Wichita State Shockers
Overall Record: 23-7
Conference Record: 16-2
Conference Standing: 1st/10th
Head Coach: Gregg Marshall
Team MVP: TIE: Fred VanVleet (13.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, .821 FT %) and Ron Baker (13.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, .797 FT %)
NCAA Tournament Appearances:1964, 1965, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Conference Tournament Champions: 1985, 1987, 2014
Regular Season Conference Champions: 1965, 1965, 1976, 1981, 1983, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016
Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet. Photo via The Sporting News.
Over the last few seasons, Wichita State has become a household name in terms of college basketball teams, especially because of the teams’ run to the Final Four back in 2013. Ever since, they have become one of the best mid-major powerhouses in college basketball. Behind the duo of VanVleet and Baker, along with the outstanding coach Gregg Marshall, the Shockers are looking destined for their fifth straight trip to the NCAA tournament. The Shockers struggled a little bit early on the season, losing out of conference games to Tulsa, USC, Alabama, Iowa, and Seton Hall. Four of those losses came in a stretch where the Shockers lost four of five games. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and his segment “Bracketology”, USC, Iowa, Seton Hall, and Alabama are all expected to make the NCAA Tournament. The Shockers also dominated conference play, going 16-2 in the MVC. The losses came when the Shockers slipped up on the road against Illinois State and the Shockers shockingly (nice word choice) lost at home to Northern Iowa. However since those two losses, Wichita State has won five in a row after dropping two of three games in that stretch. Wichita State is the favorite in the tournament to win it all and they play the winner of 8 seed Loyola and 9 seed Bradley Friday at noon.
