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Wichita State Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Shockers

By Brian Rauf

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY - FEBRUARY 18: Gregg Marshall the head coach of the Witchita State Shockers gives instructions to his team during the 76-72 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats at BB&T Arena on February 18, 2018 in Highland Heights, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY - FEBRUARY 18: Gregg Marshall the head coach of the Witchita State Shockers gives instructions to his team during the 76-72 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats at BB&T Arena on February 18, 2018 in Highland Heights, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 16: Head coach Gregg Marshall of the Wichita State Shockers gestures in the first half against the Marshall Thundering Herd during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 16: Head coach Gregg Marshall of the Wichita State Shockers gestures in the first half against the Marshall Thundering Herd during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Season outlook

Wichita State enters 2018-19 in a precarious position. Other teams in the American are going to be better thanks to returning talent (UCF, Houston) while others should be better thanks to new coaching hires (Memphis, UConn).

Would anyone be surprised if, led by Marshall, Wichita State turned back into a defensive juggernaut and clawed their way into being a fringe top 25 team? Probably not.

At the same time, would anyone be surprised if a team this inexperienced, lacking offensive firepower, finishes in the middle of the American and doesn’t sniff an NCAA Tournament at-large berth? Probably not.

I expect the Shockers to end up somewhere in the middle when all is said and done. Marshall’s best teams have had a chip on their shoulder and been defensive-minded – both traits this team expects to have. The only question I have is if they’ll be able to score enough to really compete against the better teams they’ll face.

Next. Preseason AAC Rankings for 2018-19. dark

Look for Wichita State to be on the bubble for a majority of the season with a win total in the low 20s. As to which side of the bubble they’ll fall, that will depend on how many quality teams they beat with those wins (as we saw last year, good wins matter more than bad losses).