Men's Basketball | 1/25/2026 5:58:00 AM
By
Paul Suellentrop
In the past three games, Wichita State built first-half leads of 15 points, 18 points and 21 points.
Beating Memphis 74-59 on Saturday at Koch Arena is grand. Rewarding the fans who came out in the cold and snow with dunks and three-pointers is fun. What's most important is the Shockers are learning how to win by attacking from the opening tip.
Wichita State (12-8, 5-3 American) has given itself a chance to compete at the top of the conference with three straight wins, two against teams (at USF and Memphis) that also expect to finish high in the standings.
Double-digit deficits derailed the Shockers earlier in the season. Over the past week, they threw the first punch. Then another. And another.
"If we're the most physical team, we're going to come out on top," Wichita State guard
Kenyon Giles said.
Playing with force can take on many looks. The Shockers held Memphis to nine baskets and forced 10 turnovers in the first half, the best statistical indicator of a team ready to fight through screens and pursue the basketball.
Dillon Battie beat the Tigers to the floor for a loose ball. Center
Will Berg grabbed nine first-half rebounds, four on offense. The big men set hard screens.
Michael Gray Jr. took a charge.
Brian Amuneke battled a bigger opponent to force a turnover late in the half.
"Everybody's willing to do the little things, get gritty and get on the floor," forward
Karon Boyd said. "It gets us amped up."
Add in sharp execution on out-of-bounds plays, Battie's continued growth as a scorer and rebounder and a big game from Amuneke off the bench. Berg banished problems scoring around the rim by scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
"You're not going to win the game in the first five minutes, but the tone is going to be set," coach
Paul Mills said.
WSU's front court contributed 10 of the team's 17 assists, four by Berg. The Shockers grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and committed four fewer turnovers than Memphis (9-10, 4-3).
"
Will Berg was phenomenal," Mills said. "Assertive. He was going to play through people."
The Shockers set a physical tone, no doubt. This edition of the Tigers is not as physically gifted as in previous seasons, but they remain taller and longer at more positions than most American teams. They are aggressive and physical, determined to force turnovers because it is their best way to score.
Wichita State handled the pressure to produce its most lop-sided win over the Tigers since a 20-point win in 2014.
The Shockers also won because they are a deeper team than they were earlier in the season. They built a 40-22 halftime lead with minimal contributions from Boyd, who sat 15 minutes due to foul trouble. If there is a Shocker who understands how to play physically, it is Boyd. He watched most of the first half from the bench. The Shockers didn't waver.
Battie adds to their physical presence with his straight-line drives to the basket. He scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He joined the starting lineup over the past five games and is averaging 9.8 points on 48.7 percent shooting.
"He was always ready for this moment," Giles said.
Amuneke, scoreless in four of WSU's seven conference games, made three three-pointers in the first half to help the Shockers bury the Tigers.
"I tell you who I thought was aggressive was
Brian Amuneke," Mills said. "We've had to tell Brian – your job is to shoot the ball. He was not gun-shy. Those three threes in the first half kind of gave us a leg up."
The Shockers embarked on a season-long project to win back fans. A three-game win streak highlighted by a convincing demolition of the American's most prominent program helps. Mills started his post-game comments thanking the fans who drove through the snow. He tells the Shockers it is their job to fire up the crowd.
"The only way we can move people is you have to play inspired," he said. "You have to play connected. You have to play intense. People are not here to move us. We are here to move them."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
Season tickets are on sale now, and season ticket renewals are available as well. To purchase, visit
GoShockers.com/Tickets, dial 316-978-FANS (3267) or stop by the Shocker Ticket Office, located inside Charles Koch Arena, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
