wichita State — The Shockers were projected to win the Missouri Valley Conference title and, therefore, get the automatic bid into the Big Dance, as high as a No. 7 seed. But they’re currently behind Missouri State in the standings and will need to win the conference title to get the bid in March.

5. North Carolina State — Expected to be a No. 8 seed into the tournament and the fourth-place finisher in the ACC, the Wolfpack are clearly out of the running with a 4-8 conference record and just 14-12 overall. Like with many other teams, it will take a conference tournament title to get them into the Big Dance.

Bubble teams as of Feb 17

We’re getting closer to March Madness, and the mid-major bubble picture is as murky as ever. While many conference tournaments will decide who’s dancing next month and who stays home, the question still lingers for some teams who have performed well this season, yet would be firmly on the bubble if they didn’t win their conference’s automatic bid.

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at some mid-major programs that are sitting at or near the top of their conferences. They all have RPIs squarely in the bubble range. Do they need to win their conference tournament to get in the Big Dance, or should they be in regardless?

Wichita State
RPI (from CollegeRPI.com): 52
Record: 22-5, (13-3 Missouri Valley)
Last 10 Games: 8-2

MUST WIN OR GET IN?

I love Missouri Valley teams, and barring complete collapse, the selection committee should let them in whether they win the conference tournament or not. Wichita State is one of those teams that will frustrate opposing coaches. They play stifling defense, crash the boards well, and have a deep bench. Furthermore, as of tonight, they are 8-0 on the road in conference play, which demands some attention. Gregg Marshall is the real deal as coach; Winthrop had never been to the Big Dance until he took the Eagles there seven of his nine years as coach. He came to Wichita in a rebuilding phase and has built another winner. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if the Shockers won their first round game.

On a side note, the same goes for Missouri State (21-6, 13-3, RPI 46), Cuonzo Martin’s Bears deserve to play in the NCAA tournament if they don’t win the Missouri Valley’s automatic bid.

Coastal Carolina
RPI: 56
Record: 24-3 (15-1 Big South)
Last 10 Games: 9-1

MUST WIN OR GET IN?

Kudos to Cliff Ellis for what he’s done at Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers are easily the class of the conference and already have a share of the Big South regular season title. The Chants are a small but scrappy team and I really like what Desmond Holloway brings to the table. However, the Big South is typically a one-bid conference, and the Chants did not help themselves in losing to Gardner-Webb this week. If Coastal was unable to win the Big South tournament, they’d be great NIT material, but wouldn’t grab an at-large bid. They’ve got to win their conference tournament to get in.

Southern Miss
RPI: 48
Record: 18-6 (7-4 Conference USA)
Last 10 Games: 6-4

MUST WIN OR GET IN?

The Memphis game said it all; they have to win the conference tournament to get in. Had Larry Eustachy’s crew pulled off the win, they’d be in a much stronger position to state a case for gaining an at-large bid regardless of what happens in the Conference USA tournament. However, Memphis, at 19-6 (7-3 Conference USA, RPI of 32) should have the upper hand for an at-large bid, along with Mike Davis’ talented UAB squad (18-6, 8-3, 34). Give the Golden Eagles credit for what’s been a solid year, but right now, I think they have to finish very strong to get on the dance floor.

Cleveland State
RPI: 37
Record: 22-5, (11-4 Horizon)
Last 10 Games: 7-3

MUST WIN OR GET IN?

A lot of people are predicting 10-11 Big East teams get in the tournament and in that case, Cleveland State would have to win the Horizon League tournament in an all-out battle with Butler and Valparaiso. Myself, I’d put the Vikings in regardless. First off, the Horizon League is no slouch. 2010 Butler aside, Cleveland State did cruise past the first round as a 13 seed in their last appearance. Secondly, I don’t want to see any team who didn’t finish in at least the top half of their conference in the Big Dance. I don’t care that it’s the Big East, which is no doubt the beast of all basketball conferences, if you finish 10th or 11th, you shouldn’t be in. Put the Vikings in instead and let the nation take a look at Norris Cole, who might be the best player you’ve never heard of this season.

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More NBA Sports Commentary

02.16.11

Worst Case Scenario: Must Win or Get in?

By Jean Neuberger

end moreSportsCommentary –>

Who will be the Cinderella this year? 1 month before Sel Sun.

The one thing that won’t change this year is the search for the upset. Everybody loves a Cinderella, unless of course one is knocking off the team you picked to win it all like Northern Iowa did to Kansas last season.

Over the past four tournaments 24 of the 112 teams with a double-digit seeding have won their first-round game, with seven of those moving on to the Sweet 16, and one of those, Davidson in 2008, moving into the Elite 8. The key of course is figuring out which ones. Here are three to keep an eye on:

George Mason, Colonial

I swear I began last weekend all ready to write a strictly George Mason article. I even had a headline: “The next George Mason? George Mason.” But then the Patriots went out and smacked Hofstra and Old Dominion by a combined 36 points and come Monday there were “Watch out for George Mason” articles all over the web. So rather than a whole article extolling the virtues of head coach Jim Larranaga and the scoring tandem of senior guard Cam Long (15.5 ppg) and junior forward Ryan Pearson (14.4 ppg), I’ll just mention that the Patriots have an adjusted efficiency split of 21.26. That’s important because only five of the 128 teams in the past four tournaments with a sub-20 adjusted efficiency split made the Sweet 16, and none made it to the Elite 8. Only three other non-BCS conference teams are currently sitting at 20+. The other three are all ranked in the AP top 25: No. 6 San Diego State, No. 7 BYU, and No. 21 Utah State.

(Note: You won’t see BYU, San Diego State or Utah State on this list because I expect them to be the higher seeds in their first-round games. Maybe Utah State gets jobbed — ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has them at a nine seed in his latest bracketology — but the depth of quality in the BCS conferences is so shallow right now, the Aggies deserve at least a seven- or eight-seed.)

Wichita State, Missouri Valley

The Shockers are the prototypical “sum is better than the parts” team, leading the Valley in scoring at 74.3 ppg without a single player averaging more than 12 points. They are also second in the league in scoring defense, giving up just 61.5 points per game, and lead the league in both field goal offense (.478) and field goal defense (.407). Their schedule is light, which could cause them to be under-seeded, but they played Connecticut to within four early in the season and actually held a second-half lead at San Diego State in early December before the Aztecs pulled ahead.

Remember this also: Head coach Gregg Marshall may not have any NCAA tournament appearances since taking over the Shockers in 2007, but he knows how to pull an NCAA tournament upset: As head coach at Winthrop in 2007, he became the first Big South coach to win an NCAA tournament game when his 11th-seeded Eagles beat six-seed Notre Dame. And he almost pulled the 15-2 upset over Tennessee in 2006.

Alabama Crimson Tide, SEC

Sorry, but BCS teams get to pull upsets too. As a matter of fact, nearly half (16 of the 33) of the lower seeded teams to win their first-round games over the past four years came from a BCS conference. So stuff that in your mid-major and smoke it.

Back to the Tide, Lunardi has them at an 11-seed right now, which is understandable considering they were terrible to start the season, racking up losses to Seton Hall, Iowa, St. Peter’s, and Providence. But since starting 5-6 the, Tide have won 10 of 11 with Ws over Kentucky and Tennessee (on the road) to make their way back to the conversation. Even if Alabama slips a few times the rest of the way, don’t write them off as just another weak SEC squad. They are fifth nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, and they don’t have to play Wisconsin-style slow ball to get it done.

WARDO COMMENT:  Could be a good VALUE bet here, with people writing them off because of the early losses.

Wichita State loses to Missouri State

Missouri State pulled off another road stunner Sunday night, handing Wichita State a 58-56 defeat before 10,506 fans at Koch Arena.

The Bears (13-3 overall, 5-0 Missouri Valley Conference) won the battle of league unbeatens, dropping Wichita State to 13-3, 4-1.

Kyle Weems and Jermaine Mallett scored 11 apiece to lead the Bears, who held on after Wichita State erased a 13-point deficit and took a 54-53 lead with four minutes to go.

MSU led by 11 at halftime and remained in front 53-43 with 9:30 remaining after two Nathan Scheer free throws.

The Shockers helped the Bears’ cause by missing 6 of 7 free throws in a three-minute stretch of the half.

But Wichita State, taking advantage of five consecutive scoreless MSU possessions, drew within 53-50 after a Gabe Blair free throw with 5:57 left.

The Shockers took their first lead since midway through the first half as J.T. Durley tipped a miss into the basket, putting them in front 54-53 at the four-minute mark.

After an MSU time out, Adam Leonard’s 3-pointer from the left corner put the Bears back on top.

Two Blair free throws cut MSU’s lead to 57-56 and Leonard’s 3-point attempt missed with 70 seconds to go.

The Bears limited the Shockers to 30-percent first-half shooting in building a 35-24 lead. Weems had nine points and Caleb Patterson came off the bench to score 7 in the half for MSU.

MSU outscored Wichita State 17-6 over the final nine minutes of the half. Jermaine Mallett had five points and Adam Leonard a 3-pointer during a 10-1 Bears’ run after the game was tied at 18-all.

After making only 4 of their first 13 shots, the Bears made six straight in taking control of the first half.

The Shockers, meanwhile, struggled from near and far. They missed several shots from underneath the basket as MSU built its lead.

The Bears were able to survive foul trouble that limited starting point guard Nafis Ricks to five first-half minutes. Weems and Nathan Scheer also picked up two fouls for MSU.

Freshman Aaron Cooper gave MSU a lift in Ricks’ place. Cooper two points, an assist and no turnovers in six first-half minutes.

Wichita State Team notes Jan 8

Wichita State fans waited all season for a big game at Koch Arena. The non-conference schedule at home didn’t inspire much passion. WSU moved the biggest game, against Tulsa, to the city’s new downtown arena.

The wait will end Jan. 9 when the Missouri Valley Conference’s unbeaten teams play at Koch Arena. WSU improved to 13-2, 4-0 in the MVC with a 65-51 win at Illinois State on Jan. 7. Missouri State handled Evansville on the same night.It’s a bigger game for WSU, which has feasted on the lower teams in the MVC so far. Missouri State already owns wins at Creighton and two-time defending champion Northern Iowa. The Shockers can’t afford to drop a home game to the Bears.

After four double-digit victories, the Shckers are ready for a better test.

“We’ll see where we’re at,” WSU senior Graham Hatch said. “It seems like on offense we weren’t executing as well as we need to. It seems like we got a little sloppy rebounding.”

WSU’s depth cleans up most of those messes. Every MVC team played a tight schedule with one day off in between games. Toure Murry led WSU with 27 minutes against Illinois State, and nine other players played between 14 and 22 minutes. Fatigue shouldn’t be an issue for WSU.

“We put 10 on the court and we try to run as much as we can to wear them down,” senior J.T. Durley said.

Beyond The Box Score:   Wichita State’s depth leads to box scores that fans don’t see often. Entering the Illinois State game, forward Ben Smith led WSU in MVC games by averaging 12.7 points. He scored four against the Redbirds. Only one starter—J.T. Durley with 13—reached double figures. Reserve Garrett Stutz scored 10 points, as the only other Shocker with 10 or more. WSU’s reserves outscored the starters for the fourth straight game.

NOTES, QUOTES

 

• WSU trailed by five points against Illinois State, its largest deficit in four MVC games. The disadvantage didn’t last long at Redbird Arena. The Shockers, down 19-14, led 37-27 at halftime. WSU held the Redbirds to 20-of-60 shooting and led by 22 points with 9:33 to play. J.T. Durley led the Shockers with 13 points.

• WSU made 7 of 11 three-pointers in the second half to pull away from Drake. The Shockers led 35-31 at halftime before outscoring the Bulldogs 47-32 in the second half. WSU held Drake’s three top scorers without a point in the game’s final 10 minutes.

• With a 10-player rotation, the starting lineup is almost a formality. In three MVC games through Jan. 4, reserve Ben Smith leads the team in scoring at 12.7 points. Ten players average between 12 and 27 minutes, and five reserves average more points than starters Graham Hatch and Aaron Ellis.

• Wichita State scored 91 points against Evansville, the most it has scored in a conference game since the 2004-05 season. The Shockers defeated Evansville 91-81 that season, also in Wichita and also in the MVC opener. The 34-point margin was WSU’s biggest in a conference game since it defeated West Texas State 103-61 during the 1972-73 season.

• G Toure Murry tied a career high with seven assists against Evansville. He added five more against Bradley, and he committed only four turnovers combined in the two games. Murry handed out seven assists four times previously, including this season against UMKC.

• WSU won at Bradley for the second time in coach Gregg Marshall’s four seasons. The Shockers are 5-4 in their past nine trips to Carver Arena after going 4-16.

By The Numbers:   31—Wichita State’s streak of regular-season victories at Koch Arena, a run interrupted by losses in postseason tournaments in 2009 and 2010.

Quote To Note:   “For three days, we were able to prepare our guys for, not only Evansville, but the Valley. It’s a man’s league. It’s big boy basketball, and certainly (against Evansville) we were ready for it.”—Coach Gregg Marshall.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

 

Futures Markets:   Juco transfers Ben Smith and Joe Ragland are starting to produce more each game. Smith gives the Shockers a backup behind Graham Hatch at small forward. He is a good outside shooter and a good rebounder. He scored a season-high 16 points against Evansville, making four of five 3-pointers. He followed that with 10 points against Bradley. Ragland, backing up Toure Murry at point guard, is on task to be more aggressive and score.

Player Notes  

• Guard Toure Murry might be coming out of a shooting slump. He made 2 of 4 3-pointers against Illinois State, his first game with multiple 3’s since a Dec. 13 win over Alabama A&M. Before making 1 of 3 against Drake on Jan. 4, Murry went 0-for-9 in a four-game stretch.

• Post players Garrett Stutz and J.T. Durley will see double teams all season. Few MVC teams can handle them with one defender. It’s a good sign that both players are recognizing the doubles and passing out of them accurately. The two combined for 14 assists and three turnovers in the first three MVC games. “It’s a huge, huge stat for us,” coach Gregg Marshall said. “We’ve really worked on it.”

• Sophomore guard Demetric Williams has emerged from a December funk. He is averaging 7.0 points in three MVC games through Jan. 4 and looks like the confident player who ended last season on a high note. Against Drake, he scored 10 points off the bench and made 2 of 4 three-pointers.

• Freshman F Jerome Hamilton injured his left knee in practice and did not suit up for the MVC opener. He is not expected to need surgery and was listed as day-to-day.

Wichita State Article

Aside from having a mascot named after Scott’s favorite college move, these guys look good this year, and they come from the conference of Kansas Killers, Northern Iowa….

Article by Paul Foeller  Article was written back on Dec 4, before these guys went on to 8 straight wins, making them 13-2 as of Jan 8.  ARTICLE:

Last year, it was Northern Iowa and Cornell who were teams that no one knew about, much less cared about. They weren’t supposed to be part of the national title picture, yet 12-seeded Cornell won two tournament games (the first March Madness wins in school history), and Northern Iowa knocked off top-seeded and championship front-runner Kansas. While it was a year filled with Cinderella stories, no two teams shocked people more than those two.

This year may be young, but some teams are starting to show their true colors already. Who can shock the nation-wide audience like Northern Iowa and Cornell did last year?

Let’s take a look at the teams:

Wichita State Shockers

It would say something about the Missouri Valley Conference if they could have teams upset the nation’s elite two years in a row, and it just might happen. As good as last year’s Northern Iowa team was, this team has a chance to be even better. The MVC is better than last year, so the Shockers might not enter the tournament with a shining record, but they’ve already been fairly impressive this year.

They nearly beat Connecticut early this year, and they beat a pretty solid Virginia team on a neutral court. They’ll have a chance to prove themselves again on Saturday, when they go on the road to face 19th-ranked San Diego State. I think they can, and will, win that game. If they do, they should find themselves in the top 25, and they might just stay there for a while.

Their formula is largely the same as other mid-major schools. Play smart, disciplined ball, and seize opportunities when they arise. What separates them is that they have some players talented enough to be playing for the elite teams they’ll need to beat come tournament time.

Witchita State

Bilas:  Wichita State may be the most prepared, experienced and biggest team here in Maui … outside of Michigan State. Shockers can compete with any team here. They have four seniors and five juniors and a team full of men. Shockers have two 7-footers, three players 6-foot-8 or taller and a bunch of 6-5 guys. The only questions for Wichita State are whether the Shockers can get quality point guard play and whether they are mentally tough enough to win on the road. Right now, Toure’ Murry is running the point, with JC guard Joe Ragland learning the position and all of Marshall’s complicated sets and reads. Ragland is the likely solution long-term at the point, which would free up Murry to concentrate on other things.

Vs VCU: Hmmm…. Look good.. seem to have all the tools.. but I dont like them. They cant score consistently enough for me and ironically this is exactly the same thing I said about VCU. Now.. that said, they scored 68 in this game so its not like they lacked overall scoring, but I just dont see it. They have two guys that average 11, and 10, and then 8 guys who average between 5 and 10. .. and thats how they felt.. every possession was a painful perimeter passing clinic  and then an awkward drive to the hoop with the shot clock down. That said, they kind of remind me of a bad Xavier.. in that they play solid defense – REALLY solid in a matchup zone that really messes with the others team – and offensively they have multiple scorers. So they can win in the tournament. Buy unlike Xavier, they dont have Tu Holloway or McClean who are GO TO guys late. My guess is unless there is a favorable matchup this is a team that wins or loses by +-5.