The lessons Wichita State basketball can learn from crunch-time loss at Temple

If the Wichita State men’s basketball team wishes to avoid yet another slow start in American Athletic Conference play, the Shockers have a perfect learning lesson available in their loss at Temple this past Friday.

Just like so many times last season, WSU’s conference opener came down to the wire and like so many times last season, WSU emerged on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

There is plenty to dissect, starting with a key 4-minute stretch late in the second half, when WSU allowed a 4-point lead to turn into a 10-point deficit after Temple pummeled the Shockers for 19 points in nine possessions.

But WSU head coach Paul Mills was just as disappointed in his team’s defense well before that defining run: The Shockers were torched for 1.18 points per possession and conceded 24 points to Temple leading scorer Jamal Mashburn Jr.

“Eighty-five points is enough to win a basketball game,” Mills stated afterward. “This is what good players do. If you get your coverage wrong, they make you pay. Hats off to them.”

Shockers struggle with defense on scouting report

While WSU’s defense has generally been good this season, the lack of attention to detail was glaring in the loss to Temple.

For a veteran team that has the 21st-most Division I experience in the country, per KenPom.com, that is an issue that quickly needs to be corrected.

The first chance to do so arrives in a 6 p.m. Monday game against South Florida at Koch Arena (broadcast on ESPN2).

Mills didn’t specify WSU’s strategy on defending Mashburn, but it seemed evident upon a film review by The Eagle that the Shockers wanted to force the 6-foot-2 sharpshooter left and go over all screens to force him off the 3-point line.

In the first 10 minutes alone, WSU ducked under a screen once and gave up a right-handed drive twice that resulted in eight points for Mashburn. Mills described the sequence as “botched coverage after botched coverage.”

Mashburn did burn the Shockers twice on difficult jump shots going to his left, but when executed properly, WSU’s defense effectively bottled up one of the most potent scorers in the AAC.

Mashburn was clearly not as aggressive going left and WSU managed to force contested misses, poke the ball loose, deflect his passes or force the ball out of his hands altogether when he was forced that way.

The problem was WSU didn’t execute at nearly a high enough rate, especially to win on the road.

“We did not change our coverage the entire night because when we did it right, it worked,” Mills said. “I’m a big believer in the first thing you change is effort, the second thing you change is personnel and the third thing you change is scheme.

“We never got to scheme. To be honest with you, we didn’t do a good job with (effort). You’ve got to do a good job with (effort), then if (effort) isn’t working, then you move to personnel. There were some phases where we did that, but we never really had to change the scheme, we just needed to do what we were asked to do at a much better rate.”

When asked about the execution of the scouting report, WSU senior point guard Justin Hill said the players have to shoulder the responsibility for Friday’s lapses.

“The coaches gave us the game plan and they constantly told us to get up because (Mashburn) likes to pull up,” Hill said. “We just weren’t up enough. He did exactly what (the coaches) said he was going to do, so we’ve just got to do better about executing on defense.”

Key run sinks Wichita State in road loss to Temple

Mashburn was mostly uninvolved in the 19-5 run Temple pulled off between the 7:48 mark and the 3:39 mark in the second half. Here are the litany of mistakes WSU made after opening up a 66-62 lead:

• Harlond Beverly tries to push the pace and is caught in the air without a target. His pass is deflected and turned into a pair of free throws for a tied game at 66.
• WSU’s defense forces a miss and has a 4-on-1 advantage for the rebound, but Xavier Bell is whistled for a foul with poor box-out form. Temple’s Aiden Tobiason turns the mistake into two more points at the foul line for a 68-66 lead.
• Bell probes the defense, but Tobiason pokes the ball loose and Corey Washington is called for his fifth foul trying to retrieve the ball with 5:27 remaining.
• Quincy Ballard is fouled underneath and the improved foul shooter this season misses both attempts for another empty WSU possession.
• Bijan Cortes gives up a right-handed drive that Mashburn converts with a tough finish at the rim to cap the onslaught and put the Owls up 81-71 with 3:39 remaining.

Afterward, Bell took ownership of his mistakes — a technical foul earlier in the game and the missed box-out that led to four points for Temple.

“That stuff adds up over the course of the game,” Bell said. “I got a tech that really hurt my team and I didn’t box out and it led to two more free throws for them. So I’ve got to clean that up on my end and at the same time, we’ve got to stick together. We’re a great team. Like (Mills) said, 85 points is enough to win a basketball game. We’ve just got to buckle down and find our identity on defense.”

Shot-making separated WSU and Temple

Another theme that was constant last season in WSU’s close losses was the difference in shot-making between the Shockers and their opponent. That played out once again in Philadelphia.

It wasn’t that WSU necessarily played poor defense down the stretch against Temple, it was the Owls stepped up and drilled difficult shots.

Like when Quante Berry, a 28% 3-point shooter entering the game, buried a deep 3 off the dribble for a 71-69 lead. Or when Steve Settle canned a 3 and a long 2 over what can only be considered as solid defense.

Or when the ball swung to Zion Stanford in the corner and the 30% career 3-point shooter stepped up and made the shot.

“As a coach, in those situations you’re trying to put people in spots to initiate offense,” Temple coach Adam Fisher said, “And you’ve got to have the trust in your players to go and deliver.”

While Temple’s players certainly delivered, WSU’s players failed to capitalize on what seemed like higher-quality looks. Bell missed two close-range shots, Matej Bosnjak missed a point-blank hook shot and A.J. McGinnis misfired on a pull-up jumper. Not to mention Ballard coming up empty at the foul line as part of a dreadful 16-for-28 performance for what had been a much-improved shooting WSU team.

The Shockers need better ball movement, in the opinion of Mills, the next time crunch time rolls around.

“The ball has got to change sides and it’s got to change hands,” Mills said. “I thought the ball stayed on one side and it never changed sides. You’re just relying on one action. Some of that is just trust in your teammates. We know what to do out of certain formations, but we just never got to the second-side formation. The ball has to change sides, it has to change hands and we just didn’t do enough of that down the stretch.”

South Florida at Wichita State basketball preview

Records: USF 8-6, 1-0 AAC; WSU 10-4, 0-1 AAC

When: 6 p.m. Monday

Where: Koch Arena (10,506), Wichita

How to watch: ESPN2 (Chuckie Kempf with John Williams)

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

Series history: WSU leads 9-2 (5-0 in Wichita)

Betting line: WSU is an 8-point favorite with over-under set at 154 on Draft Kings

KenPom says: WSU 82, USF 73

Projected starting lineups

South Florida Bulls (8-6)

Coach: Ben Fletcher, first season, 8-6

Wichita State Shockers (10-4)

Coach: Paul Mills, second season, 25-23

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.