The seventh-seeded Wichita State Shockers got a taste of their own medicine in the MVC Tournament, where they were shocked by the Illinois State Redbirds. Gregg Marshall’s team now needs to avoid another upset loss, as they face No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers this coming Friday.
Read on below for a detailed preview of this game. You can also click here for our preview of No. 4 North Carolina vs. No. 13 Harvard.
[sc:MarchMadness ]March Madness No. 7 Wichita State Shockers vs No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers Preview
Where: CenturyLink Center, Omaha
When: Friday, March 20, 2:45 PM ET
Line: Wichita State Shockers (-5.5) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (+5.5); total: 140.0 – view all March Madness lines
Betting on the Wichita State Shockers
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Although they lost in the MVC semifinals against Illinois State on Saturday, the Shockers nonetheless are in the Big Dance. And that’s all that matters to Wichita State, which enters Friday’s matchup against Indiana as seventh in the nation in scoring defense with opposing teams averaging a paltry 55.8 points per game.
They may not be an undefeated team heading into the tournament just like last year, but the Shockers still have the tools to make a serious run in the tourney. For one, they are led by a core of tournament-experienced players in Ron Baker, Fred VanVleet, Darius Carter, and Tekele Cotton.
Baker and VanVleet—both are Top 20 in the nation in win shares— are undeniably Wichita State’s best players. Baker is averaging 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, while VanVleet has a line of 12.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. Carter and Cotton, meanwhile, are chipping in 11.2 points, and 9.6 points per game, respectively. Wichita State is averaging 69.7 points per game.
Wichita State’s defense, on the other hand, poses a big threat to Indiana’s high-octane offense that puts up 77.5 points per game. Before their loss to Illinois State, the Shockers haven’t allowed any of their previous nine opponents to score more than 62 points.
Wichita State is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games.
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Betting on the Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana has a rich basketball tradition and on Friday, the Hoosiers look to add to their success in the tournament when they face Wichita State. Indiana is coming off a 75-69 loss to Maryland in the semis of the Big Ten conference tournament.
It was a frustrating loss for Indiana because the Hoosiers could have gotten the win had it not for James Blackmon Jr.’s salty shooting night. Blackmon, the team’s second leading scorer with 15.8 points per game, finished with just six points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field. Prior to the game, Blackmon was on a tear, averaging 18.7 points over Indiana’s past three games.
Blackmon will have to recover his offensive touch to ease the pressure on Yogi Ferrell and Troy Williams. Ferrell and Williams scored 18 and 17 points, respectively, against the Terps. Ferrell is Indiana’s scoring leader with 16.1 points per game, while Williams is not far behind with 13.1 points per contest.
The Hoosiers got a bit of good news on Sunday, when it was announced that 6-9 junior forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea is set to play in the Round of 64. Mosquera-Perea was injured in the Northwestern game on March 12, causing him to miss the match against Maryland. Mosquera-Perea is averaging 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game this season.
Indiana is a great outside shooting team, one that averages 9.3 threes per game. The team is 5-4-1 ATS in its last 10 games as an underdog by six points or less.
Writer’s Prediction
Wichita State (-5.5) wins, 72-66.
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