The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee puts a lot of weight on quality wins and strength of schedule, and Wichita State joining the American Athletic Conference helps Memphis in those areas.
What Wichita State brings to the AAC:
Wichita State finished last season 31-5. They tied with Illinois State as the Missouri Valley Conference regular season champions. The Shockers won it outright the previous three years. They also won the conference tournament for the second time in four seasons.
The Shockers have been to six straight NCAA Tournaments, winning at least 26 games in each season. In those six seasons, they have never lost in the first round. They have made one Sweet 16 and made a run to the 2013 Final Four.
Since his first season in 2007, Greg Marshall has been one of the most successful head coaches in the NCAA. He is 261-90 at Wichita State and has had his team ranked in the AP top 20 in each of the past six years.
Wichita State is a quality basketball program that has produced great results since the arrival of Marshall.
They also bring a balance to the AAC. The AAC has had 11 men’s basketball teams to 12 football teams. Navy is the only school that does not play basketball.
Adding a quality basketball school that does not have a football program makes a lot of sense for the AAC. The AAC does not have to adjust divisions or schedules, they just get to add a basketball team.
What the AAC means to Wichita State:
The AAC is not a premier basketball conference, but it is a step up from the MVC. Cincinnati and SMU represented the conference in the Big Dance, UCF made the NIT Final Four and Houston earned a No. 2 seed in the NIT.
Despite losing only four games before Selection Sunday and being ranked in the AP top 25, the committee gave the Shockers a 10 seed. The committee favors “quality wins” and there are not many of those in the MVC.
The Shockers joined a conference that will help their NCAA Tournament seeding, and the AAC took a step closer to the power five in basketball. A program cannot determine their conference schedule, and if the conference is weak, then their strength of schedule will suffer.
That is why the Shockers wanted to move conferences. They needed more games against quality teams and the AAC helps with that.
Wichita State helps improve the conference as a whole, while the conference give the Shockers opportunities for better wins — a classic “win-win.”
What this means for Memphis:
Memphis is obviously going to struggle for the next year or two because of the transfer problems. So, for the first few years, the addition of Wichita State could mean more losses for the Tigers. But at least fans get to see a good team come into FedExForum.
But once the programs can get turned around, the better strength of schedule will give Memphis a chance to improve their tournament stock. Add Wichita State in with teams like UConn, Cincinnati, SMU and Houston, and the Tigers have a lot of chances to impress the Committee.
Former Shocker guard Ron Baker sets up the offense. Baker played four seasons under Greg Marshall, including the 2013 Final Four season.
