Wichita State checks in at No. 7 in preseason AP poll, another first in 36 years

Wichita State has its highest-rated basketball team going into a season in 36 years.

After receiving its highest preseason ranking in the Coaches Poll last month since the 1981-82 season, Wichita State collected its highest preseason ranking in the Associated Press poll since 1981-82 when the Shockers were tabbed No. 7 in the poll released Wednesday morning.

The Shockers have their top eight scorers returning from last season’s 31-win team, although their two best players — Landry Shamet and Markis McDuffie — are currently recovering from foot injuries.

But that hasn’t stopped votes from making Wichita State, which opens its season on Nov. 10 against Missouri-Kansas City, a consensus top-10 team in the country.

The teams ranked ahead of WSU, in order, were: Duke, Michigan State, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, and Villanova. The Shockers were ranked two spots ahead of the defending national champion, North Carolina, and five spots ahead of new American Athletic Conference foe Cincinnati at No. 12.

The last time Wichita State was ranked higher in the preseason AP poll was in 1981 when it was ranked No. 6. The Shockers were coming off an Elite Eight appearance the season before and had Antoine Carr and Cliff Levingston returning.

More national-media love came out on Tuesday when Sports Illustrated projected Wichita State to land the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region in the NCAA tournament over Kansas.

“Wichita State parlayed its run of dominance in the Missouri Valley Conference into an invite to the American Athletic Conference, and that will help it avoid the strength of schedule arguments that have dogged the program in recent years,” SI’s Michael Beller wrote. “The Wichita State-Kansas history is well known. The teams met in the tournament on this same court in Omaha two years ago for the first time since 1993, with the 10th-seeded Shockers upsetting the second-seeded Jayhawks. If they meet again this year, it will be as equals. That would, unquestionably, be the highlight of this region.”

Preseason AP Poll

1. Duke (28-9) 1,572

2. Michigan State (20-15) 1,520

3. Arizona (32-5) 1,506

4. Kansas (31-5) 1,439

5. Kentucky (32-6) 1,340

6. Villanova (32-4) 1,284

7. Wichita State (31-5) 1,270

8. Florida (27-9) 1,100

9. North Carolina (33-7) 1,047

10. Southern California (26-10) 995

11. West Virginia (28-9) 840

12. Cincinnati (30-6) 837

13. Miami, Fla. (21-12) 836

14. Notre Dame (26-10) 814

15. Minnesota (24-10) 642

16. Louisville (25-9) 570

17. Xavier (24-14) 544

18. Gonzaga (37-2) 500

19. Northwestern (24-12) 473

20. Purdue (27-8) 362

21. UCLA (31-5) 340

22. Saint Mary’s, Cal. (29-5) 333

23. Seton Hall (21-12) 274

24. Baylor (27-8) 163

25. Texas A&M (16-15) 130

Others receiving votes: Alabama 86, Virginia 57, Rhode Island 49, TCU 46, Providence 34, Missouri 19, Virginia Tech 16, Wisconsin 14, Butler 13, Texas 10, Maryland 7, Oklahoma 7, Nevada 7, Michigan 6, Dayton 5, Middle Tennessee 4, Ball State 4, Southern Methodist 3, Oakland 2, Oregon 2, South Carolina 1, Harvard 1, Central Florida 1.

This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Wichita State checks in at No. 7 in preseason AP poll, another first in 36 years."