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College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 15

By Nathaniel Reeves

Feb 11, 2017; Moraga, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Silas Melson (0) drives the ball against St. Mary's Gaels guard Tanner Krebs (00) during the second half of the game at McKeon Pavilion. The Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the St. Mary's Gaels with a score of 74-64. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 11, 2017; Moraga, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Silas Melson (0) drives the ball against St. Mary's Gaels guard Tanner Krebs (00) during the second half of the game at McKeon Pavilion. The Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the St. Mary's Gaels with a score of 74-64. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 9, 2017; Wichita, KS, USA; Wichita State Shockers forward Markis McDuffie (32) drives with the ball up the court against the Missouri State Bears during the first half at Charles Koch Arena. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2017; Wichita, KS, USA; Wichita State Shockers forward Markis McDuffie (32) drives with the ball up the court against the Missouri State Bears during the first half at Charles Koch Arena. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /
22

Wichita State Shockers

Last week: 21-4, 11-1 MVC
Last rank: 23

Many people around the country might be surprised to see how kind advanced metrics are to the Shockers, who are quietly rolling through the MVC with an eight-game winning streak.

After blowing out a good Illinois State team last weekend, the Shockers picked up another pair of easy wins over Missouri State and Loyola on the road. While neither win is going to improve the resume much, Loyola is at least just outside the KenPom top 100 as the third-best MVC team, as Wichita State looks untouchable in the conference at the moment.

The Shockers are up to No. 16 in adjusted deficiency with the No. 20 mark in the country on both sides of the ball. Only six other teams are in the top 20 in both adjusted offense and defense, meaning Gregg Marshall’s team could once again be a handful come march.

Wichita State has shown remarkable consistency after losing the prolific duo of Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet, with Markis McDuffie and Darral Willis Jr. picking up the slack. Kansas transfer Conner Frankamp is averaging 15.2 points per contest over his last five games to add some extra offense, and Marshall’s teams always feature a stingy, physical defense.

The Shockers’ road trip will continue at Southern Illinois on Wednesday before a weekend home date with Northern Iowa.