Wichita State Men’s Basketball 2020 NCAA Tournament Capsule

March 6, 2020 · Joel Welser
 

Wichita State Shockers

American (23-8, 11-7)

 
After a very strong showing in non-conference play, Wichita State struggled to an 11-7 record in American Athletic Conference play. The Shockers lost just once before January, a 75-63 defeat against West Virginia. Wins against the likes of South Carolina, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and VCU did put the Shockers in a good enough spot to make the NCAA Tournament after missing out last season and that is a step in the right direction.
 
Big Wins: 12/14 Oklahoma (80-75), 1/9 Memphis (76-67), 3/7 Tulsa (79-57)
Bad Losses: 1/15 at Temple (53-65), 2/1 at Tulsa (51-54), 3/5 at Memphis (60-68)
Coach: Gregg Marshall
 
Why They Can Surprise:
Wichita State will work their offense around 6-11 senior center Jaime Echenique. He averages 11.3 points per game and a team high 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. With forward Trey Wade and guards Dexter Dennis and Erik Stevenson helping out, the Shockers are very strong on the glass. Stevenson and Tyson Etienne can also spark the offense with their outside shooting abilities. Those two are not always the most consistent shooters, so it will be very important that they knock down some outside shots in order to loosen up the opposing defense.
 
Why They Can Disappoint:
This is a group that can struggle to hit shots though. The team as a whole connects on just 40.7 percent of their shots from the floor, ranking 321st in the nation. The good news is, at least compared to last year, the Shockers are doing better from beyond the arc thanks to Stevenson and Etienne. However, during the NCAA Tournament, a few minutes of missing shots could put Wichita State in a very difficult spot and they do not have the offensive firepower to come back from a big deficit.
 
Probable Starters:
Jamarius Burton, Sophomore, Guard, 10.3 ppg, 3.4 apg
Noah Fernandes, Freshman, Guard, 1.4 ppg, 1.2 apg
Grant Sherfield, Freshman, Guard, 8.1 ppg, 2.9 apg
Dexter Dennis, Sophomore, Guard, 9.2 ppg, 1.1 apg, 5.0 rpg
Jaime Echenique, Senior, Center, 11.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.6 bpg
 
Key Role Players:
Erik Stevenson, Sophomore, Guard, 11.1 ppg, 2.3 apg, 4.7 rpg, 1.5 spg
Tyson Etienne, Freshman, Guard, 9.4 ppg, 1.4 apg
Trey Wade, Junior, Forward, 7.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler, Sophomore, Forward, 1.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.8 (148th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.8 (35, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 40.7 (321, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.1 (14, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.9 (112, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.8 (210, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.7 (217, 8)
Rebound Margin: 4.7 (45, 2)
Assists Per Game: 14.1 (91, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.8 (141, 3)
 
Recent Postseason Appearances:
 
2019 NIT First Round win over Furman
2019 NIT Second Round win over Clemson
2019 NIT Quarterfinal win over Indiana
2019 NIT Semifinal loss to Lipscomb
2018 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Marshall
2017 NCAA Round of 64 win over Dayton
2017 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kentucky
2016 NCAA Opening Round win over Vanderbilt
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over Arizona
2016 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Miami (FL)
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over Indiana
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kansas
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Notre Dame
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over Cal Poly
2014 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kentucky
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Pittsburgh
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Gonzaga
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over LaSalle
2013 NCAA Regional Final win over Ohio State
2013 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Louisville
2012 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Virginia Commonwealth
2011 NIT First Round win over Nebraska
2011 NIT Second Round win over Virginia Tech
2011 NIT Quarterfinal win over College of Charleston
2011 NIT Semifinal win over Washington State
2011 NIT Final win over Alabama
2010 NIT First Round loss to Nevada
2009 CBI First Round win over Buffalo
2009 CBI Second Round loss to Stanford
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over Seton Hall
2006 NCAA Round of 32 win over Tennessee
2006 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to George Mason
2005 NIT Opening Round win over Houston
2005 NIT First Round win over Western Kentucky
2005 NIT Second Round loss to Vanderbilt
 
*all team stats through 3/8