Wichita State faces Illinois State with stakes high for MVC title, NCAA resume
It’s a big game at Koch Arena, the kind that doesn’t come around nearly often enough in January and February.
For some of the Shockers, Saturday’s game against Illinois State will give them their first experience with full-throated, 40-minutes-of-yell-and-yellow Koch Arena.
“Coach said the other day, for the newcomers, that it’s going to be going to be the loudest it’s been,” WSU freshman Austin Reaves said.
Reaves will be part of the noise after missing the past two games with a dislocated right shoulder. He practiced Thursday and Friday and coach Gregg Marshall said he expects him to play on Saturday.
WSU (20-4, 10-1 Missouri Valley Conference) plays first-place Illinois State (19-4, 11-0) with as much at stake as any regular-season game in recent seasons.
The Redbirds will play without forward MiKyle McIntosh, who averages 13.5 points and 6.4 rebounds, after he underwent surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus.
The injury is expected to sideline him at least three weeks. McIntosh scored 20 points, making 7 of 9 shots, in Illinois State’s 76-62 win over WSU on Jan. 14.
A win moves WSU, MVC champions the past three seasons, into a tie for first. It strengthens an NCAA Tournament resume that needs help and, perhaps, relieves a bit of the pressure sure to exist in St. Louis for the MVC Tournament.
A loss puts WSU two games behind the Redbirds, plus the tie-breaker, with six to play. A loss makes it more certain the Shockers must win the MVC Tournament to extend its streak of five NCAA appearances.
The Shockers know all that.
They also know they need to change several factors from the first meeting, most of all the feeling that they played either too fast or too slow and couldn’t match Illinois State’s experience and athletic ability on that night. That defeat knocked the Shockers out of first place in the MVC for the first time since 2013.
“Don’t get sped up and play within the offense,” Reaves said. “We’ve got to do the little things.”
The Redbirds led for 32 minutes because they played the game largely on their terms, holding the Shockers without a fast-break basket. They held WSU to 34.9-percent shooting, its second-worst of the season. Illinois State, meanwhile, made 26 of 48 shots, 13 of 21 in the second half, to shoot 54.2 percent, best by a WSU opponent this season.
“We had too many defensive breakdowns,” Marshall said. “They made big shots.”
The breakdowns came in all forms, from poor communication to poor hustle. ISU guard Paris Lee, often running the pick and roll, controlled the game and gave the Redbirds an edge at point guard.
When the Shockers cut the lead to 56-53, Illinois State responded with a three by Lee. Illinois State’s inside-outside threats with its big men then took over.
The absence of McIntosh will limit some of that versatility that hurt WSU.
Forward Deontae Hawkins, screening for McIntosh, got open for a three when WSU’s Shaq Morris and Markis McDuffie blew a pick-and-pop defense. A three by McIntosh gave the Redbirds a 10-point lead.
“If we gave them an open look, they knocked it down,” Reaves said.
Illinois State didn’t need to rely solely on its shooting.
Its defense dominated, particularly when it went to a 2-3 zone that limited Morris after he bullied his way to two baskets against man defense in the first half.
The Shockers tried many approaches against the zone. They didn’t work, in part because the Shockers missed shots against athletic defenders who blocked eight shots.
The Shockers, whether on offense or defense, too often didn’t play like a composed, confident team.
Starters McDuffie, Landry Shamet, Zach Brown and Daishon Smith combined to score four points and go 0 for 9 from the field in the first half. Morris came off the bench to commit two violations for entering the lane early during foul shots. Reaves got himself in trouble with ill-advised drives into the lane that resulted in bad shots or a turnover.
“Just come out and be more ready to play and be a little more locked in,” WSU guard Conner Frankamp said. “The home crowd will be great.”
Paul Suellentrop: 316-269-6760, @paulsuellentrop
Illinois State
at Wichita State
- When: 7 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Koch Arena
- Records: ISU 19-4, 11-0 MVC, WSU 20-4, 10-1
- Radio: 103.7-FM
- TV: ESPN2
Illinois State at Wichita State
P | Illinois St. | Ht | Yr | Pts | Reb |
F | Phil Fayne | 6-9 | So. | 10.2 | 6.3 |
F | Deontae Hawkins | 6-8 | Sr. | 14.8 | 7.2 |
G | Paris Lee | 6-0 | Sr. | 13.2 | x-5.3 |
G | Tony Wills | 6-4 | Sr. | 5.7 | 2.4 |
G | Keyshawn Evans | 6-0 | So. | 4.9 | 1.3 |
P | Wichita St. | Ht | Yr | Pts | Reb |
F | Zach Brown | 6-6 | Jr. | 7.8 | 3.3 |
F | Markis McDuffie | 6-8 | So. | 12.1 | 5.9 |
C | Shaq Morris | 6-8 | Jr. | 8.3 | 4.3 |
G | Landry Shamet | 6-4 | Fr. | 10.8 | x-3.1 |
G | Conner Frankamp | 6-1 | Jr. | 7.3 | x-2.6 |
x-assists
Illinois State (19-4, 11-0): The Redbirds are 11-0 in the MVC for the first time. Their six consecutive road wins match a program record. The 12-game win streak is the longest since the 2008-09 team started 14-0. … Illinois State leads the MVC and ranks fourth nationally by holding opponents to 37.1 percent shooting. It leads the MVC and ranks No. 10 nationally by holding opponents to 61.6 points. Its average of 4.8 blocks also leads the MVC and ranks No. 50 nationally. … Lee leads the MVC in assists and steals (2.2). … The loss of F MiKyle McIntosh to a knee injury moves Evans into the starting lineup. He scored 10 points in 18 minutes in the first meeting with WSU, making 2 of 4 three-pointers. He is 30 of 77 from three-point range this season. … Fayne earned MVC newcomer of the week honors after averaging 17.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in the past three games.
Wichita State (20-4, 10-1): The Shockers have won five straight since the loss to the Redbirds, four against the bottom teams in the Valley (Evansville, Indiana State, Bradley, Drake). … WSU F Darral Willis played a season-low seven minutes and failed to score in Wednesday’s win at Drake. He scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the first meeting with the Redbirds. … Shamet scored 14 points and passed out six assists in the loss to Illinois State. He scored 11 of those points in the second half, making 3 of 5 shots. … McDuffie grabbed 14 rebounds against Bradley and Drake, the most in back-to-back games by a Shocker since Ramon Clemente totaled 29 during the 2008-09 season. McDuffie averages 6.9 rebounds in 11 MVC games. … WSU leads the series 41-40 and has won eight straight at Koch Arena. The Redbirds are 12-1 at Koch Arena with a win in 2008.… WSU designated the game a “yellow-out” and is asking fans to wear yellow.
RPI rank as of Friday: ISU 33, WSU 67
MVC bracket racket
Saturday’s Illinois State-Wichita State basketball game may decide the MVC’s regular-season title and its NCAA Tournament outlook.
Both teams are in the picture for an at-large bid. Neither team can feel secure. A loss to any other MVC team should be considered a disqualifying event for both schools.
▪ Wichita State ranks No. 67 in the warrennolan.com RPI. That’s bad, although a win Saturday helps. Should the Shockers continue to win into March, the RPI could rise into the 40s, according to RPIforecast.com.
It’s No. 21 in the Pomeroy rankings, which is strong. According to Pomeroy, No. 27 Iowa in 2013 is the highest-ranked team left out of the NCAAs since 2011. Pomeroy considers margin of error, a stat that the Shockers thrive on.
WSU’s biggest negative is a lack of quality wins — 0-4 vs. the RPI top 100. It isn’t saddled with a bad loss.
▪ Illinois State is No. 33 in the RPI rankings, which is strong. A win Saturday likely boosts them well into the top 30.
The Redbirds are No. 39 in the Pomeroy rankings.
Illinois State’s issue is losses to Murray State, Tulsa and San Francisco. Its best non-conference win is over New Mexico, No. 72 in the RPI ranks.
Its best win is over Wichita State, which is a win of limited benefit, because of WSU’s lack of quality wins.
ESPN.com
Joe Lunardi slots WSU as one of the last four teams in the field as a No. 11 seed. Illinois State is also a No. 11.
Sports Illustrated
Michael Beller also puts the Shockers as one of the last four in and a No. 12 seed.
Illinois State is a No. 10 seed.
CBSSports.com
Jerry Palm sees the MVC as a one-bid conference. Illinois State is a No. 12 seed.
SBNation.com
Chris Dobbertean lists Illinois State a No. 12 seed. He does include WSU as one of his eight schools close to an at-large spot.
Bracketmatrix.com
Wichita State is one of six consenus No. 11 seeds and is listed on 55 of 96 bracket surveyed.
Illinois State is a consensus No. 12 seed and appears on 86 brackets.
— Paul Suellentrop
This story was originally published February 3, 2017 at 8:02 PM with the headline "Wichita State faces Illinois State with stakes high for MVC title, NCAA resume."