The RoundHouse | 3/1/2020 1:04:00 PM
WICHITA STATE (21-7, 9-6) at SMU (19-8, 9-6)
SUNDAY, MAR. 1, 2020 | 3:05 P.M. CT
DALLAS, TEXAS | MOODY COLISEUM (7,000)
TV: ESPNU (WatchESPN)
RADIO: KEYN 103.7 FM (GoShockers.com/Listen)
SERIES: WSU leads 7-6 (2-4 in Dallas)
LAST: Mar. 3, 2019 in Dallas (WSU, 67-55)
The Shockers have not been great late. It is, happily for them, not too late to change that feeling.
Defeating Temple on Thursday kept the Shockers in good standing for its goals of finishing in the top four of the American Athletic Conference (earning a tournament bye) and maintaining their NCAA Tournament at-large resume.
Sunday's game at SMU (3 p.m. ESPNU) is critical to both goals. The teams are tied for fourth place in the American with three to play. The Mustangs (19-8, 9-6 American) are No. 81 in the NCAA NET rankings, which makes the game a Quadrant II opportunity for the Shockers (21-7, 9-6). Wichita State is 8-7 in QI and QII games.
Wichita State knocked down, perhaps, some mental barriers in the 72-69 win over Temple.
The Shockers won a close game after their three previous losses came down to a final possession. They eliminated the final-regular season possibility of a "bad" loss and they avenged a 12-point loss at Temple early in January.
Wichita State, to finish strong over the season's final three games, will almost certainly need to win another close game or two. Against Temple, they trailed 65-58 before scoring on their next four possessions. After a miss, they scored on three more to close out the rally with a 14-4 run.
No turnovers. One missed field goal. Five of six foul shots. Five defensive stops, two by forcing a turnover.
"Winning, any game, for us is very, very important," sophomore
Dexter Dennis said. "The way we executed in the last few plays of the game, I thought, was really good for us. Normally, we struggle. I think we're getting better. Coach (
Gregg Marshall) has been stressing that and I think our late-game situations are getting better."
The Shockers needed that. They can survive bad shooting nights only if they play defense, limit turnovers and get to the foul line. Against Temple, they did that to restore some confidence after heart-breaking losses to Tulsa and Cincinnati.
Sophomore
Jamarius Burton scored eight of his 15 points in the final 2:15 and recorded an assist during that stretch. If the Shockers are looking for someone to take over in the final moments, Burton is a good candidate.
"It showed us that we can make plays down the stretch, as well," he said. "We've been in several ball games where we didn't make the plays that we needed to win the game. Today just shows that we can be in a tough game like this and come out with a better outcome."
Center Jaime Echenique is Wichita State's top half-court scoring option and teams are frequently double-teaming him. That opened up shots for forward
Trey Wade, who has been effective diving to the rim to take passes from Echenique.
Echenique finished Thursday's game with three assists, matching his season high. One came to Wade for dunk early in the game. Echenique has 14 assists this season, five in the past three games (and seven turnovers).
The Shockers went small in mid-February. With Wade back in a groove, he is playing more minutes and can give the Shockers a different physical presence.
He scored a season-high 21 points against Temple. Marshall doesn't expect that every game, but he does need Wade to win hustle points.
"He's a big part of what we've done all year long, but he was not playing well," Marshall said. "He's been beating people down the floor, He's rebounded well. I've liked his energy the last couple of games."
SMU is 15-1 at Moody with the loss to Georgetown. In conference play, it is 8-0 with wins over Houston, UConn and Memphis in it last three.
The Mustangs scored 70 or more points in six of those American wins (including overtime vs. Houston) and 80 or more in four.
While SMU's offense stands out, it is also tough on defense in Dallas. The Mustangs have held 10 opponents under 40 percent shooting and out-rebounded 12 at home.
SMU is shooting 44 percent from the field in conference play to rank second and 32.6 percent from three-point range to tie Temple atop the conference. From the line, SMU makes 76.4 percent, also tied for first.
Guard Kendric Davis, a transfer from SMU, leads the American in assists (6.9) and averages 15.0 points and 4.4 rebounds.
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
