Men's Basketball | 3/17/2025 5:31:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop

On Monday at 1 p.m., Xavier Bell worked on his shooting at Koch Arena to take advantage of an unexpected second life for his college basketball career.
 
"We get another opportunity to play," he said. "One (game) could lead to two, two could lead to three. You never know where this winds up."
 
The Shockers, unexpectedly, are in the National Invitation Tournament field. On Sunday morning, Bell believed his time as a Shocker likely ended. On Sunday night, the NIT released the 32-team field and Wichita State – in a surprise to almost everyone – made the cut.
 
Wichita State (19-14) plays at Oklahoma State (15-17) at 8 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN2). The winner advances to play either SMU or Northern Iowa on Saturday or Sunday.
 
"It's a blessing," Bell said. "From top to bottom, we're all excited. It's another opportunity to play, another opportunity to showcase ourselves and change the narrative on what people think of us."
 
Wichita State makes its 14th NIT appearance and its history in the tournament demonstrates how a few wins can enhance a program.
 
The 1954 spot in the NIT established the Shockers as a prominent program early in its tenure in the Missouri Valley Conference. They returned in 1962, 1963 and 1966 when the NIT remained close in prestige to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The 2005 Shockers recovered from disappointment late in the regular season to defeat Houston and Western Kentucky in the NIT.
 
After a first-round loss in 2010, the 2011 Shockers won the NIT by defeating Alabama. That run, which included defeating Nebraska, Virginia Tech and Washington State, played a major role in launching a successful era under former coach Gregg Marshall.
 
Once Wichita State learned of the spot, coaches gathered in their offices to start preparation. It is spring break at WSU, so some players had to be recalled from home or other destinations. They started arriving on Monday and the Shockers bused to Stillwater that evening. They plan to watch film when they arrive.
 
"A crazy turn of events," senior Ronnie DeGray III said. "All of a sudden, you've got another chance to play. It's really cool."
 
On Tuesday, they plan a shootaround and more video work. While it's a limited window to prepare, coach Paul Mills isn't too concerned.
 
"It's not too far-fetched from some things we've done before," he said. "I don't think there needs to be a great deal of practice."
 
The Cowboys went 12-3 at home, including a win over Iowa State. They lost to Florida Atlantic on a neutral court and won easily at Tulsa, which defeated the Shockers twice.
 
Mills has already heard stories about WSU in the NIT – the crazed crowd for a double-overtime loss to Florida State in 2004 and the enthusiasm for the 2011 run. The 2019 Shockers also made the best of the tournament by winning at Clemson and Indiana to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden before losing to Lipscomb.
 
Mills' Shockers revived their season in February by winning six in a row. They finished the regular season 8-4. There are 364 NCAA Division teams – 68 are in the NCAA Tournament, 32 in the NIT, 16 in the College Basketball Crown and 11 in the College Basketball Invitational. Wichita State is one of 127 schools still playing and Mills believes his team is glad to be in that group.
 
"If you like basketball, you want to play basketball," he said. "We have guys who like basketball."
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.