It's the first time Wichita State has missed the NCAA Tournament since 2011, and it's possible that the Shockers will not be all that excited to be hitting the road to take on Furman in the NIT. If they show up to play, however, I like their odds against a Furman team that was dominant in its conference but was only 3-6 against KenPom's top 100 teams. Wichita State is ranked 93rd by KenPom. More than that, Wichita State's bigger and deeper than the Paladins as well. Give me the Shockers and the points.

One aspect the committee made no doubt about was that the Southern Conference nearly received two bids. That shows the upward momentum of the conference as a whole. Last night Greensboro throttled the spread against Campbell. Although Furman lacks octane offense it'll be a defensive problem for an underachieving Wichita State club. Grab Furman.