Wichita State men’s basketball can achieve feat unseen in 50 years by beating Houston

It’s been more than a half-century since the last time the Wichita State men’s basketball team knocked off a team ranked as high as No. 6 at Koch Arena.

But confidence won’t be an issue for WSU heading into a Thursday showdown against No. 6 Houston with first place in the American Athletic Conference on the line. The 6 p.m. game at Koch Arena will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Yes, Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars have won six straight over the Shockers, but only one of those losses have come at Koch Arena.

And in the first meeting this season, played Jan. 6 in Houston, WSU held a 10-point lead after 22 minutes. That dissipated into an eventual 70-63 loss, but the Shockers (12-4, 8-2 AAC) have won six of seven games since that setback and have kept pace with Houston (17-2, 11-2 AAC) in the loss column of the conference standings.

“I think our guys feel like we can play with them,” WSU interim coach Isaac Brown said. “After the last three or four games, we’ve won a couple of times and won on the road, those guys are playing with a lot of confidence right now. We’ve just got to do the little things against Houston. It’s going to come down to competing and rebounding. Every time the ball is in the air, you’ve got to find someone to put a body on.”

The Cougars give any opponent a list of concerns — they’re a national title contender for a reason — but there’s no doubt the Shockers’ number one concern in their matchup is defensive rebounding.

Houston is tenacious when it comes to chasing down its own misses. It has one of the nation’s best rebounders in Justin Gorham and the Cougars rank first nationally in offensive rebounds per game (13.8) and first nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (40.1%).

Meanwhile, WSU’s greatest weakness is defensive rebounds. The team is undersized almost across its lineup, most importantly at the center position, where it lacks a giant who can vacuum up the misses in paint. The Shockers, usually one of the nation’s leaders in defensive rebounding, have plummeted to No. 333 in the country (out of 347 teams) in defensive rebounding percentage (66.2%).

That is the biggest challenge if WSU is to secure its biggest win at home since knocking off No. 2 Louisville, 84-78, on Feb. 25, 1967. The Shockers are 0-6 against top-6 teams at home since that 1967 victory, although they haven’t had a chance to score a win against such a highly-ranked team since 1992.

WSU’s last win over a top 10 team was a 76-72 triumph at No. 5 Cincinnati on Feb. 18, 2018, while its last win over a top 10 team at Koch Arena came on Feb. 28, 2015, when the Shockers topped No. 10 Northern Iowa 74-60.

“We’ve got to rebound,” Brown said. “All the other stuff will work itself out. We’re going to miss some shots and they’re going to miss some shots, but if we can win the battle of the boards then that’s going to give us a great chance. But it’s easier said than done.”

Not only is WSU trying to take the conference lead and topple a top-10 opponent, it’s trying to build a compelling case as an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament. Thursday’s game could be the Shockers’ final chance at securing the marquee victory sorely missing on their resume, as well as bumping up their NET ranking — currently at No. 78 — that needs to be around No. 50 to have a chance.

It’s unquestionably the most important game of the season to date for WSU. Despite the raised stakes, Brown said the Shockers continue to treat Thursday’s game like every other one on their schedule.

“We’re just taking it game by game,” Brown said. “Our practice has been energetic, but it’s always been energetic. It’s the next game on the schedule. They’re a top-10 team and I think our guys are excited, but it’s the next game on the schedule.”

After studying the film of WSU’s first game against Houston, Brown sees plenty of what-if moments that could have swung the game for the Shockers. Once WSU took a 10-point lead early in the second half, it had several shots that went in and out that could have injected confidence into the team.

Instead, WSU went ice cold — missing nine straight shots in a seven-minute scoreless streak — and Houston caught fire and outscored the Shockers by 24 points over the next 12 minutes to put the game away.

Brown knows there are ways for WSU to avoid another lengthy scoreless stretch. While Houston boasts a top-10 defense, it is extremely foul-prone and the Shockers can use this to their advantage by being aggressive and trying to draw fouls when their shots aren’t falling.

“After going back and watching the tape, I felt like settled for threes and the ball never got in the paint,” Brown said. “We’ve got to do a better job of when we’re not making shots to try to throw it inside to (WSU’s centers) and try to drive the basketball.”

The good news for WSU is that two of its players who have struggled to shoot efficiently this season are starting to turn things around in Alterique Gilbert and Dexter Dennis.

Gilbert, a senior point guard, came off the bench for the first time in conference play last game to score a team-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including WSU’s final five points in a 61-60 win at Central Florida.

Meanwhile, Dennis scored 16 points against UCF and has averaged 11.5 points in his last four games. The junior has also made two three-pointers in three straight games and is shooting 46.2% from beyond the arc during that span.

Any additional support in scoring alongside WSU leading scorer Tyson Etienne (17.3 points) could swing the game for the Shockers.

“When you get a team that has four or five guys that can score it, then you can’t key on one guy,” Brown said. “It makes it really difficult for other teams to guard you. I’m excited Alterique and Dexter are playing really good basketball right now.”

No. 6 Houston at Wichita State

When: 6 p.m. Thursday

Where: Koch Arena

Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM

TV: ESPN2

Projected starting lineups

Coach: Kelvin Sampson, seventh season, 156-62

Coach: Isaac Brown, first season, 12-4

This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 6:00 AM.

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.