How Wichita State basketball exploited the same play three times late to beat SMU

With one simple play, the Wichita State men’s basketball team was able to engineer a comeback win over SMU on Sunday.

Trailing late in the game, the Shockers dialed up the same play three straight times with the same result — three straight baskets by Ronnie DeGray III.

When examining WSU’s 16-5 run in the final five minutes to close out a 77-72 win over the Mustangs at Koch Arena, it was the buckets by DeGray, including the go-ahead layup with 34 seconds left, that felt most significant.

“Coach had us run the same play, and I think he knew they were getting confused on the switch on the back side,” said DeGray, who finished with 11 points and five rebounds off the bench to help WSU snap its eight-game losing streak and pick up its first American Athletic Conference win in the process.

“I just kind of split in between them and ended up wide open every time.”

The play in question was really just a simple high ball-screen between Kenny Pohto and Xavier Bell. The first option was for Bell, a lefty, to attack the left side — and if the defense bottled him up, then to swing to Pohto, who popped to the top of the key.

From there, the player on the wing cut through to empty the floor for Pohto to execute a dribble hand-off to the guard in the corner and run a pick and roll.

The specific personnel made the play work so well for the Shockers.

Bell was able to bend the defense by driving hard to his left, which made the defense late to recover. Because Pohto has the capability of shooting 3-pointers, SMU’s weak-side defender, who was guarding DeGray, felt like he had to help at the top of the key. Meanwhile, DeGray, a strong cutter, beelined straight toward the basket and Pohto, a good passer, found him.

The right rotation for the defense is to have its lowest defender slide over to switch onto DeGray, which is where SMU’s breakdown occurred. The Mustangs never accounted for DeGray, and he made them pay.

“We gave up layups on the very same play that we practiced probably 20 times the last two days,” SMU head coach Rob Lanier said. “So the disappointment in our locker room reflects that. They didn’t do something we haven’t seen. We knew they were going to pop the big, dive the top guard and we needed to keep our bottom guard in a hole to absorb that.”

The first time WSU ran the play, trailing 70-67, Bell passed to Pohto at the top of the key, DeGray cut and SMU’s bottom defender actually did take away the pass.

But when Pohto used the space vacated by DeGray to drive right, the defender failed to stay attached to DeGray, who floated to the other side of the lane. When Pohto’s shot missed, DeGray was there for the easy tip-in.

“I just kind of know when guys shoot where to go for the ball to come off,” said DeGray, who had three offensive rebounds. “It’s just a luck thing. I feel like it goes my way more on the offensive side.”

The next time down, with WSU trailing 72-69 with 1:28 left, Pohto again received the pass back from Bell. Because he had just driven to his right, SMU weak-side defender Samuell Williamson, who was guarding DeGray, aggressively stunted at Pohto, which left DeGray free.

“I thought the key was Kenny slipping out of those,” Mills said. “That caused two on the ball and it allowed Kenny to make a read.”

This time, SMU’s low-side defender never came over, Pohto made the read and DeGray was left wide open for a layup.

“When I slip the screen for the pop, I get the ball back and I’m always looking for that cut,” Pohto said. “If it’s not open, then I go for the hand-off. When they’re overplaying like that, the back cut is usually open and Ronnie was there and I’ve got good vision, so I just found him. We practice that every day.”

Lanier mentioned on his post-game radio interview that he was sure SMU would make the right adjustment just 30 seconds later when WSU had the ball, down 72-71, and went to the same play.

To his dismay, the same thing happened again.

When Pohto caught the ball at the top of the key, Williamson stunted hard at Pohto, DeGray cut through and SMU’s low-side defender, Chuck Harris, didn’t rotate. DeGray’s wide-open, go-ahead layup with 34 seconds left proved to be the winning play.

“I couldn’t believe he was open both times,” Pohto said. “We just got lucky.”

That specific play working so well was somewhat bizarre, given it wasn’t a new play drawn up by WSU head coach Paul Mills for a late-game special. And the back cut by DeGray isn’t even necessarily designed to score, it’s more so to create space.

But the right personnel in at the right time allowed the Shockers to continue to exploit the play, which earned the team its first win in 43 days.

While DeGray scored the points, Mills said Bell and Pohto also played their parts perfectly to make the play work.

“Who is that up top? If it’s not a shooter, then there’s no reason to really stunt it,” Mills said. “You have to keep guys honest. There’s a lot of options there, you just have to have a dude who is up there in order to do that. And for us, that’s Kenny.”