The RoundHouse | 1/25/2020 10:43:00 PM
Wichita State is back on the right track,the NCAA Tournament track, the expected track. Coach
Gregg Marshall wants his team to know he expects at least a little more, now that two wins steadied the mood after two losses.
The Shockers, ranked No. 22 in the USA Today/Coaches poll, defeated UCF 87-79 on Saturday at Koch Arena. Wichita State handed out 20 assists on 24 baskets to check the box for unselfish play and offensive execution. They out-rebounded the Knights, short-handed due to injury and foul trouble, 45-28 and outscored them 19-3 on second-chance points. That checked the box for effort and physical play.
Wichita State (17-3, 5-2 American Athletic Conference) matched last season's regular-season win total. That's all good. With a conference title race and NCAA positioning to be decided, Marshall wants to make a move from good to whatever else is out there.
"We're pretty good," he said. "And that's kind of where we've maintained. We've been in neutral for a while. We've got a lot of talent. We have to buckle down and eliminate the silly mistakes."
Mistakes – missed free throws, turnovers, bad shots, defensive breakdowns – kept the Shockers from pulling away late in the game. In Marshall's mind, that's the difference between maintaining and building into something better. Those mistakes were not fatal against the Knights (11-8, 2-5).
Against a better team? On the road? In a tournament? Those mistakes might mean the end of a run. The Shockers finished with 12 turnovers, nine in the second half. They missed 13 foul shots. UCF's small lineup put Shocker big men in tough positions on defense.
Eliminating a few of those errors can be the difference between an early exit and an extended run.
"We know we can grow a lot more," sophomore
Dexter Dennis said. "I think that what coach is ready for."
Wichita State's 20 assists are its most since 22 against Central Arkansas.
The guards dribbled through UCF's defenses routinely and then made good decisions. Sometimes, they passed to open shooters on the wing. Other times, they dropped a short pass to a big man.
Crisp ball movement kept the defense scrambling and gave the Shockers many open looks.
"We wanted to drive the gaps and create for others,"
Grant Sherfield said. "We've got to feed our shooters and try to get them going."
Sherfield finished with six assists, matching his high against UT Martin in November. It's the high for a Shocker since
Jamarius Burton had 11 assists at Oklahoma State. Burton added four against UCF with Dennis (three) and
Tyson Etienne (three) also contributing.
"We want to be a team that can share the ball and everybody can eat," Sherfield said.
Dennis is one of the keys to the Shockers winning a conference title and winning tournament games.
He led the Shockers with 18 points, on 7-of-14 shooting, and 11 rebounds and a season-high three assists. He looked like the Dennis of last season with his outside shooting and an improved Dennis with his driving ability.
If Dennis continues to provide those type of performances, the Shockers are a better team.
"It makes a big difference," Sherfield said. "It really makes it easy for us guards when penetrate in the gaps when we know we have a dude we know can knock down a shot."
Dennis missed 5 of his 6 shots in the first half. Marshall told him to take the ball to the basket with more force. Dennis did that with a two-handed dunk in the second half to give the Shockers a 77-67 lead.
"He missed a lot of bunnies," Marshall said. "Finally, I told him at halftime, I said 'You aspire to play in the NBA. I think you will one day. That day will come when you start going into the basket . . . jumping up and trying to bite the rim and throwing your arm through the goal. That's what those dudes do."
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
