Shockers are underdogs, but they can bite you
This will not be an easy week for the faithful and dedicated workers at Pleasant Valley Church of Christ.
The Pigskin Preacher will be on a roll as his Michigan Wolverines have made their first Final Four since 1993.
The good news is Chuck Monan, the Pigskin Preacher, is always a pastor first and a die-hard fan second, and even better, he won’t be dressed like a banana peel all week.
He loves the classic Michigan blue, which will no doubt be a big part of his wardrobe this week, as it should.
Michigan is a great story in this Final Four, and just to help Chuck with his humbleness, the column on the Wolverines will be later in the week.
Today is the day to look at the biggest long shot to win two more games, Wichita State, which is going to send some other head coaches out with a renewed, and usually outdated, method of recruiting.
The Shockers lost their top five scorers from last year’s team, which went 27-6 and lost its second-round game in the NCAA Tournament one year after winning the NIT.
Coach Gregg Marshall, who looks more like someone who would do taxes or fill prescriptions than coach basketball, did what most head coaches avoid, he hit the junior colleges hard.
Of the five Shockers starters, three were in junior college before landing in Wichita, which by the way, has been more well known for its baseball program lately, and it becomes the first Missouri Valley Conference team to make the Final Four since Larry Bird led Indiana State there in 1979.
Saturday’s baseball game has been rescheduled to 1 p.m. so everyone can watch the Shockers, who have earned their way to the Final Four by beating Pittsburgh, from the Big East, top-ranked and No. 1-seeded Gonzaga, La Salle and Ohio State, which won the Big Ten Tournament and was a No. 2 seed.
It could be noted that the Shockers built a big lead over the Buckeyes and then held on for the four-point victory, and when Ohio State was making its run Marshall was seen pouring himself a drink of water. No doubt if Wichita State had lost Marshall would have gotten criticism for choking in the end, maybe more so than his team.
Marshall, though, is a very good coach. He took tiny Winthrop to the NCAA Tournament seven times, and in 2007 led his 11th-seeded team to a victory over No. 6 Notre Dame.
This is the second consecutive year he’s led the Shockers to the NCAA Tournament, giving him nine appearances in the past 15 years. His overall coaching record is 333-152.
The Shockers, who probably don’t have a first-round NBA pick on their roster, even have their own drama king, Cleanthony Early, whom Marshall describes as a guy who likes to cry wolf. Marshall says there is not time to call an ambulance after Early complains of one of his many injuries because he always returns to practice or the games within minutes.
Marshall doesn’t sweat it; he’s got 10 guys on the roster averaging more than 15 minutes per game, so substituting is something he does frequently.
The biggest problem the Shockers have Saturday is they face Louisville, a 10-point favorite, and the Cardinals were the overall No. 1 seed when the NCAA Tournament started. But just like Michigan, there will be a day to write bout the Big East champions.
For now, Wichita State has a legitimate chance to surpass No. 8 Villanova for being the lowest-seeded team to win the NCAA championship. That was 28 years ago in an all-Big East final, which could very well happen again, and with two teams that are in their final game as members of that conference.