Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall reflected on the road win atOklahoma State, his team's rapidly-improving defense and a big Saturday matchup with Oklahoma at INTRUST Bank Arena. Tickets are still available for the 5 p.m. tip at selectaseat.com or by calling 855-755-SEAT.
 

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GREGG MARSHALL on…
 
... the team's performance at Oklahoma State in their first true road game of the year:
"Our kids when down there and played a good brand of basketball for the majority of the game. I'm excited for what our guys have shown they can do. They've shown they have a high ceiling, and now I've got to try them to play at that level consistently."
 
… the team's ceiling:
"We've said all along that we like the team. They were out-toughed against West Virginia, but they turned the tables against Oklahoma State. We were tougher on the boards. We were coming up with the loose balls. We were the more aggressive team."
 
… the team's scoring depth:
"That's the beauty of this team. There's a lot of interchangeable pieces. There are so many guys that can help us. This was the Tyson Etienne game where he came out and shot well from 3. Jamarius Burton and Erik Stevenson were steadfast. They were so good in everything they did. JB with 11 assists and one turnover. I thought those two, especially JB, were the toughest guys on the court."
 
... finding windows:
"I think they all can be better at that. When I saw Fred VanVleet penetrate, I always saw Ron Baker adjust and find a window and stay in Fred's vision. This helps because you can throw the ball on a line and not have to throw a lob pass and let the defense recover while the ball is in the air. Basketball is about angles. No one understood that better than those two. This group did not understand that. We have not been great at that over the past couple of years. That's how we can help the assist totals because it helps the passer locate you. The past two years have been my two youngest teams ever, so I've learned one thing about a group like that and that's that they don't know when they're open. What used to be open in high school isn't anymore because of the athletes they're playing against now. These guys are now listening and getting better. These guys are now listening and getting better. That's an exciting thing about this team. What we've proven now is our ceiling, but there are so many ways to keep improving. It's fun to come to work."
 
… whether WSU's defense is as good as the computer metrics indicate:
"I don't think it's an elite defense yet. I see so many ways we can get better. That's one of the things that will help us. Our staff will be relentless on minimizing those breakdowns. The first two possessions against Oklahoma State, they laid in our basket. I thought it was going to be a long day, but we adjusted. A part of that is communication. That's why it's so tough to play on the road because when you're on defense you should be communicating, but the crowd isn't going to let you do that."
 
… improved defense (compared to past years) at the point of attack:
"This year I have more options to defend the point of attack. Last year, I had to go with who we had. We had so many young guys we threw out there to defend the point of attack. Think of the difference for Erik Stevenson. Last year, he was average, at best, at defending the ball. He has improved so much to this year. He's now beating people to the point of attack. He's beating people to the angle. He's taking charges and moving his feet when he needs to. He's not giving up easy layups or and-ones like he did last year. We've got guys that have those abilities. Tyson (Etienne), Noah (Fernandes) and Grant (Sherfield) all possess that ability."
 
… what to expect from Oklahoma:
"You know they're going to be well-coach and that they'll have Big 12 athletes. Over the last couple of years, we've had a tough time containing him, so we'll see how elite our defense really is."
 
… how fun the next part of the schedule is:
"It's probably more fun for you than it is for me. It was designed for us to play tremendous players, programs and teams. Our athletic director, Darron Boatright, allowed us to schedule like this and a lot of it was his idea. I love it. I think those first four or five games got us prepared for Cancun, which prepared us for what we're doing now, which is going to prepare us for conference play."
 
... playing in INTRUST Bank Arena:
"We played very, very well there the first five or six year, and we haven't lately. The guys like going down there. It's a different crowd. It's a different vibe with the NBA-style arena. We love playing in Koch Arena. (Oklahoma) agreed to the series if it was neutural-and-neutral, so they won't step foot on our campus and we won't step foot on theirs."