Wichita State basketball looks to fix turnover problem to end skid with Longwood game

Turnovers have played a central role in both of the last two losses for the Wichita State men’s basketball team.

The Shockers committed a season-high 20 turnovers, which led directly to 19 points for the opposition, in an 88-84 overtime loss to Missouri on Nov. 29. Four days later, WSU turned the ball over 17 times, including three straight in the final 90 seconds, in a 55-50 loss at Kansas State.

For a team already struggling to make shots, Wichita State can hardly afford to turn the ball over on more than 27% of its possessions like it has in its last two games combined.

Better decision-making, better ball security and better passing were stressed this week in practice as measures to help the Shockers (4-4) end their skid in Saturday’s 3 p.m. game against Longwood at Koch Arena. The WSU basketball game will be streamed on ESPN+.

“We’ve got to start valuing the basketball and not turn it over,” WSU head coach Isaac Brown said. “It’s hard to win basketball games when you don’t make wide-open shots and you turn the basketball over.”

What makes the recent cascade of turnovers even more frustrating is that many of the mistakes are of WSU’s own doing.

The Eagle charted all 37 turnovers the last two games and almost half (18) have been the result of poor passing. WSU has made a litany of mistakes:

• Jumping in the air without knowing where to pass the ball

• Lazy or inaccurate passes

• One-handed, cross-court passes

• Soft entry passes to players who fail to hold off the defender

“A lot of it is just not being fundamental,” Brown said. “We have to start valuing the basketball. You’ve got to be tough with it. You’ve got to be strong with it.”

Although he is far from the only culprit, senior point guard Craig Porter shouldered the blame for the recent spike in turnovers. It is true Porter’s turnovers per game (3.5) has nearly doubled from last season, but it is also true the ball is in his hands more than ever and his usage rate (the times a possession ends with him) has skyrocketed this season.

Still, Porter has made uncharacteristic mistakes, like having the ball poked out from his control multiple times and losing his dribble against pressure defense. For the high standard he holds himself to, Porter knows his nine turnovers the last two games are far too many.

“I have been a little lax this year and my turnovers have gone way up,” Porter admitted following the K-State loss. “I have to be better overall taking care of the ball because at the end of the day, it’s on me to take care of our offense and run everything. Having the ball most of the game, I know (some turnovers) will happen, but as a veteran I’ve got to be more poised and understand that defenses are going to be scrapping hard against me to get the ball.”

WSU has found mostly success using Jaykwon Walton, a 6-foot-7 junior, as a secondary ball handler, but he has committed six turnovers the last two games on poor passing. A simple fix in decision-making should allow him to return to a mismatch problem on the perimeter for opponents.

And while Brown has empowered James Rojas, which has boosted his confidence, the freedom to try to make plays off the bounce has led to more bad than good lately. Rojas has been whistled for four charges and committed eight turnovers in the last two games, as his turnover rate (34%) is far too high for a big man. Finding a happy-medium for Rojas would be instrumental in the Alabama senior transfer helping the Shockers return to their winning ways.

“We’ve just got to continue to grow, continue to get better and continue to learn from our mistakes,” Brown said. “We have to continue to have a positive attitude, come to practice every day willing to work. We competed in both of those games against Missouri and K-State. Both of those games were winnable games. We’ve just got to finish it. We’ve got to play for 40 minutes. It can’t be 35 minutes or 38 minutes or 39 minutes. It’s got to be 40 minutes in order to get a win.”

While Longwood, which is located in Farmville, Va., doesn’t have the name recognition of a power-conference team, the Lancers are the defending Big South Conference champions who return four starters from their 26-win team that played in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Longwood is off to a 5-4 start, but has yet to defeat a top-300 team in KenPom’s metrics. The Lancers ranked No. 8 in the country last season in three-point shooting at 38.3% and are off to another strong start this season, as they are making 36.2% of their outside shots with a lineup featuring no one taller than 6-foot-7.

Up against such a small lineup, it’s a tantalizing matchup for WSU to potentially employ 7-foot sophomore Quincy Ballard, who played a career-high 21 minutes and finished with four points, three rebounds and two blocks in the K-State loss.

“We’ve got to try to put him in more ball screens, so we can roll him to the basket,” Brown said. “Any time you can roll a guy to the basket who is 7-feet tall, they have to tag him, which allows you to kick out and get other guys wide-open shots.”

Longwood at Wichita State basketball game preview

Records: Longwood 5-4, WSU 4-4

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Koch Arena, Wichita (10,506)

Streaming: ESPN+

Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM

KenPom says: WSU 67, Longwood 59

Series: First meeting

Projected starting lineups

Longwood Lancers

Coach: Griff Aldrich, fifth season, 73-64

Wichita State Shockers

Coach: Isaac Brown, third season, 35-23

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.