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Three Key Takeaways:

Gregg Marshall calls out to his team during its win over Arizona on Thursday. (Credit: AP/Charles Krupa)

1. It’s time to quit talking about if Wichita State deserves to be here. In the lead up to the NCAA Tournament there was an interesting debate about whether the Shockers should be in the field — in large part because the answer would help define how the Selection Committee makes its decisions. Now that they’re here, that debate can end. Wichita State is a very good basketball team (something we already knew), just as capable as nearly any team in the field of making it to Houston. Now the question is whether future committees can start getting seeding right by using metrics as a better arbiter than resume.
2. The Shockers have the best defense in the country. This isn’t that bold of a statement given that Wichita State has the top-ranked defense nationally, according to KenPom, but the Shockers had critics because of their weak league. On Tuesday, Wichita State held Vanderbilt’s top 50 offense to 0.72 points per possession. They then one-upped themselves tonight by completely shutting down an Arizona offense that ranks in the top 15. The Shockers play a stingy man-to-man defense that creates turnovers (23 percent turnover rate, fifth nationally), doesn’t allow offensive boards (23.6 percent, fourth) and protects the paint (41.7 two-point percentage, seventh). If they do make it to Houston in two weeks, their defense will be the reason why.
3. It was a disappointing end to a disappointing season for Arizona. The Wildcats started the year ranked in the top 15 of both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll before climbing into the top 10 with a 12-1 non-conference record. Unfortunately, Arizona couldn’t get it going away from the McKale Center during Pac-12 play, finishing 12-6 in the conference before bowing out in the conference tournament semifinals. The additions of Allonzo Treier, Kadeem Allen and Ryan Anderson were supposed to result in more than a first round exit for the Wildcats. Sean Miller has is still searching for that elusive first Final Four.

Star of the Game: Sean Miller’s soaked dress shirt captivated Twitter audience after the he sweated completely through it with eight minutes remaining in the first half. It even drew the attention of Gregg Marshall’s son, Kellen, who hollered across the court at Miller to let him know that Men’s Warehouse is having a two-for-one sale tomorrow. On the court, it was the Shockers’ stellar defense that starred more than any one player could.

Quotable:

• “Wichita State is good enough to win several more games in this tournament.” — Arizona head coach Sean Miller, on the Shockers.
• “Please don’t let anybody tell you that you’re not going to play in the NBA.”  — Miller’s message to Fred VanVleet after the game.
• “It’s hard to measure what’s inside a young man in terms of his heart.” — Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall, on what they look for in recruiting.

Sights And Sounds: Wichita State has some of the best fans in the country. Forty-eight hours after the Shockers beat Vanderbilt in Dayton, they traveled 793 miles east to fill up the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence. The Wichita State faithful live and die with every shot, but here’s the thing about its fans: They’re not just emotionally invested. They’re vicious. Whether the Shockers are up only five or as many as 20 points, their fans are still heckling officials and opposing players alike. Simply put, Wichita State fans want the Shockers to punch their opponents in the mouth, knock them down and kick them while they’re there. They’re an awfully fun group to sit near during one of their games.

What’s Next: Wichita State moves on to face Miami (FL) in the Second Round on Saturday. The Hurricanes dispatched Buffalo in a closer-than-expected opening round matchup. Will they be able to handle when the Shockers punch them right in the mouth?

Chris Stone (136 Posts)

Chris Stone is a contributor to the Big 12 microsite. You can find him on Twitter @cstonehoops.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 17th, 2016 at 11:23 pm by Chris Stone and is filed under 2016 ncaa tournament, feature, rushed reactions. Tagged: arizona, gregg marshall, sean miller, wichita state. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.