March Madness 2014 VIDEO: Who’s Poised To Make A Run?
The chase for perfection continues on.
Since Indiana went 32-0, capping off a perfect season with a national championship in 1976, only three teams — including Wichita State this season — have won their first 30 games.
Larry Bird’s 1979 Indiana State team won their first 33 games before losing in the national championship. 1991 UNLV went 34-0 before losing in the Final Four. Both teams reached the last weekend of the NCAA tournament, which has to be a good omen for Wichita State’s chances of returning to the Final Four.
A couple of teams have come close to the 30-0 club but fell short. Saint Joseph’s 2004 team went 27-0 in the regular season before losing and Illinois started out 29-0 in 2005 before losing the regular season finale.
Can the Shockers endure the punches and run the gauntlet? There is a reason it hasn’t been done in 38 years. It is arguably the most difficult thing to do in sports. The bright side is that history shows a Final Four is likely in their future. Wichita State is only the fifth team to ever start off 30-0 after a Final Four the previous season. All four of those previous teams made it to another Final Four the next season.
The majority will be cheering for them to shock the world (pun intended) and do the unthinkable. But something tells me that former Indiana coach ,Bobby Knight, is somewhere deep in the Bayou seeing a Voodoo lady.
Joshua Caudill is a writer for CraveOnline Sports, a surfing enthusiast, an unhealthy sports fanatic, and an expert on all things Patrick Swayze. You can follow him on Twitter @JoshuaCaudill85 or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
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