Wichita State not overlooking Tulane with conference title race in doubt

In the midst of a three-games-in-six-days stretch, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall had a decision to make.

Following WSU’s 76-72 win over Cincinnati on Sunday, the Shockers now have a pair of quick turnarounds this week: Tulane at Koch Arena on Wednesday and a road trip to SMU on Saturday. By NCAA student-athlete rules, the players must receive one day off from practices during that span.

Marshall picked Monday for the day-off, giving players an extra day of rest to mentally and physically recharge after “a war” with Cincinnati. The challenge for No. 13 WSU (21-5, 11-3 American) is installing a game plan for Tulane (13-13, 4-10) in a day.

“I’m hoping that was the smart call,” Marshall told ESPN analyst Seth Greenburg on his Courtside podcast on Tuesday. “This is the first time we’ve played Tulane and we’ve already got the scouting report (prepared), we’ve just got to get it to the guys and have a great practice. For 36 hours, we’ll be focused on the Green Wave.”

WSU senior Conner Frankamp said the players thought it was the right call, especially after such a physically-demanding game at Cincinnati.

“They pressed us for nearly the whole game, so guys expended everything that they could give,” Frankamp said. “I think we were all pretty tired (Monday) after getting back pretty late on Sunday.”

Tulane grabbed the attention of the American during its 3-3 start to conference play, as it knocked off Temple on the road, a full-strength SMU squad, and Houston. But the last month has seen the Green Wave subside, losing seven of their past eight games.

Not that WSU’s players would know that from the film study, as Marshall and his staff made sure to focus on clips from Tulane’s early wins. Tulane is coached by former NBA coach Mike Dunleavy and features one of the highest-scoring duos in the American in Melvin Frazier and Cameron Reynolds, who average a combined 31 points.

“You don’t coach at that level and not have a great idea on how to win basketball games,” Marshall said about Dunleavy. “They do a tremendous job of spacing, they defend well, they change up defenses from time to time. He’s really turning the program around quickly in his second year.”

Despite Tulane’s recent struggles, the Green Wave is not a team WSU is taking lightly, especially with what is at stake now that Cincinnati’s recent losing skid has let WSU and Houston back in the conference race. The Bearcats have a one-game lead with four to play, and Cincinnati comes to Koch Arena for a March 4 regular-season finale.

“The beautiful thing is if we take care of business and do what we want to do and need to do, then we have an opportunity to win the regular season, at least a share of the title and get the No. 1 seed if we can win four in a row,” Marshall said.

This story was originally published February 20, 2018 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Wichita State not overlooking Tulane with conference title race in doubt."