Final Four 2013: Can Wichita State Really Win the National Title?

I know what you, the casual college hoops fan, are thinking.

This isn’t really a Final Four. It’s a Thrilling Three and a Shocker, a tripod of movie stars accompanied by a stage clown.

You’re not alone.

There are three teams vying for the national championship, as far as you’re concerned. Wichita State isn’t one of them. Your inclination is to write the Shockers off altogether. Reason willing, you don’t take their presence in Atlanta seriously. It’s a sweet story, a captivating journey, but Gregg Marshall’s unassuming crew has presumably jumped the shark. You’re convinced a George Mason/VCU fate awaits the latest underdog sensation.

Mar 30, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Wichita State Shockers forward Carl Hall (22) holds the trophy after winning the finals of the West regional of the 2013 NCAA tournament at the Staples Center. Wichita State beat Ohio State 70-66. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Wichita State is like the walk-on of the Final Four field, surrounded by a trio of heralded scholarship players competing for the top honor. If ever there was a year for the walk-on to upstage the letter-winners.

Something seems a touch different about this group, if only discreetly so. Unlike the ’06 Patriots, a defensive-minded group that pussyfooted into the Final Four thanks to a favorable path (avoiding the No. 2 seed and drawing the weakest No. 3), the Shockers are a balanced blend of offensive opportunism and defensive doggedness. And unlike the overachieving 2011 Rams, Wichita State didn’t catch the field off-guard with a gimmicky full-court press.

These Shockers can beat you with treys. Ask Gonzaga (14-for-28). They can just as easily beat you without them. Check with Pittsburgh (2-for-20).

These Shockers rise when Cleanthony Early goes off (22 points vs. Pittsburgh, 16 vs. Gonzaga). These Shockers also surprise when Early is a non-factor. The team manhandled La Salle minus significant contributions from Early, then upset Ohio State with the sophomore saddled in foul trouble.

These Shockers can overpower you with offense. They shot 50-percent from the floor, 50-percent from 3 and averaged more than 1.5 points per shot attempt in a win over top-seeded Gonzaga. These Shockers can also win without it, turning to their stifling defense to pick up the slack. The MVC runner-up fended off Ohio State despite shooting 37-percent and becoming turnover-prone in the second half. Pick your poison.

Wichita State shouldn’t be here. The team lost its top five scorers from the 2011-12 squad, which fell victim to the 12-over-5 opening round upset in last year’s NCAA tournament. If the Garrett Stutz-led bunch couldn’t survive the first weekend, this younger mash-up one year later has no business surviving two.

Heck, some of Wichita State’s standout talent shouldn’t be here either. Early was initially drawn to San Diego State until an ill-timed (well-timed, depending on whom you ask) delay on his flight out of Wichita baited him to reconsider. Malcolm Armstead — the southpaw Mateen Cleaves — transferred out of Oregon without the guarantee of financial backing or consistent playing time. Armstead walked onto the team, taking on outstanding debts just for the chance to win. The bold gamble has remarkably paid off tenfold.

Louisville is the prohibitive favorite, Syracuse and Michigan the lone two teams tabbed as capable giant killers, but Wichita State is on an irreversible path of against-all-odds destiny.

You’re right. The Shockers do stand out from the other three national semifinalists.

That may just be why this team is cut out to outlast them all.