Wichita State Shockers are seeking entry into the American Athletic Confrence

In the ever changing world of college basketball conferences, the Wichita State Shockers could be the next team on the move.

This is a move that will hit close to home for most Philadelphians as the Wichita State Shockers would accept an invitation to the American Athletic Conference which is home to the Temple Owls. If accepted, the Shockers would like to join the conference as a non-football member for the 2018-19 season and a decision is expected in the next few months.

The question that is immediately asked is why would the Shockers look to leave the Missouri Valley Conference that they’ve called home after earning six consecutive NCAA Tournament berths under Greg Marshall? The answer is RPI because if not playing a quality schedule, the Wichita State Shockers have been punished by the NCAA selection committee when it comes to handing out the final tournament seedings.

If the Shockers were able to achieve the record that they had in the MVC this year in a more competitive conference they would have at worst received a six seed from the committee (on par with Cincinnati) instead of the 10 seed that they were given. After multiple years of the Shockers not getting the credit that they deserve for their regular season dominance, they’ve decided that it’s finally time to look for pastures new.

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This is a situation that could be avoided if the NCAA made non-conference schedules more balanced but with the money grab all around, teams from Power Six conferences have no reason to schedule mid-majors like Wichita while risking suffering a damning loss early in the season.

Overall, the Shockers joining the conference would be a huge addition. They would immediately join SMU and Cincinnati as the cream of the conference and with UConn and Memphis fighting to get back to their former glory, it could be fully conceivable to see the AAC as a five-bid league in the NCAA tournament, a large improvement from getting two teams in this year.

Next: American Athletic Conference Preview

But while this is good for the league as a whole, how does it effect the Temple Owls?

Since the bid wouldn’t allow the shockers to join next season, it would be a boon for Owls recruiting before the road to the AAC title gets tougher in the future. Next year, the Owls could parlay a NCAA Tournament berth and an improving conference into a stronger recruiting class to topple the shockers.