UNI has won two in a row, after losing four of five, and comes to Koch Arena on the heels of an upset of Creighton, 65-62 on Saturday. The Panthers give WSU fits in recent seasons, winning 10 of the past 15 games and five of seven in Wichita. “They spread you out with shooters and they try to drive you to the rim off ball screens,” WSU coach Gregg Marshall said. “We’ve had spells when we’ve really defended it well. Sometimes, you don’t. Last year at their place, we were just dogged in our approach to defending it.”
WSU center Garrett Stutz played 30 minutes in the first meeting, despite a back strain that limited his mobility and the use of his left arm. He scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds. “He was carrying his (left) arm around like he was paralyzed,” Marshall said. “He was in a lot of pain.”
Marshall likes the lineup with Ben Smith starting for Carl Hall at power forward for its offensive punch. Hall and Stutz duplicate talents in the post. Smith allows WSU to spread the floor and gives Stutz more room to operate.
Stutz’s recent play is making his future a topic. Marshall, as he has said many times, believes he is an NBA talent. “He is starting to show some signs of having a little killer instinct,” Marshall said. “You can ride a guy like that, and that’s what we’ve been doing.” Marshall’s message to NBA scouts who watched Stutz earlier this season is that they need to take another look. “I never stopped believing in him,” Marshall said. “When he’s 26, 27, 28 years old, we’re going to see a freaking man-child. When he is starting to play for $5 million more, contract-wise, I think we’re really going to see a beast. He’s still a kid.”
UNI guard Deon Mitchell played 16 minutes in the first meeting, a 71-68 WSU win on Jan. 18. He recently moved into the starting lineup and is playing a larger role. Leading scorer Anthony James now comes off the bench for the Panthers.