The RoundHouse | 2/20/2020 1:45:00 PM
USF (11-14, 4-8) at WICHITA STATE (19-6, 7-5)
THURSDAY, FEB. 20, 2020 | 6:05 P.M. CT
WICHITA, KAN./ CHARLES KOCH ARENA (10,506)
TV: CBS SPORTS NETWORK
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen)
SERIES: WSU leads 2-1 (1-0 in Wichita)
LAST: Jan. 21, 2020 in Tampa (WSU, 56-43)
Ben Smith, a graduate manager at Wichita State, searched his memory for the 2011-12 season. After a few moments, he smiled and nodded.
In February of 2012,
Smith, then a senior on the basketball team, moved back into the starting lineup permanently. He played power forward at 6-foot-5 and thrived due to his shooting ability and strength that allowed him to defend and rebound against bigger bodies.
That lineup change – he replaced 6-foot-8 Carl Hall, who volunteered to come off the bench – is similar to what the Shockers are doing now with sophomore
Dexter Dennis playing power forward in a down-sized lineup the past two games.
The Shockers, with freshman guard
Noah Fernandes starting, can surround center Jamie Echenique with four playmakers. The move perked up the offense in wins over UCF and Tulane.
"We got great looks," coach
Gregg Marshall said after Sunday's 82-57 win over Tulane. "We were tremendous in transition. We scored 50 points in a half."
In 2012, the Shockers surrounded center Garrett Stutz with Smith and guards Toure Murry, Joe Ragland and Demetric Williams. All three guards played some point in their time at WSU.
A triple-overtime loss at Drake on Jan. 28 that dropped the Shockers behind Creighton in the Missouri Valley Conference race preceded the lineup change.
The 2012 team, already on its way to the NCAA Tournament, hit another offensive gear with Smith playing more minutes. Wichita State won nine straight games after the change, including an 89-68 win at No. 17 Creighton, on its way to an MVC title and a No. 5 seed as an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament.
The situations do come with significant differences. Seniors – Smith, Murry, Stutz and Ragland – dominated the 2012 roster. The late January loss at Drake represented a minor setback to the NCAA resume, although the Shockers felt the need to finish strong and did so with a dominant February that included a win at Davidson.
This team is largely composed of freshmen and sophomores. While they are in most NCAA Tournament projections, there is significant work remaining to secure that spot. The schedule offers several challenging opponents.
Dennis and Smith shine at power forward because of their three-point shooting. They also defend and rebound bigger than their size. Those skills are key to making the lineup work. Dennis, in recent games, is showing improved passing and driving skills that add to the lineup's versatility.
"He works so hard on his game, off the dribble," Fernandes said. "It adds a whole 'nother dynamic to our team when he can do that stuff. Having four guys around Jaime that can really pass, shoot and dribble at almost all times of the game, it's tough to guard."
Dennis handed out eight assists in the past two games after recording 18 in the previous 18 games. Marshall saw the improvement coming, even if it took a bit longer than hoped.
Against Tulane, he showcased his passing with a drive to the basket that drew defenders, allowing him to drop the ball off to
Erik Stevenson for a layup. Against UCF, he handed out a career-high five assists.
"That was the biggest thing we emphasized for him this offseason, because last year he was a 3-and-D guy," Marshall said. "He could shoot and was a great defender. He didn't have much off the bounce. At his size, you're going to need to have bounce. You need to go attack the rim and get to the free-throw line. He's finally seeing his hard work pay off."
USF will try to win with steals, defense and a slow tempo. The Shockers will try to continue their scoring rise against a team that wants to win by scoring in the 60's.
The Bulls (11-14, 4-8 American Athletic Conference) rank No. 330 nationally (out of 353 teams) in tempo, according to Ken Pomeroy's statistics. They force turnovers on 22.2 percent of possessions in conference play, second in the American. In all games, it is 24.1 percent, No. 10 nationally.
Their steal percentage of 10.5 ranks fourth in conference play and No. 18 in all games at 11.8 percent.
The Shockers (19-6, 7-5) held USF to 2-of-15 shooting from three-point range in the season's first meeting, a 56-43 win, the slowest-paced game of the season for both teams. In eight of its wins, USF held its opponent under 60 points.
The Bulls average 62.1 points, last in the American. Their shooting percentage of 40.9 percent is tied with Wichita State and Temple at the bottom of the 12-team conference.
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
