How Craig Porter played best game of Wichita State basketball career in Tulane loss

There was no consolation for the Wichita State men’s basketball players following a 68-67 loss to Tulane at Koch Arena earlier this week in a game where the Shockers led by as many as 16 points.

Frustration continued to mount after WSU lost to Tulane for the first time ever, allowing a double-digit lead to slip away in a home loss for the third time this season and dropping to 0-3 in American Athletic Conference play in the process.

“We had some positives, but I’m tired of having positives and losing,” WSU freshman Ricky Council IV said. “I want to have positives in wins.”

The biggest positive from the game — and one that could be a promising development for the rest of the season, which continues with a noon Sunday tip-off against Cincinnati at Koch Arena in a nationally-televised game broadcast on ESPN — was the play of junior point guard Craig Porter, who undoubtedly delivered the best game of his two-year WSU career.

Porter notched career-highs with his 18 points, nine rebounds and four steals to go along with a team-high four assists and a block in 33 minutes against Tulane. Porter has only scored double-digit points three times in his 31 career games and he displayed an aggression seeking out his shot that he rarely has before.

“Stuff like that has always been in my arsenal,” Porter said. “I’m just able to show it now.”

After injuries and COVID-19 protocol plagued his first season in Wichita, Porter has quickly become an essential part of this WSU team as the starting point guard. He’s carved out a reputation as a smooth operator on the offensive end, usually looking to set others up rather than chase his own points.

But if this season has proven anything, it’s that WSU is desperate for scoring wherever it can find it, especially on Wednesday when the team played without its two veterans and key starters in wing Dexter Dennis and center Morris Udeze. Both players missed the game due to COVID-19 protocols, although WSU hopes both will be cleared in time for Sunday’s game.

With Dennis and Udeze out, Porter stepped up for the Shockers in their time of need, consistently determined to attack the middle and baselines of Tulane’s match-up zone defense looking to score. He finished the game 5 of 6 on two-pointers and 5 of 6 on free throws.

“I just realized we needed some kind of spark in any way,” Porter said. “I felt like it was the right play to make. I’ve actually been working on (being more aggressive) with the coaches a lot in practice. We were missing two key players (Dexter Dennis and Morris Udeze) and I just felt like those were the shots I had to take.”

Even more encouraging, Porter showed flashes of potentially being someone WSU can turn to in crucial moments to create a shot.

He rescued WSU’s offense three times near the end of the shot clock in the final seven minutes, scoring six of WSU’s final eight points. The most difficult shot was a behind-the-back move he transitioned into a step-back jumper over a strong contest that he swished to tie Tulane at 63, then he scored on a one-handed hook shot in the paint to put WSU up 67-66 with 2:47 to play.

Porter did have a wide-open look from three that could have given WSU a lead in the final 30 seconds, but he misfired. Still, if Porter can maintain that aggression and knack for making tough shots late, then he would become even more valuable to the Shockers as someone they could turn to late in close games.

“Craig stepped up for us and he was aggressive,” WSU star Tyson Etienne said. “He was driving the gaps and being deceptive in the middle of the paint when they were playing their match-up zone. He made big shots. I knew Craig was capable of doing that. He just plays his role and you look at his stat line and you can’t really ask for a better game from him than that.”

It wasn’t Porter’s best game just because he was scoring so much, it was also because he played so well in many other facets of the game. He has excelled this season using his hops to soar over crowds to clean up the defensive glass for the Shockers and did so once again against Tulane, collecting eight defensive rebounds. He was also superb in his off-ball defense, where he can use his aforementioned hops and instincts to wreak havoc on the opposition.

There was no better example than early in the second half when WSU sent a second defender to double Tulane’s Kevin Cross in the post. Porter quickly diagnosed the floor, saw an open Tulane player up top and suspected Cross would try to make the quick and easy read to escape the double team. Sure enough, Porter guessed right and swooped in from the corner to pick off the pass for an easy steal and dunk at the other end.

The very next possession, Cross once again caught the ball in the post and made his move to the left side of the paint. Porter was camped out in the right corner, uninvolved in the play until he saw Cross put his head down and take two hard dribbles, which Porter believed signaled he would soon go up for a shot. Porter was already in the air ready to swipe the ball away by the time Cross went up for the shot.

“I kind of notice how certain guys do certain things when they’re in certain positions,” Porter said. “You can’t really change up what you’re going to do. It’s just kind of my instincts, too. I know I have a good feel for when people are going to do certain things, so I just time it with what I think is going to happen and a lot of times it works out in my favor.”

Despite being a 6-foot-2 point guard, Porter actually leads WSU in blocks with 15 and his 5.1 block percentage ranks top-170 nationally. He also ranks top-160 nationally with his assist rate of 26.2.

Porter is only averaging 5.2 points per game this season, a figure that might have to start to go up if the Shockers are to turn their season around.

“Craig did a tremendous job for us,” WSU coach Isaac Brown said. “He got to the rim and he laid it up. He got guys wide-open shots. He made a couple of drives that were tough finishes. Those eight guys played their hearts out. They battled and left it all out on the floor.”

Cincinnati at Wichita State basketball preview

When: 12:02 p.m. Sunday

Where: Koch Arena (10,506)

TV: ESPN (Kevin Brown and Jon Crispin)

Radio: 103.7 FM (Mike Kennedy and Dave Dahl)

Series: Cincinnati leads 25-13 (10-9 in Wichita)

Last meeting: Cincinnati won 60-59 in AAC tournament semifinals on March 13, 2021

KenPom says: WSU 67, Cincinnati 65

Projected starting lineups

Cincinnati (12-5)

Coach: Wes Miller, first season, 12-5

Wichita State Shockers (9-6)

Coach: Isaac Brown, second season, 25-12

This story was originally published January 14, 2022 at 6:36 AM.

Taylor Eldridge

The Wichita Eagle

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Wichita State athletics beat reporter. Bringing you closer to the Shockers you love and inside the sports you love to watch.