Men's Basketball | 3/14/2019 11:36:00 PM

 
Wichita State's size is hard for most American Athletic Conference schools to match. Its side of the American Athletic Conference Tournament bracket gives it a chance to highlight the skills of centers Asbjørn Midtgaard and Jaime Echenique.
 
They dominated Thursday's 73-57 win over 11^th-seeded East Carolina in Memphis in the first round of the tournament. Echenique scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Midtgaard finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. They combined to score 10 of Wichita State's first 17 points as the Shockers (18-13) overwhelmed the Pirates (10-21) with their size and execution.
 
The improvement in the play of the big men from January is striking. Both are more aggressive and more confident and they can play defense without fouling. Wichita State's guards are improving their post passes and they know where to get the big men the ball. The Shockers finished with 16 assists on their 24 baskets, led by four by Samajae Haynes-Jones.
 
Up next for the sixth-seeded Shockers is third-seeded Temple (23-8) at 8 p.m. Friday (ESPNU).
 
The Owls are not a strong rebounding team – they rank 11 in offensive rebound percentage in the American in conference games and 10^th in percentage offensive rebounds allowed. Opponents shoot well from two-point range (52.2 percent) because the Owls don't possess a lot of shot-blockers.
 
Temple makes up for its lack of interior defense by forcing turnovers (21 by the Shockers in the January meeting) and locking up outside shooters.

Wichita State's big men can again be a major factor. Wichita State's guards are a different bunch than in the first meeting, an 85-81 overtime win by the Owls at Koch Arena. Jamarius Burton's defense and his ability to handle Temple's pressure will be key.
 
Thursday's game played out almost exactly as Wichita State wanted. The Shockers built a double-digit lead in the first half and kept that throughout the rest of the game. 
 
Coach Gregg Marshall rested most of his rotation during the game's final seven minutes. Nobody played more than 24 minutes, which should help keep the Shockers as fresh as possible for Friday's quarterfinal.
 
The tournament starts with the Shockers getting good contributions deep into the bench, which could also be helpful if they expect to make a long stay.
 
Rod Brown hustled his way into a productive game, grabbing nine rebounds and a steal in 17 minutes. Ricky Torres had three assists and five rebounds. Midtgaard's 10 points came in 13 minutes.
 
The offensive spark came from Dexter Dennis, who is finishing his freshman season as strongly as any rookie in the conference. He made 5 of 7 shots and showed an off-the-dribble game that had been lacking. His excellent three-point shooting will give him opportunities to drive.
 
Markis McDuffie continued to slump from the field, but he made 11 of 12 foul shots to finish with 15 points. The Shockers will need a bigger offensive contribution from McDuffie at some point.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.