Today at 2:45 p.m. ET the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats, full of All-America frehsmen players that began the season as the top team in the nation, will take on the No. 1 seed Wichita State Shockers, whose unheralded group of players authored an undefeated regular season. Watch the game on CBS or live stream it free here. Kentucky fans can hear the game on WKYM 101.7 FM, while Shockers fans can do the same on KFH 1220 AM.
Despite winning their conference, and coming off a Final Four appearance just one season ago, the Wichita State Shockers find themselves underdogs again in the eyes of many despite taking on an eighth seed. This battle for Kentucky can go a long way in legitimizing the Shockers for years to come.
"I grew up watching Kentucky basketball. I have some family in the area. I actually made it to a couple of games," said Shockers guard Ron Baker. "I don't know the program that well but when you hear 'Kentucky,' you think basketball."
The Shockers may be unbeaten, but likely haven't faced a beat like freshman forward Julius Randle, who went off for 19 points and 15 rebounds against Kansas State in a second round, opening matchup. Don't expect Wichita leader Cleanthony Early to be intimidated by the Wildcats' star power though.
"They've got a lot of people on their team that are projected to be certain picks in the draft, and have certain futures, but at the same time, they have to play the game just like we do," Early said. The Shockers certainly seem to be eager to escape Kentucky's shadow, and their coach Gregg Marshall is playing that up.
"I bet not one player on our team got a form letter from Kentucky. So it's just a whole different world. And they do what works well for them, and we try to do what works well for us."
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