NCAA Tournament 2012: Wichita State Listed Among 'Giant Killers'

The Wichita State Shockers have enjoyed a tremendous season of men's basketball in 2011-12 with a 27-5 record, and the Shockers should find themselves the recipient of a high seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Currently WSU is 16-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference and are ranked No. 14 in the country. They also have quality wins against UNLV, Temple and Creighton.

As ESPN's Peter Keating looks for those who might unexpectedly travel far in the tournament, he finds the Shockers an easy choice. Keating writes, "This one's easy: The Shockers rank seventh in the NCAA in offensive efficiency (116.9 points per 100 possessions) and 18th in defensive efficiency (90.3 per 100). In fact, the numbers say Wichita State is one of the 10 best teams in the country (BPI: 83.8, ranking ninth), even after a Missouri Valley Conference tournament loss to Illinois State."

ESPN's research also found this great hidden gem of a stat: "Also of note, the last time Wichita State won the Missouri Valley regular season title was 2005-06, which resulted in a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament before losing to George Mason."