WSU VERSUS INDIANA PREDICTIONS AND PREGAME DISCUSSIONS

[LandStander]

Here's my take. IU reminds me a little of LaSalle in 2013 tourney, lacks size down low but have very athletic guards that make shots at a large clip. Both teams are (were) capable of winning in the tournament.

I don't think IU has any seniors, we have two that don't want this to be their last game. I think our experience and coaching win, but if IU gets hot, especially from 3 and we can't break their zone WSU will be in trouble.

[jocoshock]

I don't blame Indiana at all. However, what annoys me are the people in the press and the idiot P5 conference fans who say we don't play anybody and don't belong. Either play us and shut up, or don't play us and shut up. You can't have it both ways. Regardless, it is frustrating, annoying, and yet somewhat humorous to listen to fans from P5 schools who have done exactly JACK $HIT compared to what we've done the last few years. Do you have a recent Final 4? Nope. Did you go undefeated and get a 1 seed the year after? Nope. Have you been in KenPom top 20 defense AND offense the last several years in a row? Nope.

This is the situation exactly.

[das@iu]

Then they don't know basketball - I've been watching IU regularly since '75 so 'recent' to me is relative ;) - I've seen my share of national championships, that being said I understand your frustration but those of us who actually watch the game and aren't just fanboys or bandwagoners have a great respect for what Wichita State has accomplished. Not all of us fans are stupid just cause we graduated from a public college ;). I truly hope the NCAA addresses the issue in a better way then lip service and then their picks not reflecting what they said. Didn't mean to get a rise from you was just offering some perspective.

[WuShock16]

I don't blame Indiana at all. However, what annoys me are the people in the press and the idiot P5 conference fans who say we don't play anybody and don't belong. Either play us and shut up, or don't play us and shut up. You can't have it both ways. Regardless, it is frustrating, annoying, and yet somewhat humorous to listen to fans from P5 schools who have done exactly JACK $HIT compared to what we've done the last few years. Do you have a recent Final 4? Nope. Did you go undefeated and get a 1 seed the year after? Nope. Have you been in KenPom top 20 defense AND offense the last several years in a row? Nope.

Yep. As I said earlier, it's not like we can get into a better conference with tougher games at the snap of a finger. Not a fan of the Valley and would love to be in a better conference, but it's not that simple to just up and leave.

[Dave Stalwart]

Ron Baker is now a household name by basketball fans everywhere and is from Scott City, Kansas (2 traffic-lights?) Coach Marshall once said he was a recruit with no stars next to his name in high-school. Now he outplays foes that were 5-star players in high school.

A friend at work just told me they were at the 3A state championship. Ron Baker was there watching his little brother win the 3A title. This friend of mine told me that that people were lining up to get Ron's autograph or a photo or whatever they could. Can you imagine being the little brother who is in the process of winning a state title and having people line up to visit with your older brother at the game? :) "Hey, guys! Over here! Ummm...State title, you know.... Thanks a lot, Ron"

By the way:
"Sloan Baker was the steady hand all night for Scott City, as he finished with 12 points on 6 of 7 shooting, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots."

http://www.hutchnews.com/sports/justpreps/prep_schools/other_area_schools/scott-city-wins-in-salt-city-again/article_3225d1fb-1099-5a03-8ddb-21a79142b684.html

[das@iu]

agreed on those 2 teams but look at the complaints this year and those are the 2 names you hear the most about who shouldn't have made it. UCLA especially and knowing Alford and his scheduling at Iowa - that's still Howlands schedule - bet Alford backs off that this year. imo

Hopefully you are correct and NCAA continues to reward teams that make tough schedules - I think it's better for the game and gives everyone a better product.

[hoosierweebey]

OK...some of us visitors have humbly (and in some cases, not so humbly ;)) answered some questions about IU. I have a couple Q's about the Shockers if anyone cares to take a stab. I'm familiar enough with the basics, but I wouldn't mind reading some thoughtful opinion or analysis from the folks who are most familiar with Wichita St. basketball:

1. What's the main weakness of this team on offense and defense?

2. What's the one strength of this team that doesn't get publicized by the national media?

3. What does Marshall do best when it comes to tourney time? (e.g. teams always "peaking" a la Izzo, new wrinkles defensively, new sets, etc...)

4. What is Marshall's biggest weakness or flaw?*

Thanks!


*If you ask me this question about Crean, your admins may want to start upgrading their servers.

[IU25]

I just want to get this out there. @DaBull:, I like you a lot, and I don't really want to continue bantering with you because I like Indiana and we have no rivalry here. The world is an odd place when Indiana isn't at the top of the Big 10 and I'd like to see you there. I hope you can say the same for WSU and the MVC.

A lot of time we get classic trolls here from power 5 teams we play and we get these same comments constantly. We are always primed and ready for it as a result. Having said that, I don't consider you a troll at all because you've stuck around to defend yourself and you seem to know your stuff. The next classic line that we always get from trolls is the "I went over to WSU's board and they are such delusional idiots because they didn't bow down to our greatness when I said they suck on their board" I don't think you are like that, but many who show up here are. We are always expected to apologize for our schedule and apologize that we got ranked and apologize that we made the Dance and apologize that we went to the Final 4. At some point, we get a little testy. :)

Only thing I find slightly delusional about anyone on this board is the fact they seem to be worried about our defense, that is one thing I guarantee you wont have to worry much about!😤

[IU25]

I am surprised that Ferrell is listed at 6' 178lbs. He has always seemed much larger to me when I have watched IU play. He is superior to FVV athletically, but that size makes we wonder if we will just stick with FVV on him defensively.

I am curious who they will throw at Baker. They are not exactly a defensive juggernaut. I am also curious what Cotton's shot looks like after 2 weeks in the shop.

Im curious about that too, im guessing it will be Robert Johnson, hes a tough nosed defender for a frosh but I dont see him shutting baker down. I assume, like we have all year, we will switch in and out of zone within the possesion as to try and confuse the offense alot. Its nit worked well this year, and as of the BTT we went more man that nwe have all year. It will be interesting!

[Dave Stalwart]

Only thing I find slightly delusional about anyone on this board is the fact they seem to be worried about our defense, that is one thing I guarantee you wont have to worry much about!

Truth be told, I'm worried about several things. Our last game was a loss to a pretty average, but flashy team. That team (Illinois State) is in the NIT and we couldn't hold them off from making a 20 minute long run to eventually win. They didn't just "get hot" and hit a bunch of threes to close us out, they flat out beat us. That is our most recent experience. I think WSU has a lot left in the tank, but we didn't demonstrate that we are primed and ready for a run either. Illinois State and Indiana are fairly comparable, really.

[SB Shock]

OK...some of us visitors have humbly (and in some cases, not so humbly ;)) answered some questions about IU. I have a couple Q's about the Shockers if anyone cares to take a stab. I'm familiar enough with the basics, but I wouldn't mind reading some thoughtful opinion or analysis from the folks who are most familiar with Wichita St. basketball:

1. What's the main weakness of this team on offense and defense?

2. What's the one strength of this team that doesn't get publicized by the national media?

3. What does Marshall do best when it comes to tourney time? (e.g. teams always "peaking" a la Izzo, new wrinkles defensively, new sets, etc...)

4. What is Marshall's biggest weakness or flaw?*

Thanks!
.

1a. Struggles to defend against pick-roll/dribble drive (mainly because we undersized down low)
1b. Offensively - struggle to hit open 3 consistently

2. Defense doesn't get enough credit.

3. Has his team believing they can compete with anybody.

4. Refuses to call timeout until it is almost to late if a team is on a run.

[jocoshock]

OK...some of us visitors have humbly (and in some cases, not so humbly ;)) answered some questions about IU. I have a couple Q's about the Shockers if anyone cares to take a stab. I'm familiar enough with the basics, but I wouldn't mind reading some thoughtful opinion or analysis from the folks who are most familiar with Wichita St. basketball:

1. What's the main weakness of this team on offense and defense?

2. What's the one strength of this team that doesn't get publicized by the national media?

3. What does Marshall do best when it comes to tourney time? (e.g. teams always "peaking" a la Izzo, new wrinkles defensively, new sets, etc...)

4. What is Marshall's biggest weakness or flaw?*

Thanks!


*If you ask me this question about Crean, your admins may want to start upgrading their servers.

I will take a stab from my phone. You will probably get a variety of respnses.

1) Weakness: Front line size, defense and foul trouble. Also bench experience.

2) Strength that is under-publicized. Four starters with a 2:1 or better assist to turnover ratio. Tekele Cotton's offensive skills.

3)What does Marshall do best for the tourney? Builds depth throughout the year. Empties bench sooner than any coach I have ever seen. Wiiling to let a 25 point win become a 12 point win to give PT to the players who need more PT. This year was his most challenging in this regard.

4) Biggest Weakness? Not sure. He thinks timeouts are a sign of weakness, but it hasn't bitten us so far. It's been an 8 year honeymoon. Still looking through rose colored glasses..

[jocoshock]

Truth be told, I'm worried about several things. Our last game was a loss to a pretty average, but flashy team. That team (Illinois State) is in the NIT and we couldn't hold them off from making a 20 minute long run to eventually win. They didn't just "get hot" and hit a bunch of threes to close us out, they flat out beat us. That is our most recent experience. I think WSU has a lot left in the tank, but we didn't demonstrate that we are primed and ready for a run either. Illinois State and Indiana are fairly comparable, really.

I think 3 games in 3 days caught with, just like it did in Hawaii. That won't happen in the tourney. Our lack of depth off the bench stetched our starters this year.

[ShockTalk]

If I missed that this has already been posted here, sorry. I'm thinking that Brown, Kelly, and even maybe Glass, will be very valuable for the Shocks given the player match-ups. Very athletic and, I believe, can guard the perimeter if a 6'6"+ drifts out to the 3pt line better than Carter or Morris. Of their top 10 or so players, except Perea (6'9/225) who Carter (6'7"245) and Morris (6'7"/260) can handle inside, the rest of IU's bigs are 6'6"-6'8"/210-220 who Brown (6'6"/215"), Kelly (6'7"/230), and Glass (6'8"/210) should be able to go inside/outside with. If Perea doesn't play or is very limited, Morris and Carter may do very well inside and cause IU lots of fits. Where our bigs have had some trouble is with the likes of 6'8"-6'10"/240-260 (Knight/Tuttle) that not only can push their own weight around, but are taller and smooth around the basket and are a big part of their team's scoring.

It may not happen, but I'd like Evan to be part of the 3 guard rotation with a little Zach Brown as well. I think we'll need that with IU's guard depth.

[WstateU]

I think 3 games in 3 days caught with, just like it did in Hawaii. That won't happen in the tourney. Our lack of depth off the bench stetched our starters this year.

Wasn't it actually 2 games in 2 days with the bye?