# 2020–21 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team represented Wichita State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played their home games at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas and were led by interim head coach Isaac Brown who took over as interim coach after Gregg Marshall resigned before the start of the season. Brown was promoted to full-time head coach during the season. They are members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 16–6, 11–2 in AAC Play to finish in 1st place. They defeated South Florida in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament before losing in the semifinals to Cincinnati. They received an at large-bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the First Four to Drake.

## Previous season

The Shockers finished the 2019–20 season 23–8, 11–7 in AAC play and finished in fourth place. They entered as the No. 4 seed in the AAC tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason |
| Jamarius Burton | 2 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Sophomore | Charlotte, North Carolina | Transferred to Texas Tech |
| DeAntoni Gordon | 3 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Freshman | Mobile, Alabama | Transferred to Northwest Mississippi CC |
| Erik Stevenson | 10 | G | 6'3" | 198 | Sophomore | Lacey, Washington | Transferred to Washington |
| Noah Fernandes | 11 | G | 5'11" | 172 | Freshman | Mattapoisett, Massachusetts | Transferred to UMass |
| Jaime Echenique | 21 | C | 6'11" | 258 | Senior | Barranquilla, Colombia | Graduated |
| Tate Busse | 32 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Freshman | St. Francis, Kansas | Walk–on; transferred to MSU Denver |
| Asbjørn Midtgaard | 33 | C | 7'0" | 267 | Junior | Helsingør, Denmark | Transferred to Grand Canyon |
| Grant Sherfield | 52 | G | 6'2" | 189 | Freshman | Wichita, Kansas | Transferred to Nevada |
Morris Udeze initially entered the transfer portal in March before deciding in late April to remain with the Shockers.

### 2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Ricky Council IV G | Durham, North Carolina | Northern High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Mar 29, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Chaunce Jenkins G | Newport News, Virginia | Menchville High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Mar 29, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Jaden Seymour F | Charlotte, North Carolina | Northside Christian Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Apr 3, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 5, 2020. ||||||

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Alterique Gilbert | G | 6'0" | 180 | Graduate Student | Atlanta, GA | Transferred from UConn after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately. |
| Craig Porter Jr. | G | 6'1" | 165 | Junior | Terre Haute, IN | Junior college transferred from Vincennes University. |
| Clarence Jackson | F | 6'6" | 185 | Sophomore | Dublin, GA | Junior college transferred from Polk State. |
| Trevin Wade | G | 5'11" | 166 | Junior | Marietta, GA | Junior college transferred from Georgia Highlands. Brother of forward Trey Wade. |
| Remy Robert II | G | 6'2" | 183 | Junior | Baton Rouge, LA | Walk–on; junior college transferred from State College of Florida. |

## Preseason
### AAC preseason media poll

On October 28, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards.
Coaches Poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Houston | 99 (2) |
| 2 | Memphis | 90 (2) |
| 3 | SMU | 80 |
| 4 | Cincinnati | 77 |
| 5 | South Florida | 61 |
| 6 | Tulsa | 50 |
| 7 | Wichita State | 44 |
| 8 | UCF | 37 |
| 9 | East Carolina | 34 |
| 10 | Temple | 18 |
| 11 | Tulane | 15 |

## Schedule and results
### COVID-19 impact

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Shockers' schedule is subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel.
* The Shockers were scheduled to participate in the 2020 Crossover Classic, but withdrew after multiple players tested positive for COVID-19.
* After the East Carolina game was postponed, December 30 was filled with a non-conference game vs. Newman.
* The game at East Carolina scheduled for February 21 was moved to Wichita.

### Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| December 2, 2020* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oral Roberts | W 85–80 | 1–0 | 26 – Etienne | 8 – Jackson | 3 – Tied | Charles Koch Arena (100) Wichita, KS |
| December 6, 2020* 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Missouri | L 62–72 | 1–1 | 14 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 6 – Gilbert | Charles Koch Arena (100) Wichita, KS |
| December 12, 2020* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oklahoma State | L 64–67 | 1–2 | 19 – Etienne | 6 – Trey Wade | 2 – Etienne | Charles Koch Arena (625) Wichita, KS |
| December 15, 2020 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Tulsa Rivalry | W 69–65 | 2–2 (1–0) | 13 – Council IV | 8 – Council IV | 5 – Porter Jr. | Reynolds Center Tulsa, OK |
| December 18, 2020* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Emporia State | W 73–57 | 3–2 | 18 – Udeze | 8 – Council IV | 4 – Etienne | Charles Koch Arena (1,050) Wichita, KS |
| December 22, 2020 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at South Florida | W 82–77 $^{OT}$ | 4–2 (2–0) | 25 – Etienne | 8 – Trey Wade | 5 – Gilbert | Yuengling Center (519) Tampa, FL |
| December 30, 2020 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | East Carolina | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Charles Koch Arena Wichita, KS |
| December 30, 2020* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Newman | W 81–43 | 5–2 | 13 – Dennis | 8 – Jackson | 5 – Etienne | Charles Koch Arena (1,575) Wichita, KS |
| January 2, 2021* 5:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Ole Miss American/SEC Alliance | W 83–79 | 6–2 | 29 – Etienne | 10 – Trey Wade | 5 – Trey Wade | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (860) Oxford, MS |
| January 6, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 11 Houston | L 63–70 | 6–3 (2–1) | 25 – Etienne | 8 – Etienne | 4 – Gilbert | Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX |
| January 10, 2021 3:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | Cincinnati | W 82–76 | 7–3 (3–1) | 23 – Council IV | 6 – Council IV | 3 – Tied | Charles Koch Arena (2,025) Wichita, KS |
| January 13, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Tulsa Rivalry | W 72–53 | 8–3 (4–1) | 20 – Tied | 8 – Udeze | 8 – Gilbert | Charles Koch Arena (2,048) Wichita, KS |
| January 21, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Memphis | L 52–72 | 8–4 (4–2) | 13 – Council IV | 7 – Council IV | 4 – Gilbert | FedEx Forum (2,118) Memphis, TN |
| January 27, 2021 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Cincinnati | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Fifth Third Arena Cincinnati, OH |
| January 30, 2021 3:00 p.m., ESPNU | | UCF | W 93–88 $^{OT}$ | 9–4 (5–2) | 29 – Etienne | 8 – Jackson | 7 – Gilbert | Charles Koch Arena (2,100) Wichita, KS |
| February 3, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Tulane | W 75–67 | 10–4 (6–2) | 22 – Etienne | 7 – Trey Wade | 4 – Gilbert | Charles Koch Arena (2,100) Wichita, KS |
| February 7, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Temple | W 70–67 | 11–4 (7–2) | 20 – Etienne | 7 – Udeze | 5 – Etienne | Charles Koch Arena (2,625) Wichita, KS |
| February 10, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at UCF | W 61–60 | 12–4 (8–2) | 17 – Gilbert | 10 – Dennis | 2 – Tied | Addition Financial Arena (1,385) Orlando, FL |
| February 18, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 | | Memphis | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Charles Koch Arena Wichita, KS |
| February 18, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 6 Houston Previously scheduled for Feb. 25 | W 68–63 | 13–4 (9–2) | 16 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Charles Koch Arena (2,625) Wichita, KS |
| February 21, 2021 11:00 a.m., ESPNU | | East Carolina | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Charles Koch Arena Wichita, KS |
| February 25, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | SMU Previously scheduled for Feb. 28 | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Charles Koch Arena Wichita, KS |
| February 28, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at SMU Previously scheduled for Jan. 17 | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Moody Coliseum University Park, TX |
| March 3, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Tulane | W 78–70 | 14–4 (10–2) | 23 – Wade | 13 – Dennis | 12 – Gilbert | Devlin Fieldhouse (100) New Orleans, LA |
| March 6, 2021 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Temple | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues | Liacouras Center Philadelphia, PA |
| March 6, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | South Florida Previously scheduled for Jan. 24 | W 80–63 | 15–4 (11–2) | 21 – Etienne | 8 – Wade | 5 – Gilbert | Charles Koch Arena (2,625) Wichita, KS |
| American Conference tournament |||||||||
| March 12, 2021 11:00 a.m., ESPN2 | (1) | vs. (8) South Florida Quarterfinals | W 68–67 | 16–4 | 20 – Etienne | 11 – Udeze | 4 – Porter Jr. | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| March 13, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (1) | vs. (5) Cincinnati Semifinals | L 59–60 | 16–5 | 14 – Gilbert | 7 – Udeze | 5 – Gilbert | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 18, 2021 5:27 p.m., TBS | (11 W) | vs. (11 W) Drake First Four | L 52–53 | 16–6 | 22 – Udeze | 7 – Tied | 4 – Gilbert | Mackey Arena (2,825) West Lafayette, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Awards and honors
### American Athletic Conference honors
#### All-AAC Awards

* Player of the Year: Tyson Etienne
* Coach of the Year: Isaac Brown

#### All-AAC First Team

* Tyson Etienne

#### All-AAC Third Team

* Alterique Gilbert

#### All-AAC Freshman Team

* Ricky Council IV
Source