Official Wichita State vs College of Charleston Game Thread

[Blackmag]

Shaq, Nurger were really great tonight. Willis dominate first half not so much the last 10 minutes. Great game first 25-27 minutes then we got alittle sloppy. Like the look of this team, then when we get Mcduffie back, wow we are deep

[Topshock]

Zach’s gonna lose his spot when MM returns. He needs to figure out how to insert himself into the offense.

There is more to the game than offense. No way is he going to lose his playing time.

[Dan]

There is more to the game than offense. No way is he going to lose his playing time.

he’ll still play, but MM can play D too and Zach has to have more than 1 dimension to his game to keep up with this team

[1972Shocker]

You may be right but Zach is playing some great D.

I saw a 3G shake his head a few times after the offense stopped when Willis got the ball. He is a very good player when he lets the game come to him but he's still got a lot of JUCO in his game.

Willis is gonna see some pine when MM gets healthy .

I agree. I just don't see any indication that things are going to change with how Darral plays the game. His rebounding has been good and his defense is a little better so I guess we take what we can get and live with it. Darral is probably fine. I just prefer team basketball.

[Shockm]

I think that as soon as we have a difficult match up on the perimeter for DW, Markis will get quickly get more minutes. It won't take more than a couple of weeks for him to be back at 20-25 minutes at the two positions. Some of it will depend on how much Brown picks it up offensively. DW will still get minutes but not as many.

[vancedave56]

MM will likely come off the bench for awhile - he will have been out for a fairly lengthy time.

[Bluzrover]

We came out with real intensity but couldn't sustain it as Marshall started toying with different lineups (which will pay off later this season). For the casual observer, this wasn't a big blow out of a lesser opponent. For those of us who watched the game (including a lot of national media...I'm looking at you Rothstein and Norlander), this game was a complete blow out of an overmatched team. Granted, they were missing one of their key bigs. But hey, so were we and I can't imagine just how tough this team is going to be when Markis gets back. A very solid win and now a week off for Landry to catch his breath and get ready for three straight days of beat downs.

[kcshocker11]

Great win, but beware when we start standing outside and shooting threes, it gets worrisome.

[wsushox1]

Why does dribble drive continue to give us fits?

Because Players are athletic and with freedom of movement people are going to get to the basket more or WSU is going to foul them.

Thankfully, WSU has willing help defenders and are good at rotating.

[Cdizzle]

I feel like I'm watching a different Willis than you all. I mean, he is still on my crap list from last March, and he is still definitely a chucker. But he has added a serious level of intensity to his defense and rebounding. If he and Shaq keep their motors running at the current level, they are going to be tough for anyone to handle.

[wichshock65]

I'm affraid we are in for the same thing that happened last year. As soon as scouting reports come back that DW only goes to his right, he will be shut down offensively. The exact reason why he spent the entire offseason working with his right hand, at least supposedly he did.

[ShockerFever]

I feel like I'm watching a different Willis than you all. I mean, he is still on my crap list from last March, and he is still definitely a chucker. But he has added a serious level of intensity to his defense and rebounding. If he and Shaq keep their motors running at the current level, they are going to be tough for anyone to handle.

I agree he has improved on the defense side of things (against vastly inferior competition) but I’m not sure how I feel about DW taking 13 shots per game, unless 95% of those 13 are from point-blank range.

[Cdizzle]

I'm affraid we are in for the same thing that happened last year. As soon as scouting reports come back that DW only goes to his right, he will be shut down offensively. The exact reason why he spent the entire offseason working with his right hand, at least supposedly he did.

It's definitely a factor. I hope he is still working the right hand in practice. There is a lot of time between now and April to get better, and 2 points could be the difference (I will always remember Carl Hall hitting that jumper to take the lead against Gonzaga). Still, if he has added 3pt range as well as defensive and rebounding intensity, he can still help us win even when teams start sitting on his left. The problem last year is he had to be helping us out-shoot the opposition because of the holes in his game, and once they took away his left he couldn't do that.

The jury is definitely still out. But I'm encouraged and optimistic.

[Cdizzle]

I agree he has improved on the defense side of things (against vastly inferior competition) but I’m not sure how I feel about DW taking 13 shots per game, unless 95% of those 13 are from point-blank range.

I think we'll just have to watch the efficiency as the competition increases. This team has a TON of firepower, so poor efficiency should not be tolerated for very long. Still, I don't think there is much doubt Willis is pretty gifted offensively.

And I do agree with your note about competition. I've been less impressed with the quality of Willis' defense and more impressed with the level of intensity and focus. That stuff translates regardless of opponent, and that part wasn't there most of the time last season.

He will probably remain on my crap-list until he does something to make up for the Kentucky game.

[Shockm]

MM will likely come off the bench for awhile - he will have been out for a fairly lengthy time.

Do you remember Baker in 2013? How long before he started and had major minutes after his stress fracture? Answer: he started right away and played major minutes immediately. If we need Markis, he will not sit long.

[Heinro]

Do you remember Baker in 2013? How long before he started and had major minutes after his stress fracture? Answer: he started right away and played major minutes immediately. If we need Markis, he will not sit long.

Did he? I thought he was definitely limited against MSU and still limited against Creighton? He was in full swing by Pittsburgh, about 10 days later.

I expect Markis to be worked into the line up as slowly as necessary, and I have very little doubt he will take back his minutes when he is ready.

I am very pessimistic or optimistic, not sure how to look at it, that Willis is anything more than a 5-10 minute a game guy after we are a few games into conference play and they realize he has no right hand.

Our depth at the guard positions looked a little concerning last night. Long season, but right now SHJ and Reaves don't look ready to play high quality opponents.