Why Wichita State basketball will be looking to push the pace in rematch with Tulsa

Much has changed in the past month since the Wichita State men’s basketball team opened American Athletic Conference play with a win at Tulsa.

Since the WSU loss, Tulsa has won six straight games, including a win over then-No. 5 Houston, and sits near the top of the AAC standings with a 4-1 conference record.

In the last meeting, the Shockers (7-3, 3-1 AAC) built a 17-point lead on the road, then nearly allowed it to slip away. They know they’ll have to play a better game in the rematch with Tulsa at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Koch Arena (the game will be streamed on ESPN+) to continue their dominance over their rivals from the south at home.

Tulsa hasn’t beaten WSU in Wichita since 2001, as the Shockers have won eight straight.

“They’re the hottest team in the league right now,” WSU interim coach Isaac Brown said. “They’ve got Brandon Rachal, who I think outside of our guys is the player of the year in the league. They’ve got one of the best defenses in the country with that match-up zone. So we’ve got to do a good job of getting out in transition and try to get some easy baskets so we don’t have to go against that set defense.”

Pushing in transition has been a successful strategy for the Shockers lately. Tyson Etienne (17.7 points, 39% three-point shooting) is superb at drifting to openings on the perimeter to spot up for triples. Ricky Council, fresh off a career-high 23 points in WSU’s 82-76 victory over Cincinnati, is also a menace in transition, where he can use his athleticism and big frame to power through defenders at the basket.

Tulsa has the fifth-best half-court defense in the country, per Synergy, as opponents are scoring just 0.72 points per possession and shooting 34.5% against Tulsa.

Avoiding that as much as possible will be critical for WSU on Wednesday.

“We’ve got to push the pace,” Brown said. “If we walk it up and we play against that set defense, it could be a long night. So we’ve got to be able to get stops, get out in transition and try to turn them over and get out in transition. Even when they score, we have to sprint the ball up the floor and try not to go against that set defense all night long.”

Even if WSU finds success in transition, those opportunities will be just a fraction of its total offense. Brown knows the game will likely come down to how well WSU’s offense performs against Tulsa’s token press and match-up zone.

Tulsa has held its five AAC opponents to an effective field goal percentage of 40.2%, the best mark in the conference. But there are other ways to hurt Tulsa on defense. The Golden Hurricane have struggled defensive rebounding in their zone set-up and also struggled with putting opponents on the foul line — two things that WSU is strong at.

The odds say WSU isn’t likely to have one of its best shooting games against Tulsa’s defense, so limiting turnovers, crashing the glass and picking up fouls will be keys for the Shockers.

“We’ve got to be organized and run our sets at full speed,” Brown said. “We can’t be stationary. We’ve got to cut and we’ve got to have good pace and we’ve got to set good ball screens. And in the end, we’re going to have to step up and make some wide-open jump shots.”

If WSU is to make a push for a top finish in conference, it is in the midst of a crucial stretch. A home game against Tulsa and a road trip to SMU on Sunday both figure to be against teams also vying for top spots in the conference. Two wins could go a long way in securing WSU’s place as one of the conference’s best and a season sweep over Tulsa would give WSU a key tiebreaker for later in the season.

While fans can project ahead, it’s Brown’s job to make sure the Shockers are performing on a game-by-game basis. And the thing that he likes most about this team, which gives him confidence about its potential, is the peer-to-peer leadership.

“These guys just stay together,” Brown said. “Nobody ever points fingers when we’re down. They’re all acting like leaders in the locker room. Those guys are always picking each other up. The bench is giving us a lot of energy. They’re yelling and clapping for their teammates. They stay together and they have good leadership and it’s helping us win games.”

Tulsa at Wichita State

Records: TU 7-3, 4-1 AAC; WSU 7-3, 3-1 AAC

When: 6 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Koch Arena (20% capacity of 10,506)

Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM

Streaming: ESPN+

Series: WSU leads 71-62 (40-23 in Wichita)

Coach: Frank Haith, seventh season, 123-79

Coach: Isaac Brown, first season, 7-3

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.