Wichita State basketball looks to solve first-half struggles in Tarleton State game

The cold shooting has followed the Wichita State men’s basketball team to the 2021-22 season, as the Shockers have won their first two games at Koch Arena shooting less than 40% from the field.

Shot-making was a point of emphasis for WSU this summer after three straight seasons where the team finished among the worst shooting teams in the country. After two games this season, not much has changed: WSU ranks No. 314 in the country with a team shooting percentage of 37.9%.

That ice-cold shooting has prevented the Shockers from building more than a seven-point lead through their first 80 minutes of the season. WSU is struggling to create separation in the first half, as it trailed Jacksonville State, 27-23, and was tied with South Alabama at 32 before narrowly pulling away down the stretch of both games.

A better first-half performance is what the Shockers (2-0) will be looking for in their third warm-up act, a 7 p.m. Tuesday date with Tarleton State (0-2), before heading to Las Vegas for their first major challenges of the season.

“We’re just not making open shots,” said WSU coach Isaac Brown, a familiar refrain around Koch Arena in recent seasons. “I think guys are taking good shots. We just got to start stepping up and making them.”

A film study by The Eagle backed up Brown’s gut feeling after the game. Through two games, WSU has shot 26 three-pointers that were graded as a “great” look, meaning they were open and in rhythm for the shooter. WSU has only made six of them for a paltry 23% success rate on wide-open looks.

Dexter Dennis shot nothing but great three-pointers against South Alabama, yet he finished the game just 1 for 6 from beyond the arc. WSU star Tyson Etienne had two wide-open looks that he couldn’t get to fall. In total, WSU made just 4 of 16 looks on clean three-pointers against South Alabama.

There’s no complex answer for what has to happen. It’s as simple as WSU’s players have to start knocking down those shots if the offense — and the team — is to reach its potential.

“I’m going to be honest with you, if I knew, I would fix it,” Dennis said when asked about his team’s offensive woes. “If I knew, I swear to you, I would fix it. We’ve definitely got some things to work out. We’ve got some problems, but we won.”

WSU’s struggles to score have been at its worst during the first half, where the team is scoring just 0.82 points per possession. But after Brown and his coaching staff are able to make adjustments at halftime, WSU’s offense has picked up and scored more along the lines (1.11 points per possession) of what you would expect.

In the end, the Shockers were less bothered by their slow shooting start because they still managed to beat two talented mid-major programs even when they were out-shot in the game.

WSU will need another good effort on Tuesday against a Tarleton State team that led Stanford by seven on the road with 14 minutes to play and traded shots with KU on the road for the first half. The team is coached by former Texas A&M and Kentucky head man Billy Gillispie and has a star player in guard Montre’ Gipson, who averages 17 points.

“The positive thing is that we’re winning basketball games when we’re not shooting well,” Brown said. “Last year we didn’t shoot well and we were able to win a championship. If we can put it together and start making shots, I think we can defend at a high level to be a pretty good team.”

Tarleton State at Wichita State basketball preview

When: 7:02 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Koch Arena (10,506)

Streaming: ESPN+ (Shane Dennis and Bob Hull)

Radio: 103.7 FM (Mike Kennedy and Dave Dahl)

Tickets: Call 316-978-3267 or visit GoShockers.com/tickets

Series: This is the first meeting

KenPom says: WSU 71, TSU 58

Projected starting lineups

Tarleton State Texans (0-2)

Coach: Billy Gillispie, second season, 10-12

Wichita State Shockers (2-0)

Coach: Isaac Brown, second season, 18-6

This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 7:00 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.