Print edition: 
Wichita State enjoyed an easy time in its first two rematches of the Missouri Valley Conference schedule. The third one will likely go differently.
WSU faces Evansville tonight at Koch Arena. The Shockers (17-3, 8-1 MVC) could be without starting center Garrett Stutz for a second straight game. Evansville (10-9, 5-4) is on a three-game win streak. WSU escaped with a 67-66 win at Evansville on Jan. 4, with Stutz scoring 29 points against the smaller Aces. He missed Saturday’s game with a strained rhomboid muscle and coach Gregg Marshall said no decision on his status is likely until game time.
That puts the Aces on more even footing, although they will still face a height disadvantage at times. That is nothing new for the Aces, who are used to fighting uphill battles with size and talent. For proof, look at point guard Troy Taylor, a 6-foot junior, who is averaging 9.0 rebounds a game over the past five games.
“They really scrap and fight, even though they’re a little undersized,” Marshall said. “They’re constantly in there trying to take charges and make you throw the ball away. Taylor is rebounding with unbelievable numbers from the point-guard position. That’s just the way they play.”
WSU handled Southern Illinois by 43 points and Bradley by 37 to conclude those regular-season series. Neither of those teams possess a scorer as talented as Evansville guard Colt Ryan. He can single-handedly keep his team in a game. He scored 31 in the first meeting, making 10 of 18 shots and 5 of 8 three-pointers. The Aces are better when more people pitch in. Against WSU, Kenny Harris added 15 points and no other player reached double figures. Evansville is 0-4 when only two players score 10 or more points.
“It starts with Colt Ryan for us, and it has for three years,” Aces coach Marty Simmons said. “If we’re going to have success this second half of the season, that’s probably the biggest key is getting group of guys to play good basketball more consistently.”
Ryan is one of the Valley’s hardest players to stop because of his versatility. He uses screens tirelessly in Evansville’s motion offense. He can make shots even while closely guarded and does a good job drawing fouls. His 128 made free throws are more than any other MVC player has attempted and he makes 84.8 percent of his free throws.
“He knows how to use screens,” Marshall said. “He is a tremendous scorer, in every way.”
The Aces are out-rebounded by an average of six a game. They make up for it with careful ball-handling by a starting lineup that consists of three guards and a small forward. Freshman forward Ryan Sawvell acts largely as a screener, passer and rebounder. In the first game, WSU’s centers played off Sawvell to help defend drivers, sort of playing a one-man zone in the lane. The Aces committed nine turnovers in the first meeting and will need to duplicate that effort in Koch Arena.
“They’re active with their hands,” Simmons said. “They get a lot of deflections. If you turn the ball over, that normally leads to points for Wichita State.”
The Shockers reach the halfway point of the MVC schedule tonight. They enter the game tied with Creighton for first place in the MVC. Mock brackets proclaim WSU an NCAA Tournament team. Opponents face a balanced, efficient offense that can - when Stutz is healthy - score inside and from the three-point arc.
“We’re all on the same page right now,” WSU forward Ben Smith said. “We just try to be smart with the ball and make good decisions and get other people good shots when we run our motion.”
