OU’s Trae Young vs. WSU’s Landry Shamet will be a ‘game within the game’

Two of the fastest-rising young guards in the country will go head-to-head at Intrust Bank Arena at 3 p.m. Saturday, as sophomore Landry Shamet and No. 3 Wichita State (8-1) will face freshman Trae Young and Oklahoma (7-1) in a nationally-televised broadcast on ESPN2.

Young is already being called the college basketball version of Stephen Curry by at least one basketball writer. He’s averaging a nation-leading 28.8 points, plus 8.8 assists. He handles the ball more than almost anyone and he’s remained efficient, making him the runaway leader for Ken Pomeroy’s Player of the Year.

Shamet has posted shooting percentages of 55.3 percent from the field, 53.5 on three-pointers and 90.9 from the foul line. He’s averaging 16.3 points and his efficiency rating is the fourth-highest in the nation among high-usage players.

“I think it will be a game within the game to watch these guys go head-to-head,” WSU coach Gregg Marshall said. “It should be a dynamic confrontation and more than likely the guy who has the best day, his team will win.”

Although the cast is similar for OU, this won’t be the team WSU dispatched 76-73 last season at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Young’s skill set — the ability to bomb threes and devastate in the pick-and-roll — has taken the offense into turbo mode.

The Sooners are playing at the nation’s fifth-fastest tempo, according to KenPom, and their average possession lasts less than 14 seconds. They rank in the 92nd percentile scoring in transition, per Synergy Sports, and transition opportunities account for a quarter of their entire offense — eighth-most in the country.

It’s a dangerous mix for a WSU team that has struggled at times with live-ball turnovers, which can jumpstart a fast break going the other way. WSU’s players say OU’s fast-paced offense doesn’t change their outlook on defense.

“What they do doesn’t affect what we do defensively,” Shamet said. “We control what we can control, which is to guard the ball and stick to our principles.”

“We’ve just got to get back and run,” senior Zach Brown said. “We have to play great defense for 15 seconds, then turn around and make them play defense for 30.”

Marshall has identified three things WSU can do to prevent Young and the Sooners from running on Saturday.

“If we score, then they have to take the ball out of the basket, so that’s one way to slow down the break,” Marshall said. “Then you have to take good shots and you can’t turn it over. Those are the three things you have to do. They’re going to get some in transition. They’re an elite transition team, but hopefully we can get some too.”

Even when OU can’t create a fast break, Young will typically take a middle ball screen and diagnose the defense before making a play. He can shoot it from deep if his defender goes under the screen or the big man doesn’t step up. He has the vision to create openings with his passes to teammates if teams focus too much on him. And he is excellent at finishing around the rim when he drives.

But the thing that makes him most dangerous? The freedom OU coach Lon Kruger has given him, “the ultimate green light” as Marshall calls it.

“When you get the freedom to do whatever you want, you get major confidence,” Brown said. “You’re going out there playing free. To play free is a dangerous thing for guys like that.”

Young has scored at least 28 points in six straight games. Brown will likely be the primary defender to start out on Young, but it won’t be a one-man job.

When OU gives Young a ball screen WSU’s entire defense will have to be locked in.

“It won’t only be the guard, it will be the big covering the screen and the help guys,” Marshall said. “Everybody is going to have to be in tune and we’re going to have to be really good because they use (ball screens) very effectively and that’s a big part of the college game now. (Young) is a dynamic talent, so we’ll have to make sure to mix it up and try to keep him off-balance if that’s possible.”

While WSU must worry about how to contain Young, OU must also worry about guarding Shamet.

It’s an easy head-to-head comparison that adds to the hype of the already sold-out game. But to Shamet, it’s just another game.

“I’m just ready to go play on Saturday,” Shamet said. “To me, it’s just another game against another good team.”

This story was originally published December 15, 2017 at 5:04 PM with the headline "OU’s Trae Young vs. WSU’s Landry Shamet will be a ‘game within the game’."