Miami’s Jim Larranaga knows all about success against Wichita State (+video)

Every decade, Jim Larranaga shows up in Wichita State’s NCAA Tournament path.

In 2006, Larranaga’s George Mason team handed the Shockers two painful defeats, 70-67 at Koch Arena and 63-55 in the Sweet 16 game in Washington, D.C. The Patriots continued on to the Final Four, a landmark season that in many ways pioneered the changing landscape in college basketball.

“I really wish we were both back in the Sweet 16,” he said. “That means we both won the second game on the weekend.”

Before 2006, the high-profile teams from the most powerful conferences dominated the Final Four field. Mason broke through with wins over Michigan State, North Carolina, WSU and Connecticut. Butler (2010, 2011), VCU (2011) and Wichita State (2013) to lead a group of schools who got serious about salaries, scheduling and winning, even without the backing of football budgets.

This season’s tournament is unfolding as fitting tribute to Larranaga, Jai Lewis, Folarin Campbell and Tony Skinn, who made a three-pointer in the final seconds to beat WSU in a BracketBusters game. Wichita State, Hawaii, Yale, Little Rock, Gonzaga, VCU and Middle Tennessee are all double-digit seeds who won first-round games over opponents from brand-name conferences.

“The tournament is boiling down to No. 1 seeds and double-digit seeds,” WSU coach Gregg Marshall said. “Hawaii just won against Cal. Middle Tennessee State beating Michigan State. The number beside the team doesn’t matter once the ball is tossed. It’s just an opportunity for, maybe, those guys that have always been told, ‘Well, you’re not quite as good. You’re good, but you’re not quite as good as that guy that plays at that Power 5 league and that Power 5 team.”

Marshall described Gonzaga and the Shockers as a No. 1 seed, if you look at them the right way.

“They’re just two 1-seeds,” he said, holding his index fingers together. “We’re a 1-seed, but we’ve got two 1s.”

Larranaga, who played at Providence College from 1968-71, is now on the other side of the brand-name vs. no-name equation. He coaches third-seeded Miami, which finished in a tie for second in the ACC and is ranked No. 10 in the final Associated Press poll. While the Hurricanes are more known for football, they are part of basketball’s power structure.

“One of the things that I think is very important for the fans to understand and the media to understand is that seeding at this point is meaningless,” Larranaga said. “Wichita State was an 11-seed and had to play in the First Four. They very easily could have been a 2, 3 or 4 seed coming into this tournament, had Fred (VanVleet) not gotten injured. It’s all about how you’re playing now.”

His job — one it can be argued Vanderbilt and Arizona coaches failed on — is to convince his players that Wichita State is worthy of the same kind of preparation as an ACC opponent. Neither Vanderbilt nor Arizona seemed well-prepared for the intensity the Shockers threw at them with their defense.

“I don’t have to convince my players of anything,” he said. “They’ve watched. They watched the first half (Thursday) and they were like, ‘Wow, those guys are really good.’ That’s clear.”

This story was originally published March 18, 2016 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Miami’s Jim Larranaga knows all about success against Wichita State (+video)."