Bring on the Shockers!
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So we’ve lost a number of tournament games we SHOULD have won…wouldn’t it be fun to go to the F4 THIS year!
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@VailHawk For sure. I would be elated if they get past Kentucky. But realistically, they aren’t getting out of the region.
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UM slow down my friends. Lets win the first game against New Mexico St. Then we’ll talk about a potential matchup with whoever. No I’m serious this KU team plays Bad Ball and with Bad Ball you never know what you’re going to get.
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Well folks. I didnt think we would go. But. My family and I look forward to this trip every year. And since im confident in my ability to stick with what ive said all year long about this team(no expectations. Only hopes) we will be there to support our team. Im a Jayhawk and I love it. And i love this game Rock Chalk Jayhawk Go KU!!!
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@cragarhawk awesome!!! Yell louder for me! Send some pics!
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@cragarhawk You got room for @Crimsonorblue22 ?
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@brooksmd can you imagine him telling his wife they need to take me?? Ha ha
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More the merrier
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@Crimsonorblue22 is actually Olivia Wilde
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@VailHawk shes even more beautiful when I picture her. Just saying.
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@VailHawk ha ha!!
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@cragarhawk I’m glad!
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I’m looking forward to a KU-WSU matchup. Of course, let’s win Friday first!
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The Wichita tv stations are going nuts about the possible KU-WSU matchup! Oh is it going to be painful listening all week to this! Enough! Nms first!!
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@Crimsonorblue22 You suppose if Missery had made the dance the committee would’ve found a way to sandwich Kansas between WSU and Missery? Definite sellout games.
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@brooksmd the sportscasters just did a really nice spot on Perry and his family. His brother just won state sat, their dad was in Topeka and mom in kc. The 2 brothers and their sister have state rings. Pretty sweet!
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@brooksmd Gregg was not happy w/brackets, the sports guys said he was talking thru gritted teeth!!
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@Crimsonorblue22 I kinda hope Marshall puts out some bulletin board smack-we’ll see if he contains himself without a Depend-Ha. Also both parties must be cautious of what they wish for…Gotta get by a pesky NMS first & foremost. They’re not a great shooting team but like to pound inside. Maybe more BAD BALL. 5 days to tipoff boys & girls,. RCJH !!
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@globaljaybird I think we should stop talking about WSU till fri after game!!! Feels unlucky to me!!
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@Crimsonorblue22 Yep. One game at a time.
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Agreed, WSU also needs to beat Indiana first, and not that it matters but the guys on bracketology are picking Indiana to win. Self said our guys don’t get excited for much when asked about their lack of emotion on selection sunday as you can tell by how we play. Some of the possible matchups and rematches in this bracket are sure to bring some emotion out of them.
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@Jayrawks1 Karma is a funny thing. Sometimes, when you purposely wanted it to happen, it will just do the opposite. I think NCAA plotted it. Indiana may just do the Karma thing. Until we schedule them on our own, we may never meet them. RCJH!
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I hope Perry isn’t too pumped about WSU. Yes, New Mexico State has won 18 out of their last 19 games and they feel pretty positive about themselves. They beat UMKC which beat Missouri which beat LSU-Auburn and Florida. One game at a time. Beat NMS then we can watch Conner Frankamp root against the Jayhawks.
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On ESPN bracketology discussion, the analyst picked Indiana over WSU and indicated that Indiana’s plethora of guards matches well with WSU. I can see where Marshal would be upset, the Shockers were heavily under seeded and as a result they have a tough match against KU when they should have had a much easier game. I know WSU fans and many Kansas politicians are happy, but I am sure the two coaches are not.
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I’m not sure WSU gets past Indiana. But if they do, it would be hilarious to discover Marshall’s been blowing hot air all this time, saying he wants to play KU bc he thought it would never happen.
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@ajvan it would sure please me!
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@Crimsonorblue22 They got screwed with their seed, but I’d expect some warmth from Marshall about finally getting a shot at us & haven’t seen it yet. Maybe if they get past Indiana…
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@ajvan I live close to wichita, I heard him say chickenhawk, plus I heard from another d1 coach that other coaches do not respect him. He will be on the news all week. Coach Self has said that they have never called to schedule!! He does not want to play us. Jmo!
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@Crimsonorblue22 Ha, in that case I bet Self is itching to wax the floor with him. Assuming we both win, I bet Self will downplay it big time and then do everything he can to shock the Shockers.
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@VailHawk Some folks aren’t liking our chances Bracket Lames But bracket opinions are just that.
The WSU game will be a perfect test for Self’s brand of ball. Though WSU’s attack is different than ISU’s, we’ve got experience against that style of play. Not sure they’ve played a team as sound defensively as we have been lately. I haven’t looked at their schedule.
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@HighEliteMajor Yeah, I haven’t seen one analyst picking us to play UK in the elite eight. Myron Medcalf thinks that we won’t even make the sweet sixteen.
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OK, Indiana. Here’s what we need. We need for you guys to cooperate and lose Friday’s NCAA Tournament game to Wichita State in Omaha.
Here’s why.
For years now, many of us in Wichita have been hoping, wanting, dying to see the Shockers play Kansas. It hasn’t happened during the regular season in 22 years because the Jayhawks don’t like the idea of playing WSU. So while a few of us still bang the drum and hope Bill Self will have an epiphany about the good WSU-KU would do for the state, the sound of the banging doesn’t carry to Lawrence.
But now the NCAA has mandated a potential Wichita State-Kansas showdown and there’s not a darn thing KU can do about it. If the Jayhawks beat New Mexico State (a given, let’s be real) and the Shockers handle Indiana (this one is more complicated), it’ll be KU-WSU on Sunday in Omaha.
And wouldn’t that be something?
So you see, Indiana, it’s your responsibility to look at the greater good. You were 20-13 this season and 9-9 in the Big Ten. You’re lucky just to be in the tournament and some of your best players will return next season. In fact, you don’t have a single senior on your roster. There’s a good chance you could play your best ball Friday and still not have enough to beat the Shockers.
But we can’t risk it.
So, what do you say you just go through the motions Thursday and give us Kansans what we want? We’d sure be appreciative.
The Hoosiers could spoil everything in Omaha by beating the Shockers. Indiana-Kansas in the second round? OK, they’re two of the most successful programs in the history of college basketball. But the Hoosiers have been all over the place since Tom Crean took over as coach in 2008.
There were a couple of Sweet 16s in 2011-12 and 2012-13, but in the other five seasons, Indiana is 65-94. Since starting 15-4 this season, the Hoosiers are 5-9 and their only wins have been against Big Ten bottom-feeders Rutgers (twice), Northwestern, Minnesota and Michigan.
Indiana, I ask: Do you really want to be the fly in the ointment of the first potential NCAA Tournament game between Kansas and Wichita State since 1981? We called that one “The Battle of New Orleans,” and some Shocker fans still wear the T-shirt commemorating that game, a 66-65 Shocker win.
The last time WSU and KU met in the regular season, though – back on Jan. 6, 1993 – Kansas won 103-54 in Allen Fieldhouse. As far as I know, there are no T-shirts commemorating that game.
We need another game worthy of T-shirts, Indiana. We love T-shirts and will wear them for decades.
Kansas has a Wichita kid, Perry Ellis. Wichita State has a Wichita kid, Evan Wessel, and another, Conner Frankamp, who used to play at Kansas. He’s sitting out now after transferring, waiting for his chance that will come in December.
KU and WSU have vibrant, interesting coaches in Bill Self and Gregg Marshall. I want to hear what they have to say about playing one another, but they’re not tipping their hands until the game is set.
Marshall ducked the question Sunday, saying he was focused on Indiana. Of course he is, but I’d give a penny for his thoughts on the possibility of finally playing Kansas.
Self told the media a KU-WSU showdown would appease me (he’s right), then turned his attention to New Mexico State.
Kansas and Wichita State – as well as Indiana and 12 other teams – are stuck in the Midwest Regional with undefeated Kentucky. Everybody says the Wildcats are going to win this thing and become the first team since Indiana in 1976 to finish a season without a loss.
Indiana, you’ve had your fun. You’ve won five national championships, albeit none since 1987. You got to see Bob Knight toss around chairs and other assorted fun stuff for 30 years.
We’ve had our share of excitement in Kansas, too. The Jayhawks won a national championship seven years ago and have won 11 consecutive Big 12 regular-season championships.
The Shockers got to the Final Four two seasons ago, went to 35-0 before losing to Kentucky last season and are probably a spot or two underseeded in this year’s tournament.
Kansas-Wichita State is prime-time stuff. KU is a college basketball giant, but the Shockers are growing like a beanstalk. If these two teams played, it would be difficult to pick a winner.
The Shockers have a better resume than Indiana. They’re a better team than Indiana. They probably don’t need any help beating the Hoosiers and setting up a Sunday game for the ages, a game so many of us are dying to see.
But just in case, Indiana, do us a favor and continue to bring your “C” game. Now wouldn’t be the time to play lights out.
Reach Bob Lutz at 316-268-6597 or blutz@wichitaeagle.com. Follow him on Twitter: @boblutz.
Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/bob-lutz/article14530637.html#storylink=cpy
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The Kansas-Wichita State basketball series spans 14 games and 107 years. Neither are figures worthy of the term “rivalry.”
Still, the possibility of the teams meeting on Sunday in an NCAA Tournament third-round game at Omaha excites a state and more specifically its largest city. Wichita is home to die-hard Shockers and true-blue Jayhawks, and the thought of the teams getting together on an NCAA court – when the teams aren’t meeting on their own – will have the city buzzing for days.
Here’s a look at the series between the Shockers and the Jayhawks. It’s been extremely one-sided – Kansas has won 12 of the 14 meetings – but Wichita State will always claim bragging rights for what, up to now, has been the most important matchup.
Game 1: 1908-09, KU 65, Fairmount College 15 (at Wichita)
Related
ISU’s Naz Long and the rest of the Cyclones got to celebrate their second straight Big 12 Conference Tournament title with a 70-66 win over Kansas Saturday night at the Sprint Center. | RICH SUGG The Kansas City Star
›‹ Wichita State, Kansas two wins from meeting in NCAA Tournament (VIDEO) Bob Lutz: Wichita State vs. Kansas? It’s close enough to taste 2015 NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket PHOTOS: Iowa State rallies past KU for Big 12 Tournament title PHOTOS: Shockers fall in MVC semifinal to Illinois State PHOTOS: Wichita State Shocker fans (updated March 15) Phog Allen’s Jayhawks were 7-0 during an eight-day tour of Kansas and northern Oklahoma. The 50-point win at Fairmount was by far the biggest blowout of the seven. The teams didn’t meet again for 32 years.
Game 2: 1940-41, KU 54, Wichita 39 (at Wichita)
KU was coming off its NCAA second-place finish, while WU wouldn’t be Division I until after World War II. One of the Jayhawks that night was Ralph Miller, who a decade later would be coaching the Shockers.
Game 3: 1941-42, KU 56, Wichita 37 (at Wichita)
The Wheatshockers were 4-16 in Jack Starrett’s only season as coach. KU went on to the NCAA Tournament in Miller’s senior season.
Game 4: 1955-56, KU 56, Wichita 55 (at Wichita)
Ralph Miller’s only time in Wichita coaching against Allen, his mentor. It was the dedication game for WU Field House (the Roundhouse), which seated more than 10,000. Allen, while complimentary of the new arena – KU’s Allen Fieldhouse had opened the previous spring – noted that it should’ve been built to a bigger capacity.
Game 5: 1980-81, WSU 66, KU 65 (at New Orleans)
Twenty-five years later, there was no talk of the Shockers and Jayhawks meeting again. KU achieved three Final Fours in that time, Wichita State one. But in 1981, KU won the Big Eight Tournament for an automatic NCAA bid, and WSU won the Missouri Valley regular season to earn an at-large bid.
Both won two games at Levitt Arena to advance to New Orleans and a showdown in the Midwest Regional semifinal at the Superdome. KU led by three with 56 seconds to play and All-America guard Darnell Valentine at the free-throw line. But he missed, then WSU’s Mike Jones hit a 25-footer to cut the lead to one (no three-point line back then).
Valentine missed a breakaway layup before WSU rebounded and called time-out. As time ran down, WSU tried unsuccessfully to get the ball inside against a packed KU zone. Instead, Jones bombed again from 25 feet and made the shot heard around Kansas. WSU won 66-65.
T-shirts were printed. Billboards went up. Wichita State had achieved some measure of standing against KU. There was talk of a series between the schools. KU coach Ted Owens said, “I wouldn’t mind playing Wichita State, if our fans wouldn’t take the result so seriously.”
Game 6: 1983-84, KU 79, WSU 69 (at Lawrence)
WSU athletic director Lew Perkins and KU’s Monte Johnson agreed on an unusual four-year series: One game in Lawrence, one in Wichita, one in Kansas City and possibly a fourth if both teams won or lost in a four-team tourney in Kemper Arena.
The first game, in January 1984, featured Larry Brown’s first KU team against a Xavier McDaniel-led Shocker team in Allen Fieldhouse. KU won in front of a national television audience.
Game 7, 1984-85, KU 90, WSU 83 (at Kansas City, Mo.)
Ron Kellogg made 14 of 17 shots for a career-high 30 points in Kemper Arena. McDaniel finished with 29 on a night when there was so much pushing and shoving that both coaches earned technicals complaining about the rough play.
Game 8: 1985-86, KU 81, WSU 56 (at Kansas City, Mo.)
Without McDaniel, now in a Sonics uniform, WSU had no chance against a Jayhawk team headed for the Final Four. Afterward, when asked about the series, Brown said, “It’s stupid for us not to keep playing Wichita.”
Game 9, 1986-87, WSU 54, KU 49 (at Wichita)
The Shockers’ last victory came with an Eddie Fogler game plan designed to slow the pace. Junior Danny Manning was held to four points in the second half, 12 for the game.
Game 10, 1988-89, KU 86, WSU 66 (at Lawrence)
The schools agreed to two more games, one at each school. Roy Williams’ first team, ranked 18th, routed Wichita State to improve to 16-3.
Game 11, 1989-90, KU 93, WSU 66 (at Wichita)
The series became grossly one-sided when the second-ranked Jayhawks took apart Mike Cohen’s first team, handing WSU its worst home loss in 17 years. KU made 11 three-pointers, including Jeff Gueldner’s six seconds into the game.
Game 12, 1990-91, KU 84, WSU 50 (at Lawrence)
A two-in-Lawrence, one-in-Wichita contract was signed. And the KU margins of victory got bigger. KU led 35-6 and WSU committed eight turnovers in the first 10 minutes, 23 for the game.
Game 13, 1991-92, KU 81, WSU 51 (at Wichita)
The 27-point home defeat of 1990 was topped two years later in Cohen’s final year as coach.
Game 14, 1992-93, KU 103, WSU 54 (at Lawrence)
By now, Williams had said that KU wouldn’t continue the series without a two-for-one deal or better. WSU athletic director Gary Hunter said he wouldn’t do that to coach Scott Thompson, who was trying to rebuild the program. At that point, not many Shocker fans disagreed.
Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article14555153.html#storylink=cpy
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Well if we play them, wouldn’t it be ironic if Connor shot us out of the tournament?
(those who know me know I’m joking, those who don’t know me, I’m joking, he’s not going to shoot us out of the tournament, we’ll shut him down!)
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@wissoxfan83
If you are talking about “Conner” Frankamp it would be hard to do either since he will not be playing…
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@JayHawkFanToo I don’t think he can travel, not positive though. He wasn’t on their bench for away games this semester. Never did hear what his punishment was.
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@Crimsonorblue22 Great read 22. Thanks for the education.
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If I recall correctly only 15 players can travel and dress for the game. BTW, the WSU roster shows 16 players and Frankamp is not one of them.
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@JayHawkFanToo I’m watching ESPN as we speak and they just said that KU has 8-1 odds to make it out of the Midwest. WSU also has 8-1 odds. No idea how that works.
Also just saw that most of the “experts” on ESPN and CBS have us losing to WSU. Every single “expert” has UK winning.
I know that WSU is good but why are they better than KU all of the sudden?
I know that UK is really good and undefeated but unbeatable? We can’t beat them? Give me a break. Of course we could. We should know that from experience. Kansas could not lose to Northern Iowa. Kansas could not lose to Bucknell. Kansas could not lose to VCU. And then we lost. The talent gap between KU and those losses I just mentioned is greater than the gap between UK and us. There is no such thing as a team that can’t lose. Even if they are undefeated, see 1991 UNLV. That is why they play these games.
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This type of odds simply mean that if you bet 1 dollar and KU wins then you get 8 dollars; apparently KU and WSU have the same odds. Kentucky does not even have even odds; you would have to bet 11 dollars to win 10 if they win the title last time I checked…unheard of odds in as far as I can remember. No question they are the prohibitive favorite.
WSU does not have the same overall talent as KU but many believe that with Baker, VanVleet and Cotton they have the best starting back court in college basketball. WSU is a capable, well coached team that plays with discipline and confidence; they will be a very tough out.
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@JayHawkFanToo I know what odds are and I understand how betting works. I just think it is strange that we have the same odds as WSU.
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Sorry, I misunderstood the last sentence in the first paragraph. WSU seems to be a favorite of certain people, particularly those who resents KU. Keep in mind that WSU had performed better than KU in the last two tournaments which include a Final Four and a loss to eventual finalist UK last year.
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@joeloveshawks We’re not Northern Iowa or Bucknell or any of those smaller directional schools.
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Both the Shockers & the Jayhawks are Elite 8 teams, and possibly Final Four teams had they not been Bracketed with the Kentucky Wildcats. It makes no financial $en$e to have Teams from a State with such a low population making it far in the tourney. WSU has lost their Cinderella luster, so the TV sets will not turn on for them like they have the last two years. Kansas & WSU just don’t draw the ratings. I’d like be able to access television ratings for each game of the NCAA tournament over the last 20 years. Can anybody tell me where to seek this?
