Wichita State Basketball: A Quick Glance Behind and a Long Road Ahead
By Eric Hogan
Wichita State basketball defeated UConn 72-62 on the Huskies’ home court Saturday.
15,564 fans filled the XL Center to near capacity, but witnessed the Huskies drop their first home game of the year, as well as a loss in their conference opener, both to Wichita State.
The Shockers finished 2017 on the highest possible note, winning their first ever contest as members of the American Athletic Conference. Doing so on the home court of the conference’s flagship program Connecticut was the icing on the cake. While Connecticut is a long way from their National Championship form of 2011 and 2014, they are never an easy win at home.
The Shockers will head home on Thursday to face a tremendous test against the University of Houston at Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers look to carry their momentum from 2017 into a tough conference schedule filled with peril at every turn.
Looking Back on 2017 & the Shocker’s Non-Conference Schedule
The fall of 2017 was a true test for Gregg Marshall & the Shockers of Wichita State. Sloppy at times & dominant at others, the Shockers were able to get through 2017 mostly unscathed. The Shox dropped just two games in their tough non-conference schedule.
Early in the season, the Shockers let a one-point game slip away in the surf of Maui against a pesky Notre Dame team that would not go away. In their loss to Oklahoma, however, they were simply outplayed, led by the fierce attack of their star point guard, Trae Young.
This has been the toughest non-conference schedule for the Shox in recent memory. All things considered, I would give them a ‘B’ for Brilliant for their effort, however there is plenty of room for improvement.