Men's Basketball | 3/19/2025 4:23:00 PM
By
Paul Suellentrop
The time to dream on next season and wonder about the roster is weeks, or more, away in the new college basketball world.
Wichita State ended its season on Tuesday with an 89-79 loss at Oklahoma State in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. Coach
Paul Mills knows he must replace at least seven Shockers from the 2024-25 team and perhaps more. WSU can return at least two starters in
Corey Washington and
Quincy Ballard. While several newcomers are already in place, additions capable of playing big minutes are necessary.
"My friends call me 'Portal Paul,' so that's what I'll do," Mills said.
That means Shocker coaches are deep into potential transfers. The transfer portal is open March 24-April 22.
Wichita State, which finished the season 19-15, 8-10 in the American Athletic Conference, starts its roster rebuild with one sure thing to appreciate. Given an unexpected chance to extend the season in the NIT, the Shockers gladly returned from spring break and savored another chance to play.
"We just love the game of basketball," senior guard
Xavier Bell said. "Being able to suit up, especially for my hometown team and this group of guys, I wear it with pride. No-brainer."
The Shockers made their first post-season appearance since the 2021 NCAA Tournament and their first in the NIT since 2019. To the Shockers, the post-season spot is a sign of progress and a reward for hours in the gym, demanding practices and road trips.
"Even though it was just one game, it definitely gave us a lot of experience in the post-season," Washington said. "Having that standard, staying in shape, staying in condition and pushing through."
Some schools turned down spots in the lower-profile post-season tournaments. That did not appear to be a consideration for the Shockers.
"The things we went through, the hard times, it really made us come together," Washington said. "It was another chance to hoop, another chance to play with my guys, especially the seniors."
Mills considered it unfathomable to turn down a chance for more basketball.
"Why would a basketball player not want to play more basketball?" he said. "Why would a teammate not want to be part of a team?"
Tuesday's game showed some of the weaknesses that plagued the Shockers throughout the up-and-down season. They shot poorly – 29 of 71 from the field and 6 of 20 from three-point range.
OSU (16-17) made 9 of 21 threes and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to score 21 second-chance points. WSU lost ground when it rested its starters – OSU's reserves outscored the Shocker bench 31-10.
"They were able to win the board battle and able to win the turnover margin," Mills said. "That's the difference."
Bell scored 24 points in his final game. Washington added 21 points and 11 rebounds. Ballard contributed 19 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks.
The Shockers fell behind by 15 points in the first half. They rallied to take a 47-44 lead in the second half. OSU put the game away by breaking a 52-all tie with a 15-2 run in which its bench scored all 15 points.
Despite the disappointing end, Mills can take the team's improvement over the past six weeks out on the recruiting trail. He can point to the final two months of the season as the blueprint for how the Shockers want to perform on defense in the future.
The Shockers endured some tough losses, especially at home, but also defeated Minnesota, Kansas State and Memphis State. They started 1-7 in the AAC before winning six in a row. They went 8-5 in February and March to slip into the 32-team NIT field.
Better efforts defending and rebounding turned WSU's season around. In AAC play, they finished fourth in defense (allowing 1.06 points per possession in Ken Pomeroy's statistics), first in limiting offensive rebounds (26.5 percent of missed shots) and second in grabbing offensive rebounds (37 percent).
Over the final 13 games, WSU held opponents to 1.02 points per possession (85
th in the nation according to barttorvik.com) and 29.6. percent three-point shooting (30
th).
"We showed our foundation as a team and what we want to be, and that's rebounding and defending," Bell said. "Buy in on that early and try to build on that.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
