The RoundHouse | 11/16/2019 9:23:00 AM

 
The Shockers had a week to work on offense. They didn't shoot the basketball effectively in their first two games. More important, the offense hasn't shown the movement, screening, cutting and crisp passing that is usually a mark of Wichita State.
 
"Five guys can be better than one running an offense," coach Gregg Marshall said. 
 
Against Omaha in the opener, the Shockers (2-0) totaled 15 assists, an acceptable number. That dropped to six against Texas Southern. While it is hard to roll up big assists numbers when shooting poorly, the Shockers aren't letting the mechanics of the offense help them create good scoring chances as often as possible. 
 
Marshall, after each of the past two games, pointed to a basket, created through good execution, because each stood out from much of the rest. 
 
"Texas Southern did a marvelous job of pressuring our young guards and pushing them out," Marshall said. "We took some bad shots. We are better shooters than what we shot, obviously."
 
The offense will improve as the Shockers – who are relying on freshmen and sophomores in the backcourt – grow more experienced and confident in the system and injured teammates return. A week of video study and practice should help.
 
Wichita State's defensive numbers look strong – allowing opponents to shoot 38.7 percent from the field, 26.5 percent behind the arc. It's too early to put a lot of stock in those performances, but the encouraging sign is that Wichita State hasn't let poor shooting dampen its defensive effort.
 
It out-rebounded both opponents and totaled 34 second-chance points, 21 more than its opponents. The Shockers are plus-19 in turnovers on the season.
 
Those are signs of maturity. There will be many games when the Shockers need to lean on defense when it's tough on the other end.
 
"We're winning ugly," Marshall said. "On the defensive end and on the glass, we're doing well. The defense is ahead of the offense, and that happens most seasons."
 
UT Martin (2-1) is coming off a 98-91 win at Western Illinois on Wednesday. Sophomore guard Parker Stewart scored 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He totaled 14 points in his first two games. 
 
Stewart played at Pittsburgh as a freshman and averaged 9.1 points, making 38.6 percent of his three-pointers.  
 
The Skyhawks average 93 points and are shooting 49.3 percent from the field. Those numbers are helped by a 106-48 win over NAIA St. Louis College of Pharmacy in the opener. 
 
East Tennessee State (coached by former Shocker assistant Steve Forbes) defeated UT Martin 92-75 a week ago. East Tennessee State shot 62.5 percent from the field, 70 (21 of 30) percent in the second half.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.