Why Shocker basketball could be ready for a leap after ‘statement’ road win at WKU

To return the Wichita State men’s basketball team to the level that players, coaches and fans want to see again, certain steps must be completed.

Withstanding tough times to pull out road games, something the Shockers were once the best in the country at, is a good start.

After letting so many road games slip away last season, WSU gave reason to believe this season could be different by rallying in the second half of Monday’s season-opening game to prevail 91-84 over Western Kentucky, the defending Conference USA champions.

“I think it’s a statement,” said WSU senior Xavier Bell, one of five key returners from last season’s team that went 1-8 on the road in American Athletic Conference play.

“We’re not waiting. We’re here.”

Following the program’s first losing season in 16 years, WSU head coach Paul Mills assembled a roster he believes can make last season a distant memory. WSU retained key contributors and leveled up with veteran talent in the transfer portal, as the team ranks 42nd nationally in minutes continuity and No. 7 in Division I experience.

Most importantly, WSU appears to have found a true difference-maker at a position that can elevate a team.

Justin Hill showed he could lead a mid-major program to the NCAA Tournament at Longwood, proved he could play in the SEC at Georgia, and now has the chance to become a full-fledged star at WSU. The senior point guard certainly looked like one on Monday with a career-high 31 points, setting a program record for a debut performance, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.

“You’re going to have to have guys who can go make shots when it matters,” Mills said. “It was just good to see (Hill) under the lights and just how competitive he is because he does have other levels. You have to have some poise in order to win on the road and I thought he exhibited that.”

It’s not hard to imagine last season’s team crumbling in a scenario like Monday when the Shockers fell behind by eight points midway through the first half. WKU’s frenetic pace — the 83 possessions on Monday made for the fourth highest-tempo game for WSU since 1997 — was wearing on WSU, as turnovers piled up and the score started slipping in the wrong direction.

That’s the advantage of having a roster with 10 upperclassmen: They have experienced adversity before and know what it feels like to figure out a way to win on the road.

After Mills called timeout to settle the nerves following such a disjointed start, WSU’s offense pumped out a healthy 1.30 points per possession for the next 27 minutes — which saw an eight-point deficit become an 11-point lead with 1:45 remaining.

“They had a lot of juice, a lot of energy,” WKU coach Hank Plona said. “Their general vibe and energy was really positive during that time.

“I thought we were the more aggressive team in the first 10-15 minutes, then the last 25 minutes, on both ends, they had the physicality and aggressiveness that usually leads to winning.”

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That couldn’t often be said about WSU last season on the road, which could make Monday’s win feel like a breakthrough. WSU finished with 17 assists — something it only did six times last season — on 27 made baskets. The Shockers perfectly executed an end-of-half set (something it rarely did last season) to get A.J. McGinnis a wide-open triple and knocked down 11 3-pointers on 40.7% accuracy after averaging fewer than six makes on 31.5% shooting beyond the arc in road AAC games last season.

Add it all up and the end result made for an impressive victory, but WSU’s performance at times did leave plenty to be desired.

Like when WSU’s turnover problem from last season flared up again, starting with a careless mistake on the opening possession and continuing with three turnovers against WKU’s full-court press. Or when the Shockers gave up 48 points at the rim because their defense struggled to keep the ball in front. Or when three different WSU defenders fouled jump shooters. Or when WSU missed five of six free throws and allowed an 11-point lead to dwindle to a single possession in the final minute.

“You’re going to have to learn how to win ugly, and to be able to do it on the road, I think it gives us a little confidence,” Mills said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but I think it’s better to learn from film this way rather than the alternative.”

It’s hard to nitpick too much about opening the season with a potential Quad 2 road win as an underdog, particularly for a team that experienced so many troubles away from Koch Arena last season.

The Shockers showed they are already better at handling adversity on the road, but if they truly want to push toward a return to March Madness, they will need more disciplined performances than the one on Monday.

The players understand the challenge before them, but for one night at least, it felt good to let loose and celebrate in a visiting locker room again.

“We put in so many hours, so many hard practices, so many days this summer,” Bell said. “But we know we’re nowhere near where we need to be. We’ve got to continue to build and stack days. This is a great feeling with the guys, but we know we have to get better.”