An easy way to ignite a home crowd is for the offense to break down its opponent and produce a wide-open look from the three-point line. The crowd swells in anticipation, waiting to explode when the shot swishes through the basket.
So far this season Wichita State has failed to capitalize in those moments. In fact, according to Synergy, the Shockers have made just 27.5 percent of their open looks from the perimeter, making them one of college basketball’s worst shooting teams (they rank No. 338 out of 353) on open shots.
That ability might be put to the test more than ever on Saturday when WSU (5-4) plays Southern Miss (7-2) and its pack-line defense in a 4:30 p.