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Old 01-16-2022, 12:47 AM   #1
sedziobs
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@Wichita St

Sunday, January 16th, 2022
1:00 PM
Charles Koch Arena
ESPN

The Shockers (9-6, 0-3 AAC, NET #88, KenPom #89) are off to a rough start in conference play, dropping their first three games including home losses to Memphis (by 18) and Tulane. They put together some impressive showings in the non-conference, beating Oklahoma St on the road and taking Arizona to overtime on a neutral floor.

WSU's recent slide is largely due to their defense, which had been stellar before the calendar turned to 2022. They have given up more than a point per possession in each of their conference losses, but did so only once in 12 non-conference games. Overall, their defense is still ranked #26 in the country. They are particularly good at defending the three point line, blocking shots, and forcing turnovers.

On offense, WSU has been below average this season. Tyson Etienne is struggling to shoot the ball after a great sophomore season. He takes more than 8 threes per game but makes under 32%. He is also shooting sub-40% inside the arc and has a higher turnover rate than assist rate. Etienne doesn't get to the rim very often either, with just one attempt per game. It all adds up to an ORtg under 97, a far cry from the 115 he posted a year ago.

The rest of the team is not much better shooting the ball. The Shockers are most efficient at the free throw line, where they shoot 74% as a team. Big man Morris Udeze is the most efficient scorer, though his minutes are often limited due to foul trouble. He has fouled out in 20 minutes or less 3 times so far this season. Udeze and Dexter Dennis both sat out the last game against Tulane due to Covid protocols.

I think the keys to game are taking care of the ball and keeping them off the free throw line.
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Old 01-16-2022, 07:19 AM   #2
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Great breakdown.

Since the start of conference play, we've had the worst 3-point defense in the league (allowing 41.1%) but we've also had the best 2-point defense (allowing 38.4%).

On the flip side, Wichita have had the 2nd best 3-point defense in the AAC over their 3 league games (allowing 28.6%), but have also had an abominably bad 2-point defense (allowing 58.5%) that is the worst in the league.

Even though we've won 7 of 9 match-ups since the Shockers have joined the AAC, the games have typically been very close with 6 of the 9 games having been decided by 4 points or less.

We're 1.5 point underdogs but I feel confident about our chances.
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Old 01-16-2022, 11:36 AM   #3
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Udeze and Dennis will play today, but starting PG Craig Porter is out. He leads the team in assist rate.
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Old 01-16-2022, 12:08 PM   #4
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Ugly offense for both teams so far.
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Old 01-16-2022, 12:19 PM   #5
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Koval seems really good. Not sure why we play Adu at all.
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Old 01-16-2022, 12:19 PM   #6
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Lakhin being out (hip injury) really emphasizes how incapable of scoring our bigs are. Our offense is ugly right now.
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Old 01-16-2022, 12:21 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawrugby View Post
Koval seems really good. Not sure why we play Adu at all.
Koval is quite a bit worse on the glass and defensively on the interior. He's skilled at guarding smaller guys and shooting the three. But if you want someone in there fighting for missed balls, Ado is the better choice. Given how often we are missing, we need offensive rebounds.
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Old 01-16-2022, 12:26 PM   #8
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Saunders forcing things again. Very selfish young man.
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Old 01-16-2022, 12:34 PM   #9
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Adu’s hands must be made of stone. Never seen so many rebounds hit a guy in the hands and he not be able to grab them.
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Old 01-16-2022, 12:35 PM   #10
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Watching this team try to rebound sometimes makes me want to yank my hair out
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