With finals and winter break clearing the calendar, Wichita State men’s basketball coach Paul Mills insists this is no time for complacency. 

December, he says, is critical in building momentum for the American Conference and a push toward March.

“You have to have a game for March,” Mills said. “Everything’s about building, and we understand that there’s a climb involved. It’s uphill, not vice versa.”

Sophomore forward Dillon Battie stayed on the floor hours after Thursday morning’s practice ended, a real-time example of the urgency and discipline that’s required.

The Shockers (6-4) begin a three-game homestand Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPNU against DePaul (7-3), a Big East team that has yet to play a game in an opponent’s arena. Wofford (6-4) visits Dec. 17, followed by Eastern Kentucky (3-7) on Dec. 21, giving WSU an opportunity to build confidence and a four-game win streak before league play.

Practices this week were shifted earlier to prepare for the morning tipoff.

“If you’re juiceless, you’re useless,” Mills said. “Guys have had tremendous juice at these 10 a.m. practices. Last time we played the 11 a.m. game was Memphis last year, and so you’re making guys aware about the routines and things that are necessary.”

DePaul won’t likely repeat last year’s 17 3-pointers — 31% of its makes this season are from beyond the arc — but the Blue Demons are a threat when ball movement is crisp. They assist on 69% of buckets, average 17.7 per game (40th nationally), and boast a 1.57 assist-to-turnover ratio. 

That passing attack will challenge the Shockers’ switch-heavy defense to stay disciplined among the movement.

Returners CJ Gunn (13.8 points), NJ Benson (11.2 points) and Layden Blocker (12.2 points) lead DePaul’s scoring, each averaging double figures. Gunn and Benson already have posted season highs of 28 and 26 points, respectively.

“They returned a number of pieces,” Mills said. “They don’t shoot the same amount of threes that they did a year ago, but put tremendous pressure on the rim, which puts tremendous pressure on your defense.”

WSU will face its own challenge on offense, too. DePaul limits opponents to 17.8 3-point attempts a game (12th nationally), countering one of the Shockers’ biggest weapons. WSU averages 21.4 attempts at a 36% rate from 3-point range and set a program record with 16 threes against Loyola-Chicago earlier this season. But where one area gets taken away, another opens up.

“They fan out on personnel issues, so it’s going to allow paint touches,” Mills said. “But they do not let you post up the ball, whether it be through pushdowns or through entry (passes) — they just don’t let you post the ball. All of that to say, you’ve got to be able to counter some of that.”

Redshirt freshman TJ Williams could be key in countering DePaul’s defense. He delivered in last Saturday’s overtime win at Northern Iowa, and his ability to attack the paint, and find backdoor cuts and mismatches may be decisive against a DePaul defense that puts an emphasis on guarding the perimeter but concedes driving lanes.

And in a close game, Mills knows the Shockers’ identity must show. From the 0-3 Battle 4 Atlantis to last week’s win against the Panthers at the McLeod Center, he’s seen growth.

“There was a brand of basketball that started long before any of us got here,” Mills said. “Being in a blue-collar city, you make tough plays. Certain games are DNA games — are we about this? I just thought that our approach was better (against UNI), our willingness to get to basketballs was better.”

One player embracing that identity is junior center Will Berg. Against Saint Mary’s in the Bahamas, he pulled down an offensive rebound and threw an inadvertent pass that resulted in a turnover. On a similar play in overtime at UNI, he crashed the glass, and instead of deferring, finished with a forceful putback to give the Shockers the go-ahead lead.

“I’m just really proud of the approach that players took,” Mills said. “They’re embracing more of what’s required in order to wear this uniform.”

Now that classes aren’t in session, WSU has ample time to iron out its edges before conference play hits. And it starts with the 11 a.m. tipoff Saturday against DePaul.

“It’s such a critical time,” Mills said. “You have to use this time in order to get ready for conference because it comes pretty quick.”