Wichita State Basketball: What makes the Shockers a contender?

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 22: The Wichita State Shockers bench and fans celebrate a point during the first half of the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irishat the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 22, 2017 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

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Wichita State has terrific balance

Of the elite teams in the country, many are only elite on one end of the floor. Looking at the ACC, Duke and Virginia are prime examples of this. Duke is the most talented offensive team in the country while their defense is falling behind. The evidence of this can be seen in the Blue Devils’ losses to Boston College and NC State. Virginia, on the other hand, is the best defensive team in the nation but their offense lags behind in production.

Wichita State, although behind both the Blue Devils and the Cavaliers in the most recent AP poll, have more balance than just about anyone in the nation. For the year, the Shockers are 23rd in the nation in scoring offense at 85.1 points scored per game. In addition, their defense ranks in the top-100 at 96th in the nation, giving up 68.8 points per contest.

In their first three AAC games, those numbers have not changed much. The team is scoring 82.7 points (tops in the conference) and allowing just 60.7 points (4th in the conference) in their matchups with Connecticut, Houston, and South Florida.

This balance obviously has a lot to do with the personnel but it starts with the head coach. Gregg Marshall is one of the best in the business and he does an excellent job getting the most out of his players on both ends of the floor. Marshall consistently brings in under-the-radar recruits that fit the system that he runs.