Conference basketball play starts tonight (Wednesday) for the Shockers, so everything is different. And yet, the task is not much different from any other season.
Wichita State can put itself in a good position for the NCAA Tournament with a bunch of wins.
That hasn't changed over the past 16 years of Shocker basketball, in which they earned nine NCAA berths and three in the NIT. Conference affiliation can help -as it did in 2006 and 2021 – or make the job more difficult.
The need to rack up W's is a constant. In conference play, the challenge is winning against teams that are ready for your pet plays, while enduring travel, fatigue and injury during a grind of two-plus months.