ESPN.com’s Eamonn Brennan has a nice Wichita State tribute story on the website today. He writes how the Shockers redeemed their undefeated season with their only loss in the classic NCAA tournament matchup with Kentucky. At the end of the piece, Brennan looks ahead to next season, predicting dominance again from WSU in the Missouri Valley.
What we expect to see: Another Wichita State hegemon.
That’s the No. 1 thing to expect. Even without Early and fellow seniors Nick Wiggins and Chadrack Lufile, Wichita State will have Ron Baker and VanVleet, the reigning MVC player of the year, back next year. Another crop of juco big men join them, as do starters Darius Carter and Tekele Cotton. There is no reason to expect anything but another dominant Shockers campaign — especially relative to competition.
How good will that competition be? Northern Iowa will have just about everyone back, most notably junior forward Seth Tuttle — the only non-Shocker to crack the stats-based Pomeroy all-conference list. Indiana State will likely take a step back, but the Panthers should take a major step forward. A 16-15 finish is not the goal. A tournament bid is not outside the norm.
Other than that, it’s hard to find other MVC contenders in the mix. The good news for Wichita State? Even if the Shockers spend another three months beating an overwhelmed conference to a pulp, no one will need convincing come March.