Wichita State has a blueprint for advancing in the NCAA Tournament from the bottom rung. Several blueprints, actually.
Virginia Commonwealth’s journey from the First Four to the Final Four in 2011 is the most memorable example of turning a tenuous spot in the tournament into a deep March run, but several schools followed with smaller-scale success.
Since 2011, when the tournament field expanded to 68 teams and put four at-large teams in must-win games to reach the round of 64, at least one play-in team has reached the round of 32 every year. La Salle advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2013 – before losing to WSU – and Tennessee won two additional games the following season.