With senior day and AAC title on the line, Wichita State basketball staying focused
Saturday could be a special day at Koch Arena.
The Wichita State men’s basketball team can clinch the outright American Athletic Conference championship with a win over the South Florida Bulls in the regular-season finale at noon Saturday. The game will be streamed online on ESPN+.
While the normal 10,506 fans won’t be in attendance — capacity will be capped around 25% — Shockers fans could celebrate the program’s first regular-season conference title since the 2016-17 season, WSU’s final year in the Missouri Valley.
WSU will also hold senior day festivities after the game for its four seniors — Alterique Gilbert, Trey Wade, Brycen Bush and Jacob Herrs.
“It’s going to be super special,” WSU junior Dexter Dennis said. “We have the opportunity to do something that’s never been done before. We know it’s not going to be easy. South Florida is going to come in with some type of motivation. They’re going to try to rain on our parade. But we’re locked in.”
On top of it being a must-win game for WSU (14-4, 10-2 AAC) to hold off Houston or Memphis for the conference title, it is also a can’t-lose game against a struggling USF team (8-11, 4-9 AAC) for its NCAA Tournament at-large hopes.
This won’t be the same USF team that pushed the Shockers to overtime back on Dec. 22. The Bulls are likely to be without their twin towers inside in Alexis Yetna and 7-footer Michael Durr, who combined for 19 points and 28 rebounds in the first meeting against WSU and have missed the last two games due to injury.
But WSU is also lacking big bodies inside, as WSU coach Isaac Brown told The Eagle on Friday that junior center Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler is “doubtful” for Saturday’s game and redshirt freshman Josaphat Bilau is still dealing with a nagging knee injury.
With WSU unlikely to have a back-up center behind Morris Udeze against USF, the Shockers will have to play small. That means more minutes with Wade, a 6-foot-6 forward, at center and possibly an emergence from 6-9 freshman Jaden Seymour, who has played a total of four minutes against Division I competition this season.
“We’ve been getting Jaden ready to go in practice and going over the plays and making sure he knows exactly what we’re doing on offense,” Brown said. “He’s long and athletic and he’s been doing a better job understanding technique. He’s not as big as the centers in our league. He’s really a stretch four, but we’re going to have to play him at the five because we need help inside. So we’ll try to do some different things in the low post to help him, but I expect him to play (Saturday).”
A month-long quarantine for the USF, program seemingly derailed what once was a promising season. The Bulls have lost six of their seven games since returning to play in February.
Although WSU has everything to play for and USF has little to play for, the Shockers aren’t planning their celebration yet. As they have all season, they’re focused on the task at hand.
“I came here to win,” Gilbert said. “We’re having a little bit of success now and our biggest thing is to come in and stay even-keeled. We worked this hard to get here, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do. Really, for us, it’s just getting started.”
“We’re treating it as just another game,” Brown said. “Those guys know what’s on the line and they’re going to go out there and play a smart game and play together and make sure we’re defending and rebounding at a high level. We’re focused on just going out there and playing it like a normal game.”
Some fans have wondered if they might see Gilbert and Wade back in Shocker uniforms next season since the NCAA has ruled that this season will not count against any player’s eligibility. Both players told The Eagle that they are more focused on maximizing the possibilities of this season with WSU before thinking about what comes next, as they both weigh decisions of whether or not to turn pro.
“As of now, I’m just taking it day by day,” Gilbert said. “That helps me mentally to focus on what I’m doing now, which is being a part of a great basketball team here at Wichita State. I’m just taking it day by day and whenever that time comes, I’ll talk to my family and make that decision.”
“I haven’t made a decision yet,” Wade said. “I’m just letting the season play out. I just want to win as much as I can, that’s the main thing I want to focus on right now. I’ll figure that out after this season.”
Both of the senior walk-ons, Bush and Herrs, have decided to move on after this season.
“Jacob and Brycen have meant so much to our program over the last four years,” Brown said. “They’re always the first ones in the gym when practice starts and always involved in helping prepare our starting group with the scout team. They always have a great attitude and are always willing to help us out whatever way we need. They’re going to be very successful in life because they know what it takes to be a part of a team. I hate to see them leave, but of course we want to see them do what’s best for themselves and we’re going to help them out any way possible.”
South Florida at Wichita State
Records: USF 8-11, 4-9 AAC; WSU 14-4, 10-2 AAC
When: Noon Saturday
Where: Koch Arena (25% capacity)
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM
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