What we learned from Wichita State’s basketball win over Wofford
Wichita State checked the win column Wednesday night, but not without a reminder that the margins remain slim.
The Shockers held off Wofford 84-73 at Koch Arena to improve to 7-5 on the season, matching the Terriers’ record in a game that was far more uncomfortable than the final score suggests. WSU built double-digit cushions only to see them shrink to four on multiple occasions in the second half, forcing the Shockers to repeatedly answer under pressure.
They did — just enough — to secure their sixth home win of the season and avoid a late stumble before conference play looms. With one nonconference game remaining, Sunday’s matchup against Eastern Kentucky now serves as a final tuneup before American Conference play begins.
Here are three key takeaways from a win that tested Wichita State’s focus as much as its execution.
1. Shockers find just enough to put away Wofford
With Wofford once again clawing within four, WSU found itself at a crossroads and badly in need of a steadying play.
Out of a timeout, WSU head coach Paul Mills delivered. The Shockers executed a perfectly drawn up alley-oop, with Mike Gray Jr. floating the pass and Jaret Valencia hanging in the air to hammer home the dunk, a play that jolted the sparse Koch Arena crowd back to life.
That sequence opened the floodgates. Karon Boyd buried a corner 3, then T.J. Williams shook his defender with a slick crossover and finish to push the lead to 67-58 with 4:47 left. Kenyon Giles followed with another triple before Gray supplied the final blow, converting a three-point play with 1:35 remaining to stretch the margin to 78-67.
WSU was not seriously threatened after that stretch.
Giles led the way with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while Dre Kindell added a career-high 19 off the bench. Will Berg, back from a one-game injury absence, chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds — six on the offensive glass — in 26 minutes.
2. Wichita State spent much of the game playing with its food
The Shockers flirted with danger on Wednesday.
WSU did enough in an uneven first half to build a comfortable 41-29 halftime lead, but any sense of control quickly evaporated coming out of the locker room. Wofford opened the second half with eight straight points, slicing the margin to 41-37 in just over two minutes and forcing Mills to burn an early timeout.
The timeout briefly restored order. Behind six points from Berg, WSU rattled off a 13-3 run to push the lead to 54-40 with 13:41 remaining, threatening to turn the game into a rout.
But the Shockers couldn’t sustain their focus. Over the next five minutes, Wofford answered with a 13-3 run of its own, cutting the lead to 57-53 with eight minutes still to play.
Another somewhat concerning trend was allowing Wofford to rack up 15 offensive rebounds — and outrebound WSU 37-34 — when the Terriers weren’t a particularly strong rebounding team entering the matchup.
WSU ultimately recovered to push for victory, but it was a reminder that comfort can be costly.
3. Former Wichita State staffer gives Wofford insider insight
What looked like an ordinary midweek game carried an unusual subplot on the Wofford bench. Each time WSU ran offense toward the opposite end of the floor and Mills raised his voice to call out a set, a Wofford coach would immediately start deciphering what was coming.
That was no coincidence. That coach was Andrew Muse, Wofford’s player development coach, who spent the previous two seasons on Mills’ bench as a graduate assistant.
Muse’s eyes were locked on his former boss. Mills would bark out a play. Muse would immediately relay it to Wofford’s players — almost always predicting what was coming.
Sometimes it didn’t matter. WSU’s size and athleticism overwhelmed the scheme and produced baskets anyway. Other times, Muse’s instant recognition helped Wofford disrupt timing and take away first options.
The matchup was scheduled before Muse, who was viewed as a promising, up-and-coming coach, joined Wofford’s staff.
This story was originally published December 17, 2025 at 8:42 PM.
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