By falling to Northern Iowa on Saturday, Wichita State’s NCAA Tournament chances took what looks to be a fatal hit–at least for their at-large chances.
The 53-50 home defeat dropped the Shockers to 17-7 record on the year and knocked them out of the RPI top 50, dropping them to No. 52 as of Sunday night.
Obviously losing at home in a prime opportunity to pick up a fringe top 100 win is never good, but as of now, it goes down as a sub-100 loss on their home floor. Not only that, but it moves WSU’s record against the RPI top 100 to 4-6, with just one of those wins coming against a top 50 team. Doubly troubling, is the fact that they have no more opportunities in the regular season to pick up a single top 100 win. Meaning, there are only opportunities for ho-hum wins and upset losses before Arch Madness rolls around.
The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament is always one of the most entertaining tournaments in the country, but the drama could be at an all-time high this season.
Coming into the season, this Wichita State team was poised to be the best MVC team that we’ve perhaps ever seen, with many people picking this group as a top-ten squad. Fred Van Vleet going down didn’t help matters, but the Shockers are now looking at a situation where they may need to win Arch Madness to even make the field of 68.
When we talk about missed opportunities for a resume, there is no better example of what they can do than what they’ve done to Wichita State’s NCAA Tournament chances.
