Paul Mills has improved each season he’s been at Wichita State. Could this be the year he takes Wichita State basketball to the tournament?
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Wichita State basketball.
After his stint at Oral Roberts, where he famously took the 15 seed to the Sweet 16, Wichita State basketball pounced at the opportunity to hire an up-and-coming star. It didn’t start out well, going 15-19 in year one, but they’ve been slowly improving each year, winning 19 games in year two and 24 wins last year. Now, in year four, he looks to improve again with a team full of returners and some key transfers.
The team’s fate may come down to the Supreme Court ruling on the 5-year eligibility rule. If the players win, then they’ll get Kenyon Giles back, a near-20 PPG scorer and arguably the best player in the conference. If they lose, they still have a talented roster behind him, but it definitely changes the team’s ceiling.
Even without Giles, they return a lot of production from that 24-win team. That includes Will Berg, the 7-2 big man, and two guards in TJ Williams and Michael Gray Jr., who were both top five scorers on the Shockers last year. Pair them with Jahari Long, the George Mason transfer who put up impressive numbers last year. They also add Jordan Frison for depth, who averaged 16 a game at Chattanooga.
The American will be tough, even if it isn’t as strong as it was a few years ago. It’s been a little bit of time since we saw the Shockers dominating college basketball, but this might be the year to get them back in that direction.
Head coach: Paul Mills (10th season overall, 4th at Wichita State)
2025-26 record: 24-12 (13-5)
2026 postseason finish: NIT quarterfinals exit
Notable departures:
- Karon Boyd (10.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.6 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- at Kentucky (Nov. 27)
- vs. Boise State (Dec. 5)
- at Kansas State (Dec. 11)
Projected Rotation
PG: Kenyon Giles (5-10, 159, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 19.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 41.0 FG%, 37.8 3P%, 83.1 FT%
* Eligibility is pending Supreme Court ruling
SG: Michael Gray Jr. (6-2, 202, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 85.9 FT%
SF: Jahari Long (6-5, 200, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 12.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 4.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, 45.4 FG%, 37.7 3P%, 82.6 FT% (George Mason)
PF: Dillon Battie (6-9, 216, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 7.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 55.9 FG%
C: Will Berg (7-2, 265, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 55.9 FG%, 69.0 FT%
6: TJ Williams (6-5, 207, So.)
2025-26 stats: 8.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 46.6 FG%, 68.3 FT%
7: Bryce Heard (6-6, 205, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 6.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 43.8 FG%, 36.6 3P%, 79.1 FT% (Dayton)
8: Jordan Frison (6-0, 170, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 16.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 4.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 55.7 FG%, 45.5 3P%, 82.0 FT% (Chattanooga)
9: Jaret Valencia (6-9, 202, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 2.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.5 BPG
10: Cyr Malonga (6-11, 239, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 3.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 0.2 APG, 0.4 BPG, 67.3 FG% (New Mexico State)
Wichita State basketball team MVP: Kenyon Giles
Again, Giles would only be eligible if the Supreme Court ruling goes their way, but if he is, he has the potential to be the best player in this conference and take this Wichita State team to the tournament. At just 5-10, he might be unassuming, but he’s such a natural scorer. Let’s start with the three-point shooting. He hit 8 threes in a game twice last year, and over 5 nine times. He was actually 8th in the country last year in three-point attempts per game, but still made 38% of his attempts.
He also shot 83% from the line and doesn’t turn the ball over often. Not to mention, he also averaged over a steal and a half a game. Every great team has a big-time shot maker, and if he can be that for this team, then that could be the difference between a win and a loss in these close conference games.
Wichita State basketball make-or-break player: Jahari Long
With Karon Boyd graduating and still question marks about Giles’ eligibility, Wichita State needs a scorer. This is where Long fits in. After two years at Maryland and two years at Seton Hall, he averaged less than 5 points a game each time. Then last year, at George Mason, he finally broke out, averaging 12 points a game on efficient shooting.
Now, in year six of his college career, he’ll need to be a leader and either the number one or two scoring option on the court. They’ll also need him to be a facilitator. He averaged 4 assists a game last year, so expect him to have the ball in his hands and look for opportunities to feed Giles and Will Berg. If he can play that same role he had at George Mason, he’ll be the perfect fit in this program.
Key statistic: Offensive rebounding
Wichita State finished third in the country in offensive rebounds per game, behind just Tennessee and Florida. Will Berg was a huge reason why, finishing 27th in the country in that category, and Boyd also did a great job crashing the glass and creating second opportunities. Winning that battle night in and night out was a key reason for their success, but the question is, outside of Berg, who can create those opportunities this season?
Battie can certainly fill into that role, or perhaps TJ Williams in that sophomore leap. With Mills in charge, you can almost guarantee that’s going to be a priority in practice, and good luck to the poor centers who have to try to box out 7-2, 265-pound Will Berg this season.
Wichita State basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 1st in the American Conference
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Exit