RH: Many Bites at the Big Apple

Bob Hull and Paul Suellentrop discuss the 2019 Shockers and the NIT semifinal vs. Lipscomb.

By Paul Suellentrop

The NIT serves Wichita State basketball well over the years, boosting the Shockers as an entry point into prominence, a safe harbor during tough times and a launching pad into better times.

In 1954, the Shockers played in the NIT – then a 12-team field with 24 in the NCAA Tournament – a mere eight seasons after playing in the NAIA Tournament and 10 seasons removed from a schedule consisting largely of small Kansas colleges such as Bethany, Washburn and Baker. True to its reputation as worthy rival to the NCAA, the NIT field included four teams ranked in the top 20 of the final…