The RoundHouse | 11/16/2018 10:19:00 PM

 
You can win a lot of games if the best player on the court wears your uniform. Wichita State senior Markis McDuffie looks more and more like he will be that guy on many nights after Friday's performance in an 82-76 win over Appalachian State in the Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C.
 
McDuffie finished with 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 15 of those points in the final 6:03. His run of 11 points turned a 66-61 disadvantage into a 72-68 lead. He emerged from a mild slump to make 26 of 50 shots and 13 of 21 from three-point range in the past three games. He averages 24.6 points in those games.
 
After the opener, coach Gregg Marshall sent a message when he spoke about McDuffie's desire to carry the Shockers and prepare for the NBA. Marshall pointed out that NBA Shockers such as Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker made it there with efficient shooting and low-mistake basketball. McDuffie is more of a live-wire athlete than those two, but he can throttle back a bit to take more advantage of his skills.
 
Balanced scoring makes that box score look a lot better for the Shockers (2-2).  
 
Guard Jamarius Burton made 6 of 8 shots to score 14 points (plus six assists). Center Jaime Echenique scored 10 first-half points on his way to 12 points and 11 rebounds. Samajae Haynes-Jones shot poorly, but managed 14 points.
 
The Shockers made a season-high 13 foul shots (missing four) and weren't outscored at the line for the first time this season. Wichita State was outscored by 19 free throws in its two losses. And their 15 assists and 11 turnovers represents their largest margin between those categories.
 
Wichita State plays Alabama on Sunday in the fifth-place game. It is the sixth meeting since the 2010-11 season. The Shockers defeated the Crimson Tide in the NIT title game that season and they won three of the five previous meetings.
 
Alabama is a name and for this Wichita State team, that is likely helpful. Even the newcomers will recognize Sunday's game as meaningful and worthy of their full attention. That might not be the case with a lesser-known opponent. 
 
The Tide (3-1) lost its Charleston Classic opener to Northeastern 68-52 before defeating Ball State 79-61 on Friday. Alabama defeated Appalachian State 81-73 last weekend.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.