Shockers No. 5 in KenPom preseason rankings
Wichita State huddles on the court right before tipoff of the game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis. (Mar. 19, 2017)
On Selection Sunday, the Shockers were sitting at the No. 8 spot in the KenPom ratings.
Ken Pomeroy, the creator of KenPom.com, is well-known for using possession-by-possession data metrics to guide his ranking of teams. He uses statistics from all NCAA Division I teams to determine which teams are better than others. After each game played, his data is updated and the ranking adjust accordingly.
Pomeroy tweeted on Monday that he would be releasing his 2018 pre-season top ten on Tuesday morning. He followed up his original tweet with a teaser that Wichita State would be included in the top ten rankings.
Sneak preview: my computer thinks Gregg Marshall would deeply regret leaving Wichita this offseason.
— Ken Pomeroy (@kenpomeroy) March 20, 2017
In the rankings released Tuesday, Wichita State was listed at the No. 5 preseason spot.
“There will be a time for Gregg Marshall to lead a larger program, but that time is not now since he may have his best team ever next season,” Pomeroy wrote. “The Shockers lose exactly zero people from their ten-man rotation and one would think they could score some made-for-TV non-conference matchups to spice up the schedule.”
The Shockers join Villanova, Arizona, Kentucky, Gonzaga, Virginia, Florida, Louisville, North Carolina and West Virginia in the top ten.
Pomeroy said his rankings are based on several factors that might change including the players expected to declare in this year’s NBA Draft, the teams that are still in the NCAA Tournament, where the top recruits for next season are planning to play and any player and/or coaching changes to rosters during the offseason.
