Men's Basketball | 2/14/2025 3:57:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Wichita State's improved defense against outside shooting is a product of both some strategy and a lot of effort, the way best improvements usually manifest.
 
The Shockers (14-10, 4-7 American Athletic Conference) have won three straight games, two on the road, with defense and rebounding taking center stage. They play No. 14 Memphis (21-4, 11-1) at 11 a.m. Sunday (ESPN) at Koch Arena.
 
Ten days ago, the Shockers allowed opponents to make 35.4 percent of their three-pointers, 42.1 percent in eight AAC games. In the past four (which include a loss to North Texas), opponents are 19 of 81 (23.4 percent). North Texas (36.6 percent) and UTSA (35 percent) are among the AAC's best shooting teams. USF (33.2) and Charlotte (30.4) rank in the bottom six.
 
"We've made a lot of adjustments, but we've also grown a lot," forward Harlond Beverly said. "We're playing hard-nosed and being tough."
 
The Shockers attribute the improvement to dialing in on scouting reports and matchups more closely. They are also closing out on shooters faster and earlier.
 
"We've adopted some better habits altogether as a team, whether that's talking more, communicating more, just looking out for each other," guard A.J. McGinnis said after Wednesday's 69-64 win over UTSA. "It translates."
 
Coach Paul Mills said he sees better recognition and more decisive perimeter defense in recent games. The Shockers, he said, are not waiting for shooters to prove they can make long shots.
 
"It's them being way more aggressive on some of the things we need to do in order to capitalize on who the shooters are," Mills said. "That's where you see a shift – this isn't 'Let's see if they're actually able to knock these down.' We don't see it every day in practice. We don't have guys who make logos three."
 
Rebounding is also turning in favor of the Shockers. According to Ken Pomeroy's statistics, the 75-70 win over USF represents WSU's best effort on the boards this season. The Shockers grabbed a season 50 percent of available offensive rebounds, while limiting the Bulls to 11.5 percent. The wins over UTSA and Charlotte also rank among WSU's best rebound numbers.
 
Those efforts helped the Shockers outscore Charlotte, USF and UTSA in second-chance points. They enjoyed a 22-point edge against USF.
 
Teammates point out the importance of senior forward Ronnie DeGray III in both areas. He missed 12 games with a broken hand and the team missed his experience and desire to play defense and rebound.
 
"Having Ronnie back really helps," Beverly. "We're playing really tough basketball right now."
 
Memphis, which leads the AAC race by two games over North Texas, will test the Shockers in all areas. The Tigers lead the conference by shooting 48.3 percent overall and 40.3 from three-point range. Guard Colby Rogers, who averaged 16.4 points at WSU last season, is shooting 38.7 percent from three-point range.
 
Memphis won the first meeting 61-53 by forcing 22 turnovers and holding WSU to 3-of-16 shooting from three-point range.
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.