UMKC feeling confident as it heads to Wichita State

By DAVID BOYCE

The Kansas City Star

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Despite a 15-point loss at Kansas on Sunday, UMKC heads into tonight’s game at Wichita State with confidence.

The Kangaroos’ frame of mind is in a much better place than it was after losing the season-opener at home to NCAA Division I rookie North Dakota.

Nevertheless, UMKC is 0-2 and will be playing at another difficult venue. Koch Arena is not as menacing as Allen Fieldhouse, but the 10,000 or so Shocker fans are pretty vocal.

“I’ve never been to Wichita, but I understand it’s going to be a pretty good atmosphere,” UMKC coach Matt Brown said. “Hopefully now our players will recognize regardless of whether it’s 14,000, 8,000 or 10,000, we can play with a lot of people.”

Even though Wichita State was picked to finish ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Shockers will be a difficult opponent for UMKC. For one, UMKC beat Wichita State 59-56 last season at Municipal Auditorium. Also, Wichita State has a savvy coach in Gregg Marshall, who is in his second year with the Shockers after leading Winthrop to the NCAA Tournament seven of his nine years at the school.

Posted on Tue, Nov. 18, 2008 10:15 PM

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