2017-18 Media Love Thread

[WuShock Reaper]

"College basketball preview: Landry Shamet and Wichita State could be scary good this year" - NCAA.com

by Adam Hermann |
Last Updated - Oct 23, 2017 10:51 EDT

http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2017-10-23/college-basketball-preview-landry-shamet-and-wichita-state

"The wait is almost over. Almost. Half the year has dragged on without college basketball, and our appetite for hoops is enormous. Which is why, with crisp fall air swirling, we're going to preview the biggest stories and names from the college basketball landscape.

Today, we dive into on the AAC. Best player: Landry Shamet, Wichita State

Shamet went from scoring 26 points his entire freshman season to averaging 11.4 points per game and shooting 44 percent from deep as the Shockers’ starting point guard last year.

Shamet showed plenty of upside in his second year under Gregg Marshall, as his true shooting percentage reached nearly 63 percent, including improved marks from three-point land and the free throw line, as well as averaging 2.3 turnovers per 100 possessions as his team’s primary ball-handler. It was an impressive display from the 6-4 guard, who should take another step in the right direction if his offseason mirrored last year’s. In a new league, the competition level will be higher, but it stands to reason Shamet will elevate as well.

And, as we’ll discuss in the next section, Wichita State should be an incredibly good team this year. If the Shockers live up to expectations, Shamet will be a huge driver behind their success. Best team: Wichita State

Could this be the best iteration of the Shockers yet? Better than the one that reached the Final Four? Better than the one that went undefeated until the NCAA tournament? Better than last season?

In a word, yes..."

[Cdizzle]

"Shamet went from scoring 26 points his entire freshman season to averaging 11.4 points per game and shooting 44 percent from deep as the Shockers’ starting point guard last year."

Ummmm.

[Dan]

"Shamet went from scoring 26 points his entire freshman season to averaging 11.4 points per game and shooting 44 percent from deep as the Shockers’ starting point guard last year."

Ummmm.

Lazy research; misleading statement

[Stickboy46]

https://twitter.com/American_MBB/status/922485268405473282

Cover of USA Today Sports - "Can Wichita State become the nation's next powerhouse?"

[wichshock65]

[DwShock]

Wonder if this is a regional cover or if I will be able to find it in omaha.

[Cdizzle]

Lazy research; misleading statement

Yep. And an underrated aspect of Shamet. He was a freshman PG last year. How many Top 15 teams have freshman PGs? The ceiling for this team is scary high.

[Ixiah]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/aac/2017/10/23/no-more-shocking-now-aac-wichita-state-has-national-title-aspirations-2017-18/779527001/

[Ixiah]

"Marshall is a fiery coach who once told a five-star recruit his attitude wasn’t good enough to play for him." - Got to love it

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/aac/2017/10/23/no-more-shocking-now-aac-wichita-state-has-national-title-aspirations-2017-18/779527001/

[AZ Shocker]

Beautiful! Great write-up...now go kick some ASS!!!

[KraRam]

College Basketball’s Best Frontcourts by NBC Sports

10. WICHITA STATE: Markis McDuffie, Shaquille Morris, Zach Brown, Rashard Kelly, Darral Willis Jr., Rauno Nurger

McDuffie’s health will be the main thing to monitor, since he’ll miss time early in the season, but the Shockers have some insane depth coming back. The group admittedly lacks star power with McDuffie out, but the other five players on the list are all seniors who averaged at least 14 minutes per game last season. Not many teams in the country can match that kind of depth and experience in the frontcourt. Wichita State can just wear you down with body after body. It’s part of the reason why many have pegged the Shockers to hit the ground running in the American.

http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2017/10/24/college-basketballs-best-frontcourts/amp/

[WuShock Reaper]

"UC basketball shoots for big season ahead" - The News Record (student newspaper)

Jon Richardson | Contributor
Oct 24, 2017

http://www.newsrecord.org/sports/uc-basketball-shoots-for-big-season-ahead/article_859af068-b911-11e7-8d55-4b3cee24446a.html

"...“I have to make sure I flush this out of my guys’ system,” Cronin said during the AAC media days. “But it does put a target on your back for your opponents. Every time you go to play a game in the league, because we do this, the opposing coach is going to say, ‘They were picked to win their league,’ so it makes it harder to get a [win].”

Adding to the difficulty of the AAC in previous years will be head coach Gregg Marshall and his Wichita State Shockers — newcomers to the conference.

Though they came in second in the preseason tally — just a sliver behind the Bearcats — they kick off their campaign ahead of UC at No. 8 in the preseason polls.

The Shockers represent the type of tailor-made team to go punch-for-punch in the slugfest that Cincinnati often creates.

Both teams are hard-nosed and not deterred from toiling away at the defensive grindstone, making the Shockers the kind of foil that can present problems for the Bearcats.

“We have to play Wichita State is the problem,” Cronin said. “They’re really, really good. I think it helps the national respect of our conference. If that helps us get a higher seed come tournament time, I’m all for it. They have a great fan base, great history [in their] basketball program and obviously a great coach in Gregg Marshall. Not going to be easy, but it’s definitely going to help us overall.”..."

[WuShock Reaper]

"A peek through the clouds at the college basketball season" - The Boston Glove

By Joe Sullivan Globe Staff
Posted: October 24, 2017

"...Looking ahead to the season, I’ll just have to approach it as if everything will remain as it is. We’ll adjust as the season goes on.

A Final Four prediction:

Arizona: Coach Sean Miller has never had a Final Four team, but he has one now, especially with veterans in guard Allonzo Trier and center Dusan Ristic, plus some hotshot freshmen (who could now face eligibility questions).

Michigan State: Forward Miles Bridges surprisingly didn’t jump to the NBA but returns to lead a veteran team that was hindered by injuries last season

Wichita State: The Shockers have a great coach in Gregg Marshall and everyone back from last season’s 31-5 team. Plus they have Shaq Morris, a burly forward and a big favorite of Sully’s Court. He’s first-team All-Sully. Things might start slowly, however, because point guard Landry Shamet is hurt and the Shockers will have a tougher schedule after jumping to the American Conference.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels won it all last season, and they’ll be back for another shot because March is usually about veteran guards and Carolina has three tremendous ones in Joel Berry, Theo Pinson, and Kenny Williams...."

[rrshock]

"A peek through the clouds at the college basketball season" - The Boston Glove

By Joe Sullivan Globe Staff
Posted: October 24, 2017

"...Looking ahead to the season, I’ll just have to approach it as if everything will remain as it is. We’ll adjust as the season goes

Wichita State: The Shockers have a great coach in Gregg Marshall and everyone back from last season’s 31-5 team. Plus they have Shaq Morris, a burly forward and a big favorite of Sully’s Court. He’s first-team All-Sully. Things might start slowly, however, because point guard Landry Shamet is hurt and the Shockers will have a tougher schedule after jumping to the American Conference.

Nice to see Shaq getting love from back east.

[WuShock Reaper]

"Round Table: Final Four and sleeper picks for upcoming college hoops season" - Cats Illustrated's

Justin Rowland | Publisher
Posted: 10/26/16, 2:30pm cst

https://kentucky.rivals.com/news/round-table-final-four-and-sleeper-picks-for-upcoming-college-hoops-season

"Cats Illustrated's 2017-18 college basketball preview work continues. Recently the staff shared its picks, one by one, for Kentucky's regular season and tournament performance. Here we take a step back and survey the national landscape.

Surveying the national college basketball landscape, what's your preseason, way-too-early prediction for the Final Four and who are some sleeper teams to watch for?

T.J. Walker, Basketball Recruiting Analyst: Duke, Arizona, Michigan State and Wichita State. Those obviously are all top 10 teams, but they have the perfect blend of talent and experience to make a deep run to San Antonio. Keep an eye on Louisville, Seton Hall, and SEC teams Alabama, Florida and Missouri. All three teams have star players that if hot in March they could win four games to get to the Final Four.

Jeff Drummond, Managing Editor: My preseason Final Four would be UK, Michigan State, Wichita State and West Virginia. I still can't believe Izzo got Mile Bridges back for a second season with the Spartans. The Shockers and Mountaineers have a bunch of veterans to lean on, too. Tough, battle-tested teams there. Missouri, led by freshman phenom Michael Porter, will be my sleeper pick out of the SEC.

Justin Rowland, Publisher: I have to go with Michigan State as one solely on the basis of Tom Izzo's proven track record of navigating the tournament. He doesn't always do it, but when you're picking just four teams and he's got this kind of talent returning, it wouldn't be wise to bet against him. I'm tempted to not pick Arizona because of the black cloud looming over the program right now, and because Sean Miller definitely does not have Izzo's track record of navigating the tournament for deep runs, but it's going to be tough to mess up the amount of talent he's got in the desert. I'll make the unpopular choice -- Duke -- solely on the basis of the Blue Devils being enormously talented and that impressive on paper. Wichita State seems like a good fourth choice. They were very underrated last season and have great experience and balance. As for sleeper picks, Miami might not qualify because they'll have a lot of hype coming into the season, but I don't think the casual fan realizes how good the Hurricanes should be.

[WuShock Reaper]

"Wichita State Shockers 2017-18 Basketball Team Preview and Prediction"

By Athlon Sports, 10/26/17, 8:50 AM EDT

https://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/wichita-state-shockers-2017-18-basketball-team-preview-and-prediction

"Shockers instantly team to beat in the AAC -
Wichita State exits the Missouri Valley Conference on top and enters the American Athletic Conference in roughly the same spot. It is a great match for the Shockers, who spent 72 years as an MVC member watching other schools upgrade conference affiliation. Almost 20 years of investing in basketball and the work of coach Gregg Marshall paid off in April when Wichita State accepted the American’s invitation to become the conference’s 12th basketball member.

The Shockers get a home worthy of their basketball program after dominating the MVC the past four seasons. The American adds a national power with the top eight scorers returning from a team that took Kentucky to the final seconds in the second round of the NCAA Tournament....

Final Analysis -
With six seniors joining two stars in Shamet and McDuffie, the Shockers will enter the season highly ranked. As long as Shamet is running things, the Shockers will execute one of the nation’s top offenses. The American will challenge WSU with more talent and travel. The Shockers and their fans can’t wait. They see joining the AAC as a life-changing event for the school."