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Wichita State Shockers ranks 2nd amongst the top 10 Best ‘Small Ball’ Lineups in NCAA Basketball for 2015-16 according to bleacherreport

PG: Fred VanVleet (6'0") SG: Ron Baker (6'3") SF: Evan Wessel (6'4") PF: Rashard Kelly (6'7") C: Anton Grady (6'8") 6th Man (First Semester): Shaquille Morris (6'7") 6th Man (Second Semester): Conner Frankamp (6'1")

Even with the crucial addition of Cleveland State transfer Anton Grady, Wichita State figures to play pretty small for a second consecutive season.

Unlike the three aforementioned teams who will continue to launch three-pointers like their lives depend on it, Wichita State’s version of small ball is more of an intense focus on limiting mistakes and second-chance opportunities with a lineup that will quite often be shorter than its opposition.

The latter portion of the equation is perhaps the most impressive and the one where Grady will be indispensable. The Shockers have ranked in the top 40 in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage for 13 straight years, including 10 seasons in the top 15.

Since adding turnover-free offense to the Wisconsin-like formula, the Shockers have been nearly unstoppable and should remain as such in the final year of the collegiate careers of Fred VanVleet, Ron Baker and Evan Wessel.

Here’s a somewhat bold prediction for you: If Grady does anything close to what he did last year for the Vikings (14.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.4 BPG), get ready for Wichita State to flirt with perfection again this season. If the Shockers can get through the Orlando Classic unscathed (potential games against Dayton, Notre Dame and Xavier), a neutral court game against Utah will be their toughest challenge before what should be a fairly weak Missouri Valley Conference schedule.

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