Here We Go Shokcers, Here We Go

We survived Round 1 at The Big Dance. I'm so happy. My & Jason took the day off yesterday so we could go to a watch party at the Marriott hosted by Jocks & Jills Sporting Goods & B-98 FM. We had a blast. Tomorrow were going to be watching at AJ's Sports Bar. Wish us luck. I'll attach the last Eagle Article below. Enjoy! Go Shockers!!!!




YES! Shockers move on to face Tennessee
BY FRED MANN
The Wichita Eagle
GREENSBORO, N.C. - As Shocker fans headed to the concession stands at halftime, Matt Campbell didn't budge. Wichita State led Seton Hall by 16 points in the Shockers' first NCAA Tournament game since 1988, and he was tense.

"I'm not going," he told his family as they headed to the exit. "I don't want to screw everything up."

So he stayed in his seat, bouncing his leg up and down, staring at the court.

Campbell didn't move, and the Shockers didn't lose.

Instead, they handed Seton Hall of the Big East Conference an 86-66 drubbing Thursday for their first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years.

About 450 Shocker fans formed a large, quivering slab of yellow in one corner of the Greensboro Coliseum, watching the game in nervous anticipation, emotions rolling up and down, as the Shockers moved into a quick lead, built it to 20 points, held off a few Seton Hall rallies in the second half, and pulled away at the end.

Among the happiest fans were six WSU students who had driven 21 hours from Wichita in a rented minivan to cram into a single room at a $40-a-night Holiday Inn. They'll be living there through the weekend now that the Shockers have another game to play on Saturday, against Tennessee at about 2:40 p.m.

"It's a combination of the fact that we won our first NCAA game in years, the fact that I knew I didn't have to drive back home tomorrow and the fact we did make such a long drive to get here, that it was awesome to see," said Jason Thomas, one of the students.

'The whole drive up here, I was like, 'If we drive out here and lose the first game...' " said another of the students, Rob Collins. "I just knew we had to win it."

Former Shocker All-American Xavier McDaniel, who made the two-hour drive from his home in Columbia, S.C., sat with the Shocker fans in the stands.

He was proud to watch the school finally get another tournament victory.

"It's a good win for them. I think all of the guys played great," said McDaniel, who played from 1981 to 1985 and became the school's career rebounding and scoring leader.

"For Shocker fans it's something good to talk about, as opposed to something from the past," he said. "We got to go 25 years back to Mike Jones for the last tournament win. We had some good teams since that time, but it's great to be able to talk about something in the future now."

Cheryl Allen flew out with her children, Madison, 7, and Travis, 8. They had to leave her husband, Tim, an accountant, behind.

The family plans an NCAA Tournament first-round trip every year, she said, but this time, sensing that Shockers were going to make it into the tournament, they put off plans and waited to see where the team would be sent.

"We've been waiting for years for this to happen," she said. "This was way worth the trip. It would've been worth it if they'd lost."

After the game, Shocker fans lingered in the concourse, flipped open cell phones and began calling friends back home.

Thomas said his phone was full of text messages from friends who'd seen him on television and wanted to share the experience.

Another student, Drew Gallant, wore a yellow fright wig and black and yellow paint on his face. He held a sign that said, "Where's Creighton?" --a shot at a fellow Missouri Valley Conference team.

He wasn't shy about flaunting the win.

"It says something to all the KU fans and K-State fans in the Big 12 that have doubted the Valley," Gallant said. "We just blew out a team that beat several good Big East teams this year. Our players showed up and played as a team.

"And it's got to mean a lot to the school to see Wichita State's name on ESPN tonight saying how we blew out Seton Hall."