# 2021–22 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team represented Wichita State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Shockers, led by second-year head coach Isaac Brown, played their home games at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas as members of the American Athletic Conference (AAC). They finished the season 15–13, 6–9 in AAC play, to finish in seventh place.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Shockers finished the 2020–21 season 16–6, 11–2 in AAC play, to win the regular-season championship. On February 26, 2021 then-interim coach Isaac Brown was named permanent head coach, agreeing to a five-year deal. In the AAC tournament, they defeated South Florida before losing to Cincinnati in the semifinals. The Shockers received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Drake in the First Four.

## Offseason
### Departures

Wichita State departing players :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Alterique Gilbert | 3 | G | 6' 0" | 180 | Graduate student | Atlanta, GA | Chose not to return to program |
| Trey Wade | 5 | F | 6' 6" | 221 | Senior | Marietta, GA | Graduated; transferred to Arkansas |
| Remy Robert II | 10 | G | 6' 2" | 188 | Junior | Baton Rouge, LA | Walk-on; transferring |
| Trevin Wade | 12 | G | 5' 11" | 175 | Junior | Marietta, GA | Transferred to Eastern Kentucky |
| Jacob Herrs | 14 | G | 6' 2" | 185 | Senior | Wichita, KS | Walk-on; graduated and chose not to return to program |
| Brycen Bush | 15 | G | 6' 0" | 172 | Senior | Wichita, KS | Walk-on; graduated and chose not to return to program |
| Jaden Seymour | 22 | F | 6' 9" | 205 | Freshman | Charlotte, NC | Transferred to East Tennessee State |
| Josaphat Bilau | 40 | F | 6' 10" | 232 | Freshman | La Roche-sur-Yon, France | Transferred to New Mexico JC |
| Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler | 44 | F | 6' 9" | 250 | Junior | Omaha, NE | Transferred to Omaha |
* ↑ Due to COVID-19 issues, the NCAA announced that the 2020–21 season would not be counted against the eligibility of any player in any sport held during the organization's winter season, including basketball. This meant that all players had the option to return for 2021–22.
* ↑ Gilbert was a graduate transfer in the 2020–21 season, having graduated from UConn.

### Incoming transfers

Wichita State incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Qua Grant | 22 | G | 6' 1" | 195 | Senior | DeSoto, TX | Transferred from West Texas A&M. Will have two years of eligibility beginning immediately. |
| Joe Pleasant | 32 | F | 6' 7" | 231 | Senior | Overland Park, KS | Transferred from Abilene Christian. Will have two years of eligibility beginning immediately. |

### 2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kenny Pohto C | Stockholm, Sweden | Sunrise Christian Academy | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | 05/04/21 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Jalen Ricks SG | Sherwood, AR | Oak Hill Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 06/03/21 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Isaac Abidde PF | Albany, GA | Westover Comprehensive High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 08/18/21 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A 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: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 17, 2021. ||||||

## Preseason
### AAC preseason media poll

On October 13, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards.
Coaches Poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Houston | 98 (8) |
| 2 | Memphis | 92 (3) |
| 3 | SMU | 77 |
| 4 | Wichita State | 76 |
| 5 | UCF | 66 |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 52 |
| 7 | Tulsa | 43 |
| 8 | Temple | 37 |
| T-9 | South Florida | 25 |
| T-9 | Tulane | 25 |
| 11 | East Carolina | 14 |

### Preseason Awards

* AAC Preseason Player of the Year – Tyson Etienne
* AAC Preseason All-Conference First Team – Tyson Etienne

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2021* 6:00 p.m. | | Missouri Southern | W 90–58 | – | 15 – Council IV | 6 – tied | 4 – Grant | Charles Koch Arena (8,040) Wichita, KS |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Jacksonville State | W 60–57 | 1–0 | 16 – Etienne | 8 – Dennis | 3 – tied | Charles Koch Arena (8,222) Wichita, KS |
| November 13, 2021* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | South Alabama | W 64–58 | 2–0 | 19 – Council IV | 12 – Udeze | 3 – tied | Charles Koch Arena (8,507) Wichita, KS |
| November 16, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Tarleton State Roman Main Event on-campus game | W 65–51 | 3–0 | 15 – Udeze | 6 – Udeze | 4 – Grant | Charles Koch Arena Wichita, KS |
| November 19, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Arizona Roman Main Event semifinals | L 78–82 $^{OT}$ | 3–1 | 27 – Etienne | 7 – Porter Jr. | 3 – Dennis | T-Mobile Arena Paradise, NV |
| November 21, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. UNLV Roman Main Event consolation | W 74–73 | 4–1 | 28 – Etienne | 6 – Udeze | 4 – Etienne | T-Mobile Arena (8,624) Paradise, NV |
| November 26, 2021* 8:00 p.m., SECN | | at Missouri | W 61–55 | 5–1 | 18 – Etienne | 7 – tied | 4 – Porter Jr. | Mizzou Arena Columbia, MO |
| December 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Oklahoma State | W 60–51 | 6–1 | 17 – Council IV | 8 – Porter Jr. | 4 – Porter Jr. | Gallagher-Iba Arena (8,134) Stillwater, OK |
| December 5, 2021* 5:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Kansas State | L 59–65 | 6–2 | 19 – Udeze | 7 – tied | 3 – Etienne | Intrust Bank Arena (14,488) Wichita, KS |
| December 11, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Norfolk State | W 71–58 | 7–2 | 16 – tied | 7 – Udeze | 7 – Porter Jr. | Charles Koch Arena Wichita, KS |
| December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Alcorn State | W 82–63 | 8–2 | 15 – Udeze | 8 – Pohto | 6 – Porter Jr. | Charles Koch Arena (8,002) Wichita, KS |
| December 18, 2021* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | North Texas | L 52–62 | 8–3 | 17 – Udeze | 9 – Council IV | 3 – Porter Jr. | Charles Koch Arena (8,277) Wichita, KS |
| December 22, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Prairie View A&M | W 102–66 | 9–3 | 20 – Etienne | 9 – tied | 8 – Grant | Charles Koch Arena (8,128) Wichita, KS |
| AAC regular season |||||||||
| December 29, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at East Carolina | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Williams Arena Greenville, NC |
| January 1, 2022 11:00 a.m., CBS | | Memphis | L 64–82 | 9–4 (0–1) | 17 – Etienne | 7 – Udeze | 2 – Qua | Charles Koch Arena (8,751) Wichita, KS |
| January 8, 2022 11:00 a.m, CBS | | at No. 12 Houston | L 66–76 | 9–5 (0–2) | 11 – Etienne | 8 – Jackson | 4 – Porter Jr. | Fertitta Center (7,051) Houston, TX |
| January 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Tulane | L 67–68 | 9–6 (0–3) | 20 – Etienne | 15 – Council IV | 4 – Porter Jr. | Charles Koch Arena (8,089) Wichita, KS |
| January 16, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN | | Cincinnati | L 57–61 | 9–7 (0–4) | 14 – Etienne | 11 – Udeze | 6 – Etienne | Charles Koch Arena (8,439) Wichita, KS |
| January 19, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Temple | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Liacouras Center Philadelphia, PA |
| January 26, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UCF | W 84–79 | 10–7 (1–4) | 31 – Council IV | 6 – Dennis | 5 – Porter Jr. | Charles Koch Arena (8,041) Wichita, KS |
| January 29, 2022 11:00 a.m., ESPNU | | at Tulane | L 66–67 | 10–8 (1–5) | 21 – Etienne | 12 – Udeze | 4 – Porter Jr. | Devlin Fieldhouse (2,556) New Orleans, LA |
| February 1, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Tulsa Rivalry | W 58–48 | 11–8 (2–5) | 11 – Council IV | 8 – Udeze | 3 – Porter Jr. | Charles Koch Arena (8,132) Wichita, KS |
| February 3, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at SMU Previously scheduled for January 23 | Canceled due to weather | Canceled due to weather | Canceled due to weather | Canceled due to weather | Canceled due to weather | Moody Coliseum University Park, TX |
| February 5, 2022 5:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU | | SMU | W 72–57 | 12–8 (3–5) | 20 – tied | 8 – Porter Jr. | 4 – tied | Charles Koch Arena (8,285) Wichita, KS |
| February 8, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at UCF | L 66–71 | 12–9 (3–6) | 26 – Etienne | 7 – Etienne | 5 – Porter | Addition Financial Arena (4,276) Orlando, FL |
| February 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | South Florida | W 73–69 | 13–9 (4–6) | 18 – Council IV | 7 – Porter Jr. | 6 – Porter Jr. | Charles Koch Arena (8,312) Wichita, KS |
| February 17, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Cincinnati | L 76–85 | 13–10 (4–7) | 17 – Council IV | 8 – Porter Jr. | 6 – Porter Jr. | Fifth Third Arena (9,655) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 20, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 14 Houston | L 74–76 $^{2OT}$ | 13–11 (4–8) | 17 – tied | 10 – tied | 4 – tied | Charles Koch Arena (9,070) Wichita, KS |
| February 27, 2022 1:30 p.m., ESPN | | at Memphis | L 57–81 | 13–12 (4–9) | 11 – Etienne | 11 – Udeze | 6 – Porter Jr. | FedExForum (14,147) Memphis, TN |
| March 2, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Tulsa Rivalry | W 72–62 | 14–12 (5–9) | 18 – Etienne | 8 – Udeze | 3 – Etienne | Reynolds Center (3,450) Tulsa, OK |
| March 5, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPNU | | East Carolina | W 70–62 | 15–12 (6–9) | 20 – Council IV | 10 – Porter Jr. | 5 – Grant | Charles Koch Arena (8,177) Wichita, KS |
| AAC tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPNU | (7) | vs. (10) Tulsa First round | L 67–73 | 15–13 | 19 – Council IV | 6 – tied | 5 – Etienne | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. |||||||||
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