Posted: March 11, 2021 / 5:46 PM MST
/ Replace: March 11, 2021 / 5:46 PM MST

Wichita State’s simply surpassed preseason expectations because the American Athletics Convention champion already make the Shockers a presumptive lock for the NCAA match.

Thus, the AAC match is a chance so as to add one other trophy that just a few of them featured in Wichita State (15-4) would purchase this season. The seeded Shockers are on a seven-game successful streak within the quarterfinals on Friday in opposition to South Florida (9-12) in Fort Value, Texas.

South Florida superior from Thursday’s first spherical session edging Temple 73-71 behind a excessive 23 factors from David Collins.

“We do not have to make it to the championship sport, however hopefully we will,” stated Wichita State coach Isaac Brown, whose workforce received the season title. AAC common with an 80-63 win over South Florida on Saturday. “We’re going there for one factor – and that is to win it.”

The season has already grown to storybook proportions for Brown, who turned interim coach after Gregg Marshall’s 10-year, 331-121 tenure ended following allegations he verbally abused and bodily of gamers and employees.

Brown, an assistant underneath Marshall, accepted a troublesome problem created by the turmoil of the offseason, which included the departure of six gamers. He then led the pursuit of a daily season league title that led to his promotion to full-time coach and AAC coach of the yr.

“We acquired the job first and we simply wished to maintain these guys collectively,” Brown stated. “We tried to make them play as a unit, play as a unit, and make them consider within the teaching employees. That was the principle factor right here, getting these veterans to consider in us.

Guard Tyson Etienne not solely confirmed the capturing kind he displayed a season earlier, but in addition developed into a flexible offensive risk by bettering the rebound. He averages 17.1 factors and three.1 makes 3, sharing the AAC Co-Participant of the Yr award with Houston’s Quentin Grimes.

“I feel the expansion of my sport has come from an inside place,” stated Etienne, “and to construct confidence and confidence in myself simply realizing that I’m who I consider I’m.”

The Shockers shall be with out two nameless gamers on the AAC match resulting from COVID-19 protocols. The Wichita Eagle reported that these gamers are Trevin Wade (2.1 factors per sport) and Jaden Seymour (1.8 factors). As well as, Josaphat Bilau (knee) and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler (ankle) are fighting accidents.

South Florida made simply seven turnovers whereas securing their first AAC match victory since 2016. Along with Collins’ manufacturing, Michael Durr added a double-double with 11 factors and 11 rebounds.

“5 of these seven (turnovers) had been in transition so we had been aggressive making performs and I am okay with that,” Bulls coach Brian Gregory stated. “It is a key to (Friday) taking good care of the basketball and getting photographs on the rim.”

– Discipline-level media