No In-State Rivalry Here

No In-State Rivalry Here….by that I mean, don’t believe all the hype the media spouts.

We are talking College Basketball here.

Particularly Kansas Jayhawks and Wichita State Shockers.

There is definitely in-state rivalry between Kansas University Jayhawks (KU) and Kansas State University Wildcats (KSU)….but no rivalry exists between Wichita State and KU …or KSU!

Wichita State is not included in any pre-season games for anyone in the Big 12 Conference.

However, here is an interesting tidbit.

In February 2013, Kansas state senator Michael O’Donnell introduced a bill requiring Kansas and Kansas State to schedule Wichita State.

It hasn’t happened and most likely will not happen, no matter the outcome of the Kansas University/Wichita State Shocker game last Sunday evening.

Being a true fan means sharing losses as well as cheering wins.

Sunday evening was a sad day in this household.

The Jayhawks, who I support, win or lose…did lose…. to the Wichita State Shockers. BUT no in-state rivalry by this fan or by KU!

In the above pics of the Wichita State Coach, Gregg Marshall….(these pics were taken just after the game ended and the Coaches and Teams form a line to shake hands)…I have to admit that I have never seen a winning coach clapping and smiling over a win as he is meeting the opposing coach.

Most Coaches are serious and humbled….win or lose.

Perhaps the win meant a little more to Wichita State.

Just sayin’

A little Background on these 3 Kansas teams.

There are three (2 Major and 1 Mid Major) college basketball teams in the state of Kansas…Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas State Wildcats (we call them K-State) and Wichita State Shockers. The two Kansas teams, KU and KSU are in the Big 12 Conference….and considered to be the “Big Dogs” for lack of a better term.

The Shockers are in the Missouri Valley Conference which had two teams who made it to the NCAA Tournament, Northern Iowa and the Shockers.

The Big 12 conference sent 7 teams out of the 10 teams making up the conference….to the NCAA Tournament, which is quite an accomplishment.

However, there are only two teams remaining in the NCAA tournament from our conference…Oklahoma and West Virginia.

Wichita State has always been considered the “puppy dog wanting to play with the Big Dogs” (Kansas and K-State) and frankly they were never considered a “good” basketball program.

However, in the last couple years they have been able to recruit some great players, acquired a great coach and have made themselves known by being invited to the NCAA Tournament.

You can imagine their excitement at the opportunity to play one of the “Big Dogs” and even more exciting …being able to win.

The Jayhawks played the first half of the game with the Shockers pretty well….up by 8….and then in the second half, the Shockers came back with a vengeance and played very good basketball while the Jayhawks struggled, resulting in a loss and the end of the season for KU.

But that is ok…we have young guys (mostly freshmen) on our team and many said KU would not be very good this year. However, the Jayhawks won the Big 12 Championship for the 11th straight year. Unheard of in other conferences.

So now, we give credit to the Wichita State Shockers who brought their best Seniors and their desire to beat the Big Dogs.

The old saying “If you can’t play with the Big Dogs, stay off the porch” no longer applies. They proved they could play with the Big Dogs and all power to them.

I wish them well as they continue on their NCAA Tourney journey.