How important is rebounding and keeping possessions alive in March?

“It’s the catalyst,” Wichita State basketball coach Paul Mills said.

The Shockers, who played their third game in four days last Tuesday in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament against Wyoming, needed it to be the catalyst to push their season to another game.

Mills admitted he saw “tired legs” against the Cowboys. Players, on the other hand, downplayed the recent loaded stretch of games. Wichita State shot just 30.6% in the first half but nailed its attempts at a 56.8% rate in the second.

For the game, the Shockers pulled down 55 rebounds — their fifth time securing 50 or more this season — for a plus-21 advantage on the glass, including 17 on the offensive end. The battle of the boards turned out to be the decision-maker in what was a not-so aesthetically pleasing contest from either team.

Wichita State (23-11) had to rely on its established identity on the glass; it ranks fourth nationally in offensive rebounds per game. It may need to lean on that identity again at 7:30 p.m. Sunday when the third-seeded Shockers play the second-seeded Cowboys of Oklahoma State (20-14) in the NIT’s second round at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.

“These are possession games, and you have to win the possession battle,” Mills said. “The way you win the possession battle is you rebound and take care of the basketball.”

That bruising identity wasn’t developed overnight, either.

Players like forward Karon Boyd and centers Will Berg and Emmanuel Okorafor were targeted in the transfer portal because of their proven ability on the glass at their previous stops. Forwards TJ Williams and Dillon Battie, another transfer, have grown this season as underclassmen.

Mills said the first thing the team reviews in film is rebounding. They often go through two rebounding-specific drills a practice and sometimes start practices with one. Needless to say, it’s an emphasis of Wichita State’s.

“I’m a believer in what you emphasize is probably who you are,” Mills said. “There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t talk through it on the court, and more importantly, do it on the court.”

The many hours spent on winning the boards have shown up all over the numbers now, this late into the season. Tuesday’s 55 rebounds were the latest, and perhaps most fitting, example.

Overall, however, the Shockers pull down 38.3% of their misses, and 19.5% of their offense is generated from second-chance points. Both rank in the 99th-percentile compared to the national average, according to CBB Analytics.

While Wichita State defensive rebounds at a 71% rate, a little under the 75%-mark Mills said he prefers, it still ranks well above the national average as well.

Defensively, Wichita State will have its hands full Sunday night against one of the highest scoring teams in the nation. 

The Cowboys’ unit ranked second in the Big 12 and 22nd in the country in points per game with 84.2.

“(Oklahoma State) has three really good guards, who can go get their own,” Mills said. “I think Steve Lutz (OSU’s head coach) does a phenomenal job at putting those guys in (scoring) situations.” 

The Cowboys also play at a very fast pace, which serves as a stark contrast to the Shockers’ speed. Oklahoma State ranks fifth nationally with 74.3 possessions per 40 minutes, while WSU is 219th in the nation at 67.3 possessions per 40 minutes, according to Warren Nolan.

However, the Shockers are poised to put up a lot of points on Oklahoma State’s lackluster defense. The Cowboys gave up the most points out of all 16 Big 12 teams at 83.9 points per game.

Oklahoma State defeated Davidson, 84-80, Tuesday at Gallagher-Iba Arena after trailing 50-40 at halftime.

Junior guard Kanye Clary scored 20 points and senior guard Christian Coleman notched 15 points and 13 rebounds in the victory. Freshman center Benjamin Ahmed also added 16 points and six rebounds to the team totals.

Before tip-off in Oklahoma State’s first round NIT win over Davidson, it was announced that guards Anthony Roy, Vyctorius Miller and Isaiah Coleman would not be play against the Wildcats for violating team rules. 

Parsa Fallah and Andrija Vukovic are also unavailable because of injuries. Roy is the Cowboys’ leading scorer with 17.2 points per game, and Fallah is second with 14.7 and grabs a team high six rebounds per game, as well.

But if it comes down to the margins again against a different team named the Cowboys, then the Shockers know what identity they need to maintain.

“It’s really about desire,” Mills said. “You have to have guys on the court who have a hunger.”

Game Information

What: No. 3 Wichita State (23-11) at No. 2 Oklahoma State (20-14), NIT Second Round

When: Sunday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. CDT

Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611), Stillwater, Okla.

How to watch: ESPN2, Rich Hollenberg (pbp) & Mark Adams (analyst)

How to listen: KEYN (103.7 FM), Mike Kennedy (pbp), Dave Dahl (analyst) & Bob Hull (analyst)

Probable Starters 

WSU

• Karon Boyd, forward (10.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.6 apg)
• Kenyon Giles, guard (19.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.5 apg)
• Dillon Battie, forward (7.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.7 apg)
• Mike Gray Jr., guard (8.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.3 apg)
• Emmanuel Okorafor, center (6.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.5 apg)

OSU

• Christian Coleman, forward (9.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 apg)
• Benjamin Ahmed, forward (4.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.3 apg)
• Jaylen Curry, guard (10.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.6 apg)
• Kanye Clary, guard (10.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.7 apg)
• Ryan Crotty, guard (2.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.5 apg)

*Probable starters information comes from the most recent lineup in the teams’ notes provided before the game.

NIT Second Round Schedule

Saturday, March 21

• No. 2 Dayton vs. UNC Wilmington, 6 p.m., ESPN+
• No. 2 Nevada vs. Liberty, 8 pm., ESPN+

Sunday, March 22

• No. 1 Wake Forest vs. No. 4 Illinois State, 3:30 p.m., ESPN2
• No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 4 Seattle U, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2
• No. 1 Tulsa vs. Nevada-Las Vegas, 6 p.m., ESPNU
• No. 1 New Mexico vs. George Washington, 7 p.m., ESPN+
• No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. No. 3 Wichita State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
• No. 2 Cal-Berkeley vs. Saint Joseph’s, 8 p.m., ESPNU