Wichita State moves up to No. 13 in AP basketball poll

Wichita State rose two spots, to No. 13, in Monday’s Associated Press Top 25 basketball poll.

Are the Shockers headed for a Top 10 showdown on Feb. 28? ESPN is setting the stage for a big game.

Northern Iowa is No. 11, also up two spots. The teams meet at Koch Arena on the final day of the regular season and ESPN will show the game at 1 p.m., the network announced Monday. WSU stayed No. 13 in the coaches poll. UNI moved up one spot to No. 11.

Both teams must win three games to keep rising in the poll. WSU (23-3, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference) plays at Southern Illinois (10-17, 3-11) on Tuesday. Northern Iowa (24-2, 13-1) takes a 13-game winning streak to Loyola (16-10, 6-8) on Wednesday.

The Shockers should be at full strength on Tuesday, despite some concern regarding guard Fred VanVleet’s right ankle. WSU coach Gregg Marshall said VanVleet practiced Sunday.

“He was a little gimpy,” Marshall said Monday morning. “He says he’s going to play.”

VanVleet landed on another player’s foot in the first half of Saturday’s win at Illinois State and and left the game in considerable pain. He returned soon after and played the rest of the game, although he did say he tweaked the sore ankle later.

“I’ll be fine,” he said after Saturday’s game. “I’ve got to play.”

Kansas (21-4) stayed at No. 8. The Jayhawks play at No. 23 West Virginia (19-6) on Monday. The Jayhawks are No. 8 in the coaches poll.

This story was originally published February 16, 2015 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Wichita State moves up to No. 13 in AP basketball poll."