College Basketball: 5-on-5 with Nathan Giese and Maxwell Ogden

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1. Are the Wichita State Shockers underrated, overrated or viewed properly?

Feb 5, 2014; Terre Haute, IN, USA; Wichita State Shockers coach Gregg Marshall talks to his team against the Indiana State Sycamores at the Hulman Center. The Shockers won 65-58. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Nathan Giese: Seeing as they’re still undefeated, Wichita State is ranked just right. What most people seem to forget is that these rankings are based on the pre-season polls. The Shockers were ranked No. 16 heading into the season after their “shocking” (it’s a bad pun I can’t seem to stop using) run to the 2013 Final Four.

Not only did they make the Final Four, but they were one controversial call away from playing Michigan in the National Championship game.

Wichita State is ranked properly for a number of reasons. The most basic of which is that they haven’t lost yet. Gonzaga faced the same type of questions surrounding their season last year when they went into the NCAA Tournament at 31-2 and earned a 1-seed.

Eventually, they lost to these same Shockers in the third round.

If you look at how Wichita has done this season with a replacement point guard (Fred Van Vleet) who has done a fantastic job running the offense and being a scoring factor, it’s rather remarkable that the Shockers are playing as well as they are. Most teams can’t lose a starting point guard (Malcolm Armstead) and a main player in the post (Carl Hall) from a Final Four team and go into the next season with even more to prove.

Wichita State has been great and, for the most part, people seem to appreciate them for the season they’ve had. However, there will always be people trying to tear you down when you’re succeeding and you’re not supposed to.

Just more fuel to the fire for the Shockers to play angry.

Feb 1, 2014; Wichita, KS, USA; Wichita State Shockers forward Cleanthony Early (11) defends against Evansville Aces guard D.J. Balentine (31) during the first half at Charles Koch Arena. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /

Maxwell Ogden: Wichita State is underrated. Much like the Boise State Broncos of college football, the Shockers are viewed by many as a team that has an impressive resume, but not enough clout to earn the same respect as a Florida or a Syracuse.

That’s no way to treat the only remaining undefeated team—a team that reached the Final Four last season.

The key for Wichita State is experience. The core in place has made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including last year’s Final Four run, and has proven capable of overcoming the losses of key players from last year’s squad.

The truth is, there are no specific traits that define the Shockers’ greatness or make them any better than the next title contender. What Wichita State has, however, is an identity, a proven history in the NCAA Tournament and a knack for making the right play late in games.

Many have been questioning their legitimacy, and that alone makes the Shockers underrated.