Wichita State Basketball: 3 reasons the Shockers will make the Final Four

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 06: Wichita State Shockers fans cheer on the team in the second half against the Louisville Cardinals during the 2013 NCAA Men's Final Four Semifinal at the Georgia Dome on April 6, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 01: Head coach Gregg Marshall of the Wichita State Shockers yells to his team during the second half at the Liacouras Center on February 1, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Temple defeated 16th ranked Wichita 81-79 in overtime. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /

2. Tested leadership

Shamet is just a sophomore, while McDuffie will still have one more year of eligibility after this season.

The rest of Wichita State’s core are battle-tested seniors, though.

This group of seniors has been to the NCAA Tournament every year of their college career, although they haven’t advanced further than the Sweet 16. With the likes of Morris, Kelly, and Conner Frankamp set to move on, there will be a high level of motivation to make a big run this year.

Gregg Marshall, on the other hand, has taken teams beyond the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The greatest coach in school history – and one of the greatest coaches in mid-major history – took the Shockers to the Final Four five years ago.

He understands the kind of adjustments to make this time of year, as well as how to tune out the noise involving him taking a major conference job (rumors are that Pitt and UConn are looking for new coaches for next season).

Because he coaches Wichita State, some people forget about Marshall’s coaching acumen. If the first tier consists of coaches like Bill Self and Coach K, however, Marshall belongs right in the tier below, knocking on the door of legendary status.