Bob Lutz: Shocker fans get to celebrate a great run on national television

All of this excitement and hoopla surrounding Wichita State’s men’s basketball team and “College GameDay” and Jay Bilas makes me wish I was 20 and failing chemistry again.

Wouldn’t it be fun to wake up Saturday morning in a blizzard and head to Koch Arena for the televised festivities on ESPN, leading up to the showdown between Wichita State and Northern Iowa that will decided the 2014-15 Missouri Valley Conference champion?

Alas, I’ll probably stay in bed.

But for thousands of fans – WSU officials are hoping a capacity crowd of 10,506 shows up for “GameDay” and the game of the day no matter the weather – this is just another cherry on top of what has been an incredible hot fudge sundae of a run by the Shockers.

It started with an NIT championship in 2011; the Shockers had never done that before.

Then came an NCAA appearance in 2012; the Shockers had done that once in the previous 23 years.

Then Wichita State came from a No. 9 seed to knock off No. 1-seed Gonzaga and ultimately reach the Final Four in 2013; the Shockers hadn’t done that in 47 years.

Then WSU won its first 35 games of the 2013-14 season; no team on this planet had done that before.

And now, to end the month of February as the mysteries of March beckon, the Shockers are trying to win their third Missouri Valley Conference title in the past four years. It’s about time ESPN’s “College GameDay” made its way here. What took so long?

Never mind that the crew and some of the cast is packing up shortly after the show ends at 11 a.m. and heading for Lawrence for the Texas-Kansas clash. Lawrence of all places. Is it really necessary to be in Lawrence?

Even so, the Wichita part of this extravaganza promises to be cool for the fans and especially the students. And they’re the ones who eat this stuff up.

We all want to be acknowledged and appreciated and, really, is there anything better than being on ESPN?

Seriously, fans need to relish these good times because they never last forever. The Shockers’ success under Gregg Marshall is mind-numbing. They continue to push the envelope, never satisfied with what has happened but focused on what can happen next.

Wichita State gets a chance to avenge one of the toughest losses of the Marshall era Saturday. On Jan. 31, Northern Iowa went to work on Wichita State and beat the Shockers 70-54. The Panthers beat WSU from one end of the floor to the other, leaving no doubt as to the best team on that cold, blustery, snowy Saturday.

The weather could be replicated here Saturday, but the Shockers have been focused for a month now on making sure the result isn’t.

Northern Iowa is good. Really good. The Panthers have won 16 straight since dropping their Valley opener to Evansville on Dec. 31. They’re a lot like Wichita State – tough, defensive-minded, experienced starters.

WSU had no answer for UNI’s Seth Tuttle in the first meeting. He scored 29 points, made 9 of 13 shots and had the Shockers’ big men questioning their place in college basketball. Darius Carter couldn’t guard Tuttle that day. Neither could anyone else. UNI guard Wes Washpun added 16 points and had the WSU guards on their heels defensively.

It’s safe to assume, though, that the Shockers will provide more of a challenge at Koch Arena. This game has it all: final regular-season game, Valley title, NCAA seeding, revenge, winning streaks, respect. All that will be missing is Kerry Washington – I assume she’s not coming.

Other celebrities could show up, though. Stephen A. Smith will be on the ESPN set with Bilas, Rece Davis, Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg. An ESPN crew is spending Friday around the Wichita State campus and around town getting footage that will be shown before ESPN goes live from Koch Arena at 10 a.m. Saturday.

This is just more proof that winning is fun. Winning has neat perks. Winning causes people to pay attention, especially the people who get paid to share their opinions and insight on the world’s biggest sports network.

For a few hours, Wichita will be at the center of college basketball’s universe. The spotlight is on us. Little ol’ us.

Comb your hair Saturday morning, Wichita. Make sure your collars are turned down. Smile a lot. Put something extra into those signs you’re going to be showing on national television. Represent the way the Shockers have been representing for a while now.

Wichita State is at 147 wins and counting over the past five seasons. Kansas, by the way, has 145 during the same time. ESPN, you sure you need to get up to Lawrence?

This story was originally published February 26, 2015 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: Shocker fans get to celebrate a great run on national television."