2013 NCAA Tournament: Should the Wichita State Shockers Be Considered the Favorites Now in the West Region?

First, they put a smack down on the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament with an 18-point win. After that, they pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far by taking down Gonzaga Bulldogs–the first No. 1 seed to fall this year.

Now, with the way things are shaping up in the West Region, should the Wichita State Shockers be considered the favorites to go to the Final Four?

It’s one thing to take down the top seed in the region, but when looking at the remaining teams left in this side of the bracket, the Shockers may have an easier path to the Final Four than most people expect. In a region where New Mexico, Kansas State, and Wisconsin have already been eliminated, Wichita State awaits the winner of Ole Miss and La Salle for a spot in the Elite 8 against either Ohio State, Arizona, or Iowa State.

Say what you want about Gonzaga being overrated, but the fact of the matter is they were the top seed in the West Region and if the Shockers can beat them–there’s no reason why they can’t defeat any of the remaining teams.

The Shockers have been playing with a “play angry” attitude on defense that has seemed to work over their first two weeks and Saturday’s game against the Bulldogs made them look like one of the most underrated teams in this year’s tournament. Nobody could have predicted this to happen at the beginning of last week, but all of a sudden–Wichita State seems to have a legitimate shot at representing the West Region in this year’s Final Four.

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