Under the Radar Game of the Day – Sunday, January 17: Indiana State at Wichita State

Under the Radar Game of the Day: Indiana State at Wichita State, 4:00 PM Eastern, espn3

In order to qualify as a HOOPS HD Under the Radar team, a school cannot be in any of the power or regular multi-bid conferences, cannot be in the Top 25 and cannot be one of two established brand names that may not otherwise fit that group (Gonzaga and BYU).  As a result, technically, the Wichita State Shockers would be classified as Under the Radar.  That being said, I have avoided featuring them in the Under the Radar Game of the Day all season because this is a team that entered the season clearly in the Top 25 and, if not for the injury to Fred VanVleet, would probably still be there.  The Shockers have won 9 out of 10 games since their disastrous trip to Orlando in November, and it would not be a “shocker” if they returned to the Top 25 in the next few weeks.  That may make today one of the last good chances to feature them in the UTR Game of the Day, and I have therefore finally caved in to the pressure from David Griggs and done just that.

Wichita State enters play today with an overall record of 11-5, including home non-conference wins over UNLV and Utah, and a home conference win over a very good Evansville team.  The Shockers are out to a 5-0 Missouri Valley start.  Since Fred VanVleet returned from his injury, the team’s only loss was in overtime at Seton Hall.  He has had a huge impact on the team, averaging almost 7 assists per game in MVC play.  Of course, he is not the only one scoring and dishing out assists.  Teammate Ron Baker has been in double-digits in scoring 11 times so far this year, including a 14 point, 7 assist effort last time out against Missouri State.  VanVleet and Baker form one of the top backcourts in the entire nation and are the reason why Wichita State will be a very tough team to beat the rest of this season, and a very tough out once the NCAA Tournament rolls around.

Today’s opponent for Wichita State is the Indiana State Sycamores.  The Trees enter play today with an overall record of 10-7, and a solid early MVC mark of 4-1, with the lone loss having come at Evansville.  Brenton Scott helps lead the way for the Sycamores.  He has hit 11 three-pointers over his last two games, scoring 25 points against Illinois State and 30 against Northern Iowa.  Also keep an eye on Devonte Brown, who lit up Drake for 27 points.  A win today would be the biggest of the season, by far, for Indiana State.  It would also position them as a potential third contender in the MVC along with Wichita State and Evansville.