The Final Four is set to get underway in Atlanta on Saturday and the most unlikely team to be making the trip to the Georgia Dome are the Wichita State Shockers, who will take on the number one overall seed in the Louisville Cardinals.
The team made history as just the second number nine seed to make to the Final Four and no team from the Missouri Valley Conference has made it to that round since Larry Bird did it with Indiana State. Syracuse and Michigan will battle on the other side of the bracket and all the teams left in the final four are all very skilled defensively.
The team went 30-8 this season and were 12-6 in the conference while scoring nearly 70 points per game. The Shockers were 27th in rebounding and will try to use that to their advantage against Louisville, who will be without Kevin Ware after his devastating injury against Duke. The team is shooting under 45 percent from the floor and will take on a team that many consider the national title favorites,
The Shockers got a big surprise after defeating Gonzaga to make it to the Sweet 16, as Tebow was refueling at the same airport where the team's bus was and he stepped on to give them a speech. Video of the moment showed Tebow with a pink sweater speaking to the Wichita State bus and told them to live for the moment they were in and to remember their special run. The team has continued that with an improbable run to the Final Four in Atlanta.
"Some of you might go play in the NBA or you might have great lives. But this is the time you will remember," Tebow said. "All of you all together, ballin' out there together, training together, putting in the heart and sweat, everything, caring about each other. You'll never forget it, guys, this is what it's made of and these are the special times in your life, regardless of what you do in the future.
The Shockers shocked the nation by making it to the final four, but they showed signs of being a successful team all year, including after starting 15-1 and rising to 15th in the nation at one point. Wichita State won their opening game against Pittsburgh 73-55 and then defeated number one seed Gonzaga to advance to the Sweet 16.
Wichita State the defeated another Cinderella story in La Salle to get to the Elite Eight and then took down Ohio State 70-66 to make it to the final four. The team had a 20-point lead towards the latter part of the game and held on for the win to defeat the Buckeyes.