NCAA tourney next year?

[SB Shock]

Prior to the run to the NIT, I figured WSU was 2 years away from the NCAA tourney. After this run in the NIT, they have shown they can win on the road against quality (Q1/Q2) competition.

1. The biggest thing is they have bought in and are doing it with Defense in this run.
2. With WSU playing in AAC, they just need to finish in the top 4. I expect Houston and Cincy to be there at 1 and 2. UCF and Temple will fall back. Memphis will likely move up to 3. WSU should move up to 4 and can challenge for 3rd.
3. The offense/shooting should improve with the freshman. Plus you have Teddy going to be available to offset the senior losses.
4. WSU has another class of recruits that on paper should help WSU depth.
5. Echinique gets healthy and God Bear continue to improve maybe 3rd is to low.

It will be a disappointment if this team is not an NCAA tourney team next year.

[Dan]

I would not crown UH and Cincy so soon. I think WSU and Memphis will be competing with both of them next year.

[Kung Wu]

Could someone explain to me how any school can justify playing for such paltry amounts of money? Be it the NCAA where the monies are split between conference members over a 6 year period, or the NIT where the school participating keeps the 26k, how does that cover their costs?

If the Shox made it into the NCAA and then lost their first game, they would have earned $150,000. But that money would have been split over 6 years, so they would have only made $25,000 this year. Obviously you want that future revenue, but financially the Shox are doing great this NIT. But on top of the $26k, there is a per diem per player plus travel.

[California Shocker]

Who pays for per diem per player per travel etc?

[shock-it-to-me]

Many good points made, our freshman still have a ways to go in getting to the basket and finishing, perhaps Teddy will help remedy that. BTW, how is Teddy's free throw percentage? I've noticed that Burton hasn't played much lately, what's up with that?

74% last year

[Kung Wu]

Who pays for per diem per player per travel etc?

NCAA

[ABC]

Teddy Allen shot 41% from three in high school and 80% from the line, for what that's worth.

[Jhook89]

IMO how good this team is going to be next season depends greatly on Teddy. I expect all our returning players to take great strides forward, but none of them will be ready to be the go to guy / alpha on this team. Dexter looks like a future star, but he doesn’t create his own shot. He’s not a guy you throw the ball to and he will create something. Jaime will probably be the closest of the guys who played this season who could be a go to guy. That’s why I think Teddy is so important. If teddy can fill that shot creator, iso once a play breaks down role the other guys can contribute in ways that more fit their current skill sets.

[insaneykaney]

Yes we make the NCAA Tourney next year.

[shocker3]

YES! This team finished this year playing like a NCAA tournament bound team. Making it to the finals of the NIT should help them too. I can't wait for next year.

[wichshock65]

IMO how good this team is going to be next season depends greatly on Teddy. I expect all our returning players to take great strides forward, but none of them will be ready to be the go to guy / alpha on this team. Dexter looks like a future star, but he doesn’t create his own shot. He’s not a guy you throw the ball to and he will create something. Jaime will probably be the closest of the guys who played this season who could be a go to guy. That’s why I think Teddy is so important. If teddy can fill that shot creator, iso once a play breaks down role the other guys can contribute in ways that more fit their current skill sets.

TA will be first team all AAC next year. Bank on it.

BANK. ON. IT.

[Dan]

I think DD and JE both have potential to take some post season honors as well.

[wsushockerdude]

I think our conference will be improved next season, so I lean towards yes. Expecting Memphis and UCONN to make big leaps.

[CBB_Fan]

I think we'll have the chance. I could us making massive improvements and jumping to the top of the conference, which is definitely going to push us into the tournament. But even if we make smaller steps, if we can come up big in important games I think the conference will be deep enough that there will be a route.

I think the key is going to be combining our defensive effort from this postseason with improved playmaking and shooting. I'd like to see a lot of guys head out to the woodshed to work on their 3, and perhaps a new face at point. I like Burton and think he has a promising future, but he played more of a curator role than that of an active playmaker. I'd love to see a great shooting PG and have Burton be a manager from more of a CG role, as that would open up our bread and butter play by giving the threat of a 3 from the ball-handler on the pick and roll.

[ShockBand]

My early goals:

Win at least 8 in the non-conference.
Finish in the top 4 of the AAC.
Win at least 2 in the conference tournament.
Punch our ticket to the dance.
Win at least 1 NCAA game.

All are within grasp.

[WSUwatcher]

WSU finished 44th in KenPom on defense at 96.6 / 100, a huge improvement from even earlier this year (not to mention last year, despite all of the experience they had). With most of the rotation players back, it will likely continue to improve. That's a good start.

The offense has to get better, and with the departure of a volume shooter who dragged down the team by shooting .357 overall (vs. .408 for the team) and just .298 (!) from three (vs. .310) despite his knack for hitting big shots when it mattered in several games, that will very likely happen. Burton and Stevenson really need to up their shooting, however, because at this point JB doesn't need to be guarded outside -- and in a weird way, neither does Erik, because if you're a defensive game planner, how much do you really need to worry about a guy who will fire away if you let him but makes less than 3-10? One of the worst things in any sport is a guy who plays a lot and does a lot of whatever it is -- hitting for a poor OPS, carrying the ball for three yards a crack, or shooting a lot but for a low percentage -- but doesn't do it well. So Stevenson needs to make teams want to guard him because he actually hits enough of the shots that he so fearlessly launches.

This will be a tournament team, and next year's tournament will be a step up from the NIT.

[proshox]

The offense will get better if returning players could add important dimensions to their games:

Jamie has to have consistent mental toughness. He can play like a man possessed getting crazy blocks only to fall asleep on a rebound or fast break.

Mittgard needs to show off the 10-12 foot jumper that got him going against UCF. Paul Miller made a living with that shot and it helps open the lane up for DD. I think his defense will improve as natural progression.

DD must learn how to create separation from a hard closeout. His blocked three point attempt should have been a posterizing dunk, but it rarely occurs to him to drive with intent. He needs to go get coached for a summer by the Marshall Coach. In that offense a “DD type” practices two things - making open threes and attacking the paint on a hard closeout. They do not have waste valuable time on complicated sets.

JB and RT have to be willling 30% shooters. ES has to be a 35% shooter at his volume. All season long people have underestimated how hard those three make it from a spacing perspective on the bigs, DD, etc.

Teddy has to be a 33% shooter. At WVU he was something different for that very experienced team. Something like a change up for a fastball pitcher. If he is going to be one of the go to guys on a game to game basis his three point shot has to be a factor.

We have a lot to build on, but there has to be an improvement curve for this team to make the NCAA tournament.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

And before every game next year somebody needs to convince Midtgaard that the opposing team's post player insulted his mother, because he needs to go all Bobby Boucher on them.

Dude can and should dunk everything, break some rims, and make his defender cry. But for whatever reason he doesn't.