2017-18 National Poll Rankings

[bearcatmax]

I did not intend to imply that I believe WSU didn't improve throughout the course of the season. Of course they did.

I think WSU will be really good next year but could have performed better against the top teams on their schedule this past season. I've said my piece, so I'll leave it at that.

[im4wsu]

I did not intend to imply that I believe WSU didn't improve throughout the course of the season. Of course they did.

I think WSU will be really good next year but could have performed better against the top teams on their schedule this past season. I've said my piece, so I'll leave it at that.

And half the teams in Div 1 could have gone undefeated.

[Dan]

I did not intend to imply that I believe WSU didn't improve throughout the course of the season. Of course they did.

I think WSU will be really good next year but could have performed better against the top teams on their schedule this past season. I've said my piece, so I'll leave it at that.

We wish we would have as well, just didn't pan out. Mainly Shamet and Frankamp were out of position. Who knows what could have happened had Coach figured that out before the season started.

[AndShock]

Every game from January 14th on showed that Wichita State was listed correctly on KenPom. There weren't any games that showed Wichita State was way overrated by KenPom. That is a lot of time, including the most important month of the season.

[WSUwatcher]

Luckily for all of us there will data points aplenty early this season with Maui and the balance of our OOC slate. We will be battle tested come conference play.

And those are the data points that really matter. Let's just hope WSU stays healthy -- give me that, and I'll let the chips fall where they may.

[SHOCKvalue]

Cincinnati went 1-5 against Top 50 teams away from Fifth Third Arena last season. YIKES.

Dumb cherrypicking is dumb. I think folks would be hard-pressed to present solid arguments for more than 10 or 11 teams that should be ranked ahead of us to start next season, and I think reasonable arguments can be made that place us as high as the Top 3 or 4. Nobody in the country returns more firepower than we do. That's not hyperbole, it's the truth - there will be no training wheels phase for this team. We will come out on Day 1 as a finely-tuned ass kicking machine.

2018-19 has a lot of unknowns and our conference peers can justifiably look forward to projecting a dip for us that year. This season, however, we are a T-Rex firing howitzers with one foot astride his pet pterodactyl and the other resting inside an apache helicopter. With lasers coming out of his eyes.

The Shockers bring nothing but pain this season and the daffodils in our path best wilt or they will be steamrolled.

Solid work there.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

Considering our program has 4 wins (against 6 losses) against top 25 teams in the last 4 seasons, count me in the apparently small group of folks that believe a top 10 ranking is ridiculous at this point. To be the best, you have to beat the best.

And yes, you have to have the opportunity first, but still, as good as this program has been, and it's been damned good, 4-6 against ranked teams (and not all are UK and KU) over the last 4 seasons.

Pile on.

Sample size.

WSU has pounded teams 100-200 (the middle section of D1) by a scoring margin on par with what only elite teams average. Obviously, that's not a definitive argument that they have been top 10 material the past few seasons, but it sure does help make the case seem more plausible.

I look forward to this year when the "on" nights become 20 point wins over ranked teams rather than 42 point wins over Southern Illinois (or 41 over Illinois State for that matter).

Even further, WSU need not have been top 10 in recent seasons. The top 10 is routinely filled with teams having "peak" seasons following years of 10-25ish level play. WSU is a perfect example heading into this year of a team who should experience a "peak" season.

Final point... 6, 13, 13, 8. That's WSU's final KenPom ranking the past 4 seasons. Predicting anything but top 10 this year seems silly. Possible? Of course. Likely? No.

[Cdizzle]

JH4P just gave Doc a pep talk.

The offseason is a funny place.

[Shocker1976]

Sample size.

WSU has pounded teams 100-200 (the middle section of D1) by a scoring margin on par with what only elite teams average. Obviously, that's not a definitive argument that they have been top 10 material the past few seasons, but it sure does help make the case seem more plausible.

I look forward to this year when the "on" nights become 20 point wins over ranked teams rather than 42 point wins over Southern Illinois (or 41 over Illinois State for that matter).

Even further, WSU need not have been top 10 in recent seasons. The top 10 is routinely filled with teams having "peak" seasons following years of 10-25ish level play. WSU is a perfect example heading into this year of a team who should experience a "peak" season.

Final point... 6, 13, 13, 8. That's WSU's final KenPom ranking the past 4 seasons. Predicting anything but top 10 this year seems silly. Possible? Of course. Likely? No.

Well said IMO; hopefully this season will demonstrate just how good a coach HC3G is, while providing a pathway to capturing better and better recruits to play for the Shockers. Should the talent level of the Shockers improve as I envision it will; I wonder if HC3G will really retire at age 60? Tough to leave a school and team that is consistently ranked in the Top Ten and competing annually for a NC.

[Kung Wu]

That's not hyperbole, it's the truth - there will be no training wheels phase for this team. We will come out on Day 1 as a finely-tuned ass kicking machine.

With the one caveat that we have kept Shaq away from Twinkies this summer. If he is working his tail off, we're gonna rock!

[ShockAzs]

Well said IMO; hopefully this season will demonstrate just how good a coach HC3G is, while providing a pathway to capturing better and better recruits to play for the Shockers. Should the talent level of the Shockers improve as I envision it will; I wonder if HC3G will really retire at age 60? Tough to leave a school and team that is consistently ranked in the Top Ten and competing annually for a NC.

3G's coaching is beyond question a long time ago. Hopefully we catch the right bounces and March all the way to a final four again. The pieces seem to be in place. And we seem to be after a consistently higher star level as well.

[MoValley John]

I wonder if HC3G will really retire at age 60? Tough to leave a school and team that is consistently ranked in the Top Ten and competing annually for a NC.

He will do what he wants, and he's earned that. He has said he doesn't want to coach forever, I'd probably believe him. Maybe for Marshall it's 60, maybe 65, possibly 90. Bob Stoops just walked away from Oklahoma, so who knows?

[WuShock Reaper]

"College basketball rankings: Kentucky moves up to No. 6 in the Top 25 (and one)" - CBS Sports

by Gary Parrish
July 10, 2017, 4:30pm

http://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-rankings-kentucky-moves-up-to-no-5-in-the-top-25-and-one/

"Significant changes can happen at any point in the season -- Ohio State's firing of Thad Matta and hiring of Chris Holtmann in June being one obvious example. So it's possible the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one) will change again before November arrives. But for now Arizona, Kansas, Michigan State, Wichita State and Louisville represent the top five.

1. Arizona
2. Kansas
3. Michigan State

4. WSU (previous 4) - Almost every relevant player from a Wichita State team that won 31 games and finished eighth at KenPom should be back -- most notably Markis McDuffie and Landry Shamet. So Wichita State will be the favorite in the American Athletic Conference in its first year in the American Athletic Conference.

5. Louisville
6. Kentucky
7. Duke
8. Villanova
9. USC
10. Florida..."

[WuShock16]

I still don't get Kansas. They are a Devontae Graham absence away from being a borderline Top 25 team. They have literally no other point guard.

EDIT: okay, maybe a bit of a stretch, and you could say that about us with Landry, but KU has very little depth. Will start season with 9 scholarship guys eligible to play, adding one at end of fall semester.

[AndShock]

KU is a borderline top 25 team with Devonte Graham imo.