Wichita State basketball focused on starting new winning streak in Norfolk State game

It’s been more than three weeks since the Wichita State men’s basketball team played a game at Koch Arena.

The Shockers will need the Roundhouse energy even more for Saturday’s 6 p.m. game against Norfolk State, their first chance to bury the bad memories of losing 65-59 to in-state rival Kansas State at Intrust Bank Arena on Sunday.

The loss halted the momentum WSU (6-2) gained by winning back-to-back road games over Missouri and Oklahoma State. Now the Shockers will look to build a new winning streak with four games in 11 days at Koch before they open American Athletic Conference play.

Fans are encouraged to bring a new or gently-used teddy bear to throw on the court at halftime of Saturday’s game. All teddy bears collected will be donated to children at a local hospital.

“The next four games are very important,” WSU coach Isaac Brown said. “Anybody can beat you in this day and age with the transfer portal. We saw that the other night with Florida losing to Texas Southern.”

Norfolk State has won the MEAC regular-season championship two out of the last three years and punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament last season, even winning a 16-seed play-in game in the process. The Spartans (9-2) replaced all but one player in their starting lineup from last season’s team.

Joe Bryant is a 6-foot-1 senior guard who is averaging a team-high 14.5 points, while 6-foot-8 senior Kris Bankston is a post-up maestro who is averaging 11.8 points and 6.6 rebounds. The Spartans play almost exclusively seniors and juniors in their rotation, making them one of the oldest teams in the country.

Brown believes Norfolk State could repeat as MEAC champions this season, emphasizing its championship pedigree to his players in the scouting report for a team ranked No. 270 nationally on KenPom.

“We circled it on the calendar because they played in the NCAA Tournament last year and won the MEAC,” Brown said. “They won an NCAA Tournament game over Appalachian State. They’re a veteran ball team with a coach that’s been there for nine years. It’d be a big win because if we can win this game, I know they’ll finish at the top of the MEAC and you want to play teams that’ll finish at the top of their league.”

Norfolk State isn’t a particularly big team with no player in the rotation taller than 6-8 and the team ranks nearly last in the country in three-point attempts and assists. In a road trip to Xavier, Norfolk State lost 88-48 — the type of blowout the Shockers could sure use in a season where they only have one double-digit win.

A bit of good news for WSU came earlier this week when it was discovered there was no serious knee injury to starting point guard Craig Porter, who exited the K-State game midway through the second half after banging his left knee hard on the floor. Brown feared the worst (torn meniscus or ACL) in the moment, but said x-rays revealed that it was nothing more than a deep bruise.

“He was riding the bike (Monday) and we expect him to play in the game on Saturday,” Brown said on Tuesday.

Norfolk State at Wichita State basketball preview

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Koch Arena (10,506)

Streaming: ESPN+

Radio: 103.7 FM (Mike Kennedy and Dave Dahl)

Series: First meeting.

KenPom says: WSU 77, NSU 59

Projected starting lineups

Wichita State Shockers (6-2)

Coach: Isaac Brown, second season, 22-8

Norfolk State (9-2)

Coach: Robert Jones, ninth season, 151-121

This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 9:00 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.