Wichita State vs Central Florida Game Thread

[WstateU]

I've been real patient with this group and I still like them a lot, but not getting back on defense really chafes my butt.

Same here. When my butt gets chafed, I reach for my Anti Monkey Butt Powder.

[Topshock]

Most overrated statistic on the planet.

If it is used correctly it is not overrated. If you look at a player over several games and they consistently have a - or a + it is a good indication of the impact that player is having on the team.

[Dan]

Our bigs need to consistently finish strong inside. Wade needs to get his mid-range game back so the other team has to guard him. AM practiced free throws at half time and hit 60%. Not great but a lot better than 0%. He needs to score around the basket or hit his freebies. He causes issues for the other team on defense. Clogs up the middle and blocks or changes shots.

for all AM’s faults, I think he’d see the floor more if could be a little more forceful with his big body on offense. He’s so freakin’ big that he needs to dunk everything with authority. Stop letting g smaller guys bat the ball out of his hands. Finish with authority and 3G will have to keep you in there. Also, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to post up wherever he damn well chooses. He needs post up lessons from Shaq Morris.

[pinstripers]

1. What a strange freakin game.
2. I liked Johnson and Ingram. They woulda been good Shockers.
3. Erik is really struggling on defense.
4. The officials were bad. Really bad.
5. One of my favorite Beatles tunes is "Get Back." Coach needs to play that during practice.
6. The ball sticks in Sherfield's hands.
7. Love Jamar. He's fun.
8. Jamie's hands are not.........good.
9. Was the T on Ingram? Why?
10. JoBu was doing layup drills in the pregame.

[pinstripers]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=401169549

[1972Shocker]

Another a win is a win, survive and move on game but there were some good signs along the way.

Man these AAC teams are loaded with athletes.

Does Erik need a DD type sabbatical?

Anyone else ready to see the Elam Ending implemented in college basketball?

[MelvinLoudermilk]

Wichita Eagle: “Last season, Wichita State didn’t hit 17 wins until March 9”

https://www.kansas.com/sports/colleg...#storylink=cpy

that is called progress. Not bad for a team with so many Sophomores and Freshmen

[asiseeit]

Mixed emotions. Very happy with 17-3 but something STILL just doesn't feel right - we just are not hitting on
enough cylinders to be a really good team. Second half defense was awful and with a lead I don't understand
why we are letting them dictate the style and tempo of the game by matching their size instead of taking
advantage of ours. Once we went big again we stretched the lead out again. As for AM, aside from his FT's
his presence did make a very positive impact. He was 60% last season not great but not terrible either. He
appeared more aggressive last night. Rebounding and assists numbers better. Have to have our A game
against Tulsa.

[kcshocker11]

All wins are good but some are nerve racking. We still havent put it all together. Go Shocks!

[WstateU]

No “mixed emotions” here. Just happy as a ‘pig in the mud’ to be 17-3 and on the cusp of moving back into the AP poll and still not playing our best.

Non game (side-show) observations:
That was one fine Afro
Lynn used to be the one motioning the crowd to stand; Kellen has taken over her role
Didn’t see Lynn go down to the water cooler last night
Watching GGG work the officials was worth the price of admission
Students were enjoyable; even liked the ‘tomahawk chant’ honoring the Chiefs (not a big Chiefs fan, but hey, they are going to the big bowl)
Damn, the music was loud; game productions have improved immensely
Musical chairs was pretty good; thought there was going to be a WWE moment
I used my phone flashlight for the first time last night
Saturday night beer sales appeared to be strong
Ricky Ross was in da’ house; always wished it would have worked out for him to play here
Really enjoyed the half-time HOF induction ceremony; agree, Jamar = Samuel Jackson
The “Hats Off For Hero’s” is always a touching moment
Singing the Star Spangled Banner always gives me ‘chill bumps’ (GGG’s term, I call ‘em goose bumps)
It was also great having ‘Nico’ in da’ house
Pin mentioned “JoBu” participating in warm-ups; anyone see his throw-down? Yipes Stripes Beechnut Gum!
What game?

[asiseeit]

So you are happy with our level of play the past four games? I'm not and don't think we will win our conference
tournament or a first round game at the dance without noticeable improvement.

[El_Wu]

Do you remember when almost everyone was talking about. In 3-4 years we will be good. And then last season we took down the 1-2-3 seed for the NIT. And then this season we are 17-3 record compared to 8-13 last season. And don’t forget it’s basically being ran by freshman and sophomore. We are a few with the youngest squad in the NCAA. Took down several Power 5 conference foes. So hell to the yeah Im freaking happy for this squad. And if we get to the dance you’ll see that these guys will rise to the occasion. I see us at least winning 2-3 games maybe up to sweet 16. Imagine next year. When we were predicted to be good. It’s not the valley any more. Where we had to win the tournament in order to go dancing.

[Mr. Pickle]

After 4 years of being away, the in-game stuff has gotten better. There seems to be much more effort to play pumpup music to get the crowd back into it and clapping after a timeout. Students seem somewhat unorganized as usual, but they had good energy.

I definitely did not anticipate giving up 51 second half points after watching the first half. UCF had to go small, and they made us pay frequently when we couldnt find shooters and get back in transition.

I thought our offense was much more crisp, and I loved the quick skip passes and ball reversals. We have to get better at finishing inside. It was nice to not be rejected 14 times.

UCF plays hard and is well coached. They are just void of talent this year.

[WstateU]

Oh, solid crowd, looked like a sell out. Not many empty seats from my vantage point. The ‘high rollers’ were represented well... most of them were even into the game.

[shoxlax]

Mixed emotions. Very happy with 17-3 but something STILL just doesn't feel right - we just are not hitting on
enough cylinders to be a really good team. Second half defense was awful and with a lead I don't understand
why we are letting them dictate the style and tempo of the game by matching their size instead of taking
advantage of ours. Once we went big again we stretched the lead out again. As for AM, aside from his FT's
his presence did make a very positive impact. He was 60% last season not great but not terrible either. He
appeared more aggressive last night. Rebounding and assists numbers better. Have to have our A game
against Tulsa.

I didn’t think our scout on them was particularly accurate defensively although we did good a good job on Smith. Ingram was guarded too closely on the perimeter as was Mahan. That left their decent shooters open.