The Shockers have made 16 appearances in the NCAA tournament, reaching the Final Four twice, the Elite Eight four times, and the Sweet Sixteen six times. The team plays its home games at Charles Koch Arena, where it averaged 10,391 fans per game in 2012, ranking 38th nationally.[2]
The Shockers have made two Final Four appearances, losing both games. They made their first Final Four appearance in 1965 losing to UCLA 89–108. They made their second appearance in 2013, losing to Louisville 68–72.
In 2014, Wichita State defeated the Northern Iowa Panthers in the regular season finale for their 9th Missouri Valley conference regular season title, becoming two-time defending MVC champions. The Shockers completed a perfect, undefeated regular season and swept the conference post-season tournament en route to a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament where they lost to eventual national runner-up Kentucky in the round of 32.
Wichita State, then known as Fairmount College, first took the court in 1906 under head coach Willis Bates. During this time, the sports teams were known as the "Wheatshockers". The first official game was held in the basement of Fairmount Hall. Fairmount lost to Washburn University by a score of 37–10. During this inaugural season, the Wheatshockers only won two games.
Fairmount acquired a permanent home when Memorial Gymnasium was opened on January 15, 1921, in a game against the American Legion of Wichita. The gym was later renamed Henrion Gymnasium in 1926. That same year, the newly renamed Municipal University of Wichita (popularly known as "WU") joined the Central Conference in athletics.
WU gained notice outside of Wichita in 1927 when, led by First-Team All-American Ross McBurney and Second-Team All-American Harold Reynolds, the Wheatshockers finished the 1927 season with a 13–1 record and a second-place finish behind conference champions Pittsburg State University.[4]
Early success
Dave Stallworth (left) and Cleo Littleton, key players of Wichita
Shocker basketball achieved greater success with the arrival of Coach Ralph Miller and Cleo Littleton in 1951. Littleton averaged 18.2 points per game as a freshman, a school record that still stands today. He was the first player west of the Mississippi to score 2,000 points in his college career and is one of only five Wichita State players to have his number retired. He was also one of the first African American players in the Missouri Valley Conference, which it joined in 1945. Littleton averaged 19 points per game during his career and he still owns 7 school records. Due to this success, Wichita State decided to construct a new home for the Shockers. Through appropriated money by the WU Board of Regents, Wichita State was able to construct a new field house for the men's basketball team, costing $1.4 million. On December 3, 1955, the Shockers played their first game in WU Field House in front of more than 9,000 fans.
Dave Stallworth entered the program in the 1961–62 season. Nicknamed "The Rave", Stallworth became the Shockers' first consensus All-American in 1964. He finished with a career scoring average of 24.2 points per game and was second on the all-time scoring list with 1,936 points. During his 13-year stint at WSU, Ralph Miller became the winningest coach in Shocker basketball history, collecting 255 victories. Miller is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and currently ranks as the eighth-winningest coach in college basketball history.[4]
First Final Four
The 1964–65 season—the first after Wichita joined the state university system as Wichita State University—was the greatest in Shocker history until the 2013–14 season. On December 14, 1964, Gary Thompson led Wichita State to its first-ever No. 1 ranking. The 19–7 Shockers won the MVC and earned a berth into the Midwest Regional. After defeating Southern Methodist and an Oklahoma State team led by Henry Iba, the Shockers headed to the Final Four in Portland. There, the Shockers were matched against the defending national champion UCLA Bruins, losing 108–89. The Shockers played a third-place game against Princeton, losing 118–82.
During this period, Warren Armstrong played for the Shockers and made major contributions throughout his career. During his sophomore season, Armstrong set two school records, averaging almost 12 rebounds a game while setting a Shocker single-game assist mark with 12. Armstrong became a three-time all-Valley performer from 1966 to 1968, and still holds four of WSU's 10 triple double games (double-figure points, rebounds, assist, or blocks). He would later enjoy a productive career in the ABA. Terry Benton became a key contributor during this era as well, setting a WSU record of 16.8 rebounds per game for his career, and finishing his Wichita State career with 1,003 points and 963 rebounds.
Harry Miller era
Wichita State went 97–90 from 1971 to 1978 under Harry Miller. They had several notable players during those years including Rich Morsden, Bob Wilson, Robert Gray, Bob Trogele, Cheese Johnson, Cal Bruton and Bob Elmore. They made it to the NCAA tournament in 1976, winning the Missouri Valley Conference and losing by one point to eventual national runner up Michigan. The following year they beat eventual NCAA Champion Marquette in Al McGuire's final home game in Milwaukee.[5]
Elite Eight appearance and sanctions
Coach Smithson celebrates after the Shockers upset Iowa in the 1981 NCAA tournament.
In 1981, the Shockers would return to the NCAA tournament, defeating the Kansas Jayhawks 66–65 in the "Battle of New Orleans" before being defeated by LSU 96–85 in the Elite Eight. The 1980–81 team featured two future NBA players – Cliff Levingston and Antoine Carr, who would be chosen in the first 10 picks of the NBA draft. Carr, a local star from Wichita, would become WSU's third All-American in 1983, averaging 22.2 points a game during his senior season, and finishing his career with 1,911 points while shooting 55.7 percent. Levingston would average 15.7 and 18.5 points per game while leading the team in scoring his freshman and sophomore years, before declaring early for the NBA Draft.
Another future NBA player, Xavier McDaniel, would arrive the year after the Elite Eight season.[6] McDaniel scored 2,152 points at Wichita State, second all-time behind Littleton, and set the school record with 1,359 rebounds. In 1984–85, McDaniel became the first player in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in scoring (27.2 points per game) and rebounding (14.8 per game) in the same season.
In 1982, Wichita State would be placed under NCAA probation for the 1982–83 and 1983–84 seasons, regarding improper actions of former assistant coaches in the late 1970s.[7]
In nine seasons, Smithson won 155 games, placing him second in school history behind Ralph Miller. Smithson was the first coach to guide WSU to consecutive 20-win seasons. During the four-year span from 1980 to 1984, WSU produced a 92–29 record, the best four-year span in team history at the time.[4]
Return to the tournament
WSU hired Topeka, Kansas native Mark Turgeon as head coach on March 11, 2000. Turgeon guided the Shockers to a 9–19 record during his first season. In Turgeon's second year Wichita State began its resurgence with a combination of several veterans and newcomers to compile a 15–15 record in 2001–02.
Helped by an 11–3 record in Levitt Arena, WSU's overall record in the arena rose to 502–185 since it opened during the 1955–56 season. In the 2002–03 season, the Shockers would improve to 18 wins, and then to 21 wins in the 2003–04 season.
In 2004–05, Wichita State continued to improve, reaching the third game of the NIT, and taking the Shockers to back-to-back-to-back postseason trips for the first time since 1987–88–89. WSU's 2004–05 team went 22–10 overall, finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference, and were ranked in the top 30 for nine weeks.
In 2005–06, Turgeon lead WSU to its best season in over 20 years, reaching the Sweet 16 with victories over 10th seeded Seton Hall and shocking 2nd seeded Tennessee. In the Sweet 16, the Shockers would go on to lose to eventual Final Four participant George Mason.
In 2006–07, the Shockers entered the season with high expectations, and surged out to a 9–0 start, including a revenge-win over George Mason, as well as road victories over #6 LSU and #14 Syracuse. WSU rose as high as #8 in both the AP and Coaches' Polls on December 18, 2006,[8] but the Shockers would struggle for much of the rest of the season, falling from the rankings and finishing 17–14, including only eight conference wins, for Turgeon's second worst mark as WSU head coach.
Head Coach Mark Turgeon left Wichita State on April 10, 2007, after a seven-year run and a 128–90 record, (at the time) the third winningest coach in Shocker history behind Ralph Miller and Gene Smithson. On April 14, 2007, Gregg Marshall was announced as 26th head men's basketball coach at Wichita State.[4]
Second Final Four and undefeated regular season
Gregg Marshall previously coached at Winthrop University for nine seasons. In his first season (2007–08) the team finished with a record of 11–20. In his second season they posted a 17–17 record, complete with a run to the second round of the 2009 CBI Tournament where they lost to Stanford. The following season the Shockers went 25–10, culminating with an NIT appearance. The invitation was due in large part to their strong 16–1 home record. Their only loss at home that year was in the NIT against Nevada.
In the 2010–11 season Wichita State improved once again to finish the season at 29–8, finishing second in the Missouri Valley to Missouri State. The Shockers would go on to win the NIT championship as a 4 seed, defeating two #1 seeds, first Virginia Tech 79–76, and then beating Alabama in the championship game 66–57.[9][10]
In the 2011–12 season, they continued to improve under Marshall's guidance. In winning the regular season MVC title at 16–2 (26–4 overall), the Shockers reached a ranking of #14 in the coaches poll and #15 in the AP poll. After losing to Illinois State in the semi-finals of the MVC tourney in St. Louis, the Shockers were selected at large for the NCAA tournament as a 5 seed, their first NCAA Tournament in 6 years. They fell to VCU 62–59, ending the season with a 27–6 record.
Heading into the 2012–2013 season, despite being the reigning regular-season champions, the Shockers were predicted to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference.[11] Wichita State went into the season having lost five of the top six scorers from the previous season, including Joe Ragland, Toure' Murry, Garrett Stutz, Ben Smith, and David Kyles. Despite the losses, the Shockers went on to win their first 9 games, including the Cancún Challenge,[12] as well as 15 of their first 16, and 19 of their first 21. Wichita struggled in conference-play, however, losing three in a row in late January and early February. Nevertheless, the Shockers would eventually play rival Creighton in the final game of the season for the outright conference championship, losing in Omaha.
In the 2012–13 NCAA tournament, the Shockers upset top-seeded Gonzaga to move on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006,[13] followed by a 72–58 win over La Salle for their first Elite Eight appearance since 1981. They defeated Ohio State 70–66 for their first Final Four appearance since 1965, as well as their 30th win of the season, a then-Wichita State record.[14] In the Final Four, Wichita State was defeated by the #1 overall seed and eventual tournament champion Louisville, 72–68 but that game was later vacated in 2018[15] by the NCAA.
The 2013–14 season proved to be historic and possibly the greatest season in Shocker history. The Shockers cracked the top 10 at #2 in the nation in both major polls, for the first time since December 2006.[16] It was the highest that the Shockers had been ranked that late in the season in school history. On February 25, with a win over Bradley, the Shockers became just the 11th Division I team to start the season 30–0. They were also the first team to do so solely in the regular season, as the prior 10 teams reached that mark in the postseason.[17] A week later, with a dominating 68–45 win over Missouri State, the Shockers became the first Division I team to finish the regular season 31–0. The Shockers ran the table with the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament, winning all three games by double digits. This was the first time Wichita State won the Valley Tournament since 1987. The Shockers received the #1 ranking in the Midwest Region of the 2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Wichita State blew out their first opponent, Cal Poly to become the first team in the history of college basketball to advance to a record of 35–0 (a mark matched by Kentucky in the 2014–15 season). The Shockers season ended with an instant classic of a game with the Kentucky Wildcats on a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer. Their final record ended up being 35–1.
Marshall departure and decline
After the 2019–20 season, eight Shockers players entered the NCAA transfer portal, with seven eventually leaving the program. During this period, several former players alleged a pattern of physical and verbal abuse of players, leading to the university hiring a St. Louis-based law firm to conduct an independent investigation. Marshall resigned shortly before the 2020–21 season, with Wichita State buying out his contract for $7.75 million over six years. Assistant coach Isaac Brown was named interim head coach for 2020–21.[18]
In Brown's first year, he took the Shockers to the NCAA Tournament but lost to Drake in the First Four. During the season, he was named full-time head coach.[19] The following 2 seasons, the Shockers would finish 32–28 and were not invited to any postseason tournament. This led to Wichita State firing Brown on March 11, 2023.[20]
When Wichita State became an AP Top 25 regular in the early 2010s, there came interest in reviving annual games against Kansas and Kansas State.[22] In February 2013, Kansas state senator Michael O'Donnell introduced a bill requiring Kansas and Kansas State to schedule Wichita State, but the bill never passed.[23] Kansas and Wichita State scheduled a game for the 2023–24 season, their first regular season game since 1993. Wichita State last played Kansas in the 2015 NCAA tournament, a game they won 78–65. Kansas leads the all-time series 12–3. They last played Kansas State in the 2023–24 season, a game which they lost 60–69. Kansas State leads the all-time series 20–9.
Missouri State
Wichita State had an in-conference rivalry with Missouri State dating back to the 1941–42 season (when Missouri State University was Southwest Missouri State Teacher's College). As of the 2016–17 season, following a 15-game winning streak in the series, Wichita State leads the series 39–30.[24][25]
Wichita State's rivalry with Tulsa dates back to the 1930–31 season.[26] The two schools were in the Missouri Valley Conference from 1945 to 1996. Beginning in the 1996–97 season, this series continued as an out-of-conference rivalry and has been most recently continuously played since the 2010–11 season, after being played in the 1996–97, 1997–98, and 2000–01 to 2004–05 seasons.[27][28][29] As of the end of the 2020–21 season, Wichita State leads the series 72–62 following 15 games since the series resumed in 2010. Tulsa ended WSU's 5-game winning streak with a buzzer-beating 3-point win in Tulsa in February 2020, but WSU has won three since then, two at home and one on the road, including a tight 4-point game.[30][31]
Creighton
Wichita State had an intense rivalry with the Creighton Bluejays during their time together in the Missouri Valley. Both squads were known as the cream of the crop in the MVC and went back and forth every year, trading the title of best team in the league. In all, the teams have played a total of 100 games against each other, with Creighton leading the overall series 55–45.[32]
Facilities
The Shockers have played their home games at Charles Koch Arena, a 10,506 seat on-campus arena, since 1953. Originally known as the University of Wichita Field House, it was officially renamed Levitt Arena in 1969 for Henry Levitt, owner of Henry's, who sponsored a Wichita basketball team (known as the Henry Clothiers) that won three consecutive national Amateur Athletic Union titles in the 1930s. Due to its circular design, which gave nearly every fan a clear sight line and put the seats very close to the action, it was quickly nicknamed "The Roundhouse." Following a $6 million endowment from Charles G. Koch the arena underwent a $25 million renovation in 2002–03, popularly known as the "Roundhouse Renaissance." The old arena concourse was completely demolished and a new one built around the original playing/seating area. A portion of the seating bowl was remodeled to make for more legroom. All new seating was installed as well as a video scoreboard, and virtually every surface that was not renovated was given a fresh coat of paint. The Shocker basketball teams played at the Kansas Coliseum for the 2002–03 season while the arena was rebuilt. In 2012, the Shockers averaged 10,391 fans per game, ranking 38th nationally.[2] In January 2013, ESPN's Jason King listed Koch Arena as the 7th best home court advantage in college basketball.[33]
In addition to Koch Arena, the Shockers have played one game for each of the last eleven seasons (except 2020–21) across town at the Intrust Bank Arena, the second largest indoor arena in the state of Kansas at 15,004 seats. Wichita State is 8–3 (as of the 2020–21 season) when playing at Intrust Bank Arena.
Coaches
The Shockers have had 27 head coaches in program history. Of these, only 7 coached five or more seasons. They have had two different coaches take them to the Final Four and seven different coaches have taken them to the NCAA Tournament. Gregg Marshall is the all-time leader in wins, win percentage among coaches who have coached at least 25 games, tournament appearances, and tournament wins. Marshall also has just as many tournament appearances as every other coach in program history combined and is the longest-tenured head coach in program history having coached for 13 seasons.
Statistics prior to 2013–14 season courtesy of Wichita State University Men's Basketball Fact Book.[58] 2013–14 statistics courtesy of Wichita State Sports Information.[59]
*Following the introduction of the "First Four" round in 2011, the Round of 64 and Round of 32 were referred to as the second round and third round, respectively, from 2011 to 2015. Then from 2016 moving forward, the Round 64 and Round of 32 will be called the First and Second rounds, as they were prior to 2011.
NIT results
The Shockers have appeared in 13 National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 11–12. They were NIT champions in 2011.
Charles Koch Arena is a 10,506-seat multi-purpose arena in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is located on the southeast corner of 21st and Hillside on the campus of Wichita State University in northeast Wichita. The arena is home of the Wichita State Shockers men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball teams.
Mark Leo Turgeon is an American college basketball coach. Turgeon served as the head men's basketball coach at Jacksonville State University from 1998 to 2000, Wichita State University from 2000 to 2007, Texas A&M University from 2007 to 2011, and University of Maryland, College Park from 2011 to 2021.
Michael Gregg Marshall is an American college basketball coach whose most recent position was head coach at Wichita State University. Marshall has coached his teams to appearances in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 14 of 22 years as a head coach. He is the winningest head coach in Wichita State and Winthrop history with 331 and 194 wins, respectively. He resigned on November 17, 2020, after an internal investigation following allegations by multiple former players detailing physical and verbal abuse at the hands of Marshall. Marshall was paid a settlement of $7,750,000 by Wichita State for his resignation.
Gene Stephenson is an American former college baseball coach, who served as the head baseball coach at Wichita State from 1978 to 2013.
The Wichita State Shockers are the athletic teams that represent Wichita State University, located in Wichita, Kansas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the American Athletic Conference since the 2017–18 academic year. The Shockers previously competed in the D-I Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) from 1945–46 to 2016–17; as an Independent from 1940–41 to 1944–45; in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIC) from 1923–24 to 1939–40; and in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1902–03 to 1922–23. As of the 2023 conference realignment, it is one of two schools in The American to have never been a member of Conference USA, although it will become a single-sport member of that conference for bowling in 2024. They are also currently the only non-football-sponsoring institution that is a member of an FBS conference.
The Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represents Kansas State University in college basketball competition. The program is classified in the NCAA Division I, and is a member of the Big 12 Conference. The head coach is Jerome Tang.
The Wichita State Shockers baseball team represents Wichita State University in the sport of baseball. The Wichita State Shockers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and in the American Athletic Conference after 72 seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The 1975–76 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1975–76 season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference. Under the direction of head coach Johnny Orr, the team finished second in the Big Ten Conference.
Henry's was a family-owned clothing retailer in Wichita, Kansas from 1911 until 1993.
The East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team represents East Tennessee State University (ETSU), located in Johnson City, Tennessee, in men's college basketball. East Tennessee State is coached by Brooks Savage and currently competes in the Southern Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2017. In March 2020 the Buccaneers won the SoCon championship.
Fredderick Edmund VanVleet Sr. is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Ronald Delaine Baker is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Wichita State Shockers. Going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, he spent 3 seasons in the NBA, playing for the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards.
The 2014–15 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team represented Wichita State University in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played their home games at Charles Koch Arena, which has a capacity of 10,506. They were playing their 70th season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, and were led by eighth-year head coach Gregg Marshall. They finished the season 30–5, 17–1 in MVC play to win the regular season Missouri Valley championship. They advanced to the semifinals of the Missouri Valley tournament where they lost to Illinois State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Indiana in the second round and Kansas in the third round before losing in the Sweet Sixteen to Notre Dame.
Wichita, Kansas is home to several professional, amateur, and college sports teams.
The 2017–18 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team represented Wichita State University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played their home games at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas and are led by 11th-year head coach Gregg Marshall. The season marked the Shockers' first season as members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 25–8, 14–4 in AAC play to finish a tie for second place. As the No. 2 seed in the AAC tournament, they defeated Temple in the quarterfinals before losing to Houston in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament for the seventh season. As the No. 4 seed in the East region, they were upset in the first round by Marshall.
Landry Michael Shamet is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Wichita State Shockers and was selected 26th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2018 NBA draft. He has also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, and Phoenix Suns.
The 2020–21 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team represented Wichita State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played their home games at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas and were led by interim head coach Isaac Brown who took over as interim coach after Gregg Marshall resigned before the start of the season. Brown was promoted to full-time head coach during the season. They are members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 16–6, 11–2 in AAC Play to finish in 1st place. They defeated South Florida in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament before losing in the semifinals to Cincinnati. They received an at large-bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the First Four to Drake.
The 1963–64 Wichita Shockers men's basketball team represented Wichita State University in the 1963–64 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. They played their home games at the University of Wichita Field House. They were in their 19th season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and 58th season overall. They were led by head coach Ralph Miller in his 13th and final season at the school. They finished the season 23–5, 10–2 in Missouri Valley play to finish in first place. They received a bid to the 1964 NCAA Tournament and advanced to the regional finals before falling to Kansas State.
The 1971 Wichita Shockers football team was an American football team that represented Wichita State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. In its second season under head coach Bob Seaman, the team compiled an overall record of 3–8 record with mark of 0–5 in conference play, finished last out of seven teams in the MVC, and was outscored by a total of 268 to 149. The team played its home games at Cessna Stadium in Wichita, Kansas.
The 1964–65 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team represented Wichita State University in the 1964–65 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. They played their home games at the University of Wichita Field House. They were in their 20th season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and 59th season overall. They were led by first-year head coach Gary Thompson. The Shockers finished the season 21–9, 11–3 in Missouri Valley play to finish in first place. They received a bid to the 1965 NCAA Tournament and advanced to the first Final Four in school history.
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