The Wichita State Shockers upset the Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday night. The performance by Wichita State has everyone asking: how far can the Shockers go?
The three point shooting of the No. 7 Wichita State Shockers was too much for no. 2 Kansas to handle in the round of 32. The Shockers shot 50 percent from beyond the arc, which just deflated all the momentum that Kansas ever got going. The Jayhawks were looking to avenge their second round upset they suffered last season at the hand of Stanford, but could not find any success. The Shockers’ shooting and effort just couldn’t be matched all game, which solidified Wichita State’s place in the Sweet Sixteen.
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Even though they are a No. 7 seed, Wichita State is showing that they belong with the premiere teams in college basketball. They played all year in the Missouri Valley, and dominated the competition only losing one game in conference play. Because they didn’t play in one of the power conferences, the Shockers were kind of overlooked as far as their chances to win the tournament go. According to ESPN, just 0.5 percent of people picked Wichita State to go to the final four and 0.3% picked them to go to the National title game. But after knocking off Kansas and the way they have been shooting the basketball, why isn’t Wichita State in the question for a National title?
While most people have been sleeping on the Shockers to go far in the NCAA tournament, the rest of the NCAA better wake up.
They did lost their first two games against ranked opponents this year, but since then they beat no. 10 Northern Iowa by 14 points in their final game of the regular season. They were 29-4 and their only bad losses were against George Washington and Illinois State in the conference tournament. But every team deserves a little leeway. That’s why we don’t see an undefeated team every year.
The Shockers just proved that they can play with whoever they are matched up against. Beating Kansas was their first real challenge this season, and boy did they step up to the plate. If you watch Wichita State play they slow the ball down, get a high percentage shot each possession, and play tough, hard nosed defense. So while most people have been sleeping on the Shockers to go far in the NCAA tournament, the rest of the NCAA better wake up.
They go up against the Notre Dame Irish in the Sweet Sixteen, a game that is conceivably fairly matched. But if they get past the Irish, the biggest test they will face in the tournament lies for them in the Elite 8, if the Kentucky Wildcats, if they win their next game.
Wichita State could be exactly the type of team Kentucky doesn’t want to play. If Wichita State controls the pace of the game and shoots over 50 percent from three point land like they did against Kansas, I wouldn’t be surprised if they pull off another upset.
We’ve seen underdogs play late into March before and their is no reason to think it won’t happen against this year. While their style of play isn’t as flashy as Arizona or their record as dominant as Kentucky’s is, they are still one of the best teams in college basketball right now. Anything can happen in March. And it might just happen for the Shockers as they attempt to shock the world this season.
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