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MVC Tournament Semifinals Recap - Wichita State vs Illinois State
(2) Wichita State 65, (3) Illinois State 61
They lost to Evansville, the last-place team in their conference. They got drubbed in the BracketBusters event by Utah State. They wobbled in the month of February and lost steam after a strong month of December lifted their sails and their spirits. The Wichita State Shockers entered the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament without momentum or confidence.
Now, they're one win away from an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Coach Gregg Marshall has struggled to get the best from his weary roster over the past several weeks, but after two days in St. Louis, the Wichita Wonderboys have found their footing... at least to the extent that they can play one game for a spot in the field of 65.
Wichita State lost all hope of becoming an at-large invitee with some February flameouts, but the presence of Arch Madness gave the WSU crew a chance to revitalize its season and make the Big Dance through the more arduous path, a three-win-in-three-day gauntlet that is now two-thirds complete.
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The second-seeded Shockers will take on top-seeded Northern Iowa in Sunday's MVC Championship Game, in a matchup that became official after WSU outlasted third-seeded Illinois State in Saturday's late semifinal at the Scottrade Center. The four-point survival act ended the undercard act in St. Louis; now, all that's left in the Gateway City is a 15-round heavyweight bout between the two teams who outpaced the rest of the Valley all season long.
There were few statistics or moments that stood out in this game, which was a classic defense-first grinder from opening tap to final horn. The action in this game was intense and ferocious, and fans of both teams were on the edge of their seats for the duration of this duel, but it wasn't until the tail-end of this tilt that some memorable plays flashed before the eyes of a very interested audience.
With Wichita State leading, 55-51, Marshall called a timeout with 2:12 left and his team in possession of the ball. Out of the timeout, WSU guard Toure' Murry hit a ballsy ice-veins jumper with two seconds left on the shot clock to give the Shockers a 57-51 edge with 2:06 to go. Propelled by that clutch delivery, Wichita built a 62-52 lead with only 1:18 left, and it appeared for all the world that the third-seeded Redbirds were toast.
Then things got interesting.
Two shocking Shocker turnovers were quickly turned into Illinois State buckets, as coach Tim Jankovich's third-seeded squad raced back to pull within two points, at 65-63, with 20 seconds left. Wichita State frittered away its cushion as quickly as it had originally attained it. Suddenly, the outcome lay in question once more; the Shockers would have to lock down this game under legitimate pressure.
Enter Murry.
The reliable guard didn't score the decisive bucket, but he made it happen by breaking the ISU press and feeding teammate Graham Hatch for a dunk that gave WSU a four-point margin with 16 seconds left. The Redbirds couldn't find the basket from that point onward, and Wichita lived to advance to Sunday.
What's Next
Northern Iowa on Sunday is what's next. Wichita State needs to show tremendous patience at the offensive end of the floor, and not fall in love with the 3-point shot, which is a common affliction for college basketball teams at this time of year. Gregg Marshall needs to pound it into his players' skulls that they need to value the ball and work for a full 35 seconds on every possession, both offensively and defensively. Northern Iowa has won the regular season title in the Valley in each of the past two seasons because it has established a well-deserved reputation as the hardest-working team in the league, the team that doesn't take plays off and maintains attention to detail throughout a given possession. UNI doesn't score or shoot well, but wins games because of its defense and generally airtight play. If Wichita State can play its most disciplined and efficient game, it has a chance. A St. Louis crowd and a CBS television audience will see if the Shockers can make the Valley a two-bid league on Selection Sunday.
By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer
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