NCAA Tournament 2015: Is Wichita State the new Gonzaga?

Wichita State Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall looks on during the first half against the Indiana State Sycamores at Charles Koch Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Wichita State Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall looks on during the first half against the Indiana State Sycamores at Charles Koch Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

The NCAA Tournament is in full swing, and Wichita State is dancing into he second weekend of March Madness and into our hearts as Gonzaga reincarnated. 


College basketball is a funny thing, as it’s just like starting up a small business you hope to grow into an empire. You’re all selling the same product, but it’s how you sell it and present your product that makes you stand out. Some schools are small and stay small but some blow up and become alpha programs that seem to always hang around.

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You have your power conference schools who routinely make it into March Madness, but it’s always fun to see the smaller conference schools become staples in the big dance. The last big school to really become a force in March Madness and always be involved was Gonzaga — and now we have a newbie to the group.

Wichita State was just another small Missouri Valley school a few years ago but they’re starting to stake their claim in March Madness in the same pestering way that Gonzaga did all those years ago. Since leaving their mark on the NCAA Tournament, Gonzaga has become a staple and that’s where it seems we’re headed with Wichita State.

Two straight years and two big trips to March Madness don’t guaranteed that a team is a staple, but it certainly seems as though things are trending in that direction.

Last year, the Shockers were a No. 1 seed and rolled into the NCAA Tournament where they were promptly dropped by Kentucky in the Round of 32. But the Shockers are back this season and they’re balling their way into the Sweet 16 and they look to be settling into their role as the new Gonzaga — that team who just never goes away.

Only time will tell if Wichita State is here to stay, but they keep forging further and further into March Madness and they don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

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