When Wichita State was left out of the NCAA tournament last season, the Shockers responded by winning the NIT and finishing 29-8.
Gregg Marshall’s club carried that momentum over into the 2011-12 season. However, another Missouri Valley team has hogged the spotlight all season.
Behind player of the year candidate Doug McDermott, Creighton has been one of the most talked about mid-majors and a top-25 squad for much of the season.
But after the Shockers obliterated the then-No. 17 Bluejays 89-68 on the road Saturday, it became clear that Wichita State is the mid-major team to be conscious of come March.
After flirting with the top 25 for the last month, the Shockers (22-4, 13-2 MVC) cracked into the AP poll this week at No. ?24. While Creighton has lost three of its last four games, Wichita State has won 20 of its last 22 games and holds a two-game conference lead. Of the team’s four losses, one came in overtime and another came in triple overtime.
Wichita State is the strongest mid-major team in the country. Of the non-BCS and Mountain West schools ranked ahead of the Shockers in the top 25 — Murray State and Saint Mary’s — Wichita State has a higher RPI at No. 17. If the NCAA committee is searching for a signature win on Wichita State’s resume, the Shockers hammered No. 11 UNLV by 19 points in December.
And the Shockers have another chance for a quality win in Saturday’s BracketBuster game against a Davidson team that defeated No. 4 Kansas earlier this season.
– Scott Gleeson
