The RoundHouse | 11/19/2021 11:19:00 AM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Forcing a shot-clock violation is often the product of a peak, frantic defensive effort, along with a bumbling or inattentive offense.
 
Wichita State made it part of the routine in Tuesday's win over Tarleton State in what can only be interpreted as a good sign for its defense. The Shockers forced five shot-clock violations in the first half to highlight their best defensive effort of the young season.
 
While neither Wichita State nor the NCAA keeps that record, five is a monumental amount. The lesson for the Shockers is that a hustling, smart defense can pay off. After they struggled to keep South Alabama from driving into the lane, the Shockers dedicated themselves to keeping dribblers contained.
 
"If you stay in the gaps, you get a lot of shot clock violations and force them to get a lot of turnovers," center Morris Udeze said after Tuesday's game. "Help the helper. Keep helping your teammate out and it worked out in our favor."
 
If the Shockers (3-0) can play cohesive, consistent defense that many times – regardless of the opponent – it says good things about the potential. After three home games, the Shockers rank No. 54 nationally in Ken Pomeroy's defensive efficiency statistic by allowing .92 points per possession (Illinois is first at 85.3). Their defensive performance is highlighted by a No. 26 ranking in forcing turnovers on 26 percent of opponent possessions and holding opponents to 26.9 percent three-point shooting.
 
Competition gets much tougher starting with tonight's date with Arizona (9 p.m., ESPNU) in the Roman Main Event in Las Vegas. Counting on a strong defensive effort is the first step toward navigating the opponents that follow. Arizona (3-0) averages 94 points a game and is shooting 50 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range.
 
"They've got a big, physical team," Wichita State coach Isaac Brown said. "Great size. They really get out in transition and push the ball."
 
The Wildcats love to run on offense and their shot-blocking skills fuel that speed by putting opponents in difficult spots. The Shockers must avoid turnovers and bad shots that give the Wildcats opportunities to break out. They want Arizona guards to dribble the ball up court and look at a wall of defenders who hustled back on defense and organized. Finishing off possessions with box-outs and rebounds is also critical.
 

Kept our foot on the pedal 📈 pic.twitter.com/4YVLmqASmY

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) November 17, 2021

"We want to make them go against a halfcourt set defense," Brown said. "That's the key right there - transition defense. We're the smaller team, so we should be able to get back."
 
The Shockers got a good start on that mentality against Tarleton State with those 150 seconds of defensive effort.
 
"Everyone was locked in," Brown said. "There was a lot of help defense in that game. Guys were really handsy. Every time the ball was driven, we had two and three people trying to get there in the gap and help out."
 
That level of defense has helped the Shockers win many games over recent seasons against physical teams who wanted to push the pace. The Shockers have an opportunity to upset those plans again.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.