The RoundHouse | 3/16/2018 4:51:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
SAN DIEGO – Landry Shamet answered questions quietly and patiently, taking on blame and giving credit to Marshall University. Rauno Nurger cut the tape off his ankles and stared into space. Austin Reaves sat motionless at his locker, then checked his phone.  
 
The cameras and notebooks moved to Rashard Kelly, then Zach Brown. Both tried to explain the feelings, most of which were impossible to explain. For six seniors, four and five years of work and triumph ended. For all the Shockers, the buzzer sounded at a time nobody expected a few months ago. 
 
"It's very difficult, for sure," junior Markis McDuffie said. "Especially when we've got so many seniors, it really sucks for them to go out this way."
 
Wichita State's season ended on Friday in Viejas Arena, the victim of the type of upset it used to claw its way into national prominence. Marshall University, seeded No. 13 and in its first NCAA Tournament since 1987, knocked off the fourth-seeded Shockers 81-75.
 
"I'll take the brunt of it," Shamet said. "I didn't do what I had to do."
 
Plenty of Shockers felt that way.  Senior guard Conner Frankamp went out with a career-high 27 points, making 10 of 17 shots, 6 of 10 three-pointers. The rest of the Shockers went 2 for 19 from three-point range and 17 of 48 from the field.
 
A wonderful offensive team shot 41.5 percent from the field and committed 15 turnovers. Those turnovers – 11 painful ones in the second half – led to 27 points for Marshall University and provided the obstacles the Shockers couldn't overcome.
 
Marshall University's scrambling defense kept the Shockers out of their comfort zone most of the game. Herd guard Jon Elmore became a March hero with his 27 points. Don't forget his two steals in the second half. Teammates Jarrod West and C.J. Burks both had four steals, making the Shockers pay for soft passes or turning their backs while dribbling. Ten of the Herd's 12 steals came in the second half.
 
"We did not play the game that we need to do play," Shocker coach Gregg Marshall said. "When that happens in this tournament you come up on the short end."
 
Wichita State led 52-47 with 14:08 to play, finally stringing together stops and baskets, and had momentum on its side for a few moments. Then, the Shockers committed turnovers on their next two possessions. The Thundering Herd tied it 52-all on a three by Elmore and took a one-point lead after an Elmore steal and free throw.
 
"They made us turn the ball over and they scored on our turnovers," Shocker center Shaq Morris said.
 
Wichita State's offense carried the Shockers all season. The defense threw up warning signs, giving up 50-plus points in a half to South Dakota State, Oklahoma and Arkansas State in non-conference play. Wichita State struggled to guard screens and high-scoring guards often enjoyed open shots and lightly impeded runs to the basket. Marshall University, with Elmore and Burks, loomed as exactly the type of offense that hurt the Shockers.
 
"They pretty much executed their offense the way they wanted," Morris said.
 
Most of that flowed through Elmore, who dribbled off screens to drive the lane and draw fouls, score or pass. He made 6 of 13 shots and 11 of 15 foul shots.
 
"He controlled the game and he controlled the pace of the game," Frankamp said.
 
The Shockers tried McDuffie, Brown and Austin Reaves and nobody flustered Elmore, who directed the game at a faster pace than SMU's Shake Milton did in a win at Koch Arena, but with the same deadly result.
 
"We wanted to attack them all 40 minutes," Elmore said. "We got some of their bigs in foul trouble early. We had some good driving lanes. Threw a couple of alley-oops that set the roof on fire, but that's Marshall basketball."
 
When the Shockers took their five-point lead, Elmore responded with seven of Marshall University's next nine points and set up a layup for a teammate with a steal. His three with 10:28 to play gave the Herd a 56-54 lead.
 
"He hit big shot of after big shot," Marshall said. "They have a great and very unique offense. Coach (Dan) D'Antoni does a great job of spacing the floor."
 
The Shockers took their final lead at 70-69, fittingly on a jumper by Frankamp.  His 27 points rank are tied with Fred VanVleet (vs. Indiana in 2015) for fifth on the Shocker NCAA game scoring list. 

He did not get enough help on this day. Wichita State's offense usually thrives on balance and efficiency. Frankamp and a few post touches by Morris provided the only reliable scoring most of the day.

Marshall University finished the game on a 12-5 run, helped by Shocker turnovers and breakdowns.
 
The Herd led 80-75 when Frankamp and Shamet missed threes. An out-of-bound play ended in a turnover with 12 seconds to play and the Herd started celebrating. At the buzzer, they screamed and jumped and high-fived. The Shockers watched quietly, shook hands and walked to the locker room.
 
A team that built so much of its reputation in March by knocking off the big names and high seeds witnessed the flip side of the busting up the bracket.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.