On Sunday, the Kentucky Wildcats and Wichita State Shockers will face off in a rematch from the classic 2014 NCAA tournament game. Three years ago, eighth-seeded Kentucky knocked off one-seeded Wichita State 78-76 in one of the most exciting games in recent March Madness history, ending the Shockers’ undefeated season.
Wichita State is trash talking Kentucky ahead of their NCAA tournament game
Sunday’s rematch from 2014 should be fantastic.
This year, the roles will be reversed as 10-seed Wichita State looks to upset No. 2 Kentucky, and the drama is heating up before the game even starts. Wichita State forward Darral Willis is ready for Sunday, noting that Kentucky is “nothing special.”
“They play on ESPN every game, so I’ve just seen them play a few times. But it’s nothing special, nothing we can’t do. We’re not scared to say any team on this planet earth so we’re ready and we’ll be ready to play tomorrow.” - Darral Willis Jr.
He was also asked about Bam Adebayo’s 18 rebounds against Northern Kentucky, responding with “that’s going to get shut down tomorrow.”
“Yeah, that’s going to get shut down tomorrow. A lot of teams don’t box out and that’s what we do. We box out and we play fundamental defense.” - Darral Willis Jr.
Let the trash talk begin!
In 2014, the Shockers drew a wildly underseeded Kentucky and in 2017, John Capilari thinks the Wildcats could be looking at the exact same thing come Sunday. He believes the Shockers could easily be a four-seed in the tournament. Wichita State’s head coach Gregg Marshall knows how that feels.
The names and the faces may different than in 2014 but this game has the makings of another fantastic opening weekend matchup. And who knows, maybe the Shockers will get their redemption.
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