NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Butler, Villanova rising for the Big East

Wichita State is rolling right now. Ever since falling to West Virginia at a neutral site a couple of weeks ago, the Shockers have been absolutely on a tear and that includes taking down some highly-regarded opposition. In fact, head coach Gregg Marshall’s team most recently has handled Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and VCU in three consecutive games to warrant plenty of top-25 attention.

The Shockers are defending at an elite level, particularly in the paint, and are emerging as a legitimate contender near the top of the AAC.

I had high hopes for Wichita State coming into this season as a potential NCAA Tournament team and the team has definitely exceeded my expectations. The Shockers sit at 10-1 on the young season and are ranked at No. 33 on KenPom. That rating should continue to improve in the coming weeks as well as the team has already climbed 29 spots since the preseason.

Looking ahead, Wichita State finishes non-conference play with what should be a tune-up game against Abilene Christian.

With regard to individual contributors, freshmen Tyson Etienne and Grant Sherfield have been particularly impressive so far this season. Erik Stevenson is the team’s leading scorer but the two newcomers have been fantastic in the backcourt while supplying different contributions. Etienne is more of a scorer at 11.0 points on 28-for-62 shooting from three (45.2%) while Sherfield is supplying a bit more playmaking.

It was recently announced that Dexter Dennis is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team but the Shockers should still be quite strong. Wishing the best to Dennis.