Wichita State earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, marking the second straight year and third time since 2006 that the Shockers will go dancing. Here are five things you probably didn’t know about the Wichita State Wheat Shockers:
1. They’ve got some great NCAA Tournament history. Wichita State reached the Final Four in 1965, losing to eventual champ UCLA. The Shockers shocked everyone in 1981 by knocking off in-state rival Kansas in a regional semifinal and moving on to the Elite Eight, and in 2006 WSU advanced to the Sweet 16 after upsetting 2-seed Tennessee. The school owns 8 wins in 9 NCAA Tournament appearances.
2. Their offensive numbers look bad on paper. Wichita State ranks 117th in points per game (69.4), 115th in field goal percentage (.443) and 111th in assists (13.8). But hey, they play good defense!
3. Cleanthony Early is their best player. With a name like Cleanthony Early, he’s got to be good. And he is, averaging 13.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. The less excitingly-named Carl Hall also puts up 12.8 points and 7.2 boards per game for the Shockers.
4. Gregg Marshall is an underrated coach. The Wichita State boss has led the Shockers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, and also had a mini-dynasty at Winthrop University from 1999-07. He led the Eagles to the Big Dance seven times in that span.
5. Their nickname actually makes a lot of sense. The Wheat Shockers got their name because students used to earn money by shocking, or harvesting wheat in nearby fields. In the early days, the football team played on a stubbled wheat field. Thus, football manager R.J. Kirk came up with the unique nickname in 1904. It’s stuck ever since.
Sign up for the SheridanHoops/Sportsbook Bracket Challenge. $100,000 first prize.
Kels Dayton is a freelance writer whose work has also appeared in SLAM Magazine. You can check out more of his work at RoundballDaily.com. Follow him on Twitter @RoundballDaily.