How Historic is this Streak in Wichita?

(St. Louis, MO) – With Thursday’s win over Missouri State, the Wichita State Shockers won their twentieth game of the season. That fact might not be news to you. Maybe the Shockers winning 20 games falls in the category where ‘rain is wet’, ‘fire is hot’ and the ‘sun rises in the east’.

We are so used to Wichita State being great and accomplishing amazing things that when they hit the 20 win plateau, we greet it with a yawn, and wait for the next accomplishment. And in some ways that should be our reaction.

The current run of Shocker success is phenomenal and 20 wins, coming this late in the season doesn’t sound like something to celebrate. But let’s step back a bit and take it all in.

There have been some amazing runs in Missouri Valley Conference history and I’ll let the historians rate this current stream of dominance. In my almost two decades of watching Valley hoops, there have been some amazing programs and seasons.

When I first started covering the Valley, Illinois State was reigning supreme. Shortly after that, Dana Altman’s Creighton Bluejays were so good for so long, that reporters started naming Arch Madness, the “Dana Altman Invitational.”

There were great runs by Southern Illinois in the mid-2000s where ‘Floor Burn U’ was terrorizing hopeful MVC scorers.

In the bygone eras we remember Oscar Robertson’s Cincinnati Bearcats, and the great Wichita State teams of the early 80s, and who can forget Larry Bird’s run to the Final Four at Indiana State?

With their 20^th win, Gregg Marshall’s team has now reached that plateau for the seventh straight season. In that time, they haven’t finished lower than second in the MVC and according to the Associate Commissioner Mike Kern, the Shockers are the second team in the 109-year history of the league to turn that trick for seven straight years!

During the first six years of this run there have been 14 first or second team all-conference players to wear the black and gold, but only one (Fred VanVleet) has taken home the Larry Bird Trophy as player of the year. Eight players have been voted to the ‘most improved’ team. Maybe Marshall is doing some coaching!

Two players, Toure Murray and Cleanthony Early have played in the National Basketball Association. Murray was never even named to the league’s all-conference team! He made the second team once, though he was recognized on the ‘all defense’ team twice. Early, VanVleet (2 times)  and Ron Baker have been named as all-Americans.

Wichita State won the National Invitation Tournament in 2011 and have been in the NCAA Tournament ever since. They went to the Final Four in 2013. They entered the 2014 tournament 34-0, picked up win number 35 before losing to national runner-up Kentucky 78-76 in a game that none of us will ever forget. Last year the Shockers were 2-1 in the tournament with one of those wins coming over in-state rival Kansas.

They’ve lost two league games and have seven losses overall in what has been a disappointing season in Wichita. Early season injuries took their toll against a difficult and weighty schedule. Do outsiders remember they were 2 and 4 in late November and are now 18 and three since the return of Fred VanVleet to the line-up?

With three games left in the regular season, Arch Madness 2016 and some form of post-season basketball (it should be the NCAA Tournament) they could reach the mid-20’s or beyond before this season is over.

We are watching MVC history. When you come to St. Louis for the 26^th edition of Arch Madness, take a picture or a video with your phone. Buy a souvenir or get an autograph. This is a special time to celebrate basketball excellence in America’s Renaissance Conference (bowing to Mitch Holthus).

Do Good