It has been quite a ride for Wichita St. so far. The Shockers were badly under-seeded as a 7 seed (they really should have been a 4-5 seed), so Selection Sunday could not have been that much fun. Until they saw their potential second round matchup, anyway. The Shockers were in line to play Kansas in the Round of 32.
Gregg Marshall, head coach of Wichita St., says he has been trying to schedule Kansas for years. Bill Self of Kansas says there are more strategic games he could schedule for recruiting purposes. Thus, the two teams do not play regularly. The fact that these two Kansas schools have not played each other much and that one of the two refused to play the other, only added to the excitement leading up to this game. It was a game, though, that almost didn't happen.
Before Wichita St. could take on their rivals (who easily handled New Mexico St. in the first round), they had to get past Indiana in the first round. The Hoosiers were game. They gave the Shockers all they could handle and may very well have come away with a win if not for Fred Van Vleet. Wichita St.'s point guard finished that game with 27 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and only 1 turnover. His effort helped his team to a 81-76 win and set up the dream matchup with Kansas.
Van Vleet, a Senior who has taken his team to the Final Four and an undefeated regular season already, followed up that great game against Indiana with an even better one against Kansas. He had 17 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, and 5 turnovers. That is just the kind of stat-stuffing game the Shockers needed. Kansas simply could not contend with him. In the end, Wichita St. won the game easily. They controlled the second half in a way that many probably didn't think was possible against the dominant force of Kansas. The final score was 78-65 in favor of the "Little Brother" in the Sunflower State. Wichita St. will probably petition to have that nickname changed now. They're the big brother of Kansas at this point. It's no wonder the Jayhawks didn't want to play them. They were afraid of losing.
It's a tough road ahead for Wichita St. On Thursday they play Notre Dame for a chance at the Elite 8. The Irish are lights out shooters, so the Shockers will have to play lock-down perimeter defense. The knock on Notre Dame all year has been their defense, but they have improved tremendously over the last few weeks. Just ask Duke and North Carolina, two teams Notre Dame beat on their way to the ACC Tournament Championship. If Wichita St. can shut them down and advance, a rematch with Kentucky is likely.
Last year, Wichita St. entered the NCAA Tournament undefeated and as a number 1 seed. Kentucky was an 8 seed who was able to upset the Shockers on their way to a run to the national championship game. This year, Kentucky is undefeated and looking to finish the season perfect. I'm sure Gregg Marshall and his Shockers would love nothing more than to repay the favor and take down the Wildcats.
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