Shockers embrace road game challenge of playing an elite shooting team in DePaul

The Wichita State men’s basketball team is no stranger to defending an opponent that shoots a lot of 3-pointers.

During the Shockers’ 8-1 start to the season, Montana State, Saint Louis and East Tennessee all attempted at least 30 3-pointers — more than half of their total shots — from beyond the arc against WSU.

It’s safe to pencil in DePaul as the next opponent that will bomb away from deep against the Shockers. Saturday’s noon game broadcast on FS1 promises to be WSU’s toughest challenge yet.

The Blue Demons (7-2) launch the ninth-most 3s in the country — making 39% of them, which ranks No. 23 in the nation — and have a starting lineup with four 40% 3-point volume shooters.

“We’ve seen that several times this year, so I do think that we’ll have an idea about how to handle that,” WSU head coach Paul Mills said. “You’re going to end up in cross matches, so making sure that there’s a diligence involved in personnel and how we play it. Simple doesn’t mean simplistic, so we’ll spend quite a bit of time on the execution on it during the course of the next few days.”

DePaul has undergone a complete transformation from the 3-29 team last season with the hiring of former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann. It’s clear the Blue Demons put a heavy emphasis on shooting in the transfer portal to overhaul the roster, plucking their entire starting five from mid-major programs: Conor Enright (Drake), Jacob Meyer (Coastal Carolina), David Skogman (Davidson), Troy D’Amico (Southern Illinois) and Isaiah Rivera (Illinois-Chicago).

Meyer (14.3 points) and Rivera (12.8 points) are both 44% 3-point snipers, while Enright is the engine that makes the offense go with his 7.3 assists per game and 38% 3-point shooting. But the biggest matchup problem for WSU and specifically 6-foot-11 shot-blocker extraordinaire Quincy Ballard is Skogman, a 6-11 center who drilled six 3s in Tuesday’s loss to Providence and is connecting on 49% of his 3s so far this season.

WSU cannot afford many lapses on the defensive end against a team with five shooters.

“You have to always be aware of where everybody is,” WSU senior Harlond Beverly said. “You’ve got to make sure you don’t over-help and you have to make sure you are in the right position instead of reacting to the ball.”

“We’re going to be more spread out, so there’s going to be a lot more close-outs,” WSU junior Corey Washington added. “We just have to make sure we’re consistent. We’ve been working on that a lot more in practice and I feel like it’s really helped us.”

Not only will WSU’s defense be stretched all the way to the 3-point line, but the amount of long shots expected to be taken by DePaul means a flurry of long rebounds. WSU was much improved on the glass in its recent win over East Tennessee State, but struggled mightily finishing defensive possessions in the three games prior.

Saturday’s road game figures to be another stiff test.

“They have bigs who can turn around be able to get shots from the perimeter, so now your guards are much more involved,” Mills said. “Again, we’ll end up being cross matched and we need to do a number of items up to the level of physicality on your matchup. We’ve really challenged our guys to take ownership in your responsibility, so that needs to play out on Saturday.”

After taking care of business at home last week, Saturday’s road game presents WSU with a rare opportunity: a potential Quad 1 win for its resume. DePaul, currently ranked No. 83 in the NET rankings, needs to finish the season in the top-75 for the game to count as a Quad 1 road game, a likely scenario if DePaul can keep its head above water in the Big East.

After a 7-0 start to the season against overmatched foes, DePaul has faced more adversity in the past two games against top-100 opponents. In a 76-62 loss to Texas Tech and a 70-63 overtime loss to Providence, DePaul shot just 32.3% on 3-pointers and allowed opponents to make 56% of its 2-point shots.

But in Mills’ mind, the same requirements will be in place for the Shockers to emerge victorious on Saturday.

“This is still an old-school game and you have to do old-school things to win,” Mills said. “You have to take care of the ball, you have to rebound the ball and there needs to be a level of ownership in those two specific areas for us.

“What you anticipate this time of year is better execution, both offensively and defensively. That’s what you’re paying attention to.”.

Wichita State at DePaul basketball preview

Records: WSU 8-1, DePaul 7-2

When: Noon Saturday

Where: Wintrust Arena (10,387), Chicago, Illinois

How to watch: FS1

Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM (Mike Kennedy with Bob Hull)

Series history: Tied at 4-4 (DePaul leads 3-0 in Chicago)

Betting line: DePaul is favored by 3.5 points, WSU is +125 on moneyline and 151 is the over-under line.

KenPom says: DePaul 75, WSU 73

Projected starting lineups

Wichita State Shockers (8-1)

Coach: Paul Mills, second season, 23-20

DePaul Blue Demons (7-2)

Coach: Chris Holtmann, first season, 7-2

This story was originally published December 12, 2024 at 2:10 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.