Wichita State was on the bubble after losing in the conference tournament semifinals, but the Shockers were dancing after hearing their name called on Selection Sunday.
A year after the NCAA tournament was canceled, the collective college basketball world rejoiced at the reveal of the 2021 NCAA men's basketball tournament bracket on Selection Sunday. For some programs, though, the celebration was a bit more exuberant than others.
Wichita State snagged one of the last two at-large spots and will square off against Drake in one of the First Four games on Thursday. If the Shockers were dismayed at having to play their way into the first round, they sure didn't show it.
Wichita State's tournament status looked to be in peril after an upset loss to Cincinnati in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament on Saturday. The Shockers won the regular season conference title, splitting their season series with No. 2 seed Houston.
By sneaking into this year's field, Wichita State secures its eighth bid in the last nine tournaments. It's the program's first season under head coach Isaac Brown, who took over just before the start of the 2020-21 campaign after the resignation of longtime coach Gregg Marshall.
Marshall resigned after allegations from former players of verbal and physical abuse. Brown was named the interim head coach just 15 days before Wichita State's season opener. Four months later, he has the Shockers dancing once again.
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