Bob Lutz: We would all love another Wichita State-Kansas game, right?

It’s there and it looms.

Many of you have probably picked the game in your bracket, a ways down the road.

Last year, Wichita State against Kansas in the NCAA Tournament felt like a setup. A game that everyone, including the selection committee, wanted to happen.

KU, seeded No. 2 in the Midwest Regional, needed only to beat New Mexico State to do its part. And Wichita State, the No. 7 seed, had to handle Indiana.

Both of those things happened and WSU met Kansas in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1981. And for the second straight time, the Shockers won, 78-65 in Omaha.

A KU-WSU matchup in this year’s tournament isn’t as obvious, although both are in a loaded South Regional field that includes eight teams ranked in Ken Pomeroy’s top 23, three more than in any other region.

KU is the No. 1 seed. Wichita State is the No. 11 seed. The disparity seems significant and, perhaps, makes the potential of a rematch just a year later unlikely.

But let’s return to the Pomeroy rankings for a moment.

Kansas is No. 1 there, too. But the Shockers are No. 9, a spot higher than Oregon, the top seed in the West. WSU is ranked ahead of other South teams Miami (13), Arizona (16), Iowa (20), California (21) and Maryland (23).

Ken Pomeroy’s convoluted system loves the Shockers. And it loves Kansas. Which makes the potential of another high-stakes game between the two at least plausible.

First, though, both teams would have to win three games. The Shockers, who got past Vanderbilt 70-50 in Tuesday’s First Four game in Dayton, take on Arizona on Thursday and, if they win, would meet the winner of the Miami-Buffalo game in the second round Saturday.

That would potentially put Wichita State on a collision course with Villanova, the No. 2 seed in the South, which opens against N.C.-Asheville on Friday in Brooklyn.

All kinds of crazy things happen in this tournament, so the conjecture here is not to be taken too seriously.

However, neither can it be completely written off.

Kansas will get past Austin Peay on Thursday in Des Moines, but the Jayhawks would then have an interesting second-round matchup against either Colorado and favorite son Tad Boyle, or Connecticut, which won a championship two seasons ago.

Maryland and Mark Turgeon, another favorite son of the Jayhawks (and Shockers) could be a hurdle for Kansas, too, as the tournament plays on. Or perhaps California, an interesting and talented team from the Pac-12, will get that far.

A KU-WSU game wouldn’t happen until the South final a week from Saturday in Louisville with a trip to the Final Four on the line. That would make it the biggest postseason game between the two.

Their game in 1981, played in New Orleans, was for a trip to the Elite Eight. Last year, the Shockers advanced to the Sweet 16 by beating Kansas.

Wichita State started this season behind the Jayhawks in the national polls and it has remained that way. KU (30-4) has had a tremendous season, winning its 12th consecutive Big 12 championship.

The Shockers have been more uneven, starting with a hamstring injury to senior point guard Fred VanVleet that contributed to five non-conference defeats in November and December.

Can Kansas potentially beat UConn/Colorado and Maryland/Cal to get to the South championship game? It would be a disappointment for the Jayhawks if they don’t.

Wichita State’s path is more difficult, if for no other reason than the Shockers have been more erratic this season than Kansas.

Arizona is a major test and Miami would be, too. And while Villanova often disappoints in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats are 29-5 and have spent most of the season ranked inside the Top 10.

Still, it’s not outlandish that KU-WSU III will happen. Isn’t it what we’re all pulling for?

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: We would all love another Wichita State-Kansas game, right?."