Post by Commissioner on Dec 10, 2014 8:11:15 GMT -5
Wichita State
When: Saturday, Dec. 13, 12:00 p.m.
Where: Calihan Hall
TV: ESPNU (but you’ll want to be in Calihan for this one)
Radio: 1270 AM
The high point of the Titans home non-conference schedule comes on Saturday, when 11th ranked Wichita State visits Historic Calihan Hall. Wichita is the first nationally ranked team to visit Calihan since #17 Mississippi State came through in December of 2011, and the highest ranked team to visit Calihan since #11 Butler in February of 2009. The game is a result of remnant contractual obligations from the now defunct ESPN extravaganza “Bracketbusters,” but we’ll take it.
Wichita State has been one of the most successful teams in college basketball the last 5 years, averaging over 29 wins a season, reaching the Final Four in 2013, and going undefeated in the 2014 regular season. Though they long ago went their separate ways, the Titans and Shockers were Missouri Valley Conference rivals back in the 1950s. The Titans dominated the series early, winning six of 8 meetings from 1950 through 1953, but Wichita State has won 10 of the last 11, including all three meetings since the Titans left the Valley, and leads the series 12-7. Wichita State won the last meeting in the Bracket Busters two years ago, 94-79. The teams last played in Calihan on December 23, 1981, when Gene Smithson’s Shockers, ranked #3 in the country and including Antoine Carr, Cliff Levingston, and freshman Xaiver McDaniel, beat the Titans 79-70. Joe Kopicki had 18 for the Titans that night.
This year’s Wichita State team is quite different from the Final Four club that beat the Titans' NIT team in a wild game two years ago at Wichita. That team ran its offense through big forwards Cleanthony Early and Carl Hall, and also included seven-footer Ehimen Orukpe, who started against Detroit. This year’s edition is a guard focused team, led by the All-American backcourt of juniors Ron Baker (18.4 ppg, 2.4 apg, 4. rpg) and Fred VanVleet (13.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.0 apg). 6-3 senior and three-year starter Tekele Cotton (10.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.5 apg), last season’s Defensive Player of the Year in the Valley, ably supports the two as a third guard, and 6-4 junior Evan Wessel (4.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) is an effective wing. That leaves 6-7, 245 lb. senior Darius Carter (11.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg) as the only true forward in the starting lineup.
Coach Greg Marshall typically goes 9 deep, and those four key reserves are all freshmen: Redshirt guard Ria’n Holland (3.7 ppg); 6-10, 240 lb. center Rauno Nurger (3.7 ppg); 6-7, 260 lb. redshirt forward Shaquille Morris (4.3 ppg); and 6-7 forward Rashard Kelly (3.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg). Tom Wamukota, a 6-11 juco transfer, and another freshman, 6-2 guard Corey Henderson, usually see a few minutes as well.
The Titans and the Shockers are actually quite similar teams in terms of style, strengths, and weaknesses. The big differences are that the Shockers are simply better, and they have the ability to go a bigger than the Titans can. They’ve been a much better rebounding team than the Titans, in part due to the size advantage off the bench, but more importantly because they are simply very good at fundamentals of blocking out and they attack the boards aggressively.
Unless Ackerman tips for Detroit, 6-7 Darius Carter will probably be the only player on either team taller than 6-6 to start the game. Neither team has much presence in the paint, but both teams shoot well – in the top 100 nationally – and both shoot threes well, with Detroit ranking 46th nationally in 3-point FG% and Wichita 76th. The two clubs also take care of the ball – Wichita is 15th in the nation for lowest turnover rate, Detroit 58th – and force turnovers on the opposition – they are tied for 22nd nationally in opponents’ turnover rate. Detroit, as always, likes to push the tempo, but this is not as up-tempo a team as recent Titan squads. Wichita is actually a bit below average in the tempo of play. But both teams have been effective at turning possessions and shots into points, making them both relatively high scoring teams.
Wichita gets a relatively high percentage of its points from outside the arc. Baker is the main threat. He’ll take a half dozen or more threes in a game and is hitting over 50%. But VanVleet is also a good three point shooter – at least he has been in the past, at over 40% last year, though he’s struggled so far this season. Wessel and Holland are also both good three point shooters. As a team, Wichita chucks up a lot of 3 pointers – about 20 a game. You've got to step out and guard these guys.
Personally, I would rather play a team where we had more asymmetries, and hope that we could take advantage of that to win. Here, it seems a bit like a pitcher whose best pitch is a good but not great fastball is facing one of the best fastball hitters in baseball. Our hitter has the most trouble with a slider, but our pitcher (that’s UD, if you’re trying to follow this convoluted analogy) doesn’t throw a slider. Who’s likely to win that showdown?
Further, note that Wichita does have the ability, if it needs to try something different, to get much bigger with Nurger, Morris, and Kelly in the lineup.
For the Titans to win, the guards have to play their very best ball. They don’t have to outplay Baker, VanVleet and Cotton, but they can’t be totally dominated by those guys. If you saw the Seton Hall game this week, you saw Wichita’s defense in action, with a lot of pressure on the ball at all times. This leads to a lot of points in transition off turnovers, but they also make it very hard for teams to get into their offensive sets. Beyond taking care of the ball, we need to shoot well – very well- and that will be helped by good ball movement.
Some possible points for Titan advantage:
- Though Wichita is an excellent defensive team, they have been only average at defending the three this year. We have a good three point shooting team, in the top 50 nationally, mainly thanks to Wilson, but Howard and Kearney have also shot well.
- Also, Detroit uses quite a few ball screens. Watch how the Shockers defend ball screens. They like to pressure and slow the ball handler by having the man guarding the screener step out at the ball handler. That can work very effectively, but if you’re quick off that screen you can gain a step there and suddenly no one is in front of you, and you can get off a good shot.
- Wichita State fouls more than average – indeed they rank 272nd in average fouls per game – and we are a really good free throw shooting team (22nd in the nation at 75.3 percent). Further, Wichita is a below average free throw shooting team. We may be able to net out a few points at the foul line.
- Carter is sometimes prone to foul trouble if the game is taken to him. I’d like to see the Titans go inside early and see if we can’t get a couple quick ones on Wichita’s center. Indeed, all of Wichita’s big have a tendency to foul. It’s not a pronounced tendency, but it’s a small weakness. Let’s see if we can’t drive them from the game.
- While I think it is a bit unfair to expect too much from the newly eligible Kane and Jenkins, Wichita will not have had the opportunity to scout either one, so they could be surprising trouble for the Shockers.
- They have Baker, VanVleet, and Cotton, but only we have Paris Bass! I actually mean that seriously. Cotton is a very physical player and a great defender, but he’s only 6-3. Wichita doesn’t have big guards, and Bass will have 3 to 5 inches on anyone guarding him, unless they put one of the forwards on him, but I’m not sure any of Wichita’s forwards are quick enough to guard Bass.
Keys to the game:
- Take care of the ball
- Get back in transition
- Move the ball on offense and hit open shots
This is obviously a big game for the Titans in so many ways. Should we find ourselves in position for postseason play in March, a win in this game would matter a lot for what tournament and for our seeding. It’s a chance for some good media attention and hopefully will draw out some of the casual fans that have been missing in recent years – fans who might come back after a good show. We’ve lost 23 straight to ranked teams dating back to 2002, far and away our longest drought ever in both time and number of games between wins over a ranked squad. The Titans know that they can play with Wichita – playing on the road, we battled both Oregon and Michigan to standstills for a half and change – but we need to put together the whole 40 minutes to get a win.
Go Titans!
When: Saturday, Dec. 13, 12:00 p.m.
Where: Calihan Hall
TV: ESPNU (but you’ll want to be in Calihan for this one)
Radio: 1270 AM
The high point of the Titans home non-conference schedule comes on Saturday, when 11th ranked Wichita State visits Historic Calihan Hall. Wichita is the first nationally ranked team to visit Calihan since #17 Mississippi State came through in December of 2011, and the highest ranked team to visit Calihan since #11 Butler in February of 2009. The game is a result of remnant contractual obligations from the now defunct ESPN extravaganza “Bracketbusters,” but we’ll take it.
Wichita State has been one of the most successful teams in college basketball the last 5 years, averaging over 29 wins a season, reaching the Final Four in 2013, and going undefeated in the 2014 regular season. Though they long ago went their separate ways, the Titans and Shockers were Missouri Valley Conference rivals back in the 1950s. The Titans dominated the series early, winning six of 8 meetings from 1950 through 1953, but Wichita State has won 10 of the last 11, including all three meetings since the Titans left the Valley, and leads the series 12-7. Wichita State won the last meeting in the Bracket Busters two years ago, 94-79. The teams last played in Calihan on December 23, 1981, when Gene Smithson’s Shockers, ranked #3 in the country and including Antoine Carr, Cliff Levingston, and freshman Xaiver McDaniel, beat the Titans 79-70. Joe Kopicki had 18 for the Titans that night.
This year’s Wichita State team is quite different from the Final Four club that beat the Titans' NIT team in a wild game two years ago at Wichita. That team ran its offense through big forwards Cleanthony Early and Carl Hall, and also included seven-footer Ehimen Orukpe, who started against Detroit. This year’s edition is a guard focused team, led by the All-American backcourt of juniors Ron Baker (18.4 ppg, 2.4 apg, 4. rpg) and Fred VanVleet (13.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.0 apg). 6-3 senior and three-year starter Tekele Cotton (10.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.5 apg), last season’s Defensive Player of the Year in the Valley, ably supports the two as a third guard, and 6-4 junior Evan Wessel (4.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) is an effective wing. That leaves 6-7, 245 lb. senior Darius Carter (11.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg) as the only true forward in the starting lineup.
Coach Greg Marshall typically goes 9 deep, and those four key reserves are all freshmen: Redshirt guard Ria’n Holland (3.7 ppg); 6-10, 240 lb. center Rauno Nurger (3.7 ppg); 6-7, 260 lb. redshirt forward Shaquille Morris (4.3 ppg); and 6-7 forward Rashard Kelly (3.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg). Tom Wamukota, a 6-11 juco transfer, and another freshman, 6-2 guard Corey Henderson, usually see a few minutes as well.
The Titans and the Shockers are actually quite similar teams in terms of style, strengths, and weaknesses. The big differences are that the Shockers are simply better, and they have the ability to go a bigger than the Titans can. They’ve been a much better rebounding team than the Titans, in part due to the size advantage off the bench, but more importantly because they are simply very good at fundamentals of blocking out and they attack the boards aggressively.
Unless Ackerman tips for Detroit, 6-7 Darius Carter will probably be the only player on either team taller than 6-6 to start the game. Neither team has much presence in the paint, but both teams shoot well – in the top 100 nationally – and both shoot threes well, with Detroit ranking 46th nationally in 3-point FG% and Wichita 76th. The two clubs also take care of the ball – Wichita is 15th in the nation for lowest turnover rate, Detroit 58th – and force turnovers on the opposition – they are tied for 22nd nationally in opponents’ turnover rate. Detroit, as always, likes to push the tempo, but this is not as up-tempo a team as recent Titan squads. Wichita is actually a bit below average in the tempo of play. But both teams have been effective at turning possessions and shots into points, making them both relatively high scoring teams.
Wichita gets a relatively high percentage of its points from outside the arc. Baker is the main threat. He’ll take a half dozen or more threes in a game and is hitting over 50%. But VanVleet is also a good three point shooter – at least he has been in the past, at over 40% last year, though he’s struggled so far this season. Wessel and Holland are also both good three point shooters. As a team, Wichita chucks up a lot of 3 pointers – about 20 a game. You've got to step out and guard these guys.
Personally, I would rather play a team where we had more asymmetries, and hope that we could take advantage of that to win. Here, it seems a bit like a pitcher whose best pitch is a good but not great fastball is facing one of the best fastball hitters in baseball. Our hitter has the most trouble with a slider, but our pitcher (that’s UD, if you’re trying to follow this convoluted analogy) doesn’t throw a slider. Who’s likely to win that showdown?
Further, note that Wichita does have the ability, if it needs to try something different, to get much bigger with Nurger, Morris, and Kelly in the lineup.
For the Titans to win, the guards have to play their very best ball. They don’t have to outplay Baker, VanVleet and Cotton, but they can’t be totally dominated by those guys. If you saw the Seton Hall game this week, you saw Wichita’s defense in action, with a lot of pressure on the ball at all times. This leads to a lot of points in transition off turnovers, but they also make it very hard for teams to get into their offensive sets. Beyond taking care of the ball, we need to shoot well – very well- and that will be helped by good ball movement.
Some possible points for Titan advantage:
- Though Wichita is an excellent defensive team, they have been only average at defending the three this year. We have a good three point shooting team, in the top 50 nationally, mainly thanks to Wilson, but Howard and Kearney have also shot well.
- Also, Detroit uses quite a few ball screens. Watch how the Shockers defend ball screens. They like to pressure and slow the ball handler by having the man guarding the screener step out at the ball handler. That can work very effectively, but if you’re quick off that screen you can gain a step there and suddenly no one is in front of you, and you can get off a good shot.
- Wichita State fouls more than average – indeed they rank 272nd in average fouls per game – and we are a really good free throw shooting team (22nd in the nation at 75.3 percent). Further, Wichita is a below average free throw shooting team. We may be able to net out a few points at the foul line.
- Carter is sometimes prone to foul trouble if the game is taken to him. I’d like to see the Titans go inside early and see if we can’t get a couple quick ones on Wichita’s center. Indeed, all of Wichita’s big have a tendency to foul. It’s not a pronounced tendency, but it’s a small weakness. Let’s see if we can’t drive them from the game.
- While I think it is a bit unfair to expect too much from the newly eligible Kane and Jenkins, Wichita will not have had the opportunity to scout either one, so they could be surprising trouble for the Shockers.
- They have Baker, VanVleet, and Cotton, but only we have Paris Bass! I actually mean that seriously. Cotton is a very physical player and a great defender, but he’s only 6-3. Wichita doesn’t have big guards, and Bass will have 3 to 5 inches on anyone guarding him, unless they put one of the forwards on him, but I’m not sure any of Wichita’s forwards are quick enough to guard Bass.
Keys to the game:
- Take care of the ball
- Get back in transition
- Move the ball on offense and hit open shots
This is obviously a big game for the Titans in so many ways. Should we find ourselves in position for postseason play in March, a win in this game would matter a lot for what tournament and for our seeding. It’s a chance for some good media attention and hopefully will draw out some of the casual fans that have been missing in recent years – fans who might come back after a good show. We’ve lost 23 straight to ranked teams dating back to 2002, far and away our longest drought ever in both time and number of games between wins over a ranked squad. The Titans know that they can play with Wichita – playing on the road, we battled both Oregon and Michigan to standstills for a half and change – but we need to put together the whole 40 minutes to get a win.
Go Titans!
