The RoundHouse | 11/9/2021 7:51:00 AM
Wichita State opens the men's basketball season on Tuesday as the reigning American Athletic Conference champion.
The Shockers won their 12th conference title as an NCAA Division I team in March – 11 in the Missouri Valley Conference and one in the American. History tells us titles come in clusters for the Shockers. They won consecutive titles in the MVC four times and two in three years in the early 1980s.
To tip off the season, here is a look at each of Wichita State's conference titles.
Friday: The Stallworth era
Monday: Cheese, Super Cal and MTXE
Today: Roundhouse Renaissance
Roundhouse Renaissance
Wichita State hired athletic director Jim Schaus in 1999 and he made renovating and expanding Henry Levitt Arenas and its offices a priority. Charles Koch Arena opened in 2003, featuring refurbished seating area, concourse, offices, locker rooms, academic offices and weight room. Schaus hired coach Mark Turgeon in 2000 and the combination of improved facilities and coaching revived the program.
When Turgeon departed after the 2007 season, Schaus hired Gregg Marshall and Shocker success soon hit new levels, highlighted by the 2013 Final Four and a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed in 2014. The Shockers won or shared four straight MVC titles before leaving the conference after the 2016-17 season.
Assistant coach
Isaac Brown replaced Marshall in 2020 and won the program's first American Athletic Conference title.
2005-06
Record: 26-9, 14-4 MVC
Coach: Mark Turgeon
Final national ranking: No. 21 (coaches)
Shocker stars: C Paul Miller earned MVC Player of the Year honors after averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds. F Kyle Wilson averaged 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds to join F P.J. Couisnard on the All-MVC honorable mention list.
Big game: G Matt Braeuer's buzzer-beater gave the Shockers a 62-61 overtime win over Creighton on Feb. 14, 2006. Helped by other results that day, the Shockers took hold of the MVC race and finished with four straight conference wins. They finished with a two-game edge over Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Creighton in a season in which four MVC schools played in the NCAA Tournament and two (Wichita State and Bradley) advanced to the Sweet 16.
In one sentence: After finishing second the previous two seasons, the Shockers returned to the top of the MVC with a team that won with defense and chemistry.
Post-season: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
2011-12
Record: 27-6, 16-2 MVC
Coach: Gregg Marshall
Final national ranking: None
Shocker stars: G Joe Ragland made a team record 50.4 percent of his three-pointers and averaged 13.4 points. He joined C Garrett Stutz on the All-MVC team with G Toure Murry earning honorable mention. C Carl Hall earned MVC Newcomer of the Year.
Big game: The Shockers routed No. 17 Creighton 89-68 in Omaha split the season series. Ragland led the Shockers with 24 points and six assists and F Ben Smith added 22 points. Wichita State finished two games ahead of the Bluejays after finishing second in the MVC the previous two seasons.
In one sentence: A senior-dominated team erased the frustrations of the previous two seasons by winning its final seven MVC games.
Post-season: NCAA Tournament
2013-14
Record: 35-1, 18-0 MVC
Coach: Gregg Marshall
Final national ranking: No. 2 (AP)/No. 7 (coaches)
Shocker stars: F Cleanthony Early and G Fred VanVleet claimed All-American honors with VanVleet voted the MVC's Player of the Year. G Tekele Cotton was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year. G Ron Baker joined Early and VanVleet on the All-MVC team, giving the Shockers three first-teamers for the first time since 1965.
Big game: The Shockers trailed Missouri State by 19 points in the second half before rallying to win 72-69 in overtime at JQH Arena. That game provided the biggest test on the way to an unbeaten MVC record, the first since Bradley went 16-0 in 1986.
In one sentence: Wichita State won its MVC games by an average margin of 15.6 points.
Post-season: NCAA Tournament
2014-15
Record: 30-5, 17-1 MVC
Coach: Gregg Marshall
Final national ranking: No. 14 (AP)/No. 11 (coaches)
Shocker stars: VanVleet and Baker returned to the All-MVC team and Cotton repeated as the Valley's top defender. Baker, who finished second in the MVC Player of the Year voting behind Northern Iowa's Seth Tuttle, led the Shockers with an average of 14.7 points.
Big game: ESPN GameDay visited Koch Arena to hype No. 11 Wichita State vs. No. 10 Northern Iowa. The Shockers handled the Panthers 74-60 with Baker scoring 17 points and handing out seven assists without a turnover. The win wrapped up sole possession of the MVC title.
In one sentence: The Shockers again won with defense and an efficient offense that ranked seventh nationally with a plus-3.9 turnover margin.
Post-season: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
2015-16
Record: 26-9, 16-2 MVC
Coach: Gregg Marshall
Final national ranking: None
Shocker stars: VanVleet won his second MVC Player of the Year honor and made his third appearance on the MVC All-Defensive team. Baker finished third in the voting, his third straight season in the top three. F Markis McDuffie averaged 7.4 points and earned MVC Freshman of the Year honors.
Big game: Evansville pushed the Shockers early in the MVC schedule before losing 67-64 in Koch Arena. In the rematch, Wichita State held the Purple Aces to 34.8 percent shooting and blocked nine shots to win 78-65 in front of 10,034 fans at the Ford Center. VanVleet scored 32 points and the Shockers led by 10 or more throughout the second half.
In one sentence: Wichita State ranked first nationally in scoring defense (59 points), No. 1 in Ken Pomeroy's defensive efficiency statistic and No. 2 in turnover margin (plus-5.6).
Post-season: NCAA Tournament
2016-17
Record: 31-5, 17-1 MVC
Coach: Gregg Marshall
Final national ranking: No. 19 (AP)/No. 21 (coaches)
Shocker stars: F Markis McDuffie, who averaged 11.5 points and 5,7 rebounds, and G Landry Shamet earned All-MVC honors with G Conner Frankamp and C Shaquille Morris on the third team. Shamet averaged 11.4 points and made 43.9 percent of his three-pointers. Frankamp shot 44 percent from three-point range, 50.6 percent in MVC play, and averaged 8.9 points. F Zach Brown made the MVC All-Defensive Team with F Rashard Kelly and C Rauno Nurger on the All-Bench Team.
Big game: The Wichita State-Illinois State rivalry hit a high point and the Redbirds won the first meeting 76-62. In Koch Arena, the Shockers cruised by forcing 19 turnovers and holding the Redbirds to 18 baskets on 33.3-percent shooting. Frankamp scored 18 points and had four assists in the 86-45 rout that secured a share of the MVC title with Illinois State.
In one sentence: Deep and balanced, the Shockers ended MVC regular-season play on a 12-game win streak and added the MVC Tournament title with a 71-51 win over Illinois State.
Post-season: NCAA Tournament
2020-21
Record: 16-6, 11-2 AAC
Coach: Isaac Brown
Final national ranking: None
Shocker stars: G
Tyson Etienne led the Shockers to the regular-season title and claimed AAC Co-Player of the Year honors. He averaged 16.3 points and made 39.2 percent of his threes. C
Morris Udeze averaged 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. G
Alterique Gilbert led the Shockers with 91 assists and averaged 10.3 points on his way to a third-team all-conference selection. F
Dexter Dennis averaged 9.6 points and blocked 17 shots.
Big game: The Shockers knocked off No. 6 Houston 68-63 in Koch Arena by making 10 of 22 three-pointers and outscoring the Cougars by 13 points at the foul line. Etienne and Gilbert each scored 16 points and Dennis added 12 points, six rebounds and a crucial steal and free throws in the final 15 seconds. Udeze blocked a career-high five shots. The win snapped a six-game losing streak to Houston, which advanced to Final Four.
In one sentence: Wichita State won its final seven regular-season games to cap a tumultuous season with its first AAC banner.
Post-season: NCAA Tournament
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
