Kansas vs. Wichita State: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

Wichita State has wanted to play Kansas for years. The Shockers took their opportunity in the NCAA tournament to send a message by knocking off the Jayhawks, 78-65. 

This marks the second time in three years Wichita State is playing in the Sweet 16. 

Even though the win will be classified as an upset based on seeding and program prestige, there was no doubt from the tipoff that Wichita State was the superior team. 

Head coach Gregg Marshall basically said as much in the pregame speech to his team, via Ryan Krasnoo of Sports Illustrated:

Marshall was right. He got a balanced effort from his team, with all five starters scoring at least 10 points, and the defense held firm throughout. 

Kansas started out solid and kept things close in the first half with a 29-26 deficit after 20 minutes, but as noted by Jeff Borzello of ESPN, the second half was all Wichita State:

The Shockers shot well all game, hitting 49 percent of their attempts and consistently getting easy looks at the basket. Kansas was often settling for shots away from the rim—which isn't what this team does well—and ended up going 20-of-57 from the field.  

As far as what the future holds, even though the Shockers are focused on the NCAA tournament, Chris Emma of 670 The Score in Chicago notes it may be a while before they get Kansas again:

It's an unfortunate reality of the college game with major conference teams holding all the power, even though smaller programs like Wichita State are worthy of competing on the same stage. 

Wichita State star Ron Baker, who finished with 12 points, told Shannon Ryan of the Chicago Tribune that he knew how much the game meant to people in Kansas:

"

Everyone has been waiting for this game for 20-plus years. Games like this don't happen a whole lot, let alone in the NCAA tournament. Every Kansas kid I know dreams about being in this position so I just have to enjoy it the best I can.

"

Facing that kind of pressure, Wichita State didn't wilt. This was a vastly superior performance than that in the round-of-64 win against Indiana. 

On the losing side, this is another black eye on the resume of Kansas head coach Bill Self. He's gotten accustomed to losing in spots like this, as noted by Nick Wright of CBS Sports Radio:

Let's take things a step further, courtesy of ESPN Stats and Info, to note that Kansas did make some history that it didn't want to be a part of:

This is an odd year because the Jayhawks didn't feel like a title contender late in the season. Cliff Alexander was unable to play, and Perry Ellis battled knee injuries and missed two games late in the year. 

It didn't help matters that Wayne Selden was invisible against Wichita State, going 0-of-5 from the floor with zero points. That's unacceptable for a top player in a big game. 

While it can be debated if Self's coaching is to blame for Kansas' loss, this was a year where there were bigger problems than what he was or wasn't doing. 

As for Wichita State, it got one key storyline out of the way with ease. Now, per Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal, there's another one lurking if things fall into place:

There would be a nice bit of poetic symmetry if the Shockers can get a matchup with Kentucky in the Elite Eight, but that also requires overlooking a terrific Notre Dame team first. 

One thing is for sure: Wichita State isn't going to be intimidated by any stage. It's taken on the in-state beast known as Kansas with no problems and played in a Final Four two years ago.