Every WSU opponent finalized for Shocker basketball nonconference schedule games
The final pieces of the nonconference schedule for the Wichita State men’s basketball team this upcoming season have recently been solidified, The Eagle has learned.
Most of the slate was already known entering August, but one key domino fell on Thursday when ESPN announced the Shockers will play Minnesota in the opening round of the ESPN Events Invitational at 11 a.m. Central time on Thanksgiving. WSU will play either Florida or Wake Forest in Orlando the following day.
That left the question of how WSU would fill out its three remaining open dates on the schedule, which head coach Paul Mills answered with three “buy” games at Koch Arena — against Alcorn State (Dec. 4), East Tennessee State (Dec. 7) and Friends (Dec. 29).
In total, WSU will play eight games in the Roundhouse, headlined by Kansas State on Dec. 21 and the return of Missouri Valley Conference foe Northern Iowa on Nov. 14. The Shockers will play two true road games — at Western Kentucky in the season-opener on Nov. 4 and at DePaul on Dec. 14 — and three neutral-site contests against Saint Louis (in Kansas City) and then the two games in Orlando.
The November slate promises to test the new-look, older Shockers early and often.
WSU opens at Western Kentucky, projected by prognosticator Bart Torvik to be a top-100 team in what will be the program’s first true road season-opener in more than three decades. That’s followed by three straight in the Roundhouse, where WSU will likely be favored, but none of the trio of Montana State, UNI and Monmouth will be rollovers. WSU ends the month with three straight neutral-site contests, all of which have a good chance to land in the Quad 1 or Quad 2 bucket.
It’s understandable Mills would want a game like Alcorn State — projected to be the lowest-rated (No. 320) Div. I team on the schedule by Torvik — inside the Roundhouse following such a stretch, while East Tennessee State (projected No. 160 by Torvik) should offer a stiff test for a “buy” game.
The hiring of Chris Holtmann has brought a jolt to DePaul, turning what could have been a snooze into an intriguing road game. A home date against Kansas City will be the tuneup for a highly-anticipated Roundhouse showdown against a K-State team that could be top-25.
The nonconference slate is finished with a game against Friends, a local NAIA program that WSU has now scheduled in the regular season for the second year in a row. It’s no coincidence the date comes following Christmas, eight days following the K-State game, which will be the first game back from holiday break and a precursor to American Athletic Conference play.
Games against non-Division I opponents do not factor into the NET ranking, which means WSU will not be penalized for playing an NAIA team — a possibility if WSU played a lowly-rated Division I team. However, a handful of college basketball teams showed last season that the NET’s efficiency rankings could be hacked by playing lowly-rated Division I teams and essentially running up the score to win by 30-plus points.
It’s been a few years since Shocker fans have had to worry about NET rankings for a potential at-large bid, a trend that Mills is aiming to end.
There’s no denying recent departures have left the American Athletic Conference watered down, which applies pressure for the top teams to schedule aggressively in nonconference play. Mills has given the Shockers the opportunity — a best-case scenario for WSU sees the nonconference slate offer up to six chances for Quad 1 or Quad 2 victories — to build an at-large resume in November and December, but having an opportunity and capitalizing on an opportunity are two different things.
Especially when the bulk of those chances comes away from Koch Arena, where WSU won just once last season in conference play.
WSU is expected to announce its complete schedule for the 2024-25 season, with official tip times and TV information, in early September in conjunction with the American Athletic Conference announcing its conference slate. The Shockers are also expected to play a non-Division I opponent for its lone exhibition game sometime in late October.
Croatian big man arrives on campus
The final addition to the WSU roster for the 2024-25 season is finally in Wichita, as Croatia center Matej Bosnjak has been practicing with the Shockers since fall semester began last week.
Bosnjak is listed as a 6-foot-9, 240-pound senior on the WSU official website, although sources told The Eagle that his official classification from the NCAA is still up in the air and there is still a possibility that he will be ruled a junior. A final ruling should be handed down in the coming weeks.
The 22-year-old has been playing professionally in Croatia for the past three seasons, where he averaged 7.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists while starting for a team in the Adriatic Basketball Association. He attended a university in his hometown of Zagreb, which is how he was able to attain his eligibility to play college basketball in America.
Shockers host high-school prospect on official visit
With potentially nine seniors on its roster for this upcoming season, WSU is sure to have plenty of openings for new talent in its 2025 recruiting class.
The Shockers are already at work trying to secure the commitment from a high school prospect, as Houston-area native Dorian Hayes took an official visit to WSU on Thursday. Hayes is a 6-4 wing who is rated as the 14th-best player in Texas by 247Sports for the 2025 class.
WSU offered Hayes, the son of former NBA player Chuck Hayes, on July 22 and remains the highest-rated program that has officially extended an offer, although several high-major programs have been actively recruiting him this summer.
The trip to Wichita is believed to be the first official visit by Hayes in his recruiting process.
2024 Wichita State men’s basketball known schedule
Saturday, Oct. 5: Shocker Madness at Koch Arena
Saturday, Oct. 12: vs. Oklahoma State (closed scrimmage)
Monday, Nov. 4: at Western Kentucky
Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. Montana State
Thursday, Nov. 14: vs. Northern Iowa
Monday, Nov. 18: vs. Monmouth
Friday, Nov. 22: vs. Saint Louis (at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.)
Thursday, Nov. 28: vs. Minnesota in ESPN Events Invitational (at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.)
Friday, Nov. 29: vs. Florida/Wake Forest in ESPN Events Invitational (at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.)
Wednesday, Dec. 4: vs. Alcorn State
Saturday, Dec. 7: vs. East Tennessee State
Saturday, Dec. 14: at DePaul
Tuesday, Dec. 17: vs. Kansas City
Saturday, Dec. 21: vs. Kansas State
Sunday, Dec. 29: vs. Friends
Home only: East Carolina, Tulane and UAB
Away only: Florida Atlantic, Rice and Temple
Home and away: Charlotte, Memphis, North Texas, South Florida, Tulsa and UTSA
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