The team, which played in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), was led by second-year head coach Gregg Marshall.

The Shockers started out with mediocre level of play, but performed well against then ranked Michigan St. and Georgetown and even beat a very good Siena team in the Old Spice Classic at the end of November.

On February 21, the Shockers beat a Cleveland State team with an RPI of almost a hundred better than WSU's.

Creighton came out and made a huge run in the second half, giving them a 22-point lead and a chance to embarrass Wichita State.

With 9 seconds left, Creighton inbounded the ball and brought it all the way down, but shot a wild jumper that missed.

The Shockers were given a chance to bounce back from the heartbreak with a spot in the College Basketball Invitational, one of the NCAA's minor post-season tournaments made for improving teams.