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Wichita State turns to promising future
NCAA Tournament
spt ap Wichita State dunk
Cleanthony Early (11) came on strong during Wichita States NCAA tournament run on the way to the Final Four at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Shockers, who lost to eventual national champion Louisville in the semifinals, wont be looked upon as a Cinderella team anymore. - photo by The Associated Press
ATLANTA — There’s no way Wichita State is going to shock anybody next season.The gritty team from the Missouri Valley was picked to finish somewhere in the middle of the conference this year, a fairly safe guess considering the Shockers lost all of their starters from a team that earned a No. 5 seed to the NCAA tournament last season.But with an entirely new group running the show, WSU head coach Gregg Marshall’s crew slowly came together this season, picking up steam once they got healthy late in the year and getting on the kind of roll that Butler and VCU made famous before them.The result was Wichita State’s first trip to the Final Four since 1965.It ended with a blown second-half lead and a disheartening loss to Louisville on Saturday night, but with leading scorer Cleanthony Early and several other key contributors returning, it’s a good bet the Shockers will be tough again next season. It’s an even safer assumption that their opponents will be ready for them.“You know, it’s hard to lose your last game.