Fans of Wichita State, Kansas put rivalry on back burner

It is a strange place to be right now, this area between love and hate.

But it’s where Wichita State and Kansas fans find themselves headed into Friday’s NCAA Tournament openers at the CenturyLink Center.

They’d love to see their teams play, which will happen on Sunday if the Shockers can beat Indiana and the Jayhawks can beat New Mexico State on Friday.

So all that bad blood gets put on simmer for a couple of days.

WSU and Kansas haven’t played since 1993, and not in the NCAA Tournament since WSU won in New Orleans in 1981 for a spot in the Midwest Regional final.

The No. 2-seed Jayhawks play at 11:15 a.m. Friday, followed by the No. 7-seed Shockers at around 1:45 p.m.

“There hasn’t been much interaction between (the fan bases) at all,” said WSU student Emily Blount. “We’re doing our own thing, and they’re doing our own thing. Hopefully, come tomorrow, KU fans will be big WSU fans and likewise … but you never know.”

Thursday, everyone was playing nice as the teams fulfilled media obligations and held public practices. Both KU coach Bill Self and WSU coach Gregg Marshall let their teams have a little fun at the end by getting in layup lines that turned into dunk contests that delighted fans.

As much a testament to WSU’s newfound popularity than anything else, young boys clamored along the front-row railing and screamed the Shockers’ names as they practiced. Shockers Tekele Cotton, Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet got the same treatment as Jayhawks Kelly Oubre, Frank Mason and Wayne Selden.

WSU is in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in a row — a first in school history — and made the Final Four in 2013. Kansas is playing in the NCAA Tournament in Omaha for the third time in the last eight years.

“I watch (WSU) on TV all the time, they’re on ‘SportsCenter’ all the time,” said Steven Poulicek, 10, who was trying to get the Shockers to sign a basketball. “I live in Omaha, but I know who Tekele Cotton is just like I know who the players are from every other team.”

“VanVleet is my favorite,” said Poulicek’s friend, Sam Schepoka, also 10 and from Omaha. “VanVleet, then Cotton, then Baker.”

KU radio analyst Greg Gurley played for the Jayhawks from 1991 to 1995, and played in two games against the Shockers. KU’s margin of victory in those games were 27 and 49 points.

“The one thing I remember about the (1992) game is WSU had the big guy, the wrestler,” Gurley said, referring to professional wrestler and former WSU basketball player Paul “Big Show” Wight. “I remember standing next to him and he was, like, Andre the Giant-type big.

“… I know after that, playing wasn’t discussed because the programs went their own ways. Now, (WSU) is back on the radar. I think that them getting to this spot, where if they both win they’ll play … it’s pretty obvious someone from the NCAA committee has a good sense of humor.

“Hopefully we’re talking about this on Saturday because it means both teams would have won.”

And that’s the crux — Sunday’s showdown doesn’t happen if both teams don’t deliver on Friday. Which, if you’re a WSU fan, would seem tragic. If you’re a KU fan, it’s a non-issue.

“You have one fan base that really, really wants to play the game,” Gurley said. “And you’ve got another fan base where it’s not even in their thought process.”

“I feel like the people here in Omaha will be rooting for Wichita State,” said Blount, the WSU student. “The country wants us to win, typically. We’ve got that Cinderella story behind us.”

This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Fans of Wichita State, Kansas put rivalry on back burner."