Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY
The Wichita State Shockers had a great run in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, making it all the way to the Final Four. Talent will be leaving, but the team will be good enough to go on a deep run in the 2013-14 college basketball season once again. Fred VanVleet could be a big reason for that and a breakout season should be expected from him.
Malcolm Armstead will be greatly missed and taking over for him will not be easy.
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With that said, VanVleet had a pretty good outing in the dance, scoring 13 points against Gonzaga and 12 points against Ohio State. If he produces like that full-time in the upcoming season, he will fill in very nicely for Armstead and will help lead the team to victory.
The Shockers seem to be a team on the rise and they should run away with the MVC title. It helps that Creighton will no longer be in the conference.
Whether the case, VanVleet managed to shoot 40.8 percent from behind the arc this past season and surprisingly shot worse from the field at 38.6 percent. With more playing time he could score a lot more than the 4.3 points per game he averaged as a freshman.
Enough talent will be back to make Wichita State a good team, but it will need players like VanVleet to emerge to become a great team. However, with a great head coach and a lot of experience on the Shockers, they could be the best mid-major in college basketball and could make some noise all season long.
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