Savannah State continues laborious road schedule at Wichita State
Horace Broadnax’s Tigers enter Tuesday’s game shooting the third-most three-pointers of any team in the country.
Wichita State Shockers fans cheers as the team enter the area at the start of the game against College of Charleston in Koch arena.
Savannah State enters Charles Koch Arena a stranger Tuesday night.
No. 8 Wichita State hosts coach Horace Broadnax’s Tigers at 7 p.m. The two programs haven’t met before.
Savannah State has just two wins on the year — against Middle Georgia State University and Alabama State. That hasn’t stopped the Tigers from seeking a challenging schedule. In seven games, they’ve played at Cincinnati and Texas Tech. Add a stop at Wichita State, but the travel doesn’t end there.
The Tigers face a seven-game road stretch that includes Texas A&M, Baylor, Virginia and Michigan State — three of which are included inside the top 6 of KenPom’s rankings system.
In the Tigers’ two wins, their fast-paced offense has gilded more than 100 points. But those came against Alabama State, who is ranked 341 in KenPom, and Middle Georgia State, who isn’t ranked in the system.
The Tigers last played at Texas Tech, where they suffered a 103-69 loss to the Red Raiders. In that game, junior forward John Grant came off the bench and led with 18 points. Two starters for the Tigers were held scoreless.
In Wichita, the Tigers could be in for something close to a repeat.
Texas Tech (6-0) is listed No. 9 in defensive efficiency, and No. 33 in offensive efficiency, by KenPom.com. WSU is listed No. 13 in defensive efficiency and No. 5 in offensive efficiency under the same metrics.
The Tigers don’t rebound at the same pace as their opponents, and the rely on three-pointers for more than 40 percent of their points — and they shoot the three the third most of any team in the country, according to KenPom. Just because they shoot them, doesn’t mean they make them. Though three-pointers make up 54 percent of their shot selection, the Tigers make just 29 percent from distance — their accuracy numbers rank as some of the lowest in the country from outside the perimeter.
“[The Tigers are] going to press anytime they can,” WSU head coach Gregg Marshall said Monday.
The Shockers will practice against a zone defense from Savannah State before traveling to Baylor to face Scott Drew’s 1-3-1 zone defense on Saturday.
Evan Pflugradt is the former sports editor of The Sunflower. Pflugradt past served as the publication's Editor in Chief, Opinion Editor and a reporter....
