The unique challenge awaiting Wichita State basketball in 1st home game Saturday

Following up an emotional road win to open up the season, the Wichita State men’s basketball returns to the cozy confines of Koch Arena.

But don’t think the Shockers won’t be tested in their home opener at 6 p.m. Saturday against Montana State, the three-time defending champions of the Big Sky Conference.

The Bobcats offer a unique test because they start five players who are all at least 6-foot-6 tall and can step out and knock down 3-pointers. In a 79-67 loss at Wisconsin on Thursday, Montana State hit 12 triples on 46% accuracy.

Montana State’s picked to win the Big Sky again with one of the oldest rosters in the country.

“You realize you’re walking into a situation where the formula for an upset is double-digit 3s and you realize how capable they are,” WSU coach Paul Mills said. “You realize their height and their ability to shoot can give you a lot of problems.”

It’s a game where WSU will still be a double-digit favorite to win, but the Shockers cannot afford a letdown from a solid opening effort on the road or they will risk suffering an embarrassing home-opening loss like the one in 2018 to Louisiana Tech.

Mills believes WSU can only benefit from a challenge of going from a high-tempo, scrappy, athletic team to defending a methodical, perimeter-oriented team in the span of a week

“I’ve always thought that November is a growth month,” Mills said. “You get an idea about how you grow as a team and how to get better. I don’t think any of these games are going to be won pretty. The execution isn’t going to be what it needs to be game 1 vs. game 31.”

WSU’s defense will need to be engaged from the start to prevent Montana State from freely bombing away from deep. While Western Kentucky didn’t hurt the Shockers much from the perimeter, there were some self-inflicted mistakes by WSU in fouling three different jump shooters in the game.

Mills explained two of those shooting fouls occurred because WSU closed out on the right side of left-handed shooters, a lack of attention to detail in the scouting report that isn’t uncommon for the first game of the season. He suspects it was a one-game aberration by WSU’s defense.

“We’ll need to do a good job on personnel,” Mills said. “If you’re sitting there waiting to leave your feet before these guys catch it, you’re probably too late. We’re going to have to make sure we’re on the right side of shooters and I think we’ll be better. But because of their length, it could be a problem.”

It’s not likely WSU will be able to replicate its 3-point shooting performance from the first game when it hit 11 3s and shot 41% beyond the arc, but the Shockers should be able to find success against Montana State in the paint. The Bobcats allowed opponents to make 54% of their 2-point shots last season, which ranked No. 328 in the country.

Montana State sacrifices hitting the offensive glass to get back in transition, so it’s not likely WSU will be able to score much from its fast-break offense. That means WSU will need to take care of the ball, stay patient on offense and work to exploit its advantage inside to find success.

“The one thing Wisconsin did was go get paint touches,” Mills said. “The one thing about switching teams is that there’s usually an advantage somewhere on the court, but sometimes you don’t recognize it because the switches happen so fast. You’re hoping with an older team (like WSU) you can identify where the advantage is.”

Montana State at Wichita State basketball preview

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Koch Arena (10,506), Wichita

How to watch: ESPN+ (Shane Dennis with Bob Hull)

Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM (Mike Kennedy with Dave Dahl)

Series history: WSU leads 2-1 (1-0 in Wichita)

KenPom says: WSU 83, MSU 72

Projected starting lineups

Montana State Bobcats

Coach: Matt Logie, second season, 17-19

Wichita State Shockers

Coach: Paul Mills, second season, 16-19

This story was originally published November 8, 2024 at 2:01 PM.

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.