Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall spoke to the media Tuesday ahead of the Shockers' Thursday tilt with Temple. Coach Marshall talked about why Temple is a good opponent, how his team can avenge a loss to the Owls on Jan. 15 and Jaime Echenique. Fans can purchase tickets for Thursday night's 7 p.m. tip at GoShockers.com/tickets or by calling (316) 978-3267.
 
GREGG MARSHALL on…
 
... the Shockers' final four game stretch:
"(We need to) just win as many games as we can. It comes down to that. We're 20-7 now with no bad losses. We just need to win as many games as we can. That's what I keep telling them."
 
… the inbound play with about 3 seconds remaining against Cincinnati:
"I thought being down two we could inbound and try to drive to the basket. We have not been good at drawing fouls. Jarron Cumberland shoots more free throws than our entire team. I can't put it one of my guys' hands and say 'This guy's going to go down hill or get fouled.' I wish I could, but I don't feel that. Erik (Stevenson) has been really good at throwing that pass in the past, but he did not throw it very well. Trey Wade was behind everyone. If we could've gotten it over the top and at the net, we would've had a chance. The other options were the guards criss-crossing off of Trey Wade and Jamarius Burton set the backscreen for Trey Wade. Dexter (Dennis) was obviously fouled out. I thought we needed an athlete to go and get the pass. Jarron Cumberland intercepted the ball. (Cumberland) plays hard. That's respect I have for him coming out. If the pass gets over his head, we get it to Trey Wade for a layup or dunk, but the pass was short."
 
… if the underclassmen have surpassed his expectations:
"I said this early and often, I really didn't know (what to expect). Last year we were at 17 wins going into the postseason. We're a little bit ahead. I thought we would be better, but I didn't know how much better. The things I questioned about this team were maturity and toughness. I still have some concerns about that."
 
… what makes Temple a good opponent:
"First of all, they've got great players. I think it's the sixth-winningest* program in college basketball history. When you walk into their arena, you see all the banners. When Coach (John) Chaney was there, they went to three Elite Eights, if I'm not mistaken.** They've had pros like Aaron McKie, Eddie Jones, just great players have come through that program over the years. They're tough, they're city kids and they want to win."
 
… if the second half of the Temple game on Jan. 15 started a stretch of poor play:
"We didn't play well in the last minute of the UConn game, which we won in double overtime, but the second half of the Temple game was as bad as we've played. We've had some bad stretches, but that was as bad as we've played. We've also had some good stretches. That's how you get to be 20-7."
 
… what the Shockers can do better against Temple:
"Well, we need to attack their pressure. They had a 1-2-2 two-thirds court nuisance press that slowed us down. We were very timid against it and we've got to be more aggressive if they want to do that. We've got to reverse the ball, reverse the ball, take your shot and go. Secondly, it was the beginning of Erik's prolonged slump until the UCF game. He looked off, and I asked him if anything was wrong physically and he said something about his hips, which was the first time I heard anything about his hips not feeling great. But, boy, we had some ugly basketball offensive possessions in that game. We had shots that were 3-4 feet off the mark. They took advantage of that and won."
 
… why Jaime Echenique played so well against Temple in the first matchup:
"We were pounding it inside to him, and they were letting it in. They didn't double like a lot of teams double immediately. They chose to stay out on the shooters like Dexter (Dennis) and Erik (Stevenson) and Grant (Sherfield) and Tyson (Etienne). Just not giving them good looks, so (Jaime Echenique) started playing well. The first game since then that he hasn't been a dynamite offensive low-post scorer was Sunday. He had 3 or 4 looks that he has been making regularly, but for some reason, he didn't make them."
 
… Jaime Echenique's attitude down the stretch:
"He's a wonderful kid. He just came to my red caboose trailer and office and we sat and chopped it up a little bit. We're trying to do our diplomatic ties and get his parents VISAs to come watch him play on Senior Night and/or graduation. We talked about his final two home games maybe and final four regular season games. He remarked how it was different now that he's a senior. He wishes there were other seniors to carry the water and spread that message to younger players who don't have the same urgency he does. It's tough hearing that from a kid. He likened it a grad transfer trying to do something, but knowing this is it. I was trying to get some feedback from him on how I can make that happen.
 
… on Jaime Echenique's best qualities:
"I just think he's a really neat young person. I enjoy coaching him a lot. I wish he was going to be around here another year or two, which is ironic because most guys are ready to move on and do the next thing. He actually wanted to redshirt this year. I've enjoyed coaching him and watching him prosper, not only as a player, but also as a person. I've seen him improve his stamina. He can play a lot longer effectively than he did last year. He's stayed out of foul trouble for the most part, which hurt him a lot last year. He's developed inside and outside and he's a good rim protector. He's a really good player and an even better person. I'm just hopeful we can get his parents here for these one or two last-minute things."
 
*Temple is the fifth-winningest program in college basketball history based on most games won
**John Chaney took Temple to the Elite Eight on five separate occasions ('88, '91, '93, '99 and '01).