NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Baylor rolling, Ohio State tumbling

Wichita State just keeps rolling. The Shockers picked up two more solid wins during this week by taking down Memphis at home and going on the road to defeat UConn (in double-OT). These two victories moved the team to 15-1 (3-0 AAC) on the year and deservedly propelled the team up the rankings just a bit. Wichita State has clearly performed admirably so far this season and it is starting to prove itself a bit more on the road.

While the Shockers have only played four games away-from-home all season, they are 3-1 in those contests with wins over South Carolina, Oklahoma State, and UConn. Their lone loss came to West Virginia, who I will talk about a bit more later in these rankings. I would still like to see this team play a few more true road games before launching them closer to the Top 10 but I have been impressed by their defensive play throughout this season.

Head coach Gregg Marshall is working with a very young roster but everybody seems to be connected on the defensive end of the floor. That is easier said than done and Coach Marshall deserves consideration as an early candidate for the National Coach of the Year award as a result. Wichita State, in my opinion, is now the clear favorite to win the AAC. Houston and Memphis could both be solid contenders for the title behind them but I lean in favor of the Shockers moving forward.

They are superb defensively and Erik Stevenson is beginning to emerge as the go-to scoring threat for the team. The sophomore guard is averaging 18.5 points (.457/.433/.826) and 6.3 rebounds per game over WSU’s last four contests. He is showing more assertiveness and that is critical for the team’s development.