2017-18 Media Love Thread

[Stickboy46]

http://www.espn.com/chalk/insider/story/_/id/22734103/best-2018-ncaa-tournament-title-value-bets-college-basketball

Wichita State at 40-1 is the most attractive bet on the table. It's tough not to have a difficult path as a 4-seed, but the Shockers have the exact profile -- offense, defense, rebounding, coaching and experience -- of teams that have historically fared well in the tournament. To get 40-1 with a team that can legitimately beat anyone in the tournament is both rare and worth a wager.

[Shocktoberfest]

If you compare the odds of say Cincinnati and the Shox we do look like a good payoff for the risk. I like his argument for Gonzaga as well. If you're so inclined.

[WuShock Reaper]

CBS Sports Bracket Breakdown.JPG

I just love seeing WuShock all day on CBS.

:bball_spin::wsu_posters:

[DwShock]

[DwShock]

It’s behind a paywall but the Omaha world herold is using A photo of Lynn Marshall to talk about the tourney

[Shockm]

Your hometown paper.

[Shocker Mama]

Wichita Symphony on board.

[Zubcut]

This article speaks volumes about our lack of ability to hit clutch shots in the last minute. 0 for 19?!?!? You'd think we might have at least hit a lucky bank shot ala UCF. In 2014 alone, we were 7 for 13 on these shots. I wonder who was on the roster that season. How is this even possible with a top 5 offense in the entire country. This statistic is absolutely damning. (This article is neither media love or hate. Just the facts)

http://www.kansas.com/sports/college...204985004.html

[ShockerGrad]

Not really media, but Field of Screams in Maize gave a shout out to the Shockers!
Here's the Facebook link: http://bit.ly/2peiSyS

[1972Shocker]

Wichita Symphony on board.

Very nice and very appropirate. Wichita has a very fine Symphone Orchestra for a city our size and that is partly due to Wichita State. Typically, the 1st violin position is filled by a professor at Wichita State (kind of a package deal when he is hired) and many of the section players are current and fomrer Wichita State students. At least that is the way it was when my daughter was at WSU and played in the symphony.

[1972Shocker]

This article speaks volumes about our lack of ability to hit clutch shots in the last minute. 0 for 19?!?!? You'd think we might have at least hit a lucky bank shot ala UCF. In 2014 alone, we were 7 for 13 on these shots. I wonder who was on the roster that season. How is this even possible with a top 5 offense in the entire country. This statistic is absolutely damning. (This article is neither media love or hate. Just the facts)

http://www.kansas.com/sports/college...204985004.html

So what you are saying is that we are due. Yeah!

[WSUwatcher]

This article speaks volumes about our lack of ability to hit clutch shots in the last minute. 0 for 19?!?!? You'd think we might have at least hit a lucky bank shot ala UCF. In 2014 alone, we were 7 for 13 on these shots. I wonder who was on the roster that season. How is this even possible with a top 5 offense in the entire country. This statistic is absolutely damning. (This article is neither media love or hate. Just the facts)

http://www.kansas.com/sports/college...204985004.html

Some (most, dare I say, at the risk of being roundly mocked?) of it's just bad luck.

People blame the coaching staff, but some of the "saviors" who are now gone were here in 2015-16 when the slide began, and it wasn't like there was a 100% turnover in the wrong direction between the last successful year and the first bad one. Same with the way late game timeouts have been used. Players? Well, the first of the three washout years even includes the Fred and Ron senior crew. Things just look bad when you miss shots, and if you miss them a number of times in a row, even when they're reasonable shots, a cloud of gloom descends.

Maybe one of our probability wizards who has more time and inclination than I do could calculate the odds of such a string, making a guess at the likelihood of success for each missed shot based on the percentage success of the shooter and the type of shot. I won't try, but it has to be in the range of -- or less than -- WSU's chance of winning the championship this year.

So yes, 1972 -- we are DUE.

[Jamar Howard 4 President]

Was listening to radio broadcast of NCAA games and they said Loyola’s win today marked the 9th straight round of 64 win by the MVC. lol. They mean “by WSU, mostly”.

[WuShock Reaper]

"Wichita State Basketball: 3 reasons the Shockers will make the Final Four" - FanSided Sports

by Holden Walter-Warner
Posted: 03/15/18, 4:51pm cst

https://bustingbrackets.com/2018/03/15/wichita-state-basketball-3-reasons-shockers-will-make-final-four/

"This could be the year the Wichita State Shockers take it a step further and win the national title – but first, the Final Four.

The high performance of the Wichita State Shockers is no longer…well, a shock. We’ve come to expect the Midwest school to compete at the upper echelon of the sport, time and again.

Their bump in caliber led to a bump in conference pedigree this season; no longer did the Shockers compete in the Missouri Valley. Instead, they elevated themselves into the American, where they immediately competed for a conference title.

While Cincinnati ultimately proved to be the class of the AAC (and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament), the Shockers didn’t lag far behind. In fact, they’ve positioned themselves for a deep run in the Big Dance this month.

It won’t be easy. There are 67 other teams who think they’re capable of winning it all this spring (or at least putting a scare into their superior opponent). Besides, Wichita State is just a No. 4 seed in the big dance – in other words, the committee thinks there are at least 12 teams better than them.

But that counts for only so much at this time of the year. Instead, mental fortitude, experience, and talent are the valued assets right now; Wichita State possesses each in droves.

The Shockers also have a relatively decent coach and a pretty excitable fan base, in case you didn’t know.

Here are three reasons Wichita State will march to the Final Four.

1. Incredible inside
Rebounding becomes an important skill for a team in March. Every shot matters just a little bit more, so every opportunity to change possession or keep a possession alive becomes valued.

Not many teams are better on the boards than the Wichita State Shockers.

The team averaged 40.5 rebounds per game this season, ranking them ninth in the nation. The only NCAA Tournament teams better in this department are Michigan State, Texas A&M, New Mexico State, Duke, and North Carolina.

Interestingly, the Shockers don’t rank in the Top 15 in offensive or defensive rebounds per game, individually. That suggests consistency crashing the boards on both ends of the floor.

Rashard Kelly leads the way as a rebounding and defensive specialist for the Shockers. He only averages 5.7 points per game, but flip those digits to find his 7.5 rebounds per game. His 12 rebounds in the AAC Tournament loss to the Houston Cougars kept the Shockers alive.

The next best rebounders on the team are Darral Willis Jr. and Shaquille Morris, who combine to bring down 11.5 rebounds per game. It’s a team effort, though, with stars Landry Shamet and Markis McDuffie also pulling down at least three boards a game.

Wichita State will not be intimidated inside.

2. Tested leadership
Shamet is just a sophomore, while McDuffie will still have one more year of eligibility after this season.

The rest of Wichita State’s core are battle-tested seniors, though.

This group of seniors has been to the NCAA Tournament every year of their college career, although they haven’t advanced further than the Sweet 16. With the likes of Morris, Kelly, and Conner Frankamp set to move on, there will be a high level of motivation to make a big run this year.

Gregg Marshall, on the other hand, has taken teams beyond the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The greatest coach in school history – and one of the greatest coaches in mid-major history – took the Shockers to the Final Four five years ago.

He understands the kind of adjustments to make this time of year, as well as how to tune out the noise involving him taking a major conference job (rumors are that Pitt and UConn are looking for new coaches for next season).

Because he coaches Wichita State, some people forget about Marshall’s coaching acumen. If the first tier consists of coaches like Bill Self and Coach K, however, Marshall belongs right in the tier below, knocking on the door of legendary status.

3. A passable road through the region
No road to the Final Four is easy, so to speak. Each set of games presents its own set of challenges as teams typically face opponents they haven’t seen yet.

That being said, the Shockers shouldn’t be too mad about their road to the Final Four.

They start off against Marshall on Friday afternoon. The Thundering Herd only made the Big Dance by winning the Conference USA Tournament. That’s not to say they’re a bad team, but their high-caliber offense is wrecked by their low-caliber defense; Wichita State can exploit that.

Next up would be either West Virginia or Murray State. While the Mountaineers’ defensive reputation precedes itself, it actually hasn’t been as effective as usual this year, giving up 69 points per game.

The Shockers would likely have to face No. 1 seed Villanova in the Sweet 16. That would cause some problems for Wichita State; they would need to play at their best and hope for an off night from the Wildcats.

After that, however, the Shockers would likely be favorites against almost any team in the Elite Eight outside of Purdue. The Boilermakers distribute the ball well, just like Wichita State, but struggle on the boards despite their imposing size. Wichita State could take advantage of that."

[AZ Shocker]

He understands the kind of adjustments to make this time of year, as well as how to tune out the noise involving him taking a major conference job (rumors are that Pitt and UConn are looking for new coaches for next season).

UConn? Major conference? Okay...I'll take that...but author man...the Shockers are in said "Major Conference" with UConn. Lol

[shoxilla]

the more games I watch today the more I feel Shox can bust thru this bracket. If the backcourt stays aggressive and puts the pressure on the defense this will be a cakewalk to the NC.
Key is for LS, CF, AR to stay aggressive. Nothing more, nothing less.
Can a brutha get a BOOYAH !

[1972Shocker]

the more games I watch today the more I feel Shox can bust thru this bracket. If the backcourt stays aggressive and puts the pressure on the defense this will be a cakewalk to the NC.
Key is for LS, CF, AR to stay aggressive. Nothing more, nothing less.
Can a brutha get a BOOYAH !

Sorry. I don't think there is such a thing as a cakewalk to the NC. However far the Shocks go they will have to respect their opponents and they will have to earn it by playing hard and playing well. If one guy stumbles, another guy will have to be there to pick him up. If they do that than I will have a BOOYAH for the Shockers regardless of how far they get.

Go Shocks!

[AZ Shocker]

...and play loose. Have some fun out there!