Wichita State Shockers coach Gregg Marshall speaks with guard Demetric Williams in the first half of the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the third round of the NCAA basketball tournament at EnergySolutions Arena. (Photo: Steve Dykes, USA TODAY Sports) When Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall's team returned from its NCAA tournament second-round game in Salt Lake City at the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, an unusual confluence of events paved the way for a surprise guest speaker. CINDERELLA WATCH: La Salle is a big sleeper BRACKET BRIEFING: NCAA tourney breakdown "After we had gotten off the plane a gentleman taps me on my shoulder and says, 'Tim Tebow would like to address your team.' " Marshall recalled. "There was no connection, other than the fact that he was in Wichita to load up for fuel. He congratulated our players and said he watched our game. He told us not to lose that fire and that we'd remember these moments the rest of our lives. "Talk about the stars aligning for us," Marshall said. "I was shocked." Marshall's Wichita State team had just finished shocking the college basketball world, upsetting West Region No. 1 seed Gonzaga 76-70 to advance to the Sweet 16. The win gave Wichita State its first region semifinal berth since 2006 and the first in Marshall's tenure. Wichita State Shockers forward Carl Hall (22), guard Malcolm Armstead (2) and guard Fred Van Vleet (23) hug during a win over Gonzaga. (Photo: Steve Dykes, USA TODAY Sports) With ninth-seeded Wichita State set to tip off against No. 13-seed La Salle on Thursday (10:17 p.m. ET), the Shockers have been overshadowed by another mid-major, No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast. "Wichita State is not a Cinderella team," ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said. "You can't label a team that is consistently excellent like that. "Florida Gulf Coast is a great story, it's unexpected, they've staged upsets. There's a Cinderella story. You could make an argument for La Salle because their wins were unexpected and they've played better in the tournament. Oregon is not a Cinderella, they were just outrageously under-seeded. Gonzaga was the better team, but Wichita played better and shot the lights out. That outcome didn't surprise me at all." PREVIOUSLY: Wichita State pulls off tourney 'shocker' WATCH: Shockers celebrate victory with epic dance moves After the 2006-07 season, Marshall left a program playing in a perennial one-bid league -- Winthrop of the Big South -- to join the Missouri Valley Conference, which had sent four teams to the NCAA tournament in 2006. But when Marshall arrived at Wichita State, multiple-bid trend took a four-year hiatus, including a notable snub to the Shockers in 2011. Wichita State went on to win the National Invitation Tournament that year, finishing 29-8. Marshall finally led the Shockers to the NCAA tournament last year but his veteran-laden WSU team suffered a second-round upset to Virginia Commonwealth. This year, Marshall reassembled his roster after losing four starters — filling voids with Division-I transfers, junior college transfers and underclassmen. Cleanthony Early, a 6-8 forward who was a two-time NJCAA Division III Player of the Year, leads the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game. Other key additions include guard Malcolm Armstead (10.6 points, 4.0 assists per game), a transfer from Oregon, and freshman Ron Baker, who made four crucial three-pointers against Gonzaga. Wichita State's wide array of pieces fit into the puzzle faster than Marshall anticipated. The Shockers beat VCU 53-51in the second game of the season and went on to finish second to Creighton in both the Missouri Valley regular season and tournament. "One of the reasons Wichita State shouldn't be considered a Cinderella is because they're used to playing in close games," Bilas said. "The Missouri Valley is no cakewalk league. It's better than the West Coast on a night-to-night basis. Marshall's players aren't going to get panicky. If it comes down to the last possession, I don't just like them beating La Salle, I think they're Final Four good." La Salle's guards — Ramon Galloway, Tyreek Duren, and Tyrone Garland — created matchup problems for higher-seeded opponents Ole Miss and Kansas State. Yet Bilas said Marshall's expertise and the team's "junkyard dog" rebounding give them an edge. "We're confident that we can match up with any team from anywhere," Shockers guard Tekele Cotton said after his team's win Saturday. "That's why I don't feel like we are a Cinderella." SWEET 16 TEAMS IN NCAA TOURNEY Story Highlights
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Source : http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2013/03/27/wichita-state-mistaken-for-cinderella-has-final-four-potential/2021375/