The RoundHouse | 11/19/2017 9:27:00 PM
By
Paul Suellentrop
LAHAINA, Hawaii – Maui is where eight teams can start to prove if preseason predictions are correct. For Wichita State, that means showing it belongs among the nation's elite.
The No. 6 Shockers open Monday against California in the Maui Invitational. A game against either Marquette or VCU awaits on Tuesday. Perhaps No. 13 Notre Dame or Michigan on Wednesday. These are the kind of victories Wichita State needs to accumulate to grab the attention of the NCAA selection committee.
A 3-0 week puts the Shockers on track for the big things expected. In the past 10 seasons, Maui produced three NCAA champions and two Elite Eight teams. Six of the past 10 champions earned a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Finishing second is no curse – the runner-ups in 2010 (Kentucky) and 2011 (Kansas) played in the Final Four. Last year, Oregon lost its opener in Maui and played in the Final Four five months later.
Of course, those are big-picture things best enjoyed before or after the season.
"We really don't talk about it," Shocker coach
Gregg Marshall said Sunday morning. "(The team) obviously hears it in social media. So, they know there are some very lofty expectations. Right now, we're concerned about Cal."
Cal (2-1) offers reasons for concern, even in a transition season after the departure of coach Cuonzo Martin for Missouri. The Bears return one starter and a total of 45 starts, making them one of the nation's youngest teams. There are six scholarship freshmen on the roster, one season after the Bears went 21-13 and played in the NIT.
So, there is a reason Cal is matched against the field's highest-ranked team. Wichita State (2-0) should present a significant challenge.
"They're tough, they're talented," Cal coach Wyking Jones said. "They're deep. They play together."
The Bears will challenge the Shockers with a full-court press, two talented big men and guard Don Coleman, who averages 25.7 points and makes 40 percent of his three-pointers.
"We pick up 94 feet," Jones said. "We like to use our defense to help us with our offense."
Senior center Kingsley Okoroh (7-foot-1, 267 pounds) slimmed down around 14 points to fit with Jones' pressing plans. He averages 10 points and 9.3 rebounds. Senior forward Marcus Lee (6-11, 225) averages 15.3 points and 10.7 rebounds.
A miserable shooting performance doomed the Bears in their opener, a 74-66 home loss to Cal Riverside. The Bears shot 30.6 percent from the field and missed 15 foul shots. In wins over Cal Poly (85-82) and Wofford (79-65), they shot 56 and 54.7 percent from the field.
Age matters – The tournament favorites own big edges in experience, according to Ken Pomeroy's statistics.
Wichita State ranks 10
th nationally in experience, according to kenpom.com, with an average experience level of 2.42 seasons. Notre Dame is No. 97, followed by No. 111 Michigan.
The other five NCAA Division I teams rank below 200, with Cal at No. 284. Marquette is No. 272 with nine freshmen or sophomores on the roster.
Next year – Host Chaminade, an NCAA Division II school, will not play in next season's Hawaii portion of the Maui Invitational for the first time.
Chaminade will play in the mainland games, starting and every-other-year cycle. The mainland games usually match low-profile teams, such as this year's field of Wofford, North Florida and Mount St. Mary's.
The 2018 field consists of Arizona, Auburn, Duke, Gonzaga, Illinois, Iowa State, San Diego State and Xavier.
Worth noting – Marshall shot his free throws under-handed, to protect his surgically repaired right shoulder, during Sunday morning's charity contest with coaches and local youth. . . ESPN's Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas will call Monday's game. They watched Wichita State's practice on Sunday at the Lahaina Civic Center. . . Michigan is the most experienced Maui participant of the NCAA Division I opponents. It is making its sixth appearance and is 11-4 with tournament titles in 1985 and 1988. Wichita State and VCU are making their second trips to Maui . . . Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski earned MVP honors in the tournament in 1997 while playing for Duke.
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
