Story of Wichita State includes everything but failure
By Joe Nardone
Mar 23, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Wichita State Shockers guard Fred VanVleet (23) and forward Cleanthony Early (left) react at a press conference following their loss to the Kentucky Wildcats 78-76 the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men
With the Wichita State Shockers being eliminated in the NCAA Tournament by the Kentucky Wildcats a “debate” will likely be had today. The kind of which that ignores a season’s worth of accomplishments for one day’s worth of falling short. The whole, was Wichita State’s undefeated season a wash because they fell in the Big Dance early enough that the previous 35 wins mean as much as a clown without the makeup, narrative.
Funny thing about Wichita State, though. They had overachieved all season, without ever getting the respect that they were earning, all while folks failed to see what the Shockers were actually doing.
Most successful mid-majors are senior riddled programs. Here is where we reach the first myth that was Wichita State.
The Shockers best player, Cleanthony Early, is a senior. This is as true as the sky is filled with clouds, birds and a sun. However, a slew of the other major players on the team are underclassmen. Fred VanVleet, one of the best point guards in the entire nation, is only a sophomore. Ron Baker a sophomore. Evan Wessel a sophomore. Darius Carter a junior. Tekele Cotton a junior.
Why bring this up? Because the idea that Wichita State won all their regular season and conference tournament games were due to experience or the fantastic idea that “leadership” is what triumphs over all in college basketball is laughable. Sure, those things are important, but the Shockers got bounced in the NCAA Tournament by a Kentucky team that has the services of more freshmen than a streetwalker services customers.
That’s not to take away from Wichita State. It is just pointing out that this team’s core was not built that much differently than any other in the nation. Not packed with freshmen, without a slew of seniors, mostly a team scattered with players who are going to graduate in different years.
So Wichita State wasn’t winning all those games because they had more upperclassmen than anyone else in the country.
Nor were they winning games just because they played in an iffy conference. Granted, they weren’t playing in the Big East, ACC or AAC, but were those conferences that much better than the MVC? Semantics say they were, although it isn’t as by as wide a margin as your traditionalist friends will lead you to believe.
With the Sweet 16 now set, the ACC only has one team playing in it, the Big East has none, and the AAC — the supposed “worst” of all the major leagues — has two. So in reality, our “major” conferences weren’t as major as we thought. At least for this season.
I am just attempting to acknowledge the fact that everything that is vaunted about power conferences does not always hold true. But let’s take away from the season the Shockers had because they played in a sub-par conference? Outside of the Big 12 and the Big Ten, were there any well-above par conferences this year? The SEC is shining now and the Pac 12 is making an honest go of it, but a few teams in each league doesn’t define the conference.
However, that has very little to do with Wichita State’s season. It has to do with the arguments that will be made against them, though.
The arguments that will be made against the Shockers today will be as uneducated as they are dumbfounded. Mostly, experts or fans will use the MVC against them. That “if they played in a major conference they would have lost a handful of games” or something along those lines. But would they? Were those conferences that much better?
Another argument will be made, but it is the same as the argument above. It will be the broader strength of schedule argument.
Now, Wichita State didn’t player a bevy of world-beaters, but their schedule was not limited to the Club State Pool Cleaners and University of Broken Dreams of the world.
I mean if it were just that easy for mid-majors to run the table, why haven’t more done so anyway?
Wichita State beat eventual NCAA Tournament participants BYU, Saint Louis, (Sweet 16 member) Tennessee, as well as other talented teams that included Davidson and Indiana State. The reality of the matter is that, while Wichita State did not have the toughest schedule in the history of history, that they played against enough good enough teams that dismissing their regular season is about as cool as getting bit on the rear by a lobster.
I’m not saying you can’t be disappointed by the Shockers’ early exit from the Big Dance. Losing in the Round of 32 is no team’s goal. Not one from the power conferences or a quality team from a mid-major. But if you’re going to use one game, from one tournament at the end of the year, to define a team’s season, I guess that makes the Tennessee Volunteers the 1992 Dream Team.
So don’t be that guy. Don’t point out all of the flaws in Wichita State. Under no circumstances “debate” the merits of their season. It is what it is. A team that was as good as any in the country had an incredible season and ran into a clicking Kentucky team in the Round of 32.
Sometimes, no matter the possible narrative, $h!t just happens. Not everything has to be historical in disappointments or accomplishments. There doesn’t always have to be a greater scheme of things.
We just need to collectively settle down. Let the dust settle. Nobody knows what to make of this year as of today. If they do, they are a liar. But I’ll tell you one thing, this year was not a failure for Gregg Marshall, his team or anyone that follows them. Winning 35 in a row is winning 35 games in a row. A large portion of that came with teams throwing their best at them, treating the Shockers like their National Title game, all while a nation was waiting from them to fail.
A year after a magical Final Four run the Wichita State Shockers finish the year 35-1 and with an early exit in the NCAA Tournament. Somehow, though, they not only exceeded last year’s history making March but failed to live up to this year’s expectations.
It’s amazing, isn’t it? Other people’s expectations for another?
The fact of the matter is this. Wichita State won their first 35 games when no one before the season could realistically think that was possible. They ran into a Kentucky team in the NCAA Tournament that might be playing their best basketball all season, and lost. The fact of the matter is that the SEC has more teams in the Sweet 16 in the Big Dance than the much ballyhooed ACC. The fact of the matter is that no one has an Earthly idea what they are talking about.
Until, you know, the year is over and hindsight provides better than 20/20 vision.
Don’t let one game take away from a year’s worth of accomplishments. Considering that it is really two year’s worth of of history that we have witnessed.
Failure would have been not making the NCAA Tournament. It is certainly not exceeding regular season expectations with a record run, only to fall short in March. It just isn’t. Only one team can win the National Title each year. It doesn’t mean the other 300 have failed.
There’s no failure to see here. None at all.