Shockers focused on the details ahead of first test against South Carolina in Cancun

Wichita State hasn’t seen a defense that comes close to South Carolina’s and the obstacles the Gamecocks can throw at the Shockers when the two face off Tuesday in the opening round of the Cancun Challenge.

South Carolina, coached by defensive-minded Frank Martin, is allowing 59.4 points per game with the 16th-most efficient defense in the country. Opponents are making just 34.2% of their shots against a South Carolina lineup that has an average height of 6-foot-7, bolstered by a pair of 6-11 towers.

Scoring against the Gamecocks is sure to be a challenge for WSU and that’s why executing the details of its offense will matter more than ever for the 5 p.m. Central time game, broadcast on CBS Sports Network. WSU’s official watch party will be at Chicken N Pickle.

“The thing I keep trying to impress upon this young team is that it’s not always the team that makes the most spectacular plays that wins the game,” WSU coach Gregg Marshall said recently on his radio show. “It’s the team that generally makes the fewest errors. Just eliminating the unforced errors, the bad shots, the careless passes.”

Even with three true freshmen handling the majority of WSU’s ball-handling, the Shockers have committed the eighth-fewest turnovers (9.6) per game and have the 10th-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73) in the country. Sophomore Erik Stevenson ranks second nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio with 18 assists to just two turnovers in 129 minutes this season.

That means WSU isn’t throwing possessions away needlessly and giving itself more looks at the basket, but that doesn’t mean the Shockers haven’t struggled with executing their offense at times.

After WSU’s 68-59 win over Oral Roberts on Saturday, Marshall rattled off several things that had annoyed him.

“Go look at the plays that we run where the timing is just a (tick) off,” Marshall said. “The guy is open and the guy is supposed to pass it to him and redirect it right into the post doesn’t have the ball yet. Or the guy is open and we stare at him and don’t throw him the ball. Or the guy is open and we throw him the ball and he doesn’t know he’s wide open.

“All of those things are happening and that’s coaching, I’ve got to get better. It’s early in the season. It’s inexperienced players and it’s just college basketball.”

Playing in the friendly confines of Koch Arena every game this season, WSU has been able to get away with these lapses against five out-matched opponents. That will change at a neutral site against a defensive-first South Carolina team with that much length and athleticism at all five spots on the floor.

“The key is to make sure we’re sharing the basketball and trying to get another person a shot,” Marshall said, “whether that’s driving into a gap and kicking it to an open player or drawing two defenders or setting a good screen or making a good cut and delivering a good pass at the right time to the right place on target.”

Even with a top-notch defense, South Carolina has struggled leading up to the tournament. The Gamecocks were upset at home by Boston, 78-70, then struggled to put away a Gardner-Webb team that the Shockers beat by 22 points just three days earlier.

The Gamecocks’ top player is on NBA radars, as 6-6 sophomore A.J. Lawson has become the team’s primary ball-handler and is averaging a team-best 17.2 points and 3.8 assists this season.

Tuesday kicks off a crucial four-week stretch for WSU to build an NCAA Tournament-worthy resume with games against South Carolina, either West Virginia or Northern Iowa, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and VCU.

If WSU can pay attention to the details, then Marshall is confident these Shockers have the ability to excel.

“There’s just a tiny bit of difference between good and great,” Marshall said. “It’s so fractional and these guys, I think they have it. I think this team has it. It’s just a matter of when they become great. If they all stick together and they continue to allow us to coach them, we will be great with this group again.”

South Carolina vs. Wichita State

When: 5 p.m. Central time Tuesday

Where: Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, Cancun, Mexico

TV: CBS Sports Network

Radio: KEYN, 103.7 FM

Projected starters

Coach: Frank Martin, eighth season, 133-107

Coach: Gregg Marshall, 13th season, 313-113

About South Carolina (4-1): This is the first meeting between WSU and South Carolina... South Carolina ranks 10th nationally in field goal percentage defense, as opponents are shooting just 34.2%. The Gamecocks are also allowing fewer than 60 points per game... WSU and USC have one common opponent: Gardner-Webb. The Shockers defeated Gardner-Webb 74-52 on Nov. 19, while USC defeated Gardner-Webb 74-69 just three days later... Sophomore forward Keyshawn Bryant is out because of a left knee injury... South Carolina returns a core group from last season’s squad led by projected NBA pick A.J. Lawson, a 6-6 guard who is averaging a team-high 17.2 points and 3.8 assists this season... South Carolina was upset in a 78-70 loss to Boston at home for its lone blemish so far this season.

About Wichita State (5-0): The Shockers won the 2012 Cancun Challenge by knocking off DePaul and Iowa in a season that WSU finished by playing in the Final Four... South Carolina native Gregg Marshall has never beaten his favorite childhood team. He is 0-2 against the Gamecocks, both losses when he was at Winthrop... WSU hasn’t started a season 6-0 since its historic 35-0 start during the 2013-14 season... Erik Stevenson ranks second nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio at 9.0 (18 assists, two turnovers)... WSU has not allowed more than 63 points in a game this season and has held all five opponents under 40% shooting... Trey Wade, a junior-college transfer, leads WSU in scoring (12.0), rebounding (8.0) and shot-blocking (1.2)... Two games in Mexico will be WSU’s first international action since November 2016 when it played in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. The last non-conference tournament title came with the 2013 CBE Classic in Kansas City. WSU has finished runner-up in both the 2014 Diamond Head Classic and the 2017 Maui Invitational.

This story was originally published November 25, 2019 at 4:22 PM.

Taylor Eldridge

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6270

Wichita State athletics beat reporter. Bringing you closer to the Shockers you love and inside the sports you love to watch.