ST. LOUIS — Joe Ragland slouched on a bench in
Wichita State's locker room, trying to make sense of another Missouri Valley
Conference tournament disappointment. His few remaining teammates packed in
silence. Ragland wiped his eyes, stunned the 15th-ranked Shockers
had lost at the Scottrade Center again.
He grabbed two black shoes and walked toward a group of pizza boxes on a table.
He picked up a stat sheet and studied the uncomfortable result: Fourth-seeded
Illinois State beat top-seeded Wichita State 65-64 in a semifinal on Saturday by
outscoring the Shockers by nine points in the second half.
The regular-season MVC champions led by as many as 13 in the
first two minutes after halftime. But unlike the two previous games against the
Redbirds this season, Ragland and the Shockers could not close.
"Can't let it carry over," Ragland, a senior guard, had said minutes
earlier. "We want to be successful, because we have more games. But we
can't let this affect us in our next game or practice or anything else. We've
just got to move forward."
Ragland shook his head slightly near a door, dropped the sheet to the side and
lifted one box before leaving the room. His exit was swift, appropriate for a
team which carried visions of winning its first MVC tournament title since
1987. The Shockers had won nine consecutive games — all but two by at least 13
points — and looked dominant in a 24-point rout of eighth-seeded Indiana State
on Friday. This year was supposed to be different.
But the final 1.1 seconds Saturday led to a familiar result. The Shockers suffered
three losses of seven points or fewer in four previous trips to the MVC
tournament under coach Gregg Marshall. When the final horn sounded, senior
center Garrett Stutz rubbed his fingers through his short hair and leaned
toward the court after his shot bounced off the front rim. Illinois State
sophomore guard Bryant Allen lifted teammate junior guard Tyler Brown at midcourt.
Stutz walked toward a tunnel in the opposite direction, his head turned toward
the floor.
"We kept trying to play through the adversity we were facing and just
didn't get it done," Stutz said.
As a result, Wichita State will enter the next phase of its season without the
momentum it enjoyed for the past month. Afterward, Marshall was asked what seed
he expects Wichita State to earn going into what will be the program's first NCAA
tournament since 2006. Before the loss, some experts predicted the Shockers
would be slotted as a fourth or fifth seed. Marshall brushed aside that
optimism with his own projection.
"It won't be as good," he said.
The Shockers will learn their placement with time, but the loss to Illinois
State represented a missed opportunity. This Wichita State team was the most talented
Marshall had coached since he arrived from Winthrop before the 2007-08 season. It
had the skill to erase memories of recent MVC tournament close calls, including
a 15-point loss to Northern Iowa in the 2010 championship game, and establish
itself as one of the top non-BCS teams entering March Madness.
Recent history suggested the Shockers could overcome the Redbirds, again, after
sweeping the regular-season series with victories of three and 13 points.
Wichita State had already proven itself as the superior team. But because the Shockers
struggled in the second half on Saturday, they will watch Illinois State play
second-seeded Creighton for the MVC tournament title.
Wichita State should have taken advantage of opportunities
to put away the average, but inspired Redbirds, who finished with a 9-9
regular-season MVC record. Junior forward Jackie Carmichael led Illinois State
with 12 points and 11 rebounds despite sitting with two fouls for most of the
first half.
Carmichael's foul problems provided an opening for Wichita
State late in the first half and shortly after halftime, when the athletic
6-foot-9 Manhattan, Kan., native picked up his third foul 22 seconds into the
second half.
Yet Wichita State could not capitalize and its inconsistency proved costly. The
Shockers' 13-point lead with 18:38 left became a one-point deficit with 8:34
remaining. From there, the Redbirds gained confidence with each passing minute,
and the team with the best late-game focus won. As a result, Wichita State's
first loss since falling to Drake in triple overtime on Jan. 28 proved the
Shockers are not as complete as their late-season MVC run made them seem.
"How do you learn from a loss?" asked Marshall, who appeared agitated
at times in his postgame address. "Well, you let it sit in the pit of your
stomach until it makes you violently ill. Then you expel that feeling, and then
you go back to work. That's all you can do."
The Shockers will get back to work, and late-game execution would be a good
place to start. Wichita State was held without a field goal for the final 6:36
of the second half Saturday. The Shockers will still be a dangerous team in the
NCAA tournament, but the way they allowed the Redbirds — led by Brown's
game-high 25 points — to stay close late should give Marshall plenty of
motivation to push his players before Selection Sunday.
Wichita State senior guard Toure' Murry knew a missed chance to earn an elusive
MVC tournament title gave the Shockers an opportunity to grow. On his walk to
the team bus, he remained positive about Wichita State's outlook.
"We've just got to be better on the defensive end," said Murry, who
had 15 points. "We'll bounce back sooner or later. We're a good team.
Basketball comes with wins and losses. We'll be ready next game."
Soon, though, the Shockers will be ready to forget their latest MVC tournament
letdown.
