The RoundHouse | 3/5/2018 9:15:00 AM

Roundhouse review: No. 10 Cincinnati 62, No. 11 Wichita State 61
 
By Paul Suellentrop
 
Key stats: The Shockers missed 17 of their 23 three-pointers. Guards Conner Frankamp (0 for 4) and Austin Reaves (0 for 5) were both defended well by bigger Bearcats and uncharacteristically off-target in the same game.
 
Cincinnati's 11 offensive rebounds hurt. Wichita State's surrendering 16 points off its nine turnovers stung. The Bearcats helped themselves overcome poor shooting by committing five turnovers.
 
More than anything, the Shockers missed shots they made in the earlier win over the Bearcats. Credit bad bounces or credit Cincinnati's hardened half-court defense that allowed the Shockers few open look and rushes to the basket. When two evenly matched teams play, one or two shots that roll in or spin out can decide the result.
 
Records: Cincinnati 27-4, 16-2 American (No. 4 Pomeroy, No. 11 RPI, No. 5 ESPN BPI); Wichita State 24-6, 14-4 American (No. 17 Pomeroy, No. 12 RPI, No. 11 ESPN BPI)
 
Topper: Membership in the American Athletic Conference felt pretty darn good after a tough loss. The Shockers know they are in the NCAA Tournament and they know they can earn another helpful NCAA victory or two this week in the conference tournament.
 
That feeling allowed Wichita State to discuss March with no worries about bubbles, quality wins or trips to Dayton. Mission accomplished in Year One in the new conference – a second-place finish and a 14-4 record is no cause for panic.
 
"Cincinnati is a great team. . . a great program," Shocker senior Rashard Kelly said. "Yeah, the outcome should have been different, but it wasn't today. We have to put our hard hat on and go back to work. That's it. That's all we can do is work."
 
While it's an imperfect comparison, the feeling is much different than recent seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference. That expected benefit from the switch to the American cashed and if the Shockers can win two or three more games in Orlando, it may cash in big on Selection Sunday.
 
Of course, falling two points short Sunday hurts. Another win over the Bearcats may have locked Wichita State in as a top-four seed, regardless of this week's results. Now the Shockers have work to do. On Monday, USA Today had the Shockers a No. 3 seed. ESPN.com dropped them to a No. 4 seed. CBSSports.com also slots them at No. 4.
 
Marshall worked quickly to repair any mental damage from losing a much-hyped game on senior day.
 
He told the Shockers about his previous team to lose on senior day (he was 18-1 before Sunday), in 2013. That team blew a chance to share an MVC title. It also went to the Final Four. He reminded them about the program's long-held belief that the Shockers are tough outs in the NCAA Tournament because of their myriad offensive plays that challenge scouting reports. The proof comes in their NCAA success – five straight seasons with at least one win.
 
"I think they believe our brand of basketball travels," Marshall said. "We have about 40 different things we can do in an offensive set. It's hard to prepare for that if you are not familiar with it. . .  Our style is not 'blow your mind' unique, but it is hard to guard when you haven't seen it, prepared for it, or played against it."
 
Lineup check: Wichita State's bench (Reaves, Rauno Nurger, Darral Willis Jr., Markis McDuffie) combined to shoot 4 for 16 with eight rebounds, five assists and two turnovers.
 
That's history: The Bearcat-Shocker series is off to a wonderful start, just as the schools, fans and conference hoped and expected. Two strong teams met in two close games and both are headed to the NCAA Tournament with high seeds.
 
"I'm busy coaching, but I will admit it," Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said. "During that last under-four (minute) timeout, I stopped and looked around and thought, 'This is a great game.'"
 
Both sides look forward to a possible third meeting in Orlando on Sunday.
 
"What a great battle between two really tough teams, going toe-to-toe, blow-for-blow," Marshall said. "They are certainly a fine ball club, and maybe we will see them again."
 
Cronin, wearing an American championship T-shirt outside the visiting locker room, said "We've played this team twice now, and hopefully we get to play them again — because that gets you ready for March. Nobody plays harder than Wichita State."
 
The game sold out at Northern Kentucky University, where Cincinnati played this season. Koch Arena, of course, matched.
 
"It was one of those arenas that is just roaring," Bearcats forward Gary Clark said. "When they started doing the lineups and telling them to get loud at the beginning, it was rocking. As a player, you just have to love that."
 
This season's series started with much reminiscing about games in the 1950s and 1960s when the teams met as MVC rivals. The re-boot lived up to that standard.
 
Numbers: The Bearcats committed turnovers on 8.3 percent of their possessions, lowest rate by a Shocker opponent this season. Wichita State committed a turnover on 15 percent of its possessions, according to kenpom.com. . . The Shockers went 13-2 at Koch Arena, its most losses in its on-campus arena since the 2013 team went 14-2.
 
Worth noting: Shocker guard Landry Shamet made three three-pointers to give him 74 for the season, fourth on Wichita State's season list. David Kyles (75) ranks third with Ron Baker (80) second and Sean Ogirri (91) first. . . Wichita State's six-man senior class is its largest since the 1976 Shockers also had six. The 2018 seniors went 56-3 at Koch Arena.
 
"All six of these guys are going to have their degrees if they finish this semester," Marshall said. "They have all won championships and represent us well on and off the court."
 
Next up: vs. No. 7 Temple (16-14)-No. 10 Tulane (14-6) winner, 6 p.m. Friday (ESPNU) in American Athletic Conference Tournament, Amway Center, Orlando, Fla.
 
The Shockers will take Monday and Tuesday off to rest and prepare for Wednesday's trip to Florida.
 
Both possible opponents played the Shockers tough this season. Temple and Tulane play at 6 p.m. Thursday (ESPNU).
 
Temple might be the scariest Thursday team in the tournament because of its penchant for big wins. The Owls are No. 85 in ESPN's BPI, No. 87 in the Pomeroy rankings and No. 44 in the RPI. They own eight Pomeroy top-100 victories, three in the top 20.
 
Temple is also 1-4 in its previous five games, a skid that started with its dramatic loss at Koch Arena.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.