Men's Basketball | 2/10/2026 3:28:00 PM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Coaches, uniforms and shoes changed. Conference affiliation changed, and so did conference opponents. The student section changed names from "Shocker Maniacs," to "The Shock Block."
 
Wichita State played a final season in Henry Levitt Arena in 2001-02, one at Kansas Coliseum and returned to campus at Charles Koch Arena in 2003-04. The halfcourt logo changed from script "WSU" to giant Wu.
 
Amidst all those overhauls, rebrands, updates and makeovers, Wichita State men's basketball players would say one thing remained a constant – the fans showed up. From the 2000-01 season until 2021-22, crowds averaged 8,000 or more. The crowds averaged 10,000-plus for 17 straight seasons from 2003-04 until 2019-20.
 
 

Let's Go SHOX! Once a shocker always a shocker. Show up and show love 🌾💛 https://t.co/u5VWbEOuoI

— Gabe Blair (@RealGabeBlair) February 10, 2026

COVID-19 crowd restrictions, coaching change and a decline in success dropped attendance. When former Shockers from the Mark Turgeon and Gregg Marshall eras watch a game, they must be surprised at the number of empty seats.
 
Many of them came to Wichita State sold by coaches on the passion of fans. They watched students camp out before games and rush to the front row when the doors opened. They saw the community fill the arena for a game delayed an hour by snow, a game that started at midnight and one rescheduled almost two months by travel problems.
 
 

10k. That's really light work specially when the boys competing for 1st place . #Wichita What color yall wearing Black Yellow or White out? https://t.co/2VAR8Gbv4y

— Rashard Kelly (@WizKellyy) February 10, 2026

 
 
Fans showed up for Western Carolina, William & Mary and Chicago State. They filled seats for Creighton, Southern Illinois, Houston and Tulsa.
 
This week represents a chance for the Shockers to earn back some of those fans.
 
WSU, winners of five of their past six games, are in the American Conference race. They face co-leaders USF on Wednesday and Tulsa on Saturday at Koch Arena. The Shockers won the American Conference in 2021, under coach Isaac Brown, and won five straight at home in front of minimal crowds. They beat No. 6 Houston and cut down nets after beating USF with 2,635 fans in attendance.
 

Time to show up and show out Wichita family!

— Zach Brown (@Zacharygb2) February 9, 2026

 

This week is the return of a conference race to Koch Arena. Wichita State (15-9, 7-4 American) can make itself a significant factor with two wins.
 
The old guys are paying attention. The old guys are making a plea on social media to come on back and remind the current Shockers what made Koch Arena special.

 

Ladies & gentlemen!….we Need 10k in the building tonight! The team absolutely needs the best fans in the world in the building. Let's get that win fellas. #GOSHOX

— Toure' Khalid-Murry (@toure_murry) February 9, 2026

 

Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
 
Season tickets are on sale now, and season ticket renewals are available as well. To purchase, visit GoShockers.com/Tickets, dial 316-978-FANS (3267) or stop by the Shocker Ticket Office, located inside Charles Koch Arena, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.