Wichita State’s Monday starters
Highlights of the week ahead:
▪ Wichita State’s men’s basketball team doesn’t play until Saturday at Saint Louis (8 p.m., ESPNU). Ron Baker needs that break to rest. Fred VanVleet needs that time to continue healing his left hamstring. The rest of the Shockers need that time to regain their confidence and find ways to score after an 0-3 week at the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando, Fla.
▪ WSU’s volleyball team returns to the NCAA Tournament. The Shockers play Kansas State on Friday (4:30 p.m.) in Lincoln, Neb. Either Nebraska or Harvard awaits the winner. OK, Nebraska awaits the winner. There are no upsets in volleyball.
▪ WSU women’s basketball plays Southeast Missouri State at Koch Arena Friday (12:05 p.m., ESPN3).
Looking back:
▪ A rough week for Shockers basketball, physically, emotionally and in the record books.
Senior center Anton Grady suffered a spinal concussion and is out for an unknown amount of time. His injury made a gloomy 0-3 record in Florida even more dark. The 20th-ranked Shockers lost close games to Southern California (72-69) and Alabama (64-60) before Iowa hammered them 84-61.
The losses exposed several issues. Many can be fixed when Fred VanVleet returns and Conner Frankamp becomes eligible. But there’s also other issues — inside scoring, defensive stopper, defensive breakdowns — that aren’t as easy to solve. Everybody knew VanVleet’s absence would hurt. Losing Grady late in the Alabama game added to the challenge. However, a team with Final Four aspirations needs to possess players capable of stepping up in tough times.
It didn’t happen in Florida. The Shockers have four months to apply duct tape and spackle to make the season whole again.
▪ What a great week for Shockers volleyball. It won the MVC Tournament. On Sunday, three MVC members earned at-large bids, which puts the conference in a great light.
The Big Ten put nine teams in the field of 64, followed by the Pac 12 with seven and the Big 12 with five. The SEC and West Coast also placed four in the tournament.
Monday’s reading recommendation:
This player might be the best in all of college basketball.
This story was originally published November 29, 2015 at 9:41 PM with the headline "Wichita State’s Monday starters."