NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch: 5 Teams That Need Help

Wichita State Shockers

A few weeks ago, Wichita State looked like the team everybody expected them to be in the preseason. They were dominating the Missouri Valley, winning just about every game by double digits, playing great defense and being led by a healthy Fred VanVleet.

That all seems to have changed in the last few weeks thanks to two losses by a combined eight points.

Eight points makes up the difference between the Shockers being firmly in the field with an at-large to us now having to discuss the possibility of them missing the tournament.

While this is Wichita State and there are circumstances surrounding their 18-7 record (lots of injuries), the Shockers’ affiliation with the Missouri Valley, a conference that is not as good as it has been in years past, could plague them moving forward.

It’s just two losses, one of which came on the road and the other came against a team that also has wins against North Carolina and Iowa State. Closes losses, sure, but with the Shockers having a history of being underseeded in the last two NCAA Tournaments, this isn’t the ideal time to take a tumble.

For the Shockers, though, this one is pretty easy. They just need to take care of their own business.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had the Shockers as a 7-seed prior to their loss against Northern Iowa, so they may fall to the 8-9 game in the next update.

Unfortunately, with the decreased value of Missouri Valley games, they may not have the strong presence in the conference as the last two years. Warren Nolan has the Valley ranked 13th in conference RPI, sixth among mid-major conferences.

Winning the conference tournament is probably the Shockers’ best shot at the tournament, but that’s usually the case for all mid-majors. This is just new for them.

Next: Gonzaga