Kansas State Deserved Higher NCAA Seed Than Wichita State
By Stan Unruh
Kansas State University is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Is it realistic to think another Kansas school could join the league?
Since Bruce Weber’s Wildcats just wrapped up the basketball season, let’s consider hoops.
Published reports this week suggest a Kansas school is going to leave for another conference.
The Big 12 has gone on the record stating they are not expanding. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
Wichita State’s basketball program suffers in the Missouri Valley Conference. Over the past ten years, the school has revived its national brand with success on the basketball court.
Nobody is talking publicly about a move away from the Missouri Valley Conference, their home since 1945. However, there is a lot of speculation.
The Wichita Eagle reported the Shockers were a lock to join the American Athletic Conference.
It worked well for Shocker rival Creighton to leave for the Big East in 2013.
ESPN also chimed in on the WSU to AAC report.
One media site even suggested that one day, the Big 12 could extend an invitation.
That will never happen. Since the Shockers don’t have a football program and in my opinion will never start a new one, it’s unrealistic to think they could ever join the Big 12.
Their enrollment is also far below most Big 12 conference schools.
Kansas State and Wichita State last played basketball in 2003. From the mid 80s- until that last game, the teams played annually.
Shocker basketball coach Greg Marshall typically wines about his team’s NCAA Tournament seeding. I’m really tired of it.
In fact, Bruce Weber’s Wildcats deserved a higher seed in the NCAA tourney. WSU should have been sent to the first-four game.
All things considered, the ‘Cats had a much more difficult conference season.
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For example, Kansas State beat Oklahoma State 96-88. The Cowboys beat the Shockers by 17.
The Wildcats played Kansas tough during both Sunflower Showdown games. Kansas pounded Michigan State in last week’s NCAA tournament. In November, the Spartans easily beat Wichita State.