‘Gritty not pretty’: How Shockers plan to hang with AAC frontrunner North Texas

It’s easier to prevent a fire than it is to put one out.

That’s the lesson the Wichita State men’s basketball team has learned to start American Athletic Conference play, as opponents have found comfort beyond the arc early in games and then the Shockers have struggled to contain the 3-point explosions.

WSU has allowed opponents to connect on an average of 10 triples at an absurd 43.4% rate in its 1-6 start to conference play. Even some of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country have teed off against the Shockers, as East Carolina and Tulsa combined for 24 makes beyond the arc in their wins over WSU. AAC teams have drilled 47.7% of their 3s above the break, which is nearly 15% higher than the Division I average, per CBB Analytics.

The solution begins with WSU’s urgency on defense to start games.

“We need to assert ourselves earlier,” WSU head coach Paul Mills said on his Monday radio show. “It can’t be a situation of, ‘All right, let’s see if he makes it. And then if he makes it, let’s make an adjustment.’

“It’s much harder to put the fire out once the match is lit. Let’s not even let the fire get started.”

That directive will be put to the test immediately with North Texas, tied atop the conference standings with the AAC’s No. 1 offense, coming to Koch Arena for a 6:30 p.m. game streaming on ESPN+ on Wednesday.

The Mean Green (15-4, 6-1 AAC) are equipped with the shooters plenty capable of handing WSU (11-9, 1-6 AAC) another loss on its home court. It begins with dead-eye marksman Atin Wright, a 6-foot-1 guard converting 47% of his 3-pointers in conference play, and stretch bigs like Brenen Lorient and Grant Newell that have given WSU fits in recent games.

North Texas ranks 32nd in the country in 3-point percentage (37.5%) and that mark has increased to 41.8% in conference play.

“If you are arriving on the catch, you are too late,” Mills said. “If your feet are not in the air and still on the court on the catch, it it too late. We have terms we use like ‘Kango,’ where you hop similar to a kangaroo right beside the guy. It’s not hard to figure out you’re going to make shots more difficult if you’re on the shooting pocket side. You do have to get to the side of the guy and you have to leave your feet on the arrival of the catch.

“It’s really, really frustrating (to give up so many 3s), but you try to emphasize to your guys, ‘Look at us when we do it right and look at us when we do it wrong.’”

While WSU is still a team in search of its identity with February nearing, North Texas knows exactly who it is and fully embraces its style. The program DNA has been carried over by second-year head coach Ross Hodge, as the Mean Green play at a methodical pace and a deliberate style on offense and simply bet on out-executing teams in a half-court setting.

Mills strongly hinted following Sunday’s loss at Tulsa that significant changes to playing time were coming for Wednesday’s game. The extent of those changes remains to be seen, but Mills did outline the kind of team WSU has to be on Wednesday to win.

“We have to be gritty and not pretty,” Mills said. “Right now, that’s who we are. We’re not going to have a bunch of 3-point shots go our way. At this point, that’s not what we’re doing in order to win. We’re going to win the paint points, we’re going to capitalize on our free throw opportunities and we need to make sure we limit you to one shot while making sure you’re not turning us over.”

To avoid a second straight brutal start to conference play (WSU was 1-8 and 2-11 at points last season), the Shockers can begin a turnaround by protecting its home court on Wednesday before taking a week off and heading out for two straight road games next week.

“Trials in life happen. Trials in life are not meant to destroy you, they’re meant to develop you,” Mills said. “We need that level of competition in order to get a better idea of who we are.

“I do think that this will be a really good basketball game on Wednesday. I feel good about where our preparation is and that we’ll be able to handle some of the situations that we haven’t handled well before.”

Wichita State vs. North Texas basketball preview

Records: UNT 15-4, 6-1 AAC; WSU 11-9, 1-6 AAC

When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Koch Arena (10,506), Wichita, Kan.

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

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

Series history: WSU leads 26-13 (16-5 in Wichita)

Betting line: No odds yet

KenPom says: North Texas 71, WSU 65

Projected starting lineups

North Texas Mean Green (15-4)

Coach: Ross Hodge, second season, 34-19

Wichita State Shockers (11-9)

Coach: Paul Mills, second season, 26-28

This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 6:02 AM.

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.