Last Wednesday’s loss to South Florida doesn’t mean Wichita State basketball is out of the race.
Coach Paul Mills said Friday the path to secure a top two seed for the American Conference Championship in March is “still right there in front” of the Shockers. So is chasing down the Bulls at the top.
“The truth is the American is a one-bid league, and you’re going to have to win the conference tournament,” he said Friday. “(With) the new format, it’s (set up in) a way that favors the top two seeds. Everybody in the conference understands it.
“We’re basically in control of our own destiny, and that’s what you want. You don’t want to be dependent upon anybody else in order to get the better seeding in the conference tournament.”
But Temple and Tulsa’s losses on Wednesday surely help. So does the fact that Wichita State (15-10, 7-5 American) hosts both of them at Koch Arena. They’re the only teams ahead of WSU in the league standings that haven’t been matched up against or beaten by the Shockers.
The Golden Hurricane (20-5, 8-4) pays a visit Saturday (today) at 6 p.m. for the second game of a home-and-home this season.
Not much has changed in the 13 days between the Tulsa trip and Roundhouse rematch.
Forward David Green is still making a case for the conference’s Player of the Year award. Guard Tylen Riley, who dropped a career-high 30 on WSU last time out, still presents a matchup nightmare. There’s still plenty of experienced players to go around on fourth-year coach Eric Konkol’s roster.
“They do the things that are required in order to win,” Mills said. “They rebound the basketball. And you can get caught up in the finesse and the shooting and their level of execution and their efficiency, which is off the charts, but they do a great job of how they plug in regard to defending personnel. Then at the same time, phenomenal job at just limiting teams to one shot.”
Video breakdown after the initial Feb. 1 loss showed a lack of physicality from WSU. The Shockers were outrebounded for just the third time this season, and Tulsa hit at a clip they couldn’t keep up with.
They also lost the rebounding margin against South Florida, which will likely become another game-deciding margin. Shot quality and making should be at the forefront, too.
WSU made just 27% of its second-half shots against the Bulls and ended the game with just two buckets on 18 attempts.
“That’s still fresh on the guy’s mind,” Mills said. “At the same time, our physicality in the second half against South Florida wasn’t what it needed to be. The message is pretty consistent as it pertains to these two games.”
Game information
What: Tulsa (20-5, 8-4) vs. Wichita State (15-10, 7-5)
When: Saturday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. CT
Where: Charles Koch Arena (10,506), Wichita, Kan.
How to watch: ESPN+, Mark Ewing (pbp) & Bob Hull (analyst)
How to listen: KEYN (103.7 FM), Mike Kennedy (pbp) & Dave Dahl (analyst)
Probable starters
WSU
- Karon Boyd, forward (11.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.2 apg)
- Kenyon Giles, guard (18.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.7 apg)
- Dillon Battie, forward (6.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.7 apg)
- Mike Gray Jr., guard (8.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.3 apg)
- Emmanuel Okorafor, center (6.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.5 apg)
Tulsa
- Ade Popoola, guard (9.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 apg)
- Tyler Behrend, forward (6.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.8 apg)
- Tylen Riley, guard (14.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.0 apg)
- Miles Barnstable, guard (14.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.6 apg)
- David Green, forward (16.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.4 apg)
*Probable starters information comes from the most recent lineup in the teams’ notes provided before the game.
American Conference standings
- South Florida: 9-3 (17-8)
- Tulsa: 8-4 (20-5)
- Temple: 7-4 (15-9)
- Charlotte: 7-4 (13-11)
- UAB: 7-5 (16-9)
- Wichita State: 7-5 (15-10)
- Memphis: 7-5 (12-12)
- Florida Atlantic: 6-6 (14-11)
- Tulane: 5-6 (14-10)
- North Texas: 5-7 (14-11)
- Rice: 5-7 (11-14)
- East Carolina: 3-8 (8-16)
- UTSA: 0-12 (4-20)
