Greensboro, N.C. – The star-making machine that is the NCAA Tournament turned its spotlight Thursday to a player from a state not known for its basketball talent and a team from a conference not recognized for its quality.
It was a memorable day for Sean Ogirri and Wichita State.
The former East High School star shone brightly on college basketball’s biggest stage, scoring a game-high 23 points with a dazzling array of 3-point shots to lead the seventh-seeded Shockers to an 86-66 blowout of Seton Hall.
Ogirri, a sophomore, had an inkling that his shot might find the net more often than not. It had in every other shooting session he had since the team arrived in Greensboro.
“It just felt good in practice and shooting in shootarounds,” Ogirri said. “It felt fluid and natural.”
And it translated to the game.
Six of Ogirri’s seven field goals were 3-pointers. Wichita State hit 10 3s overall.
“We played like we’ve been here 20 years in a row,” Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon said. “We were so calm.”
The Shockers jumped on the Big East’s Pirates early and kept it up. Forward Paul Miller, the Missouri Valley Conference’s player of the year, hit his first two shots, and Wichita State was on its way. The Shockers were the higher-seeded team, but national television pundits loudly proclaimed the Big East the nation’s best conference.
“We came into this game with a lot of confidence,” Miller said. “We felt like we belonged. I don’t think nervousness was as much a factor as we were excited to play.”
Turgeon didn’t bite too much on questions wondering if the school and conference had validated their inclusion with the dominating performance.
“We didn’t feel any pressure for the Valley, as players and coaches, to win,” Turgeon said. “I do feel like we’ve gotten some scrutiny we didn’t deserve. We’re proud of what we’ve done. We weren’t going to let a bunch of people around the country who haven’t seen us make us feel any different.”
In the blink of an eye, Wichita State was up 12-4. Timeout, Seton Hall. It didn’t help. Thirteen minutes later, the Shockers led 40-20.
Seton Hall played with more intensity and made fewer mistakes in the second half, but got no closer than 11 points.
Kelly Whitney led the Pirates with 18 points and seven rebounds. Donald Copeland added 17 points and five assists.
Miller finished with 15 points and seven rebounds for Wichita State, which will face second-seeded Tennessee on Saturday. Ryan Martin chipped in 10 points and six rebounds.
“We didn’t expect that (winning big) to happen,” said Ogirri, who also had five assists and three steals. “They are a great team. But it’s always good to beat a Big East team – and that’s what we did.”
Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
