The RoundHouse | 3/10/2022 9:35:00 AM

 
 
Seventh-seeded Wichita State plays Tulsa (2 p.m. ESPNU) today (Thursday) in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship at Dickies Arena.
 
Did the Shockers get a good draw in Fort Worth?
 
Yes. A team that hasn't enjoyed many fortunate breaks this season landed in a potentially advantageous spot.
 
Wichita State (15-12) swept 10^th-seeded Tulsa (10-19) this season and has won 17 of the past 19 meetings. A possible matchup against second-seeded SMU (22-7) appears much friendlier than facing third-seeded Memphis or top-seeded Houston.
 
Now it is up to the Shockers to play with a consistency and purpose that eluded them early in the conference schedule. Their work over the past 11 games, which includes six wins and last-second losses to Houston and Tulane, offers hope. The growth of guard Craig Porter Jr., makes everything work better for the Shockers.
 
Wichita State threw a defensive gem at the Hurricane in the first meeting, a 58-48 win at Koch Arena. The Shockers held Tulsa to 17 baskets and forced 17 turnovers, led by Dexter Dennis' superb defense on Jeriah Horne (1-of-11 shooting) and Sam Griffin (14 first-half points, 17 total).
 
In a 72-62 win at Tulsa, the Shockers handled Tulsa's zone defense with the type of efficient performance needed in this tournament. They shot 49.1 percent from the field and limited their turnovers to 11. They made 15 of 18 foul shots.
 
Another bad shooting night – 3 of 18 from three-point range – doomed Tulsa.
 
"We've got to be ready for their matchup zone and we've got to do a good job of attacking inside-out," Shocker coach Isaac Brown said. "We can't just settle for threes. We've got to try to get out in transition to beat the zone down the floor to get some easy baskets."
 
 

.@YessirQua 🪄.

9 first-half points on 4-of-4 shooting. pic.twitter.com/ZynfXuuiU2

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) March 3, 2022

If the Shockers get to SMU, they can draw on one of their best performances of the season in a 72-57 win on Feb. 5 in Koch Arena. Tyson Etienne and Ricky Council IV both scored 20 points. The Shockers held the Mustangs to 36.5 percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers.
 
Wichita State has won five straight against SMU. The Mustangs are playing for their NCAA Tournament at-large spot and will regard their quarterfinal game as a must-win event.
 
Why do the Shockers enjoy success against Tulsa?
 
Limit turnovers and scoring opportunities bloom against Tulsa. The Shockers handled the ball carefully in the regular-season meetings – 10 and 11 turnovers – which leads to more shots, more free throws and reduces Tulsa's fast-break opportunities.
 
Center Morris Udeze shot 12 of 13 from the line in the two meetings. He can take advantage of Tulsa's size, if the Shockers get him the ball in the right spots. Etienne will get plenty of standstill three-pointers that he thrives on. Council and Porter can drive to the basket without too much fear of shot-blockers.
 
The Shockers grabbed 25 offensive rebounds in two meetings. That's another area they can take advantage of by going aggressively to the boards while the zone defense is in flux.
 
In Wichita, the Shockers led 58-41 with 1:12 to play before Tulsa hit two threes in the final minute. No Hurricane other than Griffin reached double figures. That's a credit to team defense, with Dennis taking a lead role in cooling off Horne.
 
Tulsa lacks shot-blockers, which helps the Shockers score in the lane.
 
Guard Qua Grant scored 13 points, matching his season high, in the most recent matchup. In the first meeting, Council scored 11 points and gave the Shockers another of his second-half bursts by finding openings in the zone defense for short jumpers or drives.
 
What's the most important factor for the Shockers to make a run?
 
Turnovers and defense are so standard, let's look at another factor.
 
The Shockers need Udeze to avoid foul trouble. He offers much-needed offense, shooting 51 percent from the field and 72 percent from the line. His ability to draw fouls with his post moves is critical. Udeze's 93 free throws ranks second behind Council's 99. In six career games vs. Tulsa, Udeze is 20 of 22 from the line.
 
The Shockers need Udeze's experience, rebounding and defense. He often encounters foul problems against bigger teams. He matches up well against Tulsa and SMU, another reason to like Wichita State's draw.
 
Who is the most important player for the Shockers?
 
One of the biggest "What ifs?" for recent Shocker basketball centers on Porter. He missed 60 days of practice due to injury and COVID-19 protocols in 2020-21.
 
What if Porter enjoyed a full season? Does he help last season's team more by growing into his role more quickly? Does he blossom earlier this season?
 
The Porter who played the past two months is a strong point guard who can score, rebound and defend. In 14 AAC games, he averages 9.9 points by shooting 46.3 percent from the floor and 34.4 percent from three-point range. He also ranks fourth in the American with 4.07 assists in conference games and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.78).
 
When Porter plays well, other Shockers fit into their roles. Etienne can focus on taking good shots and using his shooting to open the floor for teammates. Porter plays well off Etienne's shooting threat and Council's driving.
 
The Shockers need good games from Porter, and that starts with limiting turnovers.
 
"We want to keep that under 13 turnovers," Brown said. "If we can take care of the basketball, we've got a good chance of winning the game. If you're turning the ball over a lot, the other team is probably getting out in transition and getting some easy baskets. You can't get back and set your defense when you're turning the basketball over, so we've got to value it."
 
What is the matchup Wichita State needs to win?
 
Dennis is well-deserving of his conference Defensive Player of the Year honor. Often, it is difficult for teams with losing conference records to rack up those type of honors.
 
Consider it a strong statement for Dennis that coaches recognized his work on defense for the conference's seventh seed and in a conference populated by teams that pride themselves on defense.
 
Dennis earns his defensive honors in games such as this.
 
He can guard the Hurricane's biggest threats. Tulsa relies heavily on Horne (16.2 points), Griffin (14.4) and Darien Jackson (10.0). Horne is the key – an excellent scorer who draws fouls and shoots 86 percent from the line.  Harassing Horne into a below-average scoring game is a significant advantage.
 
 

Nope, respectfully.@ldl_dex - @ESPNU

📺: https://t.co/pYAuvaufcq pic.twitter.com/1ckGkB7AeX

— Wichita State Men's Basketball (@GoShockersMBB) February 2, 2022

If Dennis can add in a few three-pointers – and get to the foul line – even better. He is 19 of 50 (38 percent) from three-point range in eight games vs. Tulsa.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.