The game Kansas Jayhawks Head Coach Bill Self probably never wanted to play is here. And who can blame him. That game is against the Wichita State Shockers, a would-be state rival that hasn’t gotten the chance to play Kansas since 1992. But the two will meet Sunday in the Midwest Region Round of 32 after Wichita State defeated Indiana this afternoon, 81-76.

Fred Van Vleet led the Shockers (29-4) with 27 points, a tremendous effort from the Wichita State point guard, while Ron Baker hit several key free throws down the stretch to hold off the 10th-seeded Hoosiers (20-14). For Indiana, a team some believed shouldn’t have even been in the NCAA tournament, the loss wasn’t an indictment of their presence, but rather a statement that the Hoosiers belonged. They pushed a very good Wichita State team to the limit and came up just a bit short.

The Shockers, meanwhile, are far more than a team destined to lose in the next round with a game against the big dog in their own state as a consolation prize. Wichita State has every reason to believe that it can beat Kansas. Van Vleet is not only the best point guard in the country that you aren’t hearing regularly about, but he’s one of the best point guards in the country, period. Van Vleet is well established as a guard who makes his teammates better and can rack up assists. He has had at least 10 assists in two games this season.

Baker is a calm presence who doesn’t always stand out the box score, but he does a lot of different things that help the Shockers win. Tekele Cotton is a veteran presence who has been an integral part of Wichita State’s Final Four run two seasons ago and their long unbeaten streak last year. Darius Carter provides supplemental scoring at 11.2 PPG, third on the team. The Shockers don’t have the name talent Kansas has, but they’ve got plenty of ability.

No one would argue that Wichita State is more talented than Kansas, and the Jayhawks will be rightly favored as the second seed. But if the Jayhawks weren’t looking forward to playing the Shockers, they’ll enjoy the experience even less if they aren’t at the top of their game against Wichita State on Sunday.

Ed Morgans is an ACC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @writered21 and add him to your network on Google.