Shockwaves

Wichita State received Ehimen Orukpe’s letter of intent. Orukpe, from Lagos, Nigeria, signed with WSU in 2007 before starting a long journey that landed him in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He will have three seasons of eligibility at WSU beginning in 2010-2011.  Here’s what coach Gregg Marshall said Wednesday about Orukpe, a center from Three Rivers Community College in Missouri: Read More »

Three Rivers Community College coach Gene Bess says Ehimen Orupke will sign with Wichita State on Wednesday, the first day of the fall signing period. No surprise there. His signature, and receipt of the letter of intent at WSU, will bring closure to a three-year recruiting saga. Read More »

The changing lineups and absence of senior guard Clevin Hannah make it difficult to draw too many conclusions from WSU’s 81-69 exhibition win over NCAA Division II Newman on Saturday. The Shockers didn’t do anything to change preseason predictions. They looked good at times. They struggled at times, as 19 turnovers show. Things will look different when coach Gregg Marshall can limit his rotation to fewer players. Read More »

You can read The Wichita Eagle’s basketball style section here.

• Wichita State men’s breakdown and schedule.
• WSU women’s breakdown and schedule.
• MVC predictions (I’m buying into SIU for better or worse). Is anybody with me?
• MVC schedule

Previews from other places

• Blogging the Bracket picks Illinois State second.
• Rush The Court picks Creighton as the favorite.
• Rivals.com says SIU is on the decline.
• No prediction from USA Today. Instead, it’s a look at each team.
• CBSSports.com sticks with Northern Iowa as the favorite.

After last fall’s scrimmage against Kansas State, Wichita State basketball coach Gregg Marshall said his team needed to play with more urgency. He liked the experience, but his team didn’t play well.

The Shockers are a year older, and Marshall is much more upbeat after Sunday’s rematch with the Wildcats at Koch Arena. The teams practiced for around four hours, doing both situational, controlled work and scrimmages. The scrimmages were closed by NCAA rule and coaches are not allowed to reveal scores or statistics.

“It’s a much better starting point,” Marshall said. “We’ve gotten better as a basketball team from a year ago.”

Anybody who watches Kansas State knows the Wildcats play a physical, aggressive style of basketball. Marshall said he thought his team handled K-State’s muscle.

“We were able to compete with big, strong, aggressive athletes and not back down,” he said. “We were able to go against a team that is well-coached and do our thing.”

In a recurring theme, WSU junior Graham Hatch stood out in Marshall’s mind. Hatch has always hustled. More encouraging is his good shooting day.

“He’s right in the middle of the fray,” Marshall said. “He will mix it up.”

WSU will not practice on Monday, although the players will look at some film from the scrimmage. David Kyles, out with a sprained left ankle, did not scrimmage. Preparation begins Tuesday for Saturday’s exhibition game against Newman. WSU opens the season on Nov. 15 against Farleigh Dickinson.

• Bradley scrimmaged DePaul.