2014–15 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team

2014–15 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball
MVC regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 11
APNo. 14
Record30–5 (17–1 MVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCharles Koch Arena (10,506)
Seasons
2014–15 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 14 Wichita State 17 1   .944 30 5   .857
No. 11 Northern Iowa 16 2   .889 31 4   .886
Indiana State 11 7   .611 15 16   .484
Illinois State 11 7   .611 22 13   .629
Evansville 9 9   .500 24 12   .667
Loyola Chicago 8 10   .444 24 13   .649
Drake 6 12   .333 9 22   .290
Missouri State 5 13   .278 11 20   .355
Southern Illinois 4 14   .222 12 21   .364
Bradley 3 15   .167 9 24   .273
2015 MVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2014–15 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team represented Wichita State University in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played their home games at Charles Koch Arena, which has a capacity of 10,506.[1] They were playing their 70th season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, and were led by eighth-year head coach Gregg Marshall. They finished the season 30–5, 17–1 in MVC play to win the regular season Missouri Valley championship. They advanced to the semifinals of the Missouri Valley tournament where they lost to Illinois State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Indiana in the second round and Kansas in the third round before losing in the Sweet Sixteen to Notre Dame.

Previous season

The 2013–14 season was arguably the greatest season in Wichita State's 108-year basketball history. After defeating Missouri State on March 1, 2014, Wichita State became the first Division I men's team ever to finish the regular season 31–0,[2] the first team to finish 18–0 in conference play in the Missouri Valley Conference since the 1985–86 Bradley Braves,[2] as well as the first to finish the regular season undefeated since Saint Joseph's in 2003–04.[2] The team's 35–0 start is the best Division I start ever, beating the 1990–91 UNLV Runnin' Rebels who began the season 34–0 and the best Missouri Valley Conference start ever, beating the 1978–79 Indiana State Sycamores, who went 33–0 to start the season.[2] They spent most of the season in the top 10 of both major polls, rising as high as #2 in late February. They continued their run by winning their first MVC tournament title since 1987, and were ranked second in both final major media polls—the highest final national ranking in school history.

They entered the 2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament undefeated at 34–0. The Shockers beat Cal Poly, 64–37 for their NCAA-record 35–game winning streak to start a season. Two days later, and playing their 5th and final straight game at St. Louis' Scottrade Center, Fred VanVleet's three-point attempt at the end-of-game buzzer against Kentucky bounced harmlessly off the rim, and so went their attempt to become the first men's team in 38 years to win the title undefeated. The Shockers finished with the third-most wins in Division I history, and the second-most for a school not in a power conference.

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason
Chadrack Lufile 0 F 6'9" 251 Senior Burlington, ON Graduated
Derail Green 1 F 6'7" 199 RS Freshman Houston, TX Transferred to Incarnate Word
Cleanthony Early 11 F 6'8" 215 Senior Middletown, NY Graduated/2014 NBA draft
Nick Wiggins 15 G 6'6" 187 Senior Toronto, ON Graduated
Kadeem Coleby 20 C 6'9" 251 Senior Nassau, BAH Graduated
D. J. Bowles 25 G 6'1" 175 Freshman Cleveland, TN Retired from basketball due a surgical procedure[3]

In addition to the departing players, assistant Chris Jans left the Shockers immediately after the season to take the head coaching vacancy at Bowling Green.[4]

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Bush Wamukota† 21 C 7'0" 225 Junior Bungoma, Kenya Kilgore College
Conner Frankamp* 33 G 6'0" 165 Sophomore Wichita, KS Kansas
Tevin Glass† 40 F 6'8" 195 Junior Norcross, GA Northwest Florida State College

*Player will redshirt during the season
†Junior College transfer

Class of 2014 recruits

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Zach Brown
SF
Houston, TX Sunrise Christian Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) May 3, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 75
Rashard Kelly
PF
Fredericksburg, VA Hargrave Military Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 3, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 73
Rauno Nurger
PF
Keila, Estonia Sunrise Christian Academy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Jun 3, 2014 
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 70
Corey Henderson Jr.
SG
Dallas, TX Episcopal School of Dallas 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Oct 13, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Eric Hamilton
PF
Suwanee, GA Duluth High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 20, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: Not Ranked Top 20   Rivals: Not Ranked Top 25  ESPN: Not Ranked Top 25
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2014 Wichita State Basketball Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  • "2014 Wichita State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  • "2014 Wichita State Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  • "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 25, 2014.

Roster

2014–15 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
F 0 Rashard Kelly 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Fredericksburg, VA
F 1 Zach Brown 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 213 lb (97 kg) Fr Houston, TX
G 3 Evan Wessel 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 218 lb (99 kg) RS Jr Wichita, KS
G 4 Corey Henderson, Jr. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Dallas, TX
F 5 Zach Bush 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Wichita, KS
G 10 Ri'an Holland 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 148 lb (67 kg) RS Fr Hope Mills, NC
F 12 Darius Carter 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Akron, OH
G 14 John Robert Simon 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 171 lb (78 kg) So Oklahoma City, OK
C 20 Rauno Nurger 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 242 lb (110 kg) Fr Keila, Estonia
C 21 Tom Wamukota 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 224 lb (102 kg) Jr Bungoma, Kenya
G 23 Fred VanVleet 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Rockford, IL
F 24 Shaquille Morris 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 261 lb (118 kg) RS Fr Edmond, OK
G 31 Ron Baker 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Jr Scott City, KS
G 32 Tekele Cotton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Marietta, GA
G 33 Conner Frankamp Current redshirt 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Wichita, KS
F 40 Tevin Glass 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Jr Milton, GA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
11/08/2014*
2:00 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 11 Northwood (FL) W 112–55 
 22  Baker   6  Kelly   6  VanVleet  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
Non-conference regular season
11/14/2014*
8:00 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 11 New Mexico State W 71–54  1–0
 17  Cotton   5  Tied   4  VanVleet  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
11/18/2014*
1:00 pm, ESPN
No. 11 vs. Memphis
ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon
W 71–56  2–0
 21  Baker   4  Tied   6  Baker  Sanford Pentagon (3,250)
Sioux Falls, SD
11/23/2014*
2:00 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 11 Newman W 105–57  3–0
 18  Baker   6  Tied   4  VanVleet  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
11/29/2014*
2:00 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 9 Tulsa
Rivalry
W 75–55  4–0
 21  VanVleet   7  Cotton   9  VanVleet  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
12/03/2014*
10:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 8 at No. 25 Utah L 68–69 OT 4–1
 15  Baker   9  Wessel   4  VanVleet  Jon M. Huntsman Center (14,319)
Salt Lake City, UT
12/06/2014*
5:00 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 8 Saint Louis W 81–52  5–1
 18  Baker   7  Kelly   7  Cotton  Intrust Bank Arena (15,004)
Wichita, KS
12/09/2014*
6:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 11 Seton Hall W 77–68  6–1
 22  Baker   12  Carter   8  VanVleet  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
12/13/2014*
11:00 am, ESPNU
No. 11 at Detroit W 77–68  7–1
 19  Baker   11  Carter   7  VanVleet  Calihan Hall (4,110)
Detroit, MI
12/16/2014*
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 11 Alabama W 53–52  8–1
 8  Baker   5  Carter   3  Cotton  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
12/22/2014*
10:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 11 vs. Loyola Marymount
Diamond Head Classic quarterfinals
W 80–53  9–1
 12  Tied   8  Carter   7  VanVleet  Stan Sheriff Center (8,448)
Honolulu, HI
12/23/2014*
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 11 vs. Hawaii
Diamond Head Classic semifinals
W 80–79 OT 10–1
 17  Baker   6  Tied   5  VanVleet  Stan Sheriff Center (7,140)
Honolulu, HI
12/25/2014*
8:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 11 vs. George Washington
Diamond Head Classic championship
L 54–60  10–2
 11  VanVleet   9  Carter   5  Tied  Stan Sheriff Center (5,125)
Honolulu, HI
Missouri Valley Conference regular season
12/31/2014
5:05 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 16 at Drake W 66–58  11–2
(1–0)
 23  Baker   7  Carter   4  Tied  Knapp Center (4,170)
Des Moines, IA
01/04/2015
4:30 pm, ESPNU
No. 16 Illinois State W 70–62  12–2
(2–0)
 15  Baker   6  VanVleet   6  VanVleet  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
01/07/2015
7:00 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 15 Bradley W 63–43  13–2
(3–0)
 19  Carter   7  Tied   9  VanVleet  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
01/11/2015
4:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 15 at Loyola (IL) W 67–53  14–2
(4–0)
 16  Cotton   8  Carter   10  VanVleet  Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,058)
Chicago, IL
01/14/2015
7:00 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 13 Southern Illinois W 67–55  15–2
(5–0)
 25  Carter   4  Tied   5  Tied  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
01/17/2015
1:00 pm, FSKC
No. 13 at Evansville W 61–41  16–2
(6–0)
 18  Tied   11  Carter   4  Cotton  Ford Center (7,015)
Evansville, IN
01/21/2015
7:05 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 14 at Missouri State
Rivalry
W 76–53  17–2
(7–0)
 15  Tied   6  Cotton   7  VanVleet  JQH Arena (8,674)
Springfield, MO
01/25/2015
3:00 pm, ESPN3
No. 14 Drake W 74–40  18–2
(8–0)
 15  Baker   4  Tied   6  VanVleet  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
01/28/2015
7:00 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 12 Loyola (IL) W 58–47  19–2
(9–0)
 27  VanVleet   7  Cotton   5  Cotton  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
01/31/2015
3:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 12 at No. 18 Northern Iowa L 54–70  19–3
(9–1)
 18  VanVleet   8  Cotton   3  Tied  McLeod Center (7,050)
Cedar Falls, IA
02/04/2015
7:00 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 16 at Bradley W 62–59  20–3
(10–1)
 14  Baker   7  Cotton   5  Baker  Peoria Civic Center (6,707)
Peoria, IL
02/07/2015
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 16 Missouri State
Rivalry
W 78–35  21–3
(11–1)
 17  Baker   10  VanVleet   11  VanVleet  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
02/11/2015
7:00 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 15 Indiana State W 74-57  22–3
(12–1)
 21  VanVleet   7  Carter   4  VanVleet  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
02/14/2015
5:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 15 at Illinois State W 68–62  23–3
(13–1)
 19  Baker   10  Cotton   3  VanVleet  Redbird Arena (9,345)
Normal, IL
02/17/2015
7:05 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 13 at Southern Illinois W 84–62  24–3
(14–1)
 17  Morris   7  Tied   5  Cotton  SIU Arena (5,358)
Carbondale, IL
02/22/2015
3:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 13 Evansville W 62–43  25–3
(15–1)
 22  VanVleet   15  Baker   7  Cotton  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
02/25/2015
6:05 pm, Cox Kansas
No. 11 at Indiana State W 63–53  26–3
(16–1)
 20  Carter   11  Carter   5  VanVleet  Hulman Center (6,169)
Terre Haute, IN
02/28/2015
1:00 pm, ESPN
No. 11 No. 10 Northern Iowa
ESPN College GameDay
W 74–60  27–3
(17–1)
 17  Baker   8  Cotton   7  Tied  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
Missouri Valley tournament
03/06/2015
12:05 pm, MVC TV/ESPN3
(1) No. 8 vs. (9) Southern Illinois
Quarterfinals
W 56–45  28–3
 13  VanVleet   5  Wessel   4  VanVleet  Scottrade Center (9,015)
St. Louis, MO
03/07/2015
1:35 pm, MVC TV/ESPN3
(1) No. 8 vs. (4) Illinois State
Semifinals
L 62–65  28–4
 19  VanVleet   7  VanVleet   7  Baker  Scottrade Center (13,898)
St. Louis, MO
NCAA men's basketball tournament
03/20/2015*
1:45 pm, CBS
(7 MW) No. 14 vs. (10 MW) Indiana
Second round
W 81–76  29–4
 27  VanVleet   8  Brown   4  VanVleet  CenturyLink Center (16,907)
Omaha, NE
03/22/2015*
4:15 pm, CBS
(7 MW) No. 14 vs. (2 MW) No. 10 Kansas
Third round
W 78–65  30–4
 19  Cotton   9  Wessel   6  VanVleet  CenturyLink Center (17,563)
Omaha, NE
03/26/2015*
6:15 pm, CBS
(7 MW) No. 14 vs. (3 MW) No. 8 Notre Dame
Sweet Sixteen
L 70–81  30–5
 25  VanVleet   8  Carter   3  Tied  Quicken Loans Arena (19,465)
Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest region.
All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll Pre Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 Wk 17 Wk 18 Wk 19 Final
AP 11 11 9 8 11 11 11 16 15 13 14 12 16 15 13 11 8 12 14 n/a
Coaches 11 13 10 10 11 11 11 16 15 14 13 12 17 13 13 11 8 12 13 11

See also

References

  1. ^ "Koch Arena". Goskockers.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d "No. 2 Wichita State finishes perfect regular season with rout". ESPN. Associated Press. March 1, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  3. ^ "Wichita State guard D.J. Bowles undergoes surgical procedure". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  4. ^ "Bowling Green hires Chris Jans". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 24, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2014.