Monday: Whether you like it or not, Wichita State is for real

Happy Monday! We had a great weekend in sports.

There were upsets everywhere in college basketball and Tiger Woods continues to struggle.

But I’m going to talk about Wichita State today.

The Shockers completed their regular season Saturday with a blowout victory against Missouri State, giving them a 31-0 record. This is the first time a team has finished the regular season undefeated since 2004 and the only team to go 31-0 in a regular season in college basketball history.

Even with that impressive resume, the criticism has been circling Wichita State all season.

Should the Shockers be a No. 1 seed? Do they deserve it over a team like Syracuse who plays in a better conference? How much stock should the NCAA Tournament selection committee take into an undefeated record?

As far as answers to these questions, I’ve heard plenty of them. Some are positive, but most say Wichita State hasn’t played anyone good, so it doesn’t deserve a No. 1 seed. Jay Bilas and Digger Phelps both said they wouldn't give Wichita State a top seed on College Gameday Saturday. 

Of course, I don’t blame those people for their criticism. The Shockers have a 100th-ranked strength of schedule and mid-major squads historically don’t do well when they are seeded high. Well, at least Gonzaga doesn’t play well when its seeded high, if you remember the second round last year.

I’m going to tell you right now, Wichita State isn’t Gonzaga. 

It’s much, much better.

If you’ve watched these Shockers play at all this season, you would come to one conclusion. They are insanely good, especially their stars.

Fred VanVleet would be a clear favorite for All-American if he played on any team in the power conferences. He has almost a 4-to-1 assist to turnover ratio. Ron Baker is a phenomenal shooter, but underrated in every other aspect of the game. He does everything well. Cleanthony Early could have been a lottery pick in last year’s NBA draft.

It’s not the star power that drives Wichita State though, it’s the role players that know their job and commit to it. There is no selfishness on this team. Baker is just as likely to dive on the floor after a loose ball than some scrub off the bench.

Lets get back to the NCAA Tournament talk though. This team deserves to be a No. 1 seed. I don’t care who you have played or what conference you’re in, if you go undefeated in a regular season, it means something.

How difficult is it to go undefeated in a regular season? Just ask the eight top 25 teams that lost this weekend. Or ask Syracuse how it feels to lose to Boston College, a team that wouldn’t go .500 in the Missouri Valley Conference, a league Wichita State has dominated.

Can the Shockers win a national championship? You’re darn right they can.

Will they? I don’t know the answer to that because I have no freaking clue who will win the title.

So many teams have flaws. Kansas turns the ball over too much. Syracuse can’t hit the broadside of a barn. Duke struggles defensively. Florida might be the best bet right now, but it tends to play down to its competition.  

So why can’t Wichita State be the favorite? It already went through a season beating teams by an average of 15 points a game.

The Shockers have yet to earn respect among the national media. So my advice?

Win a national title.

It’s hard to criticize that.

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Thanks for reading and have a great start to your week.

Reach me at: award6344@gmail.com

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