The Wichita State Shockers made life hard on themselves, letting the Charleston Cougars back into their NIT quarterfinal matchup after opening up a massive lead, but they were able to hold on and ended up winning by a comfortable 82-75 margin. The Shockers put together a 14-4 record in the Missouri Valley conference, but an untimely conference tournament sent them to the NIT, where they have established themselves as contenders, defeating Virginia Tech in overtime in the previous round. They're now in the semifinals, and they're likely to come up a much tougher opponent than Charleston in the next round.
Wichita State spread the scoring around in the game, with four of their starters scoring in double figures. The Shockers out-rebounded their opponents and doubled Charleston's assist total, while shooting 54.7 percent from the field. Despite the fact that they let Charleston close the gap a bit at the end, it was a solid all-around performance, and the Shockers should cause some problems for their semifinal opponent.
For more on Wichita State, Charleston, and other mid-major programs, check out Mid Major Madness, SB Nation's mid-major hoops blog.
Tuesday:
Quarterfinal 1: No. 1 Colorado def. No. 7 Kent State, 80-74
Wednesday:
Quarterfinal 2: No. 4 Wichita State def. No. 6 College of Charleston, 82-75
Quarterfinal 3: No. 2 Miami vs. No. 1 Alabama, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Quarterfinal 4: No. 4 Northwestern vs. No. 2 Washington State, 11 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Tuesday, March 29th:
Semifinal 1: No. 1 Colorado vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 3, 7 or 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Semifinal 2: Winner of Quarterfinal 2 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 4, 7 or 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Thursday, March 31st:
NIT Championship Game: Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
More 2011 March Madness resources: Visit our NCAA Tournament hub for up-to-date news and information and check out our constantly updated printable NCAA Tournament bracket.