Pat Forde has made his list of 10 teams that could upset the power balance in the 2012 NCAA Tournament and the 27-5 Wichita State Shockers are certainly one of the best candidates from outside the power conferences to make a strong run deep into the tournament field.
They are the No. 5 seed in the South and face Virginia Commonwealth in their first game. They’ll have to take out the Indiana Hoosiers likely in the next round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen like they did in 2006.
Forde writes, “The Shockers have simply had a great season; their five losses are by a total of 29 points, and two were in overtime. This is a senior-laden bunch that coach Gregg Marshall has brought along steadily since they arrived on campus, winning the NIT last season and now finally earning an NCAA bid. They have inside-outside capability offensively and are solid on defense.”
The senior leadership should play a good role in helping them advance to the field of 32, but Tom Crean’s Hoosiers will be tough to beat. However, you don’t discount a team with only five losses on the season no matter where they’re from.
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