Taking WICHITA STATE. I'll tell. Thought long about Marshall here. Shockers defense not what it once was. They didn't have a conference cake-walk either. Houston and Cincy are tough foes. Enter Marshall. I love the coach. Love how he says that a 3pt shot is better than a lay-up. 3 is more than 2 no matter how you cut it. Herd turned it on in February winning 6 of 8. Ended the year upsetting a good Mid Tenn State on the road. Then they caught some breaks winning the CUSA title. Facing So Miss instead of Mid Tenn again was huge. They they drilled 12-28 3s in the championship over WKU. They played Xavier tough on the road. We had them that game. But X is a team that has danced with danger all year long. Shockers worse loss was to Temple. On the road, in OT by a bucket. Lost to a then healthy SMU. Houston, Cincy. The good 'December' Oklahoma. And a full-strength ND team by a point on a neutral court. Wichita has been favored by 17 or more 10 times this year. 3 times by 23 or more, twice at 29! Just 11 times not favored by double digits. Once as dog, they won outright. The numbers show me a big edge here for Wichita. Defense boards will be important here. Huge experience edge to Shockers. Even with house money, I don't think they cash a ticket. Neither team with a boost playing in San Diego. 4* Money Maker WICHITA STATE