by Kevin Burton Perhaps you noticed that all the teams in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament this year were from the Big Four conferences. That and Kansas losing in the second round has dialed my enthusiasm down very close to zero. A pox on all 16 of their houses …
Tag Archives: NIT
Mike Kennedy, Forever Voice Of The Shockers
by Kevin Burton Tomorrow Mike Kennedy will call his final regular-season game after 46 years as the voice of Wichita State basketball. This is one of those blog ideas that showed up on the spreadsheet long ago. But it keeps moving down the page. I’m having trouble delivering it. I don’t want …
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There Is A Method To My March Madness
by Kevin Burton I can’t imagine a scenario where I am completely immune to the madness. While you and your office mates filled out brackets last week, that was only a fleeting thought for me. Didn’t come close to working up the enthusiasm. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be found on the …
A Wichita State, Post-Season Resurrection
by Kevin Burton I printed an NIT bracket Sunday night, because I always do. I was looking for one thing, but got myself a shocker. Make that a Shocker, capital S Shocker. Just two days after Wichita State lost in the American Athletic Conference Tournament, and one day after I posted a …
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Deflated Wichita State Program Limps Offstage
by Kevin Burton Well, at least it’s over. The 2024-25 version of Wichita State basketball bowed out yesterday, when the Shockers lost an American Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinal game to Memphis 83-80. The team went 19-14 this year and will not go to a post-season tournament. They were far from sublime, not …
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Why Do We Love March Madness So Much?
by Kevin Burton In the bad old days, being without a girlfriend, or a date, or even a prayer, on Valentine’s Day was a sharp searing pain to the psyche. Now by comparison, being without a basketball team for the big dance, or even the little dance, is a dull ache. March Madness is …
SI: North Carolina’s NIT Decision Was Lame
by Kevin Burton North Carolina head basketball coach Hubert Davis, hurting after his team coughed up a 16-point lead and the NCAA tournament final to Kansas last April, nevertheless had gracious words for his players. “I can’t be more proud of the group that I just coached this year,” Davis said in a …
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Of Past Glory, Duds And Small Things
by Kevin Burton The first time I heard the word “dud” was in the context of fireworks. Something you paid good money for didn’t work. The promise of boom-boom, the reality of silence, or maybe a little hissing. No bang for the buck. Of course the term applies to many other …
More Hoops Notes: Midtgaard Comes Alive
by Kevin Burton Wow, shame on me! I did a story about the players who left Wichita State’s basketball program after last year (“Ex-Shockers Prospering With New Teams,” Feb. 7) and didn’t even mention Asbjorn Midtgaard. He averaged just 2.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in his three seasons at WSU. …
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