Wichita State basketball finishes just outside AP Top 25 but makes coaches’ poll
It had been 651 days — one year and nine months — since the last time Wichita State was ranked in the Associated Press college basketball poll.
That drought will continue at least one more week, as the Shockers were the first team outside of the rankings when the AP released its top 25 on Monday morning. WSU finished with 112 points, 90 more than last week, but 13 behind Iowa for the No. 25 spot.
The Shockers were ranked in the USA Today coaches’ poll, however, placing 25th.
WSU believed it would propel into the AP rankings after its third straight weekend with a win over a quality opponent, as the Shockers won convincingly, 80-61, at Oklahoma State, then handled business at home over Oklahoma, 80-75, and VCU, 73-63.
Now the Shockers will have to wait at least one week longer to see that number next to their name, as they host Abilene Christian (7-5) on Sunday at home.
“This basketball team, boy, we have been through quite a stretch,” Marshall said after the VCU win. “I knew for down the road, if we keep doing what we want to do, winning two of three would be very important, but winning all three is just icing on the cake.
“Santa came early and he had his sack full of toys and was able to pull it down the chimney and now we get to open them up in the morning. It’s a just wonderful Christmas.
“These guys, man, they’ve made me a very proud coach. And we’re just getting started.”
Even without the national ranking, it has been a triumphant start to the season for Marshall, who had to orchestrate a complete retooling of the roster after losing 10 of 13 scholarship players following the 2017-18 season when the Shockers were last ranked — No. 16 in the final AP poll on March 12, 2018.
WSU took its lumps last season during an 8-11 start, but finished the season winning 14 of its final 18 games with a trip to the National Invitation Tournament semifinals.
The Shockers are one year ahead of schedule of many national analysts’ expectations with their strong start to this season. According to the NCAA’s NET rankings, WSU is the top team in the American Athletic Conference at No. 11 with four quality wins this year (wins at Oklahoma State, against South Carolina on a neutral court and over VCU and Oklahoma at home).
WSU spent 23 straight weeks in the AP Poll during the end of the 2016-17 season and the entire 2017-18 season, ascending as high as No. 3 on Dec. 11, 2017.
AP Top 25
1. Gonzaga (54)
2. Ohio St. (9)
3. Louisville (1)
4. Duke (1)
5. Kansas
6. Oregon
7. Baylor
8. Auburn
9. Memphis
10. Villanova
11. Michigan
12. Butler
13. Maryland
14. Michigan St.
15. San Diego St.
16. Virginia
17. Florida St.
18. Dayton
19. Kentucky
20. Penn St.
21. Washington
22. West Virginia
23. Texas Tech
24. Arizona
25. Iowa
Others receiving votes: Wichita St. 112, Colorado 79, Xavier 68, DePaul 54, Indiana 45, Liberty 40, Utah St. 36, Saint Mary’s (Cal) 29, Marquette 28, Tennessee 24, N Iowa 23, Creighton 12, Purdue 11, Georgetown 9, Stanford 7, BYU 4, St. John’s 4, Virginia Tech 3, Seton Hall 2, ETSU 1, Yale 1.
This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 11:19 AM.
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