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Wichita State Shockers men's basketball

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Wichita State Shockers
2024–25 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team
UniversityWichita State University
Head coachPaul Mills (2nd season)
ConferenceThe American
LocationWichita, Kansas
ArenaCharles Koch Arena
(capacity: 10,506)
NicknameShockers
ColorsBlack and yellow[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
NCAA tournament Final Four
1965, 2013
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1964, 1965, 1981, 2013
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1964, 1965, 1981, 2006, 2013, 2015
NCAA tournament round of 32
1976, 1981, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
NCAA tournament appearances
1964, 1965, 1976, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021
Conference tournament champions
1985, 1987, 2014, 2017
Conference regular season champions
1921, 1933, 1964, 1965, 1976, 1981, 1983, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021

The Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team is the NCAA Division I college basketball program representing Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.

The Shockers have made 16 appearances in the NCAA tournament, reaching the Final Four twice, the Elite Eight four times, and the Sweet Sixteen six times. The team plays its home games at Charles Koch Arena, where it averaged 10,391 fans per game in 2012, ranking 38th nationally.[2]

The Shockers have made two Final Four appearances, losing both games. They made their first Final Four appearance in 1965 losing to UCLA 89–108. They made their second appearance in 2013, losing to Louisville 68–72.

In 2014, Wichita State defeated the Northern Iowa Panthers in the regular season finale for their 9th Missouri Valley conference regular season title, becoming two-time defending MVC champions. The Shockers completed a perfect, undefeated regular season and swept the conference post-season tournament en route to a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament where they lost to eventual national runner-up Kentucky in the round of 32.

The Shockers competed in the Missouri Valley Conference from 1949–50 to 2016–17 and have competed in the American Athletic Conference since the 2017–18 season.[3]

History

[edit]

Wichita State, then known as Fairmount College, first took the court in 1906 under head coach Willis Bates. During this time, the sports teams were known as the "Wheatshockers". The first official game was held in the basement of Fairmount Hall. Fairmount lost to Washburn University by a score of 37–10. During this inaugural season, the Wheatshockers only won two games.

Fairmount acquired a permanent home when Memorial Gymnasium was opened on January 15, 1921, in a game against the American Legion of Wichita. The gym was later renamed Henrion Gymnasium in 1926. That same year, the newly renamed Municipal University of Wichita (popularly known as "WU") joined the Central Conference in athletics.

WU gained notice outside of Wichita in 1927 when, led by First-Team All-American Ross McBurney and Second-Team All-American Harold Reynolds, the Wheatshockers finished the 1927 season with a 13–1 record and a second-place finish behind conference champions Pittsburg State University.[4]

Early success

[edit]
Dave Stallworth (left) and Cleo Littleton, key players of Wichita

Shocker basketball achieved greater success with the arrival of Coach Ralph Miller and Cleo Littleton in 1951. Littleton averaged 18.2 points per game as a freshman, a school record that still stands today. He was the first player west of the Mississippi to score 2,000 points in his college career and is one of only five Wichita State players to have his number retired. He was also one of the first African American players in the Missouri Valley Conference, which it joined in 1945. Littleton averaged 19 points per game during his career and he still owns 7 school records. Due to this success, Wichita State decided to construct a new home for the Shockers. Through appropriated money by the WU Board of Regents, Wichita State was able to construct a new field house for the men's basketball team, costing $1.4 million. On December 3, 1955, the Shockers played their first game in WU Field House in front of more than 9,000 fans.

Dave Stallworth entered the program in the 1961–62 season. Nicknamed "The Rave", Stallworth became the Shockers' first consensus All-American in 1964. He finished with a career scoring average of 24.2 points per game and was second on the all-time scoring list with 1,936 points. During his 13-year stint at WSU, Ralph Miller became the winningest coach in Shocker basketball history, collecting 255 victories. Miller is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and currently ranks as the eighth-winningest coach in college basketball history.[4]

First Final Four

[edit]

The 1964–65 season—the first after Wichita joined the state university system as Wichita State University—was the greatest in Shocker history until the 2013–14 season. On December 14, 1964, Gary Thompson led Wichita State to its first-ever No. 1 ranking. The 19–7 Shockers won the MVC and earned a berth into the Midwest Regional. After defeating Southern Methodist and an Oklahoma State team led by Henry Iba, the Shockers headed to the Final Four in Portland. There, the Shockers were matched against the defending national champion UCLA Bruins, losing 108–89. The Shockers played a third-place game against Princeton, losing 118–82.

During this period, Warren Armstrong played for the Shockers and made major contributions throughout his career. During his sophomore season, Armstrong set two school records, averaging almost 12 rebounds a game while setting a Shocker single-game assist mark with 12. Armstrong became a three-time all-Valley performer from 1966 to 1968, and still holds four of WSU's 10 triple double games (double-figure points, rebounds, assist, or blocks). He would later enjoy a productive career in the ABA. Terry Benton became a key contributor during this era as well, setting a WSU record of 16.8 rebounds per game for his career, and finishing his Wichita State career with 1,003 points and 963 rebounds.

Harry Miller era

[edit]

Wichita State went 97–90 from 1971 to 1978 under Harry Miller. They had several notable players during those years including Rich Morsden, Bob Wilson, Robert Gray, Bob Trogele, Cheese Johnson, Cal Bruton and Bob Elmore. They made it to the NCAA tournament in 1976, winning the Missouri Valley Conference and losing by one point to eventual national runner up Michigan. The following year they beat eventual NCAA Champion Marquette in Al McGuire's final home game in Milwaukee.[5]

Elite Eight appearance and sanctions

[edit]
Coach Smithson celebrates after the Shockers upset Iowa in the 1981 NCAA tournament.

In 1981, the Shockers would return to the NCAA tournament, defeating the Kansas Jayhawks 66–65 in the "Battle of New Orleans" before being defeated by LSU 96–85 in the Elite Eight. The 1980–81 team featured two future NBA players – Cliff Levingston and Antoine Carr, who would be chosen in the first 10 picks of the NBA draft. Carr, a local star from Wichita, would become WSU's third All-American in 1983, averaging 22.2 points a game during his senior season, and finishing his career with 1,911 points while shooting 55.7 percent. Levingston would average 15.7 and 18.5 points per game while leading the team in scoring his freshman and sophomore years, before declaring early for the NBA Draft.

Another future NBA player, Xavier McDaniel, would arrive the year after the Elite Eight season.[6] McDaniel scored 2,152 points at Wichita State, second all-time behind Littleton, and set the school record with 1,359 rebounds. In 1984–85, McDaniel became the first player in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in scoring (27.2 points per game) and rebounding (14.8 per game) in the same season.

In 1982, Wichita State would be placed under NCAA probation for the 1982–83 and 1983–84 seasons, regarding improper actions of former assistant coaches in the late 1970s.[7]

In nine seasons, Smithson won 155 games, placing him second in school history behind Ralph Miller. Smithson was the first coach to guide WSU to consecutive 20-win seasons. During the four-year span from 1980 to 1984, WSU produced a 92–29 record, the best four-year span in team history at the time.[4]

Return to the tournament

[edit]

WSU hired Topeka, Kansas native Mark Turgeon as head coach on March 11, 2000. Turgeon guided the Shockers to a 9–19 record during his first season. In Turgeon's second year Wichita State began its resurgence with a combination of several veterans and newcomers to compile a 15–15 record in 2001–02.

Helped by an 11–3 record in Levitt Arena, WSU's overall record in the arena rose to 502–185 since it opened during the 1955–56 season. In the 2002–03 season, the Shockers would improve to 18 wins, and then to 21 wins in the 2003–04 season.

In 2004–05, Wichita State continued to improve, reaching the third game of the NIT, and taking the Shockers to back-to-back-to-back postseason trips for the first time since 1987–88–89. WSU's 2004–05 team went 22–10 overall, finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference, and were ranked in the top 30 for nine weeks.

In 2005–06, Turgeon lead WSU to its best season in over 20 years, reaching the Sweet 16 with victories over 10th seeded Seton Hall and shocking 2nd seeded Tennessee. In the Sweet 16, the Shockers would go on to lose to eventual Final Four participant George Mason.

In 2006–07, the Shockers entered the season with high expectations, and surged out to a 9–0 start, including a revenge-win over George Mason, as well as road victories over #6 LSU and #14 Syracuse. WSU rose as high as #8 in both the AP and Coaches' Polls on December 18, 2006,[8] but the Shockers would struggle for much of the rest of the season, falling from the rankings and finishing 17–14, including only eight conference wins, for Turgeon's second worst mark as WSU head coach.

Head Coach Mark Turgeon left Wichita State on April 10, 2007, after a seven-year run and a 128–90 record, (at the time) the third winningest coach in Shocker history behind Ralph Miller and Gene Smithson. On April 14, 2007, Gregg Marshall was announced as 26th head men's basketball coach at Wichita State.[4]

Second Final Four and undefeated regular season

[edit]

Gregg Marshall previously coached at Winthrop University for nine seasons. In his first season (2007–08) the team finished with a record of 11–20. In his second season they posted a 17–17 record, complete with a run to the second round of the 2009 CBI Tournament where they lost to Stanford. The following season the Shockers went 25–10, culminating with an NIT appearance. The invitation was due in large part to their strong 16–1 home record. Their only loss at home that year was in the NIT against Nevada.

In the 2010–11 season Wichita State improved once again to finish the season at 29–8, finishing second in the Missouri Valley to Missouri State. The Shockers would go on to win the NIT championship as a 4 seed, defeating two #1 seeds, first Virginia Tech 79–76, and then beating Alabama in the championship game 66–57.[9][10]

In the 2011–12 season, they continued to improve under Marshall's guidance. In winning the regular season MVC title at 16–2 (26–4 overall), the Shockers reached a ranking of #14 in the coaches poll and #15 in the AP poll. After losing to Illinois State in the semi-finals of the MVC tourney in St. Louis, the Shockers were selected at large for the NCAA tournament as a 5 seed, their first NCAA Tournament in 6 years. They fell to VCU 62–59, ending the season with a 27–6 record.

Heading into the 2012–2013 season, despite being the reigning regular-season champions, the Shockers were predicted to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference.[11] Wichita State went into the season having lost five of the top six scorers from the previous season, including Joe Ragland, Toure' Murry, Garrett Stutz, Ben Smith, and David Kyles. Despite the losses, the Shockers went on to win their first 9 games, including the Cancún Challenge,[12] as well as 15 of their first 16, and 19 of their first 21. Wichita struggled in conference-play, however, losing three in a row in late January and early February. Nevertheless, the Shockers would eventually play rival Creighton in the final game of the season for the outright conference championship, losing in Omaha.

In the 2012–13 NCAA tournament, the Shockers upset top-seeded Gonzaga to move on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006,[13] followed by a 72–58 win over La Salle for their first Elite Eight appearance since 1981. They defeated Ohio State 70–66 for their first Final Four appearance since 1965, as well as their 30th win of the season, a then-Wichita State record.[14] In the Final Four, Wichita State was defeated by the #1 overall seed and eventual tournament champion Louisville, 72–68 but that game was later vacated in 2018[15] by the NCAA.

The 2013–14 season proved to be historic and possibly the greatest season in Shocker history. The Shockers cracked the top 10 at #2 in the nation in both major polls, for the first time since December 2006.[16] It was the highest that the Shockers had been ranked that late in the season in school history. On February 25, with a win over Bradley, the Shockers became just the 11th Division I team to start the season 30–0. They were also the first team to do so solely in the regular season, as the prior 10 teams reached that mark in the postseason.[17] A week later, with a dominating 68–45 win over Missouri State, the Shockers became the first Division I team to finish the regular season 31–0. The Shockers ran the table with the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament, winning all three games by double digits. This was the first time Wichita State won the Valley Tournament since 1987. The Shockers received the #1 ranking in the Midwest Region of the 2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Wichita State blew out their first opponent, Cal Poly to become the first team in the history of college basketball to advance to a record of 35–0 (a mark matched by Kentucky in the 2014–15 season). The Shockers season ended with an instant classic of a game with the Kentucky Wildcats on a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer. Their final record ended up being 35–1.

Marshall departure and decline

[edit]

After the 2019–20 season, eight Shockers players entered the NCAA transfer portal, with seven eventually leaving the program. During this period, several former players alleged a pattern of physical and verbal abuse of players, leading to the university hiring a St. Louis-based law firm to conduct an independent investigation. Marshall resigned shortly before the 2020–21 season, with Wichita State buying out his contract for $7.75 million over six years. Assistant coach Isaac Brown was named interim head coach for 2020–21.[18]

In Brown's first year, he took the Shockers to the NCAA Tournament but lost to Drake in the First Four. During the season, he was named full-time head coach.[19] The following 2 seasons, the Shockers would finish 32–28 and were not invited to any postseason tournament. This led to Wichita State firing Brown on March 11, 2023.[20]

Wichita State hired Paul Mills on March 22, 2023.[21]

Rivalries

[edit]

When Wichita State became an AP Top 25 regular in the early 2010s, there came interest in reviving annual games against Kansas and Kansas State.[22] In February 2013, Kansas state senator Michael O'Donnell introduced a bill requiring Kansas and Kansas State to schedule Wichita State, but the bill never passed.[23] Kansas and Wichita State scheduled a game for the 2023–24 season, their first regular season game since 1993. Wichita State last played Kansas in the 2015 NCAA tournament, a game they won 78–65. Kansas leads the all-time series 12–3. They last played Kansas State in the 2023–24 season, a game which they lost 60–69. Kansas State leads the all-time series 20–9.

Missouri State

[edit]

Wichita State had an in-conference rivalry with Missouri State dating back to the 1941–42 season (when Missouri State University was Southwest Missouri State Teacher's College). As of the 2016–17 season, following a 15-game winning streak in the series, Wichita State leads the series 39–30.[24][25]

Tulsa

[edit]

Wichita State's rivalry with Tulsa dates back to the 1930–31 season.[26] The two schools were in the Missouri Valley Conference from 1945 to 1996. Beginning in the 1996–97 season, this series continued as an out-of-conference rivalry and has been most recently continuously played since the 2010–11 season, after being played in the 1996–97, 1997–98, and 2000–01 to 2004–05 seasons.[27][28][29] As of the end of the 2020–21 season, Wichita State leads the series 72–62 following 15 games since the series resumed in 2010. Tulsa ended WSU's 5-game winning streak with a buzzer-beating 3-point win in Tulsa in February 2020, but WSU has won three since then, two at home and one on the road, including a tight 4-point game.[30][31]

Creighton

[edit]

Wichita State had an intense rivalry with the Creighton Bluejays during their time together in the Missouri Valley. Both squads were known as the cream of the crop in the MVC and went back and forth every year, trading the title of best team in the league. In all, the teams have played a total of 100 games against each other, with Creighton leading the overall series 55–45.[32]

Facilities

[edit]

The Shockers have played their home games at Charles Koch Arena, a 10,506 seat on-campus arena, since 1953. Originally known as the University of Wichita Field House, it was officially renamed Levitt Arena in 1969 for Henry Levitt, owner of Henry's, who sponsored a Wichita basketball team (known as the Henry Clothiers) that won three consecutive national Amateur Athletic Union titles in the 1930s. Due to its circular design, which gave nearly every fan a clear sight line and put the seats very close to the action, it was quickly nicknamed "The Roundhouse." Following a $6 million endowment from Charles G. Koch the arena underwent a $25 million renovation in 2002–03, popularly known as the "Roundhouse Renaissance." The old arena concourse was completely demolished and a new one built around the original playing/seating area. A portion of the seating bowl was remodeled to make for more legroom. All new seating was installed as well as a video scoreboard, and virtually every surface that was not renovated was given a fresh coat of paint. The Shocker basketball teams played at the Kansas Coliseum for the 2002–03 season while the arena was rebuilt. In 2012, the Shockers averaged 10,391 fans per game, ranking 38th nationally.[2] In January 2013, ESPN's Jason King listed Koch Arena as the 7th best home court advantage in college basketball.[33]

In addition to Koch Arena, the Shockers have played one game for each of the last eleven seasons (except 2020–21) across town at the Intrust Bank Arena, the second largest indoor arena in the state of Kansas at 15,004 seats. Wichita State is 8–3 (as of the 2020–21 season) when playing at Intrust Bank Arena.

Coaches

[edit]

The Shockers have had 27 head coaches in program history. Of these, only 7 coached five or more seasons. They have had two different coaches take them to the Final Four and seven different coaches have taken them to the NCAA Tournament. Gregg Marshall is the all-time leader in wins, win percentage among coaches who have coached at least 25 games, tournament appearances, and tournament wins. Marshall also has just as many tournament appearances as every other coach in program history combined and is the longest-tenured head coach in program history having coached for 13 seasons.

Coaching history

[edit]
Coach Years Overall record Winning %
Willis Bates 1905–08, 1913–14 15–20 .429
Roy Thomas 1909–12 12–24 .333
E.V. Long 1912–13 1–11 .083
Harry Buck 1914–16 14–15 .483
Lamar Hoover 1916–18, 1921–23 30–32 .484
Kenneth Cassidy 1919–20 8–8 .500
Wilmer Elfrink 1920–21 16–2 .889
Sam Hill 1923–25 19–21 .475
Leonard Umnus 1925–28 47–14 .770
Gene Johnson 1928–33 74–24 .755
Lindsay Austin 1934–35 7–13 .350
Bill Hennigh 1935–41 59–68 .472
Jack Starrett 1941–42 4–16 .200
Mel Binford 1942–43, 1944–48 60–52 .536
Ken Gunning 1948–51 26–49 .347
Ralph Miller 1951–64 220–133 .623
Gary Thompson 1964–71 93–94 .497
Harry Miller 1971–78 97–90 .519
Gene Smithson 1978–86 155–81 .657
Eddie Fogler 1986–89 61–32 .656
Mike Cohen 1989–92 32–56 .364
Scott Thompson 1992–96 40–70 .364
Randy Smithson 1996–00 55–62 .470
Mark Turgeon 2000–07 128–90 .587
Gregg Marshall 2007–20 337–119 .739
Isaac Brown 2020–23 48–34 .585
Paul Mills 2023–present 15–19 .441
Head coaches: 27

Notable players

[edit]

Retired numbers

[edit]
Wichita State Shockers retired numbers
No. Player Tenure Ref.
13 Cleo Littleton 1952–1955 [34][35]
34 Xavier McDaniel 1981–1985
35 Antoine Carr 1979–1983 [36]
42 Dave Stallworth 1961–1965 [37]
54 Cliff Levingston 1979–1983 [38]

Players in the NBA

[edit]
Name WSU year(s) Position Team Round Pick Overall Pro year(s) Ref.
Gene Wiley 1959–62 C Los Angeles Lakers 2 8 15 1962–67 [39]
Dave Stallworth 1962–65 PF-C New York Knicks 1 3 3 1965–74 [40]
Nate Bowman 1962–65 C Cincinnati Royals 1 7 7 1966–71 [41]
Warren Jabali 1965–68 SG-SF New York Knicks 4 8 44 1968–1974 [42]
Bobby Wilson 1972–74 PG Chicago Bulls 3 16 52 1974–77 [43]
Lynbert "Cheese" Johnson 1975–79 PF Golden State Warriors 3 10 54 1979-1979 [44]
Cliff Levingston 1979–82 PF Detroit Pistons 1 9 9 1982–94 [45]
Antoine Carr 1979–83 PF-C Detroit Pistons 1 8 8 1984–99 [46]
Ozell Jones 1979–81 C-PF San Antonio Spurs 4 20 90 1984–85 [47]
Xavier McDaniel 1981–85 SF-PF Seattle SuperSonics 1 4 4 1985–1997 [48]
Greg Dreiling 1981–82 C Indiana Pacers 2 2 26 1986–1996 [49]
Maurice Evans 1997–99 SG-SF Undrafted 2001–02, 2004–12 [50]
Gal Mekel 2006–08 PG-SG Undrafted 2013–14 [51]
Toure' Murry 2008–12 PG-SG-SF Undrafted 2013–16 [52]
Cleanthony Early 2012–14 PF New York Knicks 2 4 34 2014–16 [53]
Ron Baker 2012–16 SG Undrafted; New York Knicks 2016–19 [54]
Fred VanVleet 2012–16 PG Undrafted; Houston Rockets 2016– [55]
Landry Shamet 2015–18 SG Phoenix Suns 1 26 26 2018– [56]
Craig Porter Jr. 2020–23 PG Undrafted; Cleveland Cavaliers - - - 2023– [57]

Players in international leagues

[edit]

Olympians

[edit]

The following Shockers represented their country in the Olympics. Both participants represented the United States.

Year Player Medal
1936 Francis Johnson
1936 Jack Ragland

Notable in other fields

[edit]
Paul Wight, known under the ring name The Big Show, played center at Wichita State before beginning his wrestling career.
  • Paul Wight, actor and wrestler under the ring name The Big Show

Individual season records

[edit]
  • Statistics prior to 2013–14 season courtesy of Wichita State University Men's Basketball Fact Book.[58] 2013–14 statistics courtesy of Wichita State Sports Information.[59]

Points

[edit]
Rank Points Player Season
1 844 Xavier McDaniel 1984–85
2 769 Dave Stallworth 1963–64
3 632 Maurice Evans 1998–99
4 619 Xavier McDaniel 1983–84
5 612 Cliff Levingston 1980–81
6 609 Dave Stallworth 1962–63
7 600 Cheese Johnson 1978–79
8 595 James Thompson 1965–66
9 581 Greg Carney 1969–70
10 575 Aubrey Sherrod 1984–85

Field goal percentage

[edit]
Rank Percentage FGM/A Player Season
1 61.6 133–216 Steve Grayer 1987–88
2 61.1 77–126 Adam Grundvig 2000–01
3 60.5 89–147 Claudius Johnson 1991–92
4 59.5 131–220 Henry Carr 1986–87
5 59.3 223–376 Xavier McDaniel 1982–83
6 59.0 102–173 Neil Strom 1991–92
7 58.8 94–160 Ryan Martin 2006–07
8 58.6 211–360 Antoine Carr 1980–81
9 57.7 86–149 Karl Papke 1982–83
10 57.6 89–147 Ramon Clemente 2008–09

Three-point field goals

[edit]
Ron Baker, who is in Wichita State's top 10 in career scoring, three-pointers, assists, and steals.
Rank Three-pointers Player Season
1 91 Jason Perez 1999–2000
2 80 Ron Baker 2014–15
3 75 David Kyles 2010–11
4 69 Maurice Evans 1998–99
5 68 Ron Baker 2013–14
6 67 Randy Burns 2004–05
7 66 Terrell Benton 2000–01
Clevin Hannah 2008–09
9 64 Randy Burns 2003–04
Sean Ogirri 2006–07
Ron Baker 2015–16

Three-point percentage

[edit]
Rank Percentage 3PM/A Player Season
1 50.4 57–113 Joe Ragland 2011–12
2 50.0 22–44 Matt Clark 2003–04
3 48.4 46–95 Joe Griffin 1987–88
4 47.8 44–92 Gary Cundiff 1986–87
5 47.5 28–59 Rob Kampman 2001–02
6 46.5 20–43 Keith Bonds 1988–89
7 46.4 51–110 Dwight Praylow 1987–88
8 46.2 24–52 Matt Clark 2002–03
9 45.0 18–40 Jamar Howard 2002–03
10 44.6 33–74 Lew Hill 1987–88

Free throws made

[edit]
Rank Free throws Player Season
1 220 Cleo Littleton 1954–55
2 203 Dave Stallworth 1963–64
3 165 Dave Stallworth 1962–63
4 155 Cleo Littleton 1952–53
5 152 Jamar Howard 2003–04
6 151 Cleanthony Early 2013–14
7 143 Greg Carney 1969–70
Joe Stevens 1955–56
9 142 Xavier McDaniel 1984–85
10 141 Jason Perez 1998–99

Free throw percentage

[edit]
Gal Mekel
Rank Percentage FTM/A Player Season
1 91.0 61–67 CC McFall 2000–01
2 90.5 124–137 Jamie Thompson 1966–67
3 90.4 85–94 Clevin Hannah 2009–10
4 88.3 68–77 Bobby Wilson 1973–74
5 87.7 57–65 Joe Ragland 2010–11
6 87.7 71–81 Gal Mekel 2007–08
7 87.0 67–77 Bob Trogele 1976–77
8 85.9 61–71 Lanny Van Eman 1961–62
9 85.9 67–78 Ernie Moore 1962–63
10 85.6 89–104 Kyle Wilson 2004–05

Rebounds

[edit]
Rank Rebounds Player Season
1 460 Xavier McDaniel 1984–85
2 441 Robert Elmore 1976–77
3 437 Terry Benton 1970–71
4 403 Xavier McDaniel 1982–83
5 393 Xavier McDaniel 1983–84
6 376 Cliff Levingston 1980–81
7 364 Terry Benton 1971–72
8 323 Warren Armstrong 1965–66
9 302 Gene Wiley 1960–61
Robert Elmore 1974–75

Assists

[edit]
Rank Assists Player Season
1 194 Warren Armstrong 1967–68
2 193 Fred VanVleet 2013–14
3 184 Tony Martin 1980–81
4 183 Fred VanVleet 2014–15
5 181 Joe Griffin 1987–88
6 172 Fred VanVleet 2015–16
7 169 Fridge Holman 2003–04
8 167 Melvin McKey 1995–96
9 163 Randy Smithson 1980–81
10 157 Malcolm Armstead 2012–13

Steals

[edit]
Rank Steals Player Season
1 76 Malcolm Armstead 2012–13
2 69 Fred VanVleet 2013–14
3 67 Jason Perez 1999–2000
4 66 Fred VanVleet 2014–15
5 63 Robert George 1990–91
6 62 Jason Perez 1997–98
7 57 Preston Carrington 1970–71
Robert George 1991–92
9 55 Jason Perez 1998–99
Fred VanVleet 2015–16

Blocked shots

[edit]
Rank Blocks Player Season
1 80 Gene Wiley 1961–62
2 69 Robert Elmore 1976–77
3 65 Antoine Carr 1980–81
4 56 Robert Elmore 1974–75
Ehimen Orupke 2012–13
6 55 Terry Benton 1970–71
Carl Hall 2012–13
8 54 Antoine Carr 1981–82
9 50 Antoine Carr 1982–83
10 44 Kadeem Coleby 2013–14

Individual game records

[edit]
  • Statistics courtesy of Wichita State University Men's Basketball Fact Book.[58]

Points

[edit]
Rank Points Player Opponent Date
1 47 Antoine Carr Southern Illinois March 5, 1983
2 46 Dave Stallworth Cincinnati February 16, 1963
3 45 Dave Stallworth Loyola (Chicago) January 29, 1965
Ron Harris Southern Illinois December 18, 1971
5 44 Xavier McDaniel West Texas State January 26, 1985
6 43 Dave Stallworth Arizona State–Tempe December 7, 1963
Xavier McDaniel Bradley January 10, 1985
8 40 Al Tate Tulsa March 5, 1960
Dave Stallworth Louisville January 30, 1965
10 39 Dave Stallworth Montana State December 26, 1963
Cleanthony Early Southern Illinois January 9, 2013

Rebounds

[edit]
Rank Points Player Opponent Date
1 29 Terry Benton North Texas State January 11, 1971
2 28 Terry Benton Loyola (Chicago) February 6, 1971
3 26 Larry Callis Drake January 13, 1996
Gene Wiley Bradley January 20, 1962
Ron Harris Loyola (Chicago) February 14, 1970
6 25 Robert Elmore New Mexico State February 12, 1977
7 24 Warren Armstrong NYU March 14, 1966
Terry Benton Memphis State January 26, 1971
Terry Benton West Texas State March 4, 1972
10 40 Al Tate Tulsa March 5, 1960
Dave Stallworth Louisville January 30, 1965

Career records

[edit]
  • Statistics courtesy of Wichita State University Men's Basketball Fact Book.[58]

Games played

[edit]
Rank Games Player Seasons
1 141 Tekele Cotton 2011–15
Fred VanVleet 2012–16
3 140 Demetric Williams 2009–13
4 139 Toure' Murry 2008–12
5 138 Garrett Stutz 2008–12
5 137 J. T. Durley 2007–11
7 136 Aaron Ellis 2008–12
8 132 Paul Miller 2002–06
9 128 David Kyles 2008–12
10 126 PJ Cousinard 2005–08

Games started

[edit]
Rank Games Player Seasons
1 130 Toure' Murry 2008–12
2 121 Ron Baker 2012–16
3 119 Paul Miller 2002–06
4 118 Jamar Howard 2001–05
5 116 Aubrey Sherrod 1981–85
6 115 Randy Burns 2001–05
7 104 Rob Kampman 2001–05
8 101 Jason Perez 1996–2000
9 98 Tekele Cotton 2011–15
10 98 Paul Guffrovich 1987–91

Points

[edit]
Rank Points Player Seasons
1 2164 Cleo Littleton 1951–55
2 2152 Xavier McDaniel 1981–85
3 1936 Dave Stallworth 1962–65
4 1911 Antoine Carr 1979–83
5 1907 Cheese Johnson 1975–79
6 1839 Jason Perez 1996–2000
7 1765 Aubrey Sherrod 1981–85
8 1636 Ron Baker 2012–16
9 1599 Randy Burns 2001–05
10 1571 Jamar Howard 2001–05

Rebounds

[edit]
Rank Rebounds Player Seasons
1 1359 Xavier McDaniel 1981–85
2 1039 Robert Elmore 1973–77
3 1027 Cheese Johnson 1975–79
4 985 Cliff Levingston 1979–82
5 963 Terry Benton 1969–72
6 878 Cleo Littleton 1951–55
7 839 Warren Armstrong 1965–68
8 838 Dave Stallworth 1962–65
8 776 Antoine Carr 1979–83
10 774 Al Tate 1957–60

Field goal percentage

[edit]
Rank FG% FGM/A Player Seasons
1 56.4 893–1584 Xavier McDaniel 1987–88
2 55.7 763–1370 Antoine Carr 1979–83
3 54.3 304–557 Claudius Johnson 1989–93
4 53.8 597–1110 Cliff Levingston 1979–82
5 53.0 719–1356 Dave Stallworth 1962–65
6 53.0 517–975 Jamar Howard 2001–05
7 52.3 741–1418 Cheese Johnson 1975–79
8 52.2 326–624 Tony Martin 1980–82
9 51.5 413–802 Garrett Stutz 2008–12
10 51.4 286–556 Randy Smithson 1979–81

Three-point field goals

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Rank Three-pointers Player Seasons
1 248 Randy Burns 2001–05
2 241 Ron Baker 2012–16
3 200 Sean Ogirri 2004–07
4 197 Terrell Benton 1998–2002
5 196 Jason Perez 1996–2000
6 153 David Kyles 2008–12
7 144 Paul Gruffrovich 1987–91
8 141 Fred VanVleet 2012–16
9 140 Ryan Herrs 1992–96
10 135 Toure' Murry 2008–12

Free throw percentage

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Rank FT% FTM/A Player Seasons
1 85.3 337–395 Jamie Thompson 1964–67
2 85.0 164–193 Sean Ogirri 2004–07
3 84.1 127–151 Joe Ragland 2010–12
4 84.0 289–344 Kyle Wilson 2004–07
5 83.5 193–231 Paul Gruffrovich 1987–91
6 82.7 140–173 CC McFall 2000–02
7 82.6 261–316 Lanny Van Eman 1959–62
8 82.2 152–185 Clevin Hannah 2008–10
9 82.1 119–145 Ron Mendell 1965–69
10 81.5 132–162 Bobby Wilson 1972–74

Assists

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Fred VanVleet, the Shockers' all-time leader in assists and steals.
Rank Assists Player Seasons
1 637 Fred VanVleet 2012–16
2 430 Toure' Murry 2008–12
3 429 Warren Armstrong 1965–68
4 420 Bob Trogele 1975–79
5 404 Cal Bruton 1972–76
6 394 Dave Stallworth 1962–65
7 384 Aubrey Sherrod 1981–85
8 383 Paul Gruffrovich 1987–91
9 345 Ron Baker 2012–16
10 336 Tony Martin 2008–12?

Blocked shots

[edit]
Rank Blocks Player Seasons
1 209 Antoine Carr 1979–83
2 132 Robert Elmore 1973–77
3 109 Claudius Johnson 1989–93
4 105 Gene Wiley 1959–62
5 103 Xavier McDaniel 1981–85
6 101 Garrett Stutz 2008–12
7 98 PJ Cousinard 2004–08
8 91 J. T. Durley 2007–11
Ehimen Orupke 2010–13
10 82 Terry Benton 1969–72
Carl Hall 2011–13

Steals

[edit]
Rank Steals Player Seasons
1 225 Fred VanVleet 2012–16
2 222 Jason Perez 1996–2000
3 180 Toure' Murry 2008–12
4 163 Ron Baker 2012–16
5 156 Tekele Cotton 2011–15
6 153 Jamar Howard 2001–05
7 148 Aubrey Sherrod 1981–85
PJ Cousinard 2004–08
9 126 Cheese Johnson 1975–79
10 114 Xavier McDaniel 1981–85
Paul Gruffrovich 1987–91

Postseason history

[edit]

NCAA tournament results

[edit]

The Shockers have appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 18–17.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1964 N/A Second round
Elite Eight
Creighton
Kansas State
W 84–68
L 93–94
1965 N/A Second round
Elite Eight
Final Four
Third-place game
SMU
Oklahoma State
UCLA
Princeton
W 86–81
W 54–46
L 98–108
L 82–118
1976 N/A First round Michigan L 73–74
1981 No. 6 First round
Second round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
No. 11 Southern
No. 3 Iowa
No. 7 Kansas
No. 1 LSU
W 95–70
W 60–56
W 66–65
L 85–96
1985 No. 11 First round No. 6 Georgia L 59–67
1987 No. 11 First round No. 6 St. John's L 55–57
1988 No. 12 First round No. 5 DePaul L 62–83
2006 No. 7 First round
Second round
Sweet Sixteen
No. 10 Seton Hall
No. 2 Tennessee
No. 11 George Mason
W 86–66
W 80–73
L 55–63
2012 No. 5 Second round No. 12 VCU L 59–62
2013 No. 9 Second round
Third round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
No. 8 Pittsburgh
No. 1 Gonzaga
No. 13 La Salle
No. 2 Ohio State
No. 1 Louisville
W 73–55
W 76–70
W 72–58
W 70–66
L 68–72
2014 No. 1 Second round
Third round
No. 16 Cal Poly
No. 8 Kentucky
W 64–37
L 76–78
2015 No. 7 Second round
Third round
Sweet Sixteen
No. 10 Indiana
No. 2 Kansas
No. 3 Notre Dame
W 81–76
W 78–65
L 70–81
2016 No. 11 First Four
First round
Second round
No. 11 Vanderbilt
No. 6 Arizona
No. 3 Miami (FL)
W 70–50
W 65–55
L 57–65
2017 No. 10 First round
Second round
No. 7 Dayton
No. 2 Kentucky
W 64–58
L 62–65
2018 No. 4 First round No. 13 Marshall L 75–81
2021 No. 11 First Four No. 11 Drake L 52–53

*Following the introduction of the "First Four" round in 2011, the Round of 64 and Round of 32 were referred to as the second round and third round, respectively, from 2011 to 2015. Then from 2016 moving forward, the Round 64 and Round of 32 will be called the First and Second rounds, as they were prior to 2011.

NIT results

[edit]

The Shockers have appeared in 13 National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 11–12. They were NIT champions in 2011.

Year Round Opponent Result
1954 First round Bowling Green L 64–88
1962 First round Dayton L 71–79
1963 Quarterfinals Villanova L 53–54
1966 Quarterfinals NYU L 84–90
1980 First round UTEP L 56–58
1984 First round Michigan L 70–94
1989 First round
Second round
UC Santa Barbara
Michigan State
W 70–62
L 67–79
2003 Opening Round Iowa State L 65–76
2004 First round Florida State L 84–91
2005 Opening Round
First round
Second round
Houston
Western Kentucky
Vanderbilt
W 85–69
W 84–81
L 63–65
2010 First round Nevada L 70–74
2011 First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Championship
Nebraska
Virginia Tech
College of Charleston
Washington State
Alabama
W 76–49
W 79–76
W 82–75
W 75–44
W 66–57
2019 First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Furman
Clemson
Indiana
Lipscomb
W 76–70
W 63–55
W 73–63
L 64–71

CBI results

[edit]

The Shockers have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational. Their combined record is 1–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
2009 First round
Quarterfinals
Buffalo
Stanford
W 84–73
L 56–70

References

[edit]
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  5. ^ Hager, Tom (2012). The Ultimate Book of March Madness. Minneapolis, MN: MVP Books. p. 274. ISBN 978-0-7603-4323-4.
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