The basketball game on Saturday already has enough on the bill: Creighton vs. Wichita State for the MVC regular season championship. But it may be even bigger than most may realize.
If you are on the bandwagon of Creighton possibly changing conferences, then this game has become a lot bigger. Reports indicate that Creighton could emerge as the 10th team to join the “Catholic 7” and Xavier and Butler to keep the Big East name and open up play next season already as a new conference. In theory, Creighton could be playing its last MVC regular season game ever. Whether that is true or not, it creates another storyline plot in the game on Saturday afternoon against probably their most heated rival over the past decade, the Shockers.
While we try to sift through the other distractions, there is still a game to be played. To get us up to speed on the Shockers, we turn again to Paul Suellentrop of the Wichita Eagle and kansas.com. He gave us some good insight before the first game in Wichita. Here is what he has to say leading up to Saturday’s 1 p.m. tip.
White & Blue Review: What was the biggest factor in the loss to Evansville on Wednesday night? Was the team looking past the Aces and hoping to secure the MVC regular season on their home court?
Paul Suellentrop: WSU shot poorly. It is hard to win when you miss 15 of 19 threes and make one basket in the final eight minutes. Thirteen turnovers are a lot in a low-possession game.
WBR: Cleanthony Early appears to be one of the go-to guys this season. Has he stepped up in the big games? How has the JUCO transfer adjusted to this role?
PS: His role is a scorer and that is something he does very well. He’s had some rough spots when he got flustered and went rogue on the offense. Those moments are rare in recent games. He plays hard. He rebounds aggressively. WSU needs his offense desperately. I think next season he will be even better.
WBR: The last couple of seasons Wichita State hasn’t appeared to have a dominating single player (or at least one that you would expect to see in the All-MVC first team) and have appeared to rely on balance. Is that part of Gregg Marshall’s recruiting/coaching or is it that just no one has stepped up to take on that role?
PS: WSU is usually quite balanced with its scoring and Marshall usually spreads out his minutes. Garrett Stutz and Joe Ragland both made All-MVC last season. This season, I would guess one Shocker will make first team and perhaps two will make the second team. I guess it’s part of his recruiting in that he recruits numerous good players. Had he wanted Joe Ragland to put up Colt Ryan numbers, that could have happened.
WBR: Carl Hall had a huge game against Creighton in the first meeting. How has he played since and will he be a determining factor on Saturday?
PS: Carl missed seven games with a broken thumb and I think that set him back some. His MVC stats aren’t quite as good as his non-conference stats, which could be explained by the injury, MVC defenses and the emergence of Early as a larger scoring option. Hall usually plays very well against Creighton (in three meetings) and WSU needs a big game from him.
WBR: Who has been the biggest surprise this season that you did not realize would be playing such a big role when the season started?
PS: I don’t think there is one. The returners are playing largely the roles predicted for them. Ehimen Orukpe, perhaps, is a player who is doing more than some thought. The newcomers are also largely filling the expected roles.
WBR: If you are Gregg Marshall and Wichita State has the possession to win the game at the end, who do you setup the play for?
PS: Malcolm Armstead has the ball, with Early as the first option for a shot.
WBR: This has grown into quite the rivalry over the past decade or so, dating back to the Jamar Howard days. Since that time, the games have intensified even more. Would Creighton be considered the Shockers biggest rival today or do you think that belongs to another team?
PS: Creighton. No question.
WBR: The environment at the CenturyLink Center could be a rowdy one with so much on the line. How has Wichita State handled the tough road environments? Do you think it could be similar to Koch?
PS: WSU has been a great road team the past two-plus seasons. It buckled a bit this year, losing at Northern Iowa and SIU. It rebounded to win at Illinois State and Indiana State. It also won at VCU, which was an atmosphere that will compete with the one in Omaha. It will be the first trip to Omaha for the new Shockers and we will have to see how they handle the crowd and the arena. That could be a factor. The CenturyLink will be a different atmosphere than any other in the MVC.
WBR: What is your final prediction? Who walks away with the MVC Regular Season Championship?
PS: There is no big reason to pick against Creighton, other than the fact WSU has played well against the Bluejays recently. Creighton is at home and coming off a strong performance. WSU is on the road and struggled in its last outing. So in this MVC season, I will pick the Shockers 72-68.