The Shockers made a lot of flashy plays –11 three-pointers, a spectacular dunk by Dexter Dennis and aggressive offensive rebounding by Trey Wade.
Those pluses helped Wichita State defeat Omaha 68-54 on Tuesday in the season-opener at Koch Arena. The Shockers led by 10 or more points over the final 16 minutes – hitting 20 late – so the game was never in doubt after halftime.
It is also important, as coach Gregg Marshall emphasized, that the Shockers made it harder on themselves than necessary. Rarely did they trust the offense to help create good shots, reflected in the number of two-point baskets (15) and a lack of trips to the foul line (5 of 12).