The amazing thing about Wichita State's nice start isn't that the Shockers are 6-1 thanks to Saturday's 69-62 victory at Baylor. What's incredible is that they're doing this without Markis McDuffie, who hasn't played a minute this season because he's still recovering from a stress fracture suffered in his left foot.
McDuffie led the Shockers in points and rebounds last season. So he's a big part of what they do. And yet Wichita State looks great even without him and is just one make (or Notre Dame miss) away from being undefeated. In other words, they look good and the numbers back it up -- proof being how Gregg Marshall's team is one of only four teams that currently have a top-15 offensive-efficiency rating and a top-15 defensive-efficiency rating. The others, if you're wondering, are Kansas, Michigan State and Villanova. That's good company.
Wichita State is No. 5 in the updated CBS Sports Top 25 (and one).
The complete Top 25 (and one) is below.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Duke
| The Blue Devils own three wins over teams (Michigan State, Florida, Texas) also in the Top 25 (and one). Marvin Bagley is averaging 22.0 points and 11.2 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game. | -- | 3-1 |
2 |
Kansas
| Bill Self has already recorded two victories over fellow Hall of Famers (John Calipari, Jim Boeheim) this season. Devonte' Graham is averaging 18.6 points and 8.0 assists in 33.6 minutes per game. | -- | 5-0 |
3 |
Michigan St.
| The Spartans have top-15 KenPom wins over North Carolina and Notre Dame. Their lone loss is a single-digit loss to Duke. | -- | 4-1 |
4 |
Notre Dame
| The Irish only grabbed five offensive rebounds in Thursday's loss at Michigan State. That resulted in their lone loss of this season. | -- | 4-0 |
5 |
Wichita St.
| The Shockers' lone loss is a single-point loss to Notre Dame. Shaquille Morris is averaging 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in 22.0 minutes per game. | -- | 4-0 |
6 |
Kentucky
| The Wildcats' lone loss is a single-digit loss to Kansas. Kevin Knox is averaging 16.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 35.3 minutes per game. | -- | 4-0 |
7 |
Villanova
| Six of Villanova's eight wins are double-digit victories. Mikal Bridges is averaging 17.9 points and 6.3 rebounds in 29.9 minutes per game. | -- | 3-3 |
8 |
Texas A&M
| Robert Williams grabbed 14 rebounds in 25 minutes during Thursday's win over UT Rio Grande Valley. He's averaging 8.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game. | -- | 3-1 |
9 |
Florida
| The Gators squandered a 17-point lead in Sunday's loss to Duke. Florida only scored 10 points in the final nine minutes. | -- | 5-0 |
10 |
Miami
| The Hurricanes' perfect record features a win over Minnesota. Bruce Brown is averaging 11.7 points and 8.6 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game. | -- | 3-0 |
11 |
N. Carolina
| The Tar Heels' lone loss came to Michigan State on a neutral court. Luke Maye is averaging 20.6 points and 10.4 rebounds in 31.9 minutes per game. | -- | 2-1 |
12 |
Gonzaga
| The Zags' only loss is a 2OT loss to Florida. Mark Few's team owns victories over Texas, Creighton and Ohio State. | 2 | 4-0 |
13 |
Minnesota
| The Golden Gophers shot 31.3 percent from 3-point range in Wednesday's loss to Miami. Jordan Murphy is averaging a team-high 21.4 points and 12.5 rebounds in 31.4 minutes per game. | 2 | 4-1 |
14 |
Alabama
| Collin Sexton finished with 22 points in Wednesday's win over Louisiana Tech. The five-star freshman is averaging 24.7 points, 4.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per game. | 2 | 3-1 |
15 |
Virginia
| The Cavaliers have the nation's best defensive-efficiency rating. They've held four of their eight opponents to fewer than 50 points. | 2 | 3-0 |
16 |
Arizona St.
| The Sun Devils' perfect record features wins over Xavier, Kansas State and San Diego State. Tra Holder is averaging 22.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 35.4 minutes per game. | 2 | 4-1 |
17 |
Xavier
| The Musketeers' lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Arizona State. Their resume features three top-50 KenPom wins, most notably victories over Baylor and Cincinnati. | 2 | 4-0 |
18 |
Cincinnati
| The Bearcats' lone loss is a road loss to Xavier. Gary Clark is averaging 13.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game. | 5 | 4-0 |
19 |
TCU
| The Horned Frogs have won 13 straight games dating back to last season. Kenrich Williams is averaging 12.4 points and 10.1 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game. | 3 | 4-1 |
20 |
Baylor
| The Bears' two losses are to teams (Wichita State, Xavier) ranked higher than them in the Top 25 (and one). Baylor owns wins over Creighton and Wisconsin. | -- | 3-1 |
21 |
Creighton
| The Bluejays' two losses are to Gonzaga and Baylor. They led both of those games at the half. | -- | 4-0 |
22 |
West Virginia
| The Mountaineers have won seven straight since losing to Texas A&M. Jevon Carter is averaging a team-high 19.0 points, 5.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds. | 1 | 2-1 |
23 |
Nevada
| The Wolf Pack's perfect record features wins over Rhode Island and Davidson. Caleb Martin is averaging 19.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in 30.1 minutes per game. | 1 | 4-0 |
24 |
Texas
| The Longhorns' two losses are OT losses to Duke and Gonzaga. Mohamed Bamba is averaging 10.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in 27.2 minutes per game. | 1 | 3-1 |
25 |
Rhode Island
| The Rams' two losses are to teams (Virginia, Nevada) ranked higher than them in the Top 25 (and one). URI owns wins over Seton Hall and Providence. | NR | 3-0 |
26 |
Seton Hall
| The Pirates' lone loss is a single-point loss to Rhode Island. Desi Rodriguez is averaging 18.7 points in 29.6 minutes per game. | NR | 2-2 |
In: Rhode Island, Seton Hall
Out: USC, Arkansas