Renewing Old Rivalries

(Indianapolis, IN) – An epic game in Wichita State history was played in St. Louis in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The Shockers lost, but earned national respect for the back and forth slug fest won by Kentucky.

Sunday, the two rivals connect again in the second round of this year’s NCAA Tournament. The second seeded Wildcats and tenth seeded Shockers meet at Bankers Life Fieldhouse near 2 pm (CT) for a bid in the Sweet Sixteen of the national championship tournament.

Both Wichita’s Gregg Marshall and Kentucky’s John Calipari have combative and competitive reputations. While one, Marshall is ever the outsider trying to earn a seat at the big boy table, the other, Calipari seems to be forever complaining that as king of the castle, his teams deserve better treatment.

After complaining about their seeding to everyone that would listen, Marshall’s team faces Calipari’s for the first time since that 78-76 contest. Many have called that an historic game and one of the best they’ve seen. While Marshall has shown video of that game to his team, Calipari barely remembers the it.

Marshall and all-conference forward Markis McDuffie say the Shockers weren’t very good in the first half of their opening round win, and both think the cause could have been opening night jitters.

 

 

Lead guard Landry Shamet says most of the blame for the Shockers’ sluggish start belongs to him. He says he wasn’t good in the first half, and late in the game he wanted to put his finger prints on that important contest.

 

 

Kentucky head coach John Calipari has real respect for Shamet, describing him as really good, fearless, a good decision maker and ‘he can shoot it’.

Calipari says he hasn’t watched video from the 2014 game and barely remembers how it played out. Marshall, on the other hand, showed the video to his team as a teaching tool about the Wildcats’ style of play. Marshall says his team in 2014 earned respect in defeat that night in St. Louis.

 

Calipari and his players come off almost dismissive, probably because the Wildcats have played so many great teams, and they are constantly under scrutiny. Isaiah Briscoe played in state championship games against McDuffie, but could only say, ‘he’s a good player’.

As national media types tried to draw the Wildcat players into controversy, saying the Shocker players had a chip on their collective shoulders, they didn’t seem to really care. They have been well taught to not jump into the fray.

Sunday the Blue Blood against the Black Hat. The 5-Stars versus the Student Athletes. It should be fun.

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