Wichita State gets 'Final' revenge

[jdmee]

Bryan Burwell from the St Louis Post Dispatch

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bryan-burwell/burwell-wichita-state-gets-final-revenge/article_ead5a52d-6bc6-5765-ac3f-cf9d9e10a292.html

These two prestigious mid-majors did not rate the full attention of the keystone network of March Madness, at least not before the NCAA Tournament’s shining moments actually began.

So Doug Elgin, the MVC commissioner, delivered a defiant statement full of proper outrage and righteous indignation.

“It’s disrespectful to our two teams and to every institution in our conference,” Elgin said at the time. “This is our championship game, for goodness’ sake. CBS needs to apologize.”

I’m not sure Elgin ever received that apology, but who needs it now? This is so much better, don’t you think? Wichita State is in the Final Four.

Now here’s what makes this Wichita State story even more interesting. Marshall, the coach, doesn’t have much interest in upgrading his job. He thinks that life at Wichita State is infinitely better than dealing with the pressure-cooker nonsense at any bigger school that might try to tempt him with more fame and fortune.

We already have seen what happens at some of those schools. Tubby Smith and Ben Howland can be sent packing at UCLA and Minnesota for the crime of not winning enough. Frank Haith is being bombarded with a ton of negativity, and all he’s done in his first two years at Mizzou is go 53-17 with two trips to the NCAAs and a conference tournament title.

What Marshall sees is that you can strike it rich at a mid-major both on the court and off.

[jocoshock]

One of the best articles so far..

And now here we are in 2013, and Wichita State has arrived at this year’s Final Four without any of the normal trappings of a Cinderella. They tromped their way through the West Regional brackets, not by the grace of favorable match-ups but by beating all the big boys put in front of them with a clear sense of superiority.

[chicagoshocker]

Can someone explain Gregg Marshall's Cinderella analogy? I've seen it quoted both ways (Cinderella had only one shoe and Cinderella had four shoes), which makes it even more confusing!

“I don’t think we’re Cinderella at all,” said Gregg Marshall, Wichita State’s spirited head coach. “Cinderellas usually are done by this stage. If you get to this point, you can win the whole thing. You beat a No. 1 seed and a No. 2 seed, I think Cinderella just found one glass slipper. I don’t think she found four. So that’s just the way it is.”

[chicagoshocker]

And I was in Chicago watching the MVC championship game when CBS cutaway to the Indiana-Michigan game and I was furious! At least I had Mike Kennedy on and was able to hear the end to the game. My parents in Alabama were able to see the end, and I'm sure they didn't cut away in Wichita/Creighton markets, but it was pretty insulting, especially considering they never even popped back in when the game got really close. They only showed a few clips after the game was over. Ridiculous.

[wu_shizzle]

Can someone explain Gregg Marshall's Cinderella analogy? I've seen it quoted both ways (Cinderella had only one shoe and Cinderella had four shoes), which makes it even more confusing!

“I don’t think we’re Cinderella at all,” said Gregg Marshall, Wichita State’s spirited head coach. “Cinderellas usually are done by this stage. If you get to this point, you can win the whole thing. You beat a No. 1 seed and a No. 2 seed, I think Cinderella just found one glass slipper. I don’t think she found four. So that’s just the way it is.”

Glass Slipper = Tourney Win

"Cinderellas" don't win 4 games.

[Shox21]

Cinderella did just find one glass slipper. We have beaten four teams (not one) which included a No. 1 seed and a No. 2 seed (therefore his reference to "I don't think she found four."). So stop calling us a Cinderella.