The RoundHouse | 1/9/2020 10:46:00 PM

 
Wichita State's scout team can't match Memphis' size and athletic ability. Coach Gregg Marshall gave his backups some advantages to help prepare for Thursday's game.
 
The Shockers practiced 4-on-3 on both ends of the court. When the defense had the man-advantage it created the feeling of pressure that Memphis can bring with its superior athletes. 
 
When the offense had the man-advantage, it learned how to move the ball and make the defense pay for pressure. To stress Wichita State's defense, one drill gave the offense a head start on a fast break by giving it the ball at half court to force defenders to hustle back and organize.
 
No. 23 Wichita State played the game at their preferred tempo for almost all of the 40 minutes on Thursday. They defeated No. 21 Memphis 76-67, in large part because they committed 10 turnovers, three in the second half. 
 
Freshman point guard Grant Sherfield took on much of the responsibility for handling Memphis' defense and keeping the Shockers on course. He attacked at times, perhaps most critically late in the first half when he scored seven of Wichita State's final 12 points.
 
At other times, he played patiently and waited for something to develop. 
 
"He's not afraid of the moment, when guys are running and jumping and trapping," teammate Erik Stevenson said. "It's good to have a point guard that has that kind of grit to him."
 
Sherfield played 31 minutes, 30 seconds without a turnover. He scored nine points, although shooting 2 of 10 from the field, and handed out two assists.
 
Memphis (12-3, 1-1 American Athletic Conference) finished with three steals, six under its average. It scored six fast-break points and 10 off Shocker turnovers. The Tigers took 56 shots, 11 fewer than Wichita State, and made 20, one off its season low.
 
 "You've got to stay poised and not let anybody speed us up," Sherfield said. "Coach does a great job of simulating that in practice, so we're well-prepared."
 
The Shockers (14-1, 2-0) opened the game with a 17-4 lead. They closed the game with a key offensive rebound by Trey Wade, free throws and execution. 

In between, they never trailed. The crowd roared at every dunk, defensive stop and three-pointer. The fans watching on ESPN2 got a great look at Shocker basketball. After a year out of the national rankings, the Shockers are 3-0 as a ranked team and feeling like they deserve more attention.
 
First, however, they needed to finish off the Tigers. Memphis cut the lead to 66-60 with 3:17 to play. 
 
After a Memphis turnover, the Shockers responded with a Stevenson drive and dish to Jaime Echenique for a dunk to start a closing run to build the lead to 72-61 with 35 seconds to play. Wade's rebound, after a Stevenson miss, led to two foul shots by Sherfield that, in Marshall's mind, sealed the win.
 
"Got off to a slow start," Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said. "We fought all the way back. Only down six with the ball a couple times. We turned it over two times in a row and you can't do that on the road."
 
The Shockers punched first with a three-pointer by Tyson Etienne. Wade turned a long rebound into a fast-break dunk for a 9-2 lead. Another three by Etienne gave the Shockers a 12-2 lead. Wade's three made it 15-4 and a layup by Morris Udeze put Wichita State up 17-4.
 
"We couldn't get stops," Hardaway said. "We made a lot of mistakes in the game plan and gave them that cushion."
 
The Shockers took advantage of every mistake early, finding open shooters and winning the hustle plays. The early minutes pulled the sellout crowd into the game for good.
 
"Good starts get you some confidence early in the game," Stevenson said.
 
Wichita State's defense provided a reality check for the Tigers.
 
They handled Memphis' pick and roll. They forced the Tigers into contested jump shots and kept the ball away from their most dangerous scorers for long stretches.
 
Forward Precious Achiuwa scored 22 points, but 11 of those came in the final six minutes. Forward Isaiah Maurice missed 6 of his 8 shots. Guard Boogie Ellis missed all five of his.
 
"You've got to try to force tough, contested two-point shots and not get killed on the glass," Marshall said. "We tried to make the guys shoot the basketball that weren't great shooters. We tried to guard the ones that really could shoot."
 
That strategy, which also worked in Saturday's win over Mississippi, is helped when the opponent willingly takes bad shots. Hardaway said his Tigers played selfishly, forcing shots because they felt it was their turn to shoot, and fell right into what the Shockers wanted. 
 
"Kids think they can win a game by themselves," Hardaway said. "You've got to share the basketball. They're learning now that they have to do it together."
 
Hardaway, in his second season as Memphis coach, also saw a Wichita State team better prepared to defend with quick athletes than a year ago. The Tigers swept the season series in 2018-19, shooting 50 percent in an 11-point win at home and 45.9 percent in an 88-85 win at Koch Arena.
 
"He's rotating seven athletes and two bigs and they're doing a great job of switching and staying hungry," Hardaway said. "They bring those athletes in and they switch everything and make you think about what you have to do."
 
In October, all eyes focused on Memphis and its top-ranked recruiting class. It and Houston were co-favorites in the American Athletic Conference. Wichita State, coming off an NIT, was picked fourth. While that's not exactly disrespectful, it's not what the Shockers think of themselves and they are eager to prove people wrong.
 
Three months later, the Shockers are on an eight-game win streak and rising in the rankings. Memphis, the nation's youngest team, is questioning itself.
 
"It's starting to get real," Hardaway said. "It's been really peachy for us for about a month-and-a-half."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.