What Wichita State basketball must do to beat Oklahoma State: TV, lineups, game preview

Back-to-back wins at Koch Arena have stabilized the Wichita State men’s basketball team, but haven’t completely erased the disappointment from allowing a pair of shoulda-been wins slip away against two straight high-major opponents.

The Shockers (6-4) feel like they have a chance to redeem themselves in a Saturday night showdown against Oklahoma State (6-4) in downtown Wichita with tip-off set for 8 p.m. with a national television audience watching on ESPNU.

“We want our revenge,” WSU point guard Craig Porter said. “We kind of took it all for granted earlier in the year and we needed a punch in the face to get us going. I feel like we’ve taken those punches and we ain’t looking back now.”

While Oklahoma State is just 1-4 against teams ranked in the top-105 of the NET rankings, the Cowboys are rated by KenPom.com as the 34th-best team in the country and present an opportunity for a marquee victory that escaped the Shockers in losses to Missouri and Kansas State.

Since the regional rivalry was renewed in 2016, the road team has won the game all five times, a trend WSU will look to reverse on Saturday in the final game of four-year agreement.

“Our guys are excited about the opportunity,” WSU head coach Isaac Brown said. “They know we had two games we could have easily won. They’re ready for a second chance. They learned from that and they know that we’ve got to play for 40 minutes.”

WSU has made at least 12 three-pointers in three of its last four games, a trend it might need to continue in order to take down an Oklahoma State team that once again boasts one of the best defenses in the country under coach Mike Boynton.

Moussa Cisse, a 7-foot-1 junior center, is one of the nation’s best rim protectors, swatting away 14.2% of shots when he’s on the floor, the fifth-highest rate nationally. It’s no wonder why opponents are shooting a miserable 41.6% on two-pointers against the Cowboys, the 12th-lowest shooting percentage in the country.

After an uncharacteristically poor performance finishing (38.2% on two-pointers) inside against lowly Mississippi Valley State, the Shockers might need to prove they can hit double-digit threes once again to open up the floor and give their big men and drivers space to operate.

“Once our guys start knocking down shots, all of our effectiveness getting in the paint and drawing defenders is going to elevate to another level,” Porter said. “Teams are going to realize they can’t help off of them as much, so the driving lanes are going to be there. At the clip we’re knocking them down recently, if we keep doing that, then it’s going to be a free ball game to the rim all year long.”

The biggest difference-maker for the Shockers beyond the arc is sophomore shooting guard Jaron Pierre Jr. WSU’s barrage from outside has directly corresponded with Pierre’s play recently: in his last three games played, Pierre has made 11 triples on 40.7% accuracy and WSU has averaged 12.7 threes as a team on 39.6% accuracy; in the K-State game Pierre was benched, the Shockers went 4 for 20 beyond the arc.

“I’m just believing in myself and keeping the same confidence the whole time,” Pierre said. “It’s never going to leave.”

Pierre also gave credit to the “200 Shot Club,” an idea formed by Brown earlier this month to challenge certain players on the team to take at least 200 shots before or after practice everyday to improve their in-game shooting percentages. Pierre has embraced the challenge.

After WSU began the season as one of the worst-shooting teams in the country on unguarded catch-and-shoot attempts, the percentages have finally begun to even out recently. The Shockers were shooting a meager 26% on catch-and-shoot attempts beyond the arc through the first six games of the season; in their last three games with Pierre, the Shockers are canning 43% of their catch-and-shoot three-pointers on 25 attempts per game.

“I don’t think there’s a difference (in quality of looks from the start of the season),” Porter said. “I feel like we’re just making the shots now. They’re the same shots we’ve been getting. We have guys who have been putting in the extra work and gaining confidence and now they’re starting to knock them down.”

“When you move the ball, throw it inside, reverse it to the other side of the floor, you tend to make threes,” Brown said. “We’ve been taking good shots and shooting it with confidence from the three-point line.”

Quality defenses like K-State and Mizzou played aggressive help defense against the Shockers, coming completely off players in the corners or on the wings to stop dribble penetration and daring the Shockers to kick it out and shoot from the outside. Oklahoma State is likely to employ a similar strategy to force the Shockers to prove they can make the defense pay.

WSU’s defense will also make it a premium to keep Oklahoma State out of the paint, as the Cowboys are shooting 44% on two-pointers in losses and 59% on two-pointers in victories. The Shockers will try to bait the Cowboys, shooting just 30.7% on threes this season, into shooting as many triples as possible, while trying to keep Cisse and Kalib Boone, two of the best offensive rebounders in the country, off the glass to limit second chances.

Both teams will be looking to find the advantage in the paint, which could be the key to victory. Brown knows the Shockers will have to deliver a much more crisp performance than they did against Mississippi Valley State.

“This is going to be like when we played Arizona last year,” Brown said. “(Oklahoma State) has a big guy inside protecting the rim and we’ve got to have a plan when we go in there. You can’t go in there thinking you’re going to score over him. That’s been proven (to not work). You have to be ready to dump it down or kick it out to a guy for an open three. And you have to be ready to play through contact because this is going to be a physical basketball game.”

Oklahoma State at Wichita State basketball game preview

Records: OSU 6-4, WSU 6-4

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita (15,004)

Television: ESPNU

Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM

KenPom says: Oklahoma State 65, Wichita State 63

Series: OSU leads 31-11 (16-5 in Wichita)

Projected starting lineups

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Coach: Michael Boynton, six seasons, 93-77

Wichita State Shockers

Coach: Isaac Brown, third season, 37-23