Wichita State keeps defensive focus a constant

For many basketball players, offense and defense are interlocking issues and one affects the other. A bad shooting night can lead to frustration and poor effort on defense.

Those are the characteristics of a young team. At Wichita State, experience and maturity means the Shockers usually remain unaffected by how many times the basketball goes through the hoop. On Saturday, WSU made 36.7 percent of its shots in a 68-62 win at Illinois State. The Shockers shot 40 percent or worse for the ninth time this season and won for the sixth time.

“We’re confident in our set defense,” WSU guard Fred VanVleet said. “If we can get all five guys back, busting to the baseline and defending, I like our chances against anybody. We’ve been really good the past few years; this year up and down a lot and we’re trying to be more consistent.”

WSU coach Gregg Marshall may have endured spotty effort on defense early in his time with the Shockers. In recent years, attention to defense is largely a given with players such as VanVleet, Tekele Cotton and Ron Baker in charge.

“That’s our system, so we try to defend and rebound every night and when the ball is going in, we can beat anyone,” Marshall said. “They’ve bought in to that. That’s what they signed up for.”

The 13th-ranked Shockers (23-3, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) play at Southern Illinois (10-17, 3-11) on Tuesday. SIU coach Barry Hinson knows the level of defensive attention that awaits his young team. He starts two freshmen and two sophomores and the results are predictable. SIU has lost six of seven games, including 72-64 to Evansville on Saturday at SIU Arena.

“Everything we’re dealing with right now is based on one thing, and one thing only,” Hinson said. “Our immaturity. You get highs and lows. From one possession to the next.”

WSU will focus much of its energy on stopping SIU junior guard Anthony Beane, who is 16 for 36 from three-point range in his past eight games and averages 16.1 points this season. He started MVC play with a 1-for-26 slump behind the arc before making 4 of 7 against Bradley to reverse course.

Beane is that kind of player. He needed help from his teammates and freshmen Jordan Caroline and Deion Lavender are producing more in recent games. Caroline, a 6-foot-7 forward, is averaging 13 points and 10.6 rebounds over his past three games. Lavender, a guard, averages 14 points over his past four games.

“What’s helped (Beane) is that people have had to pay attention to them now,” Hinson said. “Once (Caroline) figures out the physical part of the game and really seeks contact, I think you’re going to see a much better player than what he’s even shown to this point.”

The Shockers, with Cotton taking the lead, historically make things tough for Beane. He averages 11.4 points and is 20 of 52 from the field and 4 of 13 from three-point range in five games against WSU. If the Shockers are able to limit his shots, other Salukis must successfully deal with WSU’s defenders. In WSU’s 67-55 win earlier this season, Beane didn’t score in the first half.

“You constantly talk about how you’ve got to be strong with the ball,” Hinson said. “You can’t let the physical part of it get in your head. You can’t take one play off, because they’re so relentless.”

While Beane will receive plenty of attention from Cotton, Baker and VanVleet are also enthusiastic and physical defenders. Marshall enjoys the luxury of three good perimeter defenders and all came to him out of high school with a willingness to play hard on that end of the court.

“Fred was not as good as a freshman, but he’s become a better athlete,” Marshall said. “He always had the desire. He’s a much better athlete now, stronger and quicker.”

VanVleet practiced Sunday on a sore right ankle after he injured it during Saturday’s game. After the game he said he intended to play against SIU and Sunday’s activity indicated he is on track to do so.

“He was a little gimpy, but he went through a light practice,” Marshall said. “He said he’s going to play, so we’ll see.”

MVC honors VanVleet — VanVleet earned MVC player of the week mention for the first time this season and the second time in his career.

VanVleet averaged 18 points, six rebounds and 3.5 assists in wins over Indiana State and at Illinois State.

VanVleet shared the honor with Northern Iowa’s Seth Tuttle, who averaged 22.5 points in wins over Illinois State and Missouri State.

ESPN sets time for final game — MVC leaders WSU and No. 11 Northern Iowa will meet at 1 p.m. on Feb. 28 on ESPN, the network announced Monday.

Both schools moved up two spots in Monday’s Associated Press poll. Northern Iowa (24-2, 13-1) takes a 13-game winning streak to Loyola (16-10, 6-8) on Wednesday. WSU stayed No. 13 in the coaches poll. UNI moved up one spot to No. 11.

Travel delays — Around six inches of snow in southern Illinois delayed WSU’s travel plans. The Shockers will fly out of Wichita on Tuesday morning on their charter plane for Williamson County Regional Airport in Marion, Ill., about 17 miles from Carbondale.

The Shockers aren’t the only MVC team slowed by the weather. Snow trapped Northern Iowa in Springfield, Mo., after Sunday’s game at Missouri State.

This story was originally published February 16, 2015 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Wichita State keeps defensive focus a constant."