The RoundHouse | 2/10/2018 4:29:00 PM

No. 22 Wichita State 95, UConn 74

By Paul Suellentrop
 
While it's an exaggeration to say the game turned in the first three minutes, it might not be all that far from the truth. Rashard Kelly can have that kind of influence on a game and Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie acknowledged as much.
 
"They're relentless (rebounders)," Ollie said. "They took it to us from the first possession with those two offensive rebounds."
 
Kelly, Wichita State's senior motor, played a mere 10 minutes in the first half. He grabbed both those offensive rebounds that Ollie mentioned, passed to Shaq Morris for a dunk and scored a basket of his own. By the 17:03 mark, the Shockers led 7-3 and it was clear which team wanted to win with hustle.
 
"We have to show more toughness," Ollie said.
 
Kelly, much as he did in the first meeting with the Huskies, set the example with pursuit and physical play. He finished the first half with six rebounds, three on offense, and four assists. He finished the game with 10 rebounds, six points and five assists.
 
"Some of those rebounds were big-boy rebounds," Shocker guard Landry Shamet said. "It gets you going."
 
As Kelly has said over and over during his senior season, this is his role. He doesn't need to score and when he does, he prefers dunks. He does need to rebound, chase loose balls and defend. At UConn, he tore through the Huskies for 11 points and 12 rebounds in Wichita State's 72-62 win to open American Athletic Conference play.
 
"You can't get a rebound if you don't go," Kelly said. "I just try to crash every time."
 
Kelly's energy lasted all 20 minutes and the Shockers led 55-33 at halftime.
 
The Shockers played a smart and efficient half, finishing with two turnovers and 17 assists on 19 baskets. Ollie lamented his team's inability to make the right reads and rotations on defense. Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall marveled at the unselfishness and vision.
 
"It really is pretty basketball," he said.

Shamet, who scored 16 points, handed out four assists. Morris and Rauno Nurger both recorded three.

"The ball was flying around and the right guys were getting the right shots," Shamet said.
 
UConn switched defenses, pressed and played a physical style of basketball. The Shockers handled it all with good passing, cutting and shooting. They made 9 of 18 three-pointers and 19 of 37 shots to build its biggest halftime lead since a 31-point edge against South Florida.
 
Wichita State wobbled a few times in the second half, but never allowed the Huskies to seriously rally. The Shockers made 5 of 10 shots in the second half. For the game, they made 14 of 28 threes. They grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and scored 16 second-chance points. WSU scored 30 points in the paint, 14 more than UConn.
 
Wichita State coaches kept saying they wanted guard Conner Frankamp to keep shooting and expressed confidence shots would start to fall. UConn's shaky defensive rotations and zone defense gave Frankamp the opportunity to break out and he did.
 
Frankamp scored in double figures for the first time in six games. He made 4 of 5 threes, ending an 0-for-9 stretch over the past three games, and scored 14 points. He also made two free throws, extending his season mark to 22 for 22.
 
"It was just a matter of time," Marshall said.
 
Frankamp said he spent an hour or two in the gym recently. He called his slump – which extended to 2 for 16 from three-point range in his past five games – the worst of his life. He also had the confidence that his shooting touch would return.
 
"I've been shooting, probably, better than I ever have in my workouts," he said. "It was kind of weird not being able to knock shots down in a game. Tonight, I was able to get some open looks and knock them down."
 
Frankamp, Shamet and Austin Reaves combined to make 11 of 18 threes. With that trio spreading the defense, Shocker big men enjoyed plenty of room to work against defenders.

"All three of us are wired the same way, regardless of whether they're going in or not," Shamet said. "That's what we've been doing our entire life. You can't let your mind-set ever change. We've got three guys that are capable shooters."
 
Fans considered Saturday's game one of the big ones on the schedule and grabbed tickets more quickly than usual. The visit by four-time NCAA champion UConn is a highlight, despite its mediocre record.
 
Count Saturday's 21-point win as another milestone on Wichita State's improbable journey to this new conference.
 
There is much scrutiny on the Huskies and coach Kevin Ollie. The program was the subject of a long ESPN.com story by Jeff Goodman this week. The story described UConn's fall from prominence after the 2014 NCAA title.
 
"A basketball program that is fewer than four years removed from its third national championship in 11 seasons, a surprise title won in its first full year under revered former UConn point guard Kevin Ollie, has become largely irrelevant on the court," Goodman wrote.
 
While Shocker fans enjoyed the rout on Saturday, UConn's problems are bad for the American. The conference needs UConn (and Memphis) to approach their historical standards for the conference to thrive. 

Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.