Wichita State vs Oral Roberts Game Thread - Dec 2, 2020

[pie n eye]

After second complete viewing (yes, I’m starving for WSU bball)...

-I saw a few complaints about a lack of floor burns for the shockers. There was one dude consistently diving on the ground this game and he’s been the target of a bunch of grief. Mo Udeze. He wasn’t perfect but he played as hard as anyone.
-Half court defense wasn’t that bad. They lit us up in transition. Also hit some really tough shots.
-Announcers said we’ve played ORU like five years straight. They know our stuff which can make a difference. Still...while it’s good to get a win through adversity but we had several times to put them away and couldn’t do it for various reasons.
-Can’t stress how much better our guards look. It gives me a lot of hope for the offense. Although there weren’t a ton of assists in the first half, it wasn’t due to lack of passing.
-Dexter was aggressive attacking early on but couldn’t get anything to fall or get a call. He also passed up a couple wide open threes. Shoot it dex!
-Gilbert, Etienne, Trevin, Trey, and Dex all showed an ability to attack off the dribble. What a breath of fresh air after watching guys bounce off the 19 foot force field the last couple years. Excited to see if they can do it against better teams and if Porter and Council can be added to that list as well.
-Not so bold prediction: Jackson and Bilau are going to grab a lot of rebounds.

[ShockingButTrue]

I'm not holding my breath, but, IF Bilaut can give them 20+ minutes a game of running the court and rebounding then this team might surprise Shocker Nation (that's asking a lot). A defensive post is a must in the AAC.

[Dan]

This year doesn't count against eligibility

how many times does this need to be explained, LOL

[MelvinLoudermilk]

After second complete viewing (yes, I’m starving for WSU bball)...

There was one dude consistently diving on the ground this game and he’s been the target of a bunch of grief. Mo Udeze. He wasn’t perfect but he played as hard as anyone.
.

Amen to that. Mo had a rough night getting shot to fall but he nearly always gives 100%

I am afraid he might have a rough night against mizzou's big 3 though. Maybe not a great match-up for him. Those dudes are huge.

[WeWillShockU]

The 5 position gave us 17 points and 9 rebounds between Mo and Poor Bear. I would take that every night from the center. The question is can they do that against higher conference opponents? I was encouraged that Mo stayed out of foul trouble.

[asiseeit]

I openly admit I have been a little hard on MU but it has nothing to do with his effort. In my view he is not
only a little undersized he is a step slow on defense and I am not impressed with his basketball sense or
decision making. He is not an intimidator and lacks post up skills / finishing. From what I saw against ORU I didn't
see any noticeable improvement over last season. I'll say it again, AM was our biggest loss from last year.
All three of our big guys need to focus on defense, blocking out and rebounding and NOT force things on
offense. MU forces things too much. Poor Bear had some pretty good minutes and needs more. Still hoping
Bilau can live up to his potential and SOON.

[MelvinLoudermilk]

MU forces things too much. .

Well he did the other night (3/10 - 3 turnovers) but that is not the usual.

Someone played in 28 games last year, averaged 10 minutes per game and led the team in field goal percentage. You can probably guess who that was.

He was also 8th on the team in turnovers per 100 possessions.....not too bad.

The other night, I was glad he hit 4/6 free throws, had a key bucket, 3 blocks, and 6 boards.

But I tend to agree, focusing on rebounds and defense and just let the offense come will serve him well.

[pie n eye]

Amen to that. Mo had a rough night getting shot to fall but he nearly always gives 100%

I am afraid he might have a rough night against mizzou's big 3 though. Maybe not a great match-up for him. Those dudes are huge.

I watched some of the Mizzou vs ORU replay too and Mizzou does indeed have some girth in the middle. And as far as I know they have a full compliment of players. Their guards looked strong and athletic too. No doubt it will be a tough test for Mo and the Shockers tomorrow.

[shock-it-to-me]

how many times does this need to be explained, LOL

Even Gilbert?

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Man, it would be great if Trey Wade and Gilbert could get an extra year. I am guessing NCAA won't allow it though.

[wichshock65]

Man, it would be great if Trey Wade and Gilbert could get an extra year. I am guessing NCAA won't allow it though.

I think Gilbert has a shot. Sticks probably knows more specifics but Gilbert could go on the medical side of it. Played something like 8 games in 2 years due to injury.

[1979Shocker]

Man, it would be great if Trey Wade and Gilbert could get an extra year. I am guessing NCAA won't allow it though.

I thought seniors were already eligible for another year because of COVID-19, it they wanted it.

[Stickboy46]

Both of them have another year if they want it. This is a freebie year for all players. No one uses eligibility

[Stickboy46]

I thought seniors were already eligible for another year because of COVID-19, it they wanted it.

All players are. It's because they have no idea how many games would get to be played and they wouldn't be played under normal circumstances (ie no fans etc)

[C0|dB|00ded]

Both of them have another year if they want it. This is a freebie year for all players. No one uses eligibility

That's pretty effing exciting. Might come in handy with Poor Bear and Josaphat who both have some things for a big guy that you just can't teach. Josaphat in particular could make this Shocker fan forget all about 2020 if he has at least average intelligence and work ethic. His coordination is top notch! Tell him he gets benched and runs line drills if he dribbles more than 3 times in a game when he's within 6 feet of the basket.

You go up and over big fella... up and over.