The RoundHouse | 12/29/2017 12:29:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Wichita State's basketball team leaves Friday afternoon to continue the program's biggest move since 1945. That year, the Shockers swapped McPherson, Baker and Bethany for Tulsa, Oklahoma A&M and Creighton when it joined the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
On Saturday, the eighth-ranked Shockers (10-2) debut in American Athletic Conference play at Connecticut (7-5). They swap the MVC, which possesses one team in the top 80 of the Pomeroy rankings, for the American and six teams in the top 80.
 
The difference is stark and, from the moment the move became official last spring, Shocker coach Gregg Marshall talked about the upgrade in size, speed and athletic ability on the rosters. The Shockers dominated the MVC the past four seasons in part because it opened each game knowing it owned the most talented players on the court, sometimes even dipping into the bench.
 
UConn has six players on its roster who ranked in the Rivals.com top 150 as recruits, including five-star guard Jalen Adams and four-star recruits Sidney Wilson and injured Alterique Gilbert. Wichita State last faced a four-star recruit in MVC play in 2015, when Bradley freshman Josh Cunningham, ranked No, 88 nationally, scored 10 points in a loss to the Shockers (Cunningham transferred to Dayton after that season and scored two points in last season's NCAA Tournament loss to the Shockers).
 
While not all those highly recruited Huskies will play (Gilbert is out for the season and Wilson is waiting on an eligibility waiver from the NCAA), it is a different world the Shockers enter for the next two months. That starts with the Huskies, who own four NCAA titles since 1999. While they are struggling to maintain that expectation since the most recent championship in 2014, they remain a prominent name in college basketball.
 
"The jerseys and the tradition are impressive, right off the bat," Shocker assistant coach Kyle Lindsted said. "Their big guys are long. They're going to be very athletic. And they have some guards that are playmakers, very aggressive."

Lindsted watched UConn's 73-58 loss to then-No, 18 Arizona and judged the Huskies comparable in athletic ability. Four of UConn's losses are against teams either ranked or receiving votes.

"You're not going to out-athlete these guys," he said. "Our advantages are going to be to play harder, play smarter. You better do the things that we've been known for doing over the years. We've got to get to that."
 
Recruiting top talent – guard Landry Shamet and forward Markis McDuffie are both Rivals top 150 recruits from the class of 2015 – provided one Shocker edge in the MVC. With that edge diminished, the Shockers must rely on other attributes that are also treasured parts of the program – effort and low-mistake play.
 
Coaches emphasized those items – communication and hustle on defense, shot selection, patience – in post-Christmas practices. Defense has taken most of the recent critiques; the Shockers can sharpen their offensive execution to reduce good opportunities for opponents.
 
"We've been working on a lot of things," Marshall said. "We've got a lot of issues we've got to get better at, lot of parts of the game we need to improve on."
 
Another difference to consider from the MVC days – the American schedule is mixed to produce good matchups for RPI and TV. Wichita State plays No. 283 South Florida and No. 309 East Carolina once each. While that strategy can help the power ranking, it also increases the game-to-game stress of playing good opponents.
 
While Marshall said the issues are more complex than simply playing harder, the Shockers point to defensive want-to and focus after recent games. Arkansas State made 10 of 16 three-pointers in the first half and 1 of 11 in the second. Florida Gulf Coast made 7 of 14 threes in the first half and 2 of 8 in the second. Wichita State won both games, but not in a manner it prefers.
 
"It's just sitting down and wanting to guard," Shamet said. "We need to do that from minute one. That intensity down the stretch needs to come earlier. Don't wait."

McDuffie's return should help. In practice, he is a fast-moving obstacle, waving his hands, deflecting passes and gumming up offensive moves.

"He's very energetic and he's active," Lindsted said. "That's something our team needs - put pressure on the ball and take teams out of their comfort zone."
 
The Shockers are allowing opponents to make 39 percent of their shots, which ranks third in the American. Opponents are making 33.2 percent of their threes, which ranks seventh. Wichita State ranks No. 30 nationally (fourth among American schools) in Ken Pomeroy's defensive efficiency ranking after allowing opponents to score .949 points per possession. Last season's Shockers – with largely the same personnel and a healthy McDuffie – ranked No. 13 at .926.
 
That performances – and a top-10 Pomeroy offense – is good enough to produce a 10-2 record against a strong schedule featuring seven opponents in Pomeroy's top 100 for offensive efficiency. Marshall gave the Shockers an A or B-plus for their non-conference performance, yet it's not a grade anybody seems content with.
 
"We weren't dictating or determining what they did on offense; we were on our heels, letting them do what they want to do," forward Rashard Kelly said. "We've got to dig deep."
 
Starting on Saturday, more Shocker opponents are capable of digging deep on an equal basis.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.